Neil Bowdler

Sadyr Japarov: From Convicted Kidnapper To Kyrgyz President?

Sadyr Japrov is considered the front-runner in Kyrgyzstan's presidential election on January 10. A little more than three months ago, he was in prison. He said charges that he took part in an attempted hostage-taking scheme were politically motivated.

Starving, Weak, And Penniless: Russians Try Life On Minimum Wage

'A Chance To Return To Normal Life': Russians React After Getting Sputnik-V Vaccine

Russians have been telling Current Time about their experiences with the new Sputnik-V COVID-19 vaccine after the country began a mass vaccination program. President Vladimir Putin said on December 2 that 2 million doses of the Russian-made vaccine would be made available within days.

Flag Wars: Woman In White And Red Flees Belarus

A woman who has become famous for wearing a white-and-red wedding dress during protests against longtime Belarusian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka has fled to Ukraine with her children, fearing persecution. Ina Zaitsava earlier spent three days in an isolation ward and was fined $250.

Selling Coal On Credit To Siberia's Poor

Viktor Kozlov used to drive a tractor on a Soviet-era state farm, but when times got tough, he moved to the coal-rich Siberian region of Krasnoyarsk and started selling coal to residents there to heat their homes.

'I'm Not Afraid': The Belarusian Great-Grandmother Who Became A Symbol Of Protest

Nina Bahinskaya, a septuagenarian great-grandmother, says she never misses a protest against the government following an August presidential election widely seen as rigged. She's been attending anti-government protests since the 1980s.

Russian Artist's Giant Holiday Cards Live On In The Snow

Valery Melnikov was known in Russia for the huge New Year's cards he created on the ice and snow of a frozen river in the country's Far East. After he died in October at the age​ of 72 after contracting COVID-19, residents of his ho​me region of Amur decided to continue the tradition he started.

Ukrainian Doctors Say Situation Critical After COVID-19 Spike

Russian Student Driven Up A Tree For Internet Signal

Minsk Taxi Driver Who Saved A Protester Says He's No Hero

Dramatic video of a Minsk taxi driver saving a fleeing anti-government protester from the clutches of Belarusian police went viral on social media in September. Now, in an interview with Current Time, the driver says he was only doing what others would have done.

Nobody's Child: Inside Ukraine's Controversial Surrogate Adoption Industry

Ukraine is one of the few countries in the world that allows commercial surrogacy. But when something goes wrong, human lives hang in the balance, and critics say the business should be stopped or at least regulated.

Funeral Fears Rise In Russia As Mourners For COVID-19 Victims Go Online

Locked Down Without A Bath In St. Petersburg

Thousands Rally In Moscow To Mark Nemtsov Killing Anniversary

Kyrgyz Workers Hunt For Coal Scraps To Survive Winter

Ukraine Turns To Germany To Transform Troubled Railways

Ukraine's troubled railway company Ukrzaliznytsia and Deutsche Bahn have signed a 10-year memorandum of cooperation under which the German operator will plan a way forward for the state operator. Ukrainian Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk says it could lead to Deutsche Bahn jointly managing Ukrainian railways. Current Time sent two reporters to compare and contrast regional rail services in both countries.

Surviving Siberia: The Hard, Cold Winters Of Yakutia

Surviving Siberia: The Hard, Cold Winters Of Yakutia

What Russians Want In 2020

Slovak Relives Epic Balloon Flight To Freedom