Free media in unfree societies. Local reporting and intensive coverage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, unrest in Iran, Taliban in Afghanistan, and more.
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RFE/RL takes apart a Russian Geran-4 drone to uncover what makes the jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) faster, harder to intercept, and capable of operating deep inside Ukraine -- from its turbojet engine and advanced camera to foreign-made communications and navigation components. @cxemu @radiosvoboda
Can Georgia’s Ruling Party Outlaw Its Rivals?
Georgia’s Constitutional Court is considering a ruling party bid to ban the country’s largest opposition parties, a move critics warn would undermine democratic freedoms and ties with the West.
@RTavisupleba 's Andrei Jupalakiani explains from the hearings in Batumi. ⬇️
Ukraine has dramatically reduced its reliance on Chinese drone parts. with one major manufacturer now sources 90% of its components domestically. But China still dominates critical raw materials.
Can Ukraine truly break its dependence on Beijing?
rferl.org/a/ukraine-cuts-chi…
Ukraine has yet to receive answers from the Pentagon or Elon Musk's SpaceX over restrictions on satellite communications used by its military, Kyiv's top diplomat told RFE/RL's @ralexdc. rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-w…
Vladimir Putin’s secluded residence near Russia’s Lake Valdai is surrounded by fences, security forces, and air defenses. Just kilometers away, locals face restricted access to the lake and surrounding forests, while families bear the cost of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Russia has released 74-year-old US citizen Stephen Hubbard, who had been detained since 2022. Russian authorities sentenced him to nearly seven years in prison for allegedly acting as a mercenary in Ukraine, charges his family disputed. President Vladimir Putin announced Hubbard’s release during talks with US envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg on October 21 after President Donald Trump said he had raised the case directly with Putin.
The dam is set to rise higher than the Eiffel Tower once completed. rferl.org/a/roghun-dam-tajik…
A viral video of two Ukrainian border guards’ violent pursuit of a man trying to cross the Dniester River into Moldova has highlighted a route Ukrainians use to escape Russia’s war and the prospect of fighting in it. In this case, all three men ended up in Moldova – and the guards were detained. rferl.org/a/ukraine-moldova-…
In what Ukraine's military is calling a historic first, a soldier who suffered injuries to both legs on the battlefield was flown to safety by an unmanned aerial drone.
His fellow servicemen say the soldier is "a hero" who didn't hesitate to strap himself to the hexacopter drone and fly at low altitude to reach his unit.
By @radiosvoboda
China controls 94% of the global rare-earth permanent magnet market. These magnets are essential for everything from electric vehicles to fighter jets and missile guidance systems.
And Beijing has been using that dominance as leverage against Washington.
1/5🧵
From January 2027, the Pentagon will face stricter limits on using certain minerals sourced from China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
But some defense manufacturers say they may not have compliant supply chains until 2028 or later.
4/5🧵
And mining is only half the battle. China also dominates mineral processing. Analysts say the US could need more than a decade to develop an independent supply chain.
Here’s why breaking China’s grip is so difficult:
5/5🧵
rferl.org/a/us-china-critica…
Stephen Hubbard, a US schoolteacher accused of joining the Ukrainian armed forces and held by Russia since 2022, has been freed in what is being framed as a goodwill gesture from the Kremlin. ⬇️
rferl.org/a/stephen-hubbard-…
Ukraine has retaken 26 settlements in the Dnipropetrovsk region. But what its soldiers are liberating is barely recognizable.
"Everything is dead,” says one Ukrainian commander.
@MaryanKushnir from RFE/RL's @radiosvoboda reports from the front line, where military gains come with a devastating reality.
Zelenskyy has said he is thankful to the US as intelligence on Russian missile strikes "works now," after talks with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Oslo.
rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-a…
Georgia's Constitutional Court will begin hearings that seek an outright ban on the country's largest opposition parties.
By @RTavisupleba & @FarangisN rferl.org/a/georgia-faces-ne…
Open calls for a bomb from sitting lawmakers and senior security officials would have been unthinkable a few years ago. But with the war with the US in limbo, that's no longer the case.
By @KianSharifi
rferl.org/a/iran-nuclear-wea…
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio departed Uzbekistan on October 20 for India after meetings with all five Central Asian countries, wrapping up a visit aimed at expanding Washington’s economic and diplomatic engagement with a region increasingly intent on shaping its own international partnerships.
rferl.org/a/rubio-central-as…
Increasing militant attacks along Iran's border with Pakistan by multiple armed groups have stoked fears of further instability in the two countries, both of which already face multifaceted threats of sectarian violence in addition to the broader repercussions of the conflict in the Middle East. rferl.org/a/iran-pakistan-ba…
