Moscow Residents Don't Expect Change From Trump Election Win
Russians on the street say they don't believe the re-election of Donald Trump as US president will change their lives, the economy or the war in Ukraine.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Russians on the street say they don't believe the re-election of Donald Trump as US president will change their lives, the economy or the war in Ukraine.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
The outcome of the U.S. presidential election may affect Ukraine more than any other foreign country. The candidates, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, have staked out two very different positions on support for Ukraine, but how they will act in office should they win isn’t exactly clear.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
The outcome of the U.S. presidential election will likely impact Washington’s policy toward Iran. Analysts say Kamala Harris wants to come off as a reliable leader whose Iran policy will reflect mainstream American thinking, whereas Donald Trump’s unpredictability could see him go either way.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Our teams bring you the latest updates, reactions, and insights into what the U.S. elections mean for our audiences. With Russia's war on Ukraine, instability in the Middle East, and a decline in democratic values, the outcome of these elections will reverberate far beyond U.S. borders.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
EU officials are preparing for the possibility of increased tensions in transatlantic trade and the likelihood that the bloc of 27 member states will have to shoulder a bigger burden of political and financial support for Ukraine.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Plus: Kazakhstan inks billions in new deals with China, Slovakia’s Fico goes to Beijing, another Taliban-China announcement, a train station collapse in Serbia, and much more.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will be returning to the Oval Office on January 20 after he is sworn in for a second term. He has vowed to use his presidency to bring about a swift end to the war in Ukraine. RFE/RL asked people across Ukraine what they expect from Trump's peace efforts.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Donald Trump has been sworn in as the 47th president of the United States, pledging to be a "peacemaker."| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Flanked by U.S. flags, President-elect Donald Trump reeled off a list of tech bosses who had flocked to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida to meet him following his election victory.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Russian forces pressed their attacks near the Ukrainian cities of Pokrovsk and Lyman, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy posted a new video purportedly showing a captured North Korean soldier speaking of forces' heavy losses fighting alongside the Kremlin forces.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
As Donald Trump takes office promising to end the war in Ukraine, Taiwan is watching closely. Taipei is looking to preempt concerns raised by Trump over military aid and the island's semiconductor industry, as the prospect of Chinese military intervention seems more likely than it once did.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
In Tajikistan, some men say they've been detained for having long beards and forced to shave. Tajik police deny that they've targeted beard-wearers, but they are keeping close watch for what they believe to be potential signs of extremism -- even facial hair.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
The Tajik government has mobilized thousands of state workers to go door-to-door to lecture youth against the dangers of joining extremist groups. Dozens of Tajik nationals have been linked to terrorist attacks and plots in Russia, the United States, the European Union, and Iran this year.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Russia launched an overnight air attack on Kyiv, prompting a response from Ukraine's air defense units, the city’s mayor said after Ukraine’s military said it struck a chemical plant in Russia's Bryansk region.| Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
EU leaders will task the European Commission with designing a plan to use $204 billion in frozen Russian assets to back a loan for Ukraine, aiming to fill funding gaps as US support wanes. Key disputes remain over legality, spending rules, and who will share the risk.| Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Germany’s ongoing effort to pursue Ukrainian citizens it suspects of blowing up the Nord Stream gas pipelines faces its next battle in the high-security bunker courtroom at Bologna prison in northern Italy on October 23, following a series of recent legal and political setbacks.| Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Since Russia's full-scale invasion, Moscow has focused on seizing Ukraine's Donbas region, which includes the Donetsk and Luhansk territories. Russian leader Vladimir Putin reportedly told US President Donald Trump that Ukraine must abandon the Donetsk region as a "condition for ending the war."| Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
In this week's newsletter, RFE/RL Europe Editor Rikard Jozwiak, previews the upcoming EU summit and looks at Brussels' plan to train Ukrainian soldiers on their own soil.| Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Former NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg says the alliance “was letting Ukraine down” by failing to deliver enough support during 2023-24, describing a “defeatist” mood in Washington and European nations as they failed to make promised arms deliveries.| Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
US President Donald Trump said on October 20 that attempts to reach an agreement between Russia and Ukraine to end the war are ongoing, and warned that if an agreement is not reached the consequences will be serious.| Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region is central to the Kremlin’s political and military priorities; its importance -- economic, cultural, historic -- stretches back decades, if not centuries. Why the fixation?| Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Europe jumped into action on October 20 with a flurry of moves and announcements at it looked to ratchet up pressure on Russia and bolster support for Ukraine after US President Donald Trump reportedly pushed his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy to give up land as part of a peace deal.| Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
A Ukrainian drone attack on a gas plant in Russia's Orenburg, one of the largest facilities of its kind in the world, continues to impact production in neighboring Kazakhstan as the European Union moved to phase out Russian gas imports by end of 2027.| Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Ukrainian drone strikes crippled a major Russian gas-processing plant in Orenburg on October 19, causing massive fires. It's the largest facility of its kind in the world and had to suspend gas intake from Kazakhstan. A second strike on a Novokuibyshevsk oil facility also set off a major blaze.| Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
The European Union and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed doubts about Russian President Vladimir Putin's willingness to end the more than three-year war in Ukraine as the prospect of a summit in Budapest with US President Donald Trump looms.| Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Brussels will host top officials from across Central Asia and the Caucasus as the EU aims to use its influence and pocketbook to push back against Beijing and Moscow.| Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Fleeing Russia’s migrant raids and calls to fight in Ukraine, Kyrgyz workers are heading to Serbia, drawn by visa-free entry and jobs. But many now face exploitation and a lack of protection in their new home.| Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Serbia has become a magnet for migrant workers from Kyrgyzstan. Serbia allows for visa-free travel for Kyrgyz citizens, and is increasingly seen as a safer alternative to Russia following Moscow's crack down on Central Asian migrants. But some migrants claim to have been victims of fraud in Serbia.| Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
The EU is considering training Ukrainian troops inside Ukraine and expanding its support with border monitoring, cybersecurity aid, and war veteran reintegration -- moves that would deepen Brussels’ role as Kyiv pushes for stronger defense and eventual EU membership.| Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to an immediate cease-fire during talks mediated by Qatar and Turkey in Doha, Qatar's Foreign Ministry announced early October 19 on X.| Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
Afghanistan and Pakistan began peace talks on October 18 in the Qatari capital of Doha after border clashes and attacks raised fears of an all-out war between the two countries.| Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
A former Russian diplomat, Sergei Shestakov, has been sentenced to two months in prison for lying to FBI agents in a sanctions-evasion case involving a top ex-FBI counterintelligence official and Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska.| Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
A 29-year-old Tajik man has died in custody after he was detained at Dushanbe airport. Authorities accused of Islamic extremism, an allegation that his family vehemently denies.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Chinese investment in Russian regions like Bashkortostan -- some 1,300 kilometers from Moscow – was already troubled, but Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine could see it deteriorate further.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Beijing and Ankara have expanded their engagement in Central Asia in recent months as the region's governments look for new partners to boost their economies and balance against a more assertive Kremlin.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Outgoing US ambassador to Tbilisi Robin Dunnigan has told RFE/RL that the Georgian leadership sent an "insulting" letter to US President Donald Trump.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Mariam Nikuradze holds the record among Georgian journalists for fines received while covering daily protests amid an intensifying crackdown on the media.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Bidzina Ivanishvili, the Russia-friendly billionaire considered Georgia's most-powerful political figure, has refused a meeting with the US ambassador in Tbilisi, which the embassy said was requested to deliver a message from the Trump Administration.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
I'm RFE/RL Europe Editor Rikard Jozwiak, and this week I am drilling down on two major issues: potential Georgia sanctions and Ukraine’s set-back on EU and NATO membership.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
UN sanctions on Iran have returned, hitting its military and nuclear programs while deepening economic strain for ordinary citizens. Iranians brace for rising prices, tighter markets, and heightened uncertainty as political divisions shape the country’s response.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Iran’s calibrated response to the Israel–Hamas truce reflects pragmatism under constraint: avoiding the spoiler label while preserving leverage.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
As global leaders convene for a summit on resolving the Gaza war, Iran’s absence has sparked debate over missed diplomatic opportunities. The summit follows a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, yet Iran’s rejection of a formal invitation underscores divides and dissent over its foreign policy.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
A series of Russian strikes targeting trains and railway infrastructure have raised fears the Kremlin is probing Ukraine's response to supply disruptions amid Russia's ongoing war on Ukraine.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on June 30 announced alongside allies from Austria and the Czech Republic the imminent launch of a new political alliance that he vowed would "quickly" dominate the European political right.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Since 2020, Czechia has renamed streets and landmarks around the Russian embassy in Prague after adversaries of the Kremlin. Then, in late September 2025 the Czech embassy in Moscow was vandalized, and Czechia banned entry for unaccredited Russian diplomats.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Czech President Petr Pavel says Russians in Western countries should be monitored by security services. Speaking to RFE/RL's Natalie Sedletska on June 14 in Prague, he said, "when World War II started, all Japanese population living in the United States was under a strict monitoring regime as well."| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Hundreds of tons of nets protecting frontline roads and soldiers from Russian FPV drones were once used to haul herring and cod from the Baltic sea.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Ukrainian drones struck one of Russia’s largest oil refineries in Bashkortostan for the second time in a week, as Russian drone attacks on an energy facility in Kharkiv left tens of thousands without power.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
In a sudden shift, US President Donald Trump said Ukraine could win back all of its Russian-occupied territory. His remarks raise crucial questions: Could the US still impose new sanctions on Russia? Will it walk away from its efforts to end the war? Could this change Putin's calculus?| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze threatened anti-government activists with further arrests as tensions remained high in the Caucasus nation following a weekend of mass protests in the country's capital, Tbilisi.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
A Czech-led initiative to supply Ukraine with ammo has delivered vital shells but faces criticism over costs, favoritism, and transparency. A Schemes report investigates what's working -- and what’s not.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
A new right-wing alliance announced recently by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been accredited in the European Parliament with French National Rally (RN) leader Jordan Bardella as its chairman, a spokesman for the Hungarian leader said via social media on July 8.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
When Czech voters head to the ballot boxes this weekend, many fear the country may turn away from its pro-European path, taking away one of Ukraine's staunchest supporters as its battle to repel invading Russian forces nears a fourth year.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, after scoring a dramatic political comeback in the October 4 parliamentary elections, looked to reassure the West over his commitment to the EU and NATO, but he may be forced to partner with even-more Eurosceptic partners to form a government.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis has made a dramatic political comeback, winning parliamentary elections four years after losing power, but now faces tough talks on forming a governing majority in a vote that’s being watched internationally for its impact on Prague’s policy on Ukraine.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
A Russian drone has hit a passenger train, killing a 71-year-old man and injuring dozens of others, including children, in the latest strike against a civilian target in the Kremlin’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Ukraine is set to rename the smallest unit of its national currency – dropping the Russian-derived term “kopiyka” in favor of “shah,” a historical Ukrainian term.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Iran has confirmed that approximately 120 of its citizens will be deported from the United States and returned home this week.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Lawmakers in Georgia have recognized the mass deportation and killings of ethnic Circassians by Tsarist Russia in the 19th century as genocide| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Immigration lawyer Ali Herischi warns that US deportations of Iranian migrants are “very dangerous,” separating families and sending low-priority cases back in shackles. Critics say the policy risks returning dissidents and religious converts to persecution in Iran.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Insights and analysis about life in Iran| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Drones attacked another Russian oil refinery as Moscow continued to carry out its combined air strikes across Ukrainian regions, targeting the country's civilian and critical infrastructure.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
This edition of the Farda Briefing looks at how hard-line media in Iran view US President Donald Trump's plan to end the Gaza war.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
The European Union believes that leaks from two Russia-Germany undersea gas pipelines this week "are not a coincidence," and there are indications they were "a deliberate act," the bloc's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said September 28.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
An undersea data cable between Latvia and Sweden was damaged early on January 26, the latest in a series of similar incidents in the Baltic Sea in which critical seabed energy and communications lines are believed to have been severed by ships traveling to or from Russian ports.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Three years on, the Ukrainian city of Kupyansk is on the verge of being seized by Russia once again. This time, it reflects Ukrainian struggles as much as it does Russian determination -- and the Kremlin’s willingness to absorb mind-numbing casualties.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Polish authorities have detained a Ukrainian man suspected of involvement in the 2022 explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines running under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany, prosecutors in Warsaw said on September 30.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
RFE/RL has more than 700 full-time journalists and 1,300 freelancers reporting the news in 27 languages in 23 countries. We operate where a free press is banned by the government or not fully established and provide what many people cannot get locally.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Iran has approved harsher penalties for espionage and collaboration with Israel and the United States, just days after UN experts warned of a dramatic surge in executions. Experts say the move aims to instill fear in the public and deter unrest.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says 24 civilians were killed in a "frankly brutal" Russian air strike on a village in eastern Ukraine and called on the international community to respond with an "appropriate reaction."| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
She has not yet taken the stage, but upcoming performances by Russian soprano Anna Netrebko at Britain’s Royal Opera House have drawn angry criticism from Kyiv and prompted protests in London as Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine rages on.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Russian forces broke through Ukrainian defenses north of Pokrovsk, a serious setback for Ukrainian effort to hold back Russia’s push for the embattled Donbas city. It’s another blow to morale as Ukrainians nervously await the upcoming Trump-Putin summit in Alaska.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
The war in Ukraine has ushered in a radically different era of drone warfare -- one built not around a few elite systems but around millions of small, cheap, and expendable drones deployed by soldiers at the front. And the U.S. is scrambling to catch up.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Frank Sobchak, a retired US Army colonel and professor at the US Naval War College, says that the use of drones in the Ukraine war has created a stalemate reminiscent of World War I.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
US President Donald Trump appeared to play down the likelihood of a quick meeting of the Russian and Ukrainian leaders and again raised the possibility of new sanctions on Moscow, although he also said the Ukrainian side is not without blame.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Amid an approaching August 8 cease-fire deadline in Ukraine and ongoing US-China trade talks, the White House is looking to pressure China to stop buying Russian oil. But is Beijing willing to hurt Russia's economy?| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
The EU has approved a new sanctions package targeting Russia and Belarus, overcoming a two-month-long impasse caused by a Slovak veto. Significantly, the bloc independently agreed to lower the Russian oil price cap, signaling a shift toward greater autonomy in global economic policies.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
The arrest of two Chinese nationals in Ukraine on espionage charges this month has punctuated a shift in Kyiv’s tone toward Beijing, whose support for Russia’s war is becoming harder to ignore.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
US President Donald Trump's decision to impose a 50 percent tariff on Indian goods over its Russian oil imports has escalated tensions between Washington and one of its key Indo-Pacific allies.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Georgians in the Black Sea resort of Batumi complain their native tongue is being silenced as the Russian language grows louder with the opening of new businesses, most owned by Russians who fled here following the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Ukraine is seeking to more weapons from the West amid concerns that, even after a pair of summits in the United States, Russia is “not interested” in peace, a senior adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Mykhaylo Podolyak, told Current Time.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Ukrainian drone operators have equipped small UAVs with net launchers that can intercept Russian drones flying above the battlefield. Soldiers who spoke to RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service say the unorthodox defense has helped neutralize Russian attacks and offers infantry life-saving protection.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
The Russian government, facing mounting losses in Ukraine, appears to be intensifying its coercive recruitment tactics, targeting prisoners, conscripts, and ethnic minorities from remote regions and Central Asian migrant communities to bolster its depleted forces.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Russia has been enlisting Central Asian prisoners to fight in Ukraine, throwing them on the frontline with limited military training. Some were lured with enticements, but many others faced torture and unbearable prison conditions before signing to fight.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Migrant workers in Moscow face rising police violence amid intensified crackdowns targeting Central Asians. Despite no violations, raids are increasing, fueling fear and mass deportations after recent terrorist-linked arrests and new powers granted to police.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Russia continues to recruit Central Asian migrants and convicts to fill the ranks of its depleting armed forces in Ukraine. Russian authorities use various methods -- from enticements to coercion -- to enlist Central Asians to the Kremlin's ongoing war.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
As an August 8 deadline set by US President Donald Trump to stop Russia’s war on Ukraine approaches, Moscow’s forces are pressing forward on the battlefield and killing civilians in relentless air attacks. Here’s what to watch for signs of whether US pressure will change the course of the war.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s White House visit was supposed to produce a minerals deal and send positive signals about the potential for Washington and Kyiv to work together on peace in Ukraine. Instead, it went horribly wrong, raising stark questions about what could happen next. Here are four takeaways.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
The head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, has spoken out against the Islamic State (IS) group, saying that the extremist militants are "devils" and were assisted by Western intelligence services. Kadyrov also accused IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi of being a CIA operative.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
US President Donald Trump phoned Russian President Vladimir Putin to begin making arrangements for a face-to-face meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after a day of extraordinary meetings at the White House on August 18 as part of a push to end the war in Ukraine.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
The United States and Europe may offer Ukraine “Article 5-like” protections -- security promises modeled on NATO’s defense pact. But without full NATO membership, can such guarantees really stop Russia from striking again?| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
US President Donald Trump has written that it's going to be "a big day in the White House" as his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and European leaders arrived for talks on ending the fighting in Ukraine.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, bolstered by the presence of key European allies, will meet President Donald Trump on August 18 in a session that could help decide his embattled nation's future, even as Trump appeared to shift the burden to Zelenskyy to end the war with Russia.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
In 2023, Bosnia was shaken by the brutal live-streamed murder of Nizama Hecimovic by her ex-partner. Her killing was part of a wider global trend where technology is weaponized to promote and spread violence against women.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
More than 340 people have been killed in northwestern Pakistan, where thousands of rescuers struggled through rain and mud following deadly landslides and flooding that buried villages.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
European leaders are set to join Ukrainian President Zelenskyy’s planned meeting with US President Donald Trump to discuss steps toward ending the war in Ukraine, as Moscow and Kyiv continue to exchange air strikes.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Russian officials have spent years laying the groundwork for a “managed” Internet that authorities could control and surveil. Pushing Russians away from hugely popular YouTube is key.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
A single app that can be used for everything from social media and instant messaging to government services like paying taxes. It’s a “dream scenario” for the Russian authorities, a way to dramatically expand surveillance -- and manipulate public opinion. And it’s getting close to reality.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed battlefield gains on its eastern front against Russian forces on August 16 as both sides sought military advantages ahead of Zelenskyy’s planned White House meeting with President Donald Trump.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
US President Donald Trump called his Alaska trip “great and very successful” after meeting Putin and speaking with Zelenskyy and European leaders. In Ukraine, reactions were mixed -- some criticized Putin’s warm welcome, while others remained cautiously hopeful despite no cease-fire agreement.| RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
