https://www.rferl.org/z/651 RFE/RL journalists report the news in 23 countries where a free press is banned by the government or not fully established. We broadcast in 27 languages to 22 countries, including Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Russia. https://www.rferl.org/Content/responsive/RFE/en-US/img/logo.png https://www.rferl.org/z/651 en Copyright 2026 - RFE/RL, Inc. 60 Fri, 12 Jun 2026 11:57:41 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL Data compiled by RFE/RL reveals how a surge in high-level diplomacy, economic engagement, and regional initiatives has elevated Beijing from a neighboring power to Central Asia’s leading economic partner. https://www.rferl.org/a/china-xi-jinping-central-asia-trade-russia/33777593.html https://www.rferl.org/a/china-xi-jinping-central-asia-trade-russia/33777593.html Fri, 12 Jun 2026 11:19:22 +0200 China Matt Reisener, senior national-security adviser at the Center for Maritime Strategy, talks to RFE/RL about why diplomacy and military pressure are likely to continue, what Iran and the United States each believes it has to gain from talks, and why any agreement may actually hinge on Israel. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-war-israel-us-maritime-security-reisener/33778403.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-war-israel-us-maritime-security-reisener/33778403.html Fri, 12 Jun 2026 09:50:35 +0200 Iran Protests in Albania over a proposed luxury resort linked to US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, have unexpectedly morphed into a very public brawl between Albania and Iran. https://www.rferl.org/a/tehran-tirana-flamingo-revolution-kushner/33778450.html https://www.rferl.org/a/tehran-tirana-flamingo-revolution-kushner/33778450.html Thu, 11 Jun 2026 17:49:39 +0200 News Analysis Despite warnings from the EU, Serbia’s government has granted citizenship to four times as many Russian nationals as to all other foreign citizens combined this year -- including individuals under international sanctions, an RFE/RL investigation has found. https://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-passports-citizenship-sanctioned-russians/33778410.html https://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-passports-citizenship-sanctioned-russians/33778410.html Thu, 11 Jun 2026 16:25:52 +0200 Features The closure of Afghanistan and Pakistan borders since October has severely impacted millions of residents and thousands of businesses. https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-pakistan-border-closure-crisis/33777637.html https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-pakistan-border-closure-crisis/33777637.html Thu, 11 Jun 2026 07:16:02 +0200 Features What’s the latest brick in Russia’s effort to build its Great Internet Firewall? A proposal to create a government-run Virtual Private Network, co-opting a tool that has been widely embraced by Russians trying to avoid government censorship. Industry insiders are reportedly unimpressed. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-tech-internet-vpn-super-app-digital/33777612.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-tech-internet-vpn-super-app-digital/33777612.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 17:36:41 +0200 Russia With the Iran war disrupting traditional energy supply routes and the West seeking to lessen reliance on Russian transit networks, Trans-Caspian corridors have again emerged as a focus of international diplomacy and investment. https://www.rferl.org/a/dream-of-trans-caspian-pipeline/33776802.html https://www.rferl.org/a/dream-of-trans-caspian-pipeline/33776802.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 07:46:59 +0200 Features The US strikes on Iranian air defense and radar systems appear intended as a limited warning to Tehran rather than the opening salvo of a broader military campaign, according to senior US officials and regional security experts. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-helicopter-military-strikes-diplomacy/33777296.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-helicopter-military-strikes-diplomacy/33777296.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 06:40:13 +0200 News Analysis China has overtaken Russia as the largest source of foreign direct investment in Central Asia, according to the Eurasian Development Bank. China’s accumulated investment in the region exceeded $35 billion in 2025, it said. https://www.rferl.org/a/china-russia-investment-central-asia-kazakhstan-uzbekistan-turkmnistan-kyrgyzstan-tajikstan/33776911.html https://www.rferl.org/a/china-russia-investment-central-asia-kazakhstan-uzbekistan-turkmnistan-kyrgyzstan-tajikstan/33776911.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 20:52:43 +0200 China In this week's briefing, RFE/RL Europe Editor Rikard Jozwiak is drilling down on two issues: a damning rule-of-law assessment for Serbia and the latest Franco-German EU enlargement proposal. https://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-rule-of-law-eu-enlargement-french-german-plan/33776111.html https://www.rferl.org/a/serbia-rule-of-law-eu-enlargement-french-german-plan/33776111.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 12:14:28 +0200 Wider Europe The Gulf conflict has underscored the growing importance of mass-produced, low-cost weapons systems, particularly drones and munitions, and exposed the limitations of relying on expensive defensive technologies to counter them, according an executive at the defense tech firm Mach Industries. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-defense-manufacturing-diller-drone-warfare/33776633.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-defense-manufacturing-diller-drone-warfare/33776633.html Tue, 09 Jun 2026 10:49:44 +0200 Iran China remains proactively engaged in finding a lasting solution to the dispute between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban. Once allies for decades, Pakistani and the Taliban forces fought bloody clashes last year. What is at stake for China? https://www.rferl.org/a/china-mediates-pakistan-taliban-dispute-afghanistan/33775964.html https://www.rferl.org/a/china-mediates-pakistan-taliban-dispute-afghanistan/33775964.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 18:46:17 +0200 News Analysis When Kazakhstan launched Central Asia’s first large-scale cloud-seeding program on May 17, it called it a high-tech response to drought, water scarcity, and accelerating desertification. https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-cloud-seeding-central-asia-weather/33772843.html https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-cloud-seeding-central-asia-weather/33772843.html Sun, 07 Jun 2026 10:24:36 +0200 Features Kazakhstan has offered to host Iran's enriched uranium in order to streamline a potential peace deal between Tehran and Washington. The offer comes more than 30 years after a massive haul of weapons-grade uranium was taken out of the Central Asian country and flown to the US. https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-iran-project-sapphire-enriched-uranium/33773568.html https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-iran-project-sapphire-enriched-uranium/33773568.html Sat, 06 Jun 2026 13:06:22 +0200 Photo Galleries Crimea, the Ukrainian Black Sea region occupied by Russia, is heavily dependent on Russian visitors for its economy. This summer, it faces major gasoline shortages, as Ukraine’s military drone campaign squeezes transport routes, making life even more difficult for vacationers. https://www.rferl.org/a/crimea-ukraine-drones-gasoline-crisis-summer/33773507.html https://www.rferl.org/a/crimea-ukraine-drones-gasoline-crisis-summer/33773507.html Sat, 06 Jun 2026 11:43:08 +0200 Ukraine The United States has reaffirmed its support for Armenia's sovereignty and democratic institutions amid growing concerns over what Western officials describe as an intensifying Russian campaign to weaken Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian ahead of the country's upcoming elections. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-support-armenia-election-rubio-trump-pashinian-russia/33773349.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-support-armenia-election-rubio-trump-pashinian-russia/33773349.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 13:14:03 +0200 Armenia Armenians go to the polls on June 7 in parliamentary elections in which the country’s basic foreign policy orientation is at stake. While Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has pulled the country towards the West, Russia has responded with multiple moves aimed at halting the shift. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-economy-armenia-westward-tilt-elections/33773229.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-economy-armenia-westward-tilt-elections/33773229.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 12:49:41 +0200 Features RFE/RL spoke with Lisa Gable, a former US ambassador who served during the George W. Bush administration and is now the chairwoman of World In 2050, about the prospects for diplomacy with Iran, the challenges of verification, and the broader geopolitical stakes of the current conflict. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-negotiations-promises-ambassador-lisa-gable/33773278.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-war-negotiations-promises-ambassador-lisa-gable/33773278.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 11:47:38 +0200 Iran Riding into Russia on a motorcycle to see his ailing father, Mikhail Loshchinin was detained at the border, tortured, and tried on a treason charge over a $245 transfer to a Ukrainian ex-girlfriend, he and relatives and supporters say. This week, he was convicted and sentenced to 16 years in prison. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-prison-belgian-sentenced-treason-claim/33772656.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-prison-belgian-sentenced-treason-claim/33772656.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 11:00:07 +0200 Russia From Ukraine to Tehran, asymmetric warfare is redefining the modern battlefield. Superiority is no longer measured solely by jets and naval fleets, but by inexpensive unmanned drones. https://www.rferl.org/a/drones-iran-ukraine-russia-houthis-hezbollah/33772693.html https://www.rferl.org/a/drones-iran-ukraine-russia-houthis-hezbollah/33772693.html Fri, 05 Jun 2026 10:52:16 +0200 Iran The United States has sanctioned Iran’s largest cryptocurrency platform, in a move that could hurt ordinary Iranians and businesses, experts say. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-nobitex-us--sanctions-crypto-exchange-irgc/33772560.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-nobitex-us--sanctions-crypto-exchange-irgc/33772560.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 14:47:03 +0200 Features RFE/RL spoke with Jake Sotiriadis, an adviser to the US State Department, about whether these developments could signal the beginning of a diplomatic off-ramp between Washington and Tehran or merely a pause in a confrontation that still carries a significant risk of escalation. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-congress-war-sotiriadis/33772490.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-congress-war-sotiriadis/33772490.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 12:02:43 +0200 Iran As Russia struggles to replace soldiers being killed in high numbers in the fifth year of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, these is mounting evidence of the military returning men to the war despite severe injuries and, sometimes, medical findings saying they are not fit for further service. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-war-casualties-wounded-return/33771000.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-war-casualties-wounded-return/33771000.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 08:56:45 +0200 Russia Russian military vehicles painted in patterns resembling WWI-era dazzle camouflage can potentially hide them from Ukrainian drones, but AI experts say any vivid pattern has a short shelf life. https://www.rferl.org/a/zebra-dazzle-camouflage-ai-hornet-drones-russia-ukraine-invasion/33771856.html https://www.rferl.org/a/zebra-dazzle-camouflage-ai-hornet-drones-russia-ukraine-invasion/33771856.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 06:58:20 +0200 Russia Families sharing single meals. Appliances sold to pay utility bills. Businesses gutted. Four Iranians inside the country describe an economy in freefall. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-economy-us-war-sanctions/33771852.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-economy-us-war-sanctions/33771852.html Wed, 03 Jun 2026 16:43:53 +0200 Iran Diplomatic efforts to contain the widening Middle East crisis entered a critical phase this week as US officials sought to keep alive negotiations with Iran amid mounting tensions. RFE/RL spoke with Dania Arayssi, program head and senior analyst at the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy. https://www.rferl.org/a/can-diplomacy-survive-analyst-dania-arayssi-on-iran-hezbollah-and-the-struggle-for-a-deal/33771631.html https://www.rferl.org/a/can-diplomacy-survive-analyst-dania-arayssi-on-iran-hezbollah-and-the-struggle-for-a-deal/33771631.html Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:34:49 +0200 Iran Frederick Flott, who died in 2006, was a longtime State Department diplomat around the world, as well as a CIA agent who worked under diplomatic cover. For years, the KGB tried to recruit him. Did it succeed? https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-kgb-spy-espionage-mitrokhin-flott-secret-archive/33770150.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-kgb-spy-espionage-mitrokhin-flott-secret-archive/33770150.html Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:07:11 +0200 Russia Russia is investing hundreds of millions of dollars to build schools and universities across Central Asia, reinforcing the use of the Russian language at a time when younger generations in the region are increasingly exposed to Western and Chinese influences. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-schools-central-asia-kyrgyzstan-tajikistan-kazakhstan-uzbekistan/33771019.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-schools-central-asia-kyrgyzstan-tajikistan-kazakhstan-uzbekistan/33771019.html Tue, 02 Jun 2026 16:52:40 +0200 Features As Washington and Tehran edge toward a preliminary peace deal, renewed fighting in Lebanon has cast uncertainty over the diplomatic track. https://www.rferl.org/a/former-senior-trump-nsc-official-says-diplomacy-alive-as-us-iran-battle-for-leverage/33770891.html https://www.rferl.org/a/former-senior-trump-nsc-official-says-diplomacy-alive-as-us-iran-battle-for-leverage/33770891.html Tue, 02 Jun 2026 12:41:12 +0200 Iran A donation of 16 Gripen C/D fighter jets from Sweden to Ukraine has the potential to significantly impact the ground war with Russia, depending on what weapons will be provided with the jets, experts say. https://www.rferl.org/a/gripen-fighters-ukraine-war-impact-russia-aviation/33768477.html https://www.rferl.org/a/gripen-fighters-ukraine-war-impact-russia-aviation/33768477.html Sat, 30 May 2026 16:27:17 +0200 Ukraine Leaked documents examined by Schemes link a debunked report that claimed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy bought a $3.2 million apartment in Dubai for his mother to a Kremlin-backed disinformation outfit hit with sanctions by the US, the EU, and the UK. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-fake-news-zelenskyy-claim-dubai-kremlin/33768433.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-fake-news-zelenskyy-claim-dubai-kremlin/33768433.html Sat, 30 May 2026 10:55:48 +0200 Ukraine When US President Donald Trump unexpectedly called on a number of Muslim-majority states to join the Abraham Accords in a social media post suggesting the move could pave the way for a broader peace arrangement with Iran, many responded with uneasy silence. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-abraham-accords-trump-saudi-pakistan/33768416.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-abraham-accords-trump-saudi-pakistan/33768416.html Fri, 29 May 2026 16:41:31 +0200 News Analysis On the second anniversary of his imprisonment, Farid Mehralizada reflects on life behind bars, the humanity of the prison economy, and the AI photo of him with the daughter he has barely seen. https://www.rferl.org/a/imprisoned-journalist-farid-mehralizada-shares-reflections-from-azerbaijani-prison-on-second-anniversary-of-detention/33768284.html https://www.rferl.org/a/imprisoned-journalist-farid-mehralizada-shares-reflections-from-azerbaijani-prison-on-second-anniversary-of-detention/33768284.html Fri, 29 May 2026 12:31:59 +0200 Azerbaijan After Ukraine’s tourism industry was decimated by the Russian invasion, tour operators in Ukraine are catering towards travellers who want to see the impacts of the war firsthand. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-war-dark-tourism-russia-invasion/33767624.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-war-dark-tourism-russia-invasion/33767624.html Fri, 29 May 2026 10:22:25 +0200 Ukraine Russia and Afghanistan’s Taliban have signed a military and technical cooperation deal, Russian media reported, but neither side released details, raising questions about whether it marks a substantive shift or a symbolic move. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-taliban-afghanistan-military-agreement-shoigu-yaqub/33767652.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-taliban-afghanistan-military-agreement-shoigu-yaqub/33767652.html Thu, 28 May 2026 18:37:02 +0200 Features Over the past eight years, at least 20 foreigners have helped raise and educate two boys believed to be the sons of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his purported partner Alina Kabayeva, most of them from Western countries, RFE/RL’s Russian investigative unit has determined. https://www.rferl.org/a/putin-purported-sons-western-nannies-language-tutors/33767499.html https://www.rferl.org/a/putin-purported-sons-western-nannies-language-tutors/33767499.html Thu, 28 May 2026 17:42:38 +0200 Russia Former Pentagon official Michael Patrick Mulroy says both Washington and Tehran have incentives to avoid renewed war, but warns the Strait of Hormuz will remain a long-term pressure point even if an agreement is reached. https://www.rferl.org/a/mulroy-warns-iran-us-conflict-could-restart/33767525.html https://www.rferl.org/a/mulroy-warns-iran-us-conflict-could-restart/33767525.html Thu, 28 May 2026 13:51:40 +0200 Iran The Taliban has issued a new law on divorce that explicitly acknowledges child marriage is permitted in Afghanistan. Two former child brides told RFE/RL that the law formalizes a reality many Afghan girls are already living: forced marriage, delayed justice, and silence treated as agreement. https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-taliban-child-bride-marriage-divorce-girls-women/33766823.html https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-taliban-child-bride-marriage-divorce-girls-women/33766823.html Wed, 27 May 2026 17:21:19 +0200 Afghanistan After 88 days of a near-total Internet blackout, Iranians are slowly reconnecting, but to the same heavily censored, regulated network they had before. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-internet-restrictions-shutdown/33766824.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-internet-restrictions-shutdown/33766824.html Wed, 27 May 2026 16:34:32 +0200 Iran Tens of thousands of Afghans have been internally displaced by deadly border clashes between Afghanistan and Pakistan in recent months. Among them is a father-of-six who now lives in a tent. https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-pakistan-idp-refugees-border/33766621.html https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-pakistan-idp-refugees-border/33766621.html Wed, 27 May 2026 13:09:02 +0200 Afghanistan After 88 days of digital isolation, described by NetBlocks as the “longest nationwide Internet shutdown in modern history,” Iran has begun partially restoring Internet access. To unpack what this means, RFE/RL spoke with Charles Dunne, a former senior US diplomat and national-security official. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-s-internet-restoration-highlights-shift-from-battlefield-to-negotiating-table-says-former-diplomat-charles-dunne/33766524.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-s-internet-restoration-highlights-shift-from-battlefield-to-negotiating-table-says-former-diplomat-charles-dunne/33766524.html Wed, 27 May 2026 09:38:11 +0200 Iran A series of conflicting signals from Tehran and Washington has highlighted the fluid status of ongoing US-Iran negotiations. To break down the strategic calculations, political pressures, and maritime realities on the ground, RFE/RL spoke with former US Ambassador Christopher Henzel. https://www.rferl.org/a/ambassador-christopher-henzel-iran-deal-negotiations/33766110.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ambassador-christopher-henzel-iran-deal-negotiations/33766110.html Tue, 26 May 2026 20:00:54 +0200 Iran Dramatic images of glowing projectiles streaking down from space on May 24 marked the latest combat use of Russia's Oreshnik missile against Ukraine. Here is how the missile works, and why some of its payloads don't explode. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-missile-oreshnik-kinetic-strike-war-invasion/33766001.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-ukraine-missile-oreshnik-kinetic-strike-war-invasion/33766001.html Tue, 26 May 2026 18:45:56 +0200 Features The patriarch of Russian Orthodox Church is a vocal backer of Moscow’s war against Ukraine. Systema, RFE/RL’s Russian investigative unit, examined how the country’s dominant religious organization goes after dissenters, including priests who decline to intone a victory prayer in their services. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-church-persecution-ukraine-war-prayer/33764424.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-church-persecution-ukraine-war-prayer/33764424.html Tue, 26 May 2026 14:14:54 +0200 Russia The coup trial of former security chief Kamchybek Tashiev has become the clearest sign yet of a profound transformation inside Kyrgyzstan’s political system. Far from an ordinary criminal case, the proceedings reflect President Sadyr Japarov’s effort to eliminate the last major rival within the ruling elite and cement a new era of centralized presidential power. https://www.rferl.org/a/kyrgyzstan-tashiev-coup-trial-japarov-power-struggle-rivalry/33764407.html https://www.rferl.org/a/kyrgyzstan-tashiev-coup-trial-japarov-power-struggle-rivalry/33764407.html Tue, 26 May 2026 08:41:00 +0200 Features RFE/RL interviewed Jason H. Campbell, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute and former Pentagon official during Trump’s first administration, about a potential peace deal between Washington and Tehran. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-conflict-peace-deal/33764611.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-us-conflict-peace-deal/33764611.html Mon, 25 May 2026 20:55:15 +0200 Iran A senior Iranian official says Tehran has imported Chinese equipment to support a “permanent” internet shutdown, as the country’s unprecedented blackout enters its third month. Experts say Iran's censorship model is cheaper than the Chinese version and easier to replicate for other states. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-china-internet-blackout-censorship-tool/33764398.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-china-internet-blackout-censorship-tool/33764398.html Mon, 25 May 2026 17:21:36 +0200 Iran After a detainee died in police custody, six officers face trial -- an uncommon step in Tajikistan, where allegations of abuse seldom reach court. https://www.rferl.org/a/tajikistan-death-in-police-custody--torture-allegations/33762719.html https://www.rferl.org/a/tajikistan-death-in-police-custody--torture-allegations/33762719.html Mon, 25 May 2026 14:00:06 +0200 Tajikistan Across Central Asia, deep-rooted son preference is driving sex-selective abortions and distorting birth ratios. Women describe intense family pressure to bear boys, while experts warn the growing gender imbalance could fuel long-term social instability. https://www.rferl.org/a/central-asia-sex-selective-abortions-girls-tajikistan-uzbekistan/33761697.html https://www.rferl.org/a/central-asia-sex-selective-abortions-girls-tajikistan-uzbekistan/33761697.html Sun, 24 May 2026 13:22:35 +0200 Features RFE/RL interviewed Anwar Gargash, a senior official in the United Arab Emirates, about the prospects of a deal to end the Iran war. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-uae-israel-united-states-war/33762806.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-uae-israel-united-states-war/33762806.html Fri, 22 May 2026 21:43:54 +0200 Iran