Margot Buff is a multimedia editor for RFE/RL.
Adil Suljic was one of thousands of Muslim men and boys massacred in Srebrenica during the Bosnian war. His sister, Nura Begovic, later donated the remains of his clothing to the memorial center in Potocari, where his memory is honored alongside many other victims.
The vibration of a reed that grows around the Nagorno-Karabakh region has provided the sound of Armenia’s duduk, a wind instrument, for centuries. Azerbaijan’s military takeover of the territory means duduk makers are now looking to Europe for reeds, but some fear the sound might change forever.
As Afghans, Syrians, and other migrants continue to cross the Balkans on foot toward Western Europe, some never reach their destination. Bosnian rescue workers and volunteers are playing a vital role in working to identify victims, reach their families, and ensuring dignified burials.
The Russian government has designated Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty an "undesirable organization," according to a registry maintained by the country's Justice Ministry. The label effectively bans RFE/RL from working in Russia and exposes both reporters and sources to potential prosecution.
Two Russian prisoners, Vladislav and Mikhail, joined mercenary groups when they were given the chance to fight in Ukraine. After fighting in deadly conditions, both surrendered to Ukrainian forces -- then returned to battle as part of a paramilitary unit fighting for Ukraine.
Ukraine's president has named Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskiy as the country's top military commander. He replaces General Valeriy Zaluzhniy after months of speculation that he was at odds with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy over battlefield strategy.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is expected to win a fifth consecutive term in the country's elections on February 7. International watchdogs have described the vote as neither free nor fair amid reports of voting irregularities and an election boycott by major opposition parties.
When Anastasia Ivleyeva, a popular online influencer, invited Russian celebrities to a party with the theme "almost naked," she did not expect a nationwide backlash. One guest was charged with hooliganism and "gay propaganda," while other attendees said advertisers had canceled their contracts.
A gunman opened fire at a university in downtown Prague on December 21, killing at least 14 people and wounding many others. The shooter was also reported dead following the attack. A professor and students described being caught in the midst of the violence.
A group of disabled Armenian veterans has teamed up with a dance troupe to bring an unusual performance to Yerevan: choreographed wheelchair dance. Participants say the project has forged friendships, boosted their spirits, and challenged some of the limited expectations they face in society.
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.
A public defender, a rights activist, small business owners: these women have seen their lives and careers upended by the Taliban's return to power in August. After 100 days of Taliban rule, they take stock of the personal and economic harm caused by the regime's repressive policies.
When Armenians bake the flatbread known as lavash, they incorporate Christian rituals and family knowledge -- but few people still practice this culinary craft at home. Knarik Torosian is one baker who still makes lavash in an underground wood-fired oven.
As a migrant crisis intensifies on Belarus's borders with the EU, some travelers from war-torn countries describe paying a high price for the unfulfilled promise of reaching Western Europe. One family from Iraq's Kurdistan region were forced to pay traffickers to return home after a failed trip.
An ongoing crisis on Belarus's border with Poland escalated in recent days as migrants seeking to cross into the EU clashed with Polish security forces. With temperatures dropping, some migrants who had camped out by the border have now moved to a shelter in Belarus where they await deportation.
In parts of Yakutia, in Russia's Far East, many residents raise reindeer to make a living, relying, in part, on modest government subsidies to make ends meet. Their livelihood is part of a traditional way of life, but it's threatened with obsolescence as young people leave in search of better jobs.
An ancient skeleton excavated at a site near Tbilisi has been kept at Georgia's National Museum for nearly a century -- but archaeologists are now giving it a closer look. They say the woman who was buried with jewelry and a sword is the oldest female warrior ever identified.
On September 29-30, 1941, a ravine near Kyiv called Babyn Yar became the site of a massacre that foreshadowed the horrific scale of the Holocaust. Occupying Nazi forces, with the help of collaborators, shot and killed nearly 34,000 Jews at the site in the first of a series of mass killings.
Since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, the militants have made vague statements about allowing girls to get an education, but so far, that female secondary-school students have stayed home. Students told Radio Azadi about their fear that their educations have been cut short.
Millions are out of work, the country's foreign reserves are frozen, cash has mostly dried up, and markets are running low on imported goods. Afghanistan's collapsing economy has had devastating personal impacts, with some unemployed Afghans selling off their household items to buy food.
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