Spotlight: Trending Topics

Analysts: At Paris Summit, Putin Holds The Risk Advantage

Imported Medicine For Russia's Epileptics Still A Banned Narcotic

Parents Of Russia's Epileptics Still Risk Prosecution For Frisium Purchase

This June, police detained Yelena Bogolyubova for seven hours after she picked up a package of medicine for her terminally ill 10-year-old son. Russia had banned the medication, the anti-epileptic drug Frisium, as a narcotic. Amidst an uproar, the government promised changes, but the problem still remains: Russian epileptics cannot always get the medicine they need.

Latest Historical Dispute In Prague Inflames Czechs And Russians

The mayor of a Prague district proposed building a monument to a controversial World War II military division made up of Soviet defectors. Russia objected. The mayor wrote to President Vladimir Putin to advise Russia "not to meddle." The affair is just the latest in a series of Czech-Russian disputes over the two countries' approaches to their history.

Young Russians Eager To Emigrate, But Not Always For Good

Kazakhstan's Sino-Skeptics: A Potential Snag In China’s Silk Road?

If fully developed, China’s Belt and Road Initiative has been projected to cost more than $1 trillion. But in neighboring Kazakhstan, Chinese investment doesn’t impress everyone. This autumn has been marked by protests across the country against Chinese loans and investment, including 55 planned Chinese enterprises. With trade and financial ties growing yearly between the economic superpower and the resource-rich Central Asian nation, these demonstrations could well continue.

Why Russia Believes Individual Journalists Can Be ‘Foreign Agents’

Russia’s parliament on November 21 passed a bill that allows the government to identify individuals as “foreign agents.” The nomenclature could apply, in particular, to journalists who work with or for media outlets already deemed “foreign agents” or who distribute these outlets’ content online. Andrei Palkin, a regional parliamentarian from the ruling United Russia Party, told Current Time that the move was needed to restrict the activities of an alleged “fifth column.”

Why Russia Believes Individual Journalists Can Be ‘Foreign Agents’

Russia’s parliament on November 21 passed a bill that allows the government to identify individuals as “foreign agents.” The nomenclature could apply, in particular, to journalists who work with or for media outlets already deemed “foreign agents” or who distribute these outlets’ content online. Andrei Palkin, a regional parliamentarian from the ruling United Russia Party, told Current Time that the move was needed to restrict the activities of an alleged “fifth column.”

Ukraine's Mariupol Port Struggles To Stay Afloat Amid Russian 'Hybrid War'

After five years of conflict in eastern Ukraine, the port of Mariupol is struggling to survive. With the loss of coal exports and Russia choking access to the Sea of Azov, the port's maritime traffic has been cut in half. But Mariupol hopes Chinese investment can revive its sinking fortunes.

Ukraine's Chief Prosecutor Confirms Burisma Prosecutor Fired

Ukrainian Prosecutor-General Ruslan Ryaboshapka has confirmed to Current Time that the prosecutor who led investigations into Burisma will be fired. Burisma is the Ukrainian energy company at the center of an impeachment inquiry into the actions of U.S. President Donald Trump. The president faces allegations that he withheld U.S. military aid to Ukraine in a bid to prompt Kyiv to investigate the activities of ex-Burisma board member Hunter Biden and his father, presidential candidate Joe Biden.

Magnitsky's Legacy: New Tools To Support Human Rights In Russia And Beyond

Ten years ago, a little-known Russian lawyer working for a Western financial firm died in custody in Moscow. Sergei Magnitsky's name is now enshrined in human rights laws in the United States and around the world. Russian President Vladimir Putin is still fuming.