Margot Buff is a multimedia editor for RFE/RL.
Russia has amassed an estimated 127,000 troops near the borders of Ukraine. In the event of an invasion, some Western experts believe Kyiv's forces could be quickly overwhelmed. But analysts point to some resources that make Ukraine a stronger power than it might appear.
In May, a leaking pipeline spilled oil into a river and across a large area of the Komi region in northern Russia. Local officials and the LUKoil energy company said the cleanup work is now finished, but local environmentalists say the impact is greater than the company admits.
On June 30, Russia's president is holding his annual televised call-in show. In previous years, he's used the program to lay out plans for the country's future. Here's a look back at some of the promises Putin has made to the Russian public but which he has failed to deliver on.
A newly released video shows police breaking into a safe house in Daghestan, southern Russia, and seizing Khalimat Taramova. The Chechen woman had fled there with a person said to be her girlfriend after what she described as beatings and threats at home.
Igor Krainov was detained on drug charges in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod in 2019. But CCTV footage helped him get the charges dropped and turn the tables on the police, who appeared to plant evidence in his pocket. Three officers lost their jobs and are facing a criminal investigation.
One of the best protections against the coronavirus is also the simplest: washing your hands. Doctors advise soap, warm water, and a thorough scrubbing to get rid of potential infectious material.
Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine have sentenced journalist Stanislav Aseyev, an RFE/RL contributor, to 15 years in prison on charges of espionage. Aseyev has already been held since 2017, when he was captured while reporting on the separatist conflict. Rights defenders and press freedom groups are calling his imprisonment "illegal" and "shocking."
This spring, a march in Bishkek marked International Women's Day by calling for equality for all -- including LGBT people. Members of the LGBT community say it marked a turning point in the fight for equal rights in Kyrgyzstan, but they describe ongoing battles with threats and job discrimination.
