Margot Buff is a multimedia editor for RFE/RL.
Alexandru Rjavitin fled from forced service in a paramilitary unit in the breakaway Moldovan region of Transdniester, saying he had endured brutal beatings and extortion. When he returned to visit his family in December 2019, he disappeared without explanation. Then Rjavitin reappeared on Transdniestrian TV, apparently serving with his old unit and retracting his charges of abuse.
The coronavirus outbreak that started in Wuhan, China, has claimed hundreds of lives, sickened thousands, and continues to spread beyond China's borders. Here are a few key facts about the disease.
A growing number of Russians are relying on loans to make ends meet each month. That means ballooning household debts and booming business for poorly regulated lenders and collection agencies that often use aggressive tactics. (AFP, Margot Buff)
On January 3, a U.S. air strike in Baghdad killed Qasem Soleimani, the Iranian commander who led the elite Quds Force wing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). Soleimani was considered one of the most powerful men in Iran and the architect of Tehran's foreign policy in the region.
In Moscow, large-scale Orthodox icons rendered in spray paint decorate bridges and underpasses. They're the work of artist Aleksandr Tsypkov and fellow creators who believe that everyone, not just church-goers, should be able to see religious art.
This year, viewers have had to wade through manipulated videos passed off as real, blogs written by anonymous trolls, and a widely debunked theory with adherents in the White House. That’s not to mention the many routine instances of wrong or misleading info spread by media outlets, politicians, and others. Here are 10 stories from 2019 of disinformation running rampant.
Afghans who can't afford doctors, can't reach one easily, or don't trust them often opt for a visit to a bonesetter. These traditional practitioners offer low-cost treatment for breaks, sprains, and other injuries. But some doctors say patients who use them are putting themselves in danger.
Journalists covering Kazakh protests in recent months have encountered interference from masked men blocking their cameras with umbrellas. The identity of these low-tech media-jammers isn't clear, but they seem to have no trouble with the police.
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."
Emotions ran high at a soccer game in Tehran. For thousands of female fans, it was the first professional game they'd been allowed to attend in their lives.
In Georgia's mountainous Tusheti region, a spectacular and dangerous road holds some surprises, if you know where to look.
Inspired by the popular TV series and a tourism initiative proposed by Ukraine's president, more tourists are visiting the Chernobyl exclusion zone than ever. Alongside the official guided tours, the abandoned area has also seen a rising number of illegal visitors entering at their own risk.
Klingon, Elvish, Dothraki, and Nadsat: there are plenty of invented languages used in movies. But one of them, Interslavic, has the potential to be useful to hundreds of millions of people. The language just made its movie debut in a wartime drama, The Painted Bird, and its creator says it could be used by Slavic speakers from Siberia to Slovenia.
In the Czech capital, Prague, a monument to wartime Soviet commander Ivan Stepanovich Konev is the target of a heated debate. Residents have covered the statue with graffiti and splattered it with paint, while others lay flowers at the marshal's feet. According to one historian, the dispute over Konev's historical role points to deep divisions in contemporary politics.
At the Tagab settlement in Kabul, hundreds of families displaced by conflict and drought live in grinding poverty. The job of bringing home food often falls to the children, who are forced to sift through garbage dumps in search of scraps or anything of value to sell.
In a video statement, Uzbek activist Shokhruh Salimov called on the country's president to address the persecution of LGBT minorities. Two days later, police raided Salimov's family's house to try to arrest him.
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.
Ivan Golunov, a reporter for news site Meduza, was arrested in Moscow on June 6 and sentenced to two months of house arrest pending his trial on charges of drug trafficking. Journalists have rallied to Golunov's defense, saying the charges were fabricated in retaliation for the reporter's work.
In the spring of 2017, RFE/RL contributor Stanislav Aseyev was allegedly abducted by Russia-backed separatists while reporting from the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine. Two years later, he is still held hostage and has not been allowed to communicate with friends and family.
Disappearing seals, plummeting fish stocks, and a falling water level all point to the deteriorating health of the Caspian Sea. Ahead of Earth Day, observed on April 22, environmentalists in Azerbaijan have warned that it will take rapid action to save the Caspian from the fate of the Aral Sea.
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