Here are some of the most compelling photographs from the 20th week of 2025 from around RFE/RL's coverage region. For more photo galleries, see our archive.
Photos Of The Week (May 12-18)
- By RFE/RL
1
Ihor Titovsky, a Ukrainian Azov officer who was released in a recent exchange of POWs with Russia
2
Soldiers from the European Union Force Bosnia and Herzegovina (EUFOR) stand guard in Camp Butmir, a EUFOR base near Sarajevo.
3
Afghan Hajj pilgrims board a plane to Saudi Arabia at Kandahar airport.
4
The full moon sets behind Saint Isaac's Cathedral in central Saint Petersburg, Russia.
5
Students shout slogans as they express solidarity with Pakistan's armed forces during a school assembly in Lahore on May 12 after schools reopened following a cease-fire between Islamabad and New Delhi amid hostilities over the disputed region of Kashmir.
6
An Afghan farmer harvests opium from a poppy field on the outskirts of Faizabad district in Badakhshan Province.
7
A Serbian soldier holding a broom jumps over the red carpet ahead of a welcoming ceremony for European Council President Antonio Costa, in Belgrade.
8
People walk near an anti-tank barrier on Independence Square in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.
9
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the European Political Community Summit at Skanderbeg Square in Tirana, Albania, on May 16.
10
A cemetery in Kyiv is pictured on May 15, which Ukrainians celebrate as Vyshyvanka Day (Folk Embroidery Day)
11
Ukrainians wear traditional embroidered shirts to celebrate Vyshyvanka Day in Kyiv.
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12
Cadets and young volunteers unfurl a giant replica of the Soviet Flag of Victory, during a continued observance of Victory Day in St. Petersburg, Russia, on May 15.
13
UKRAINE-CRISIS/MARINKA
14
A voter casts his ballot at a polling station in Persani, central Romania, on May 18, 2025, during the second round of the presidential elections.
15
The Ukrainian delegation, led by Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, attends a meeting with Russian delegation (not pictured) in Istanbul on May 16.
