Chechnya has introduced a new ban for women’s fashion that prohibits traditional clothing featuring “masculine elements.” While this isn’t the first time the Russian republic’s authorities have imposed restrictions on women’s appearance, observers say the rationale behind the latest rules is about control –- not tradition, as claimed. The Chechen Culture Ministry said clothing designers…
President Vladimir Putin said Russia has successfully tested the nuclear-powered, nuclear-weapon capable Burevestnik cruise missile and is seeking ways to deploy it at a time when the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine drags on. The Kremlin published a video on October 26 of a meeting between Putin and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, which…
A Vietnamese pop singer won top honors at Russia’ s Intervision Song Contest, a Cold-War era music festival that Moscow revived in response to being kicked out of the global Eurovision spectacle for its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Duc Phuc, who has nearly 2 million followers on Instagram, sang a dance-beat pop song based on…
New research shared with RFE/RL shows that leading Chinese universities linked to the country’s defense sector have significantly increased their research partnerships with Russian institutions, providing Moscow with access to new technology and expertise that can help counteract Western sanctions applied since the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The preliminary findings compiled by the Australian…
As Chinese leader Xi Jinping walked down a red carpet on Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in early September flanked by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un at a heavily choreographed military parade, another story about China’s expanded influence was unfolding on the sidelines. While Xi sent messages of resolve aimed at the…
Dozens Afghan commandos are being airdropped into a remote mountainous region along the eastern border with Pakistan to help in the race to rescue victims of an earthquake late last week that has claimed the lives of more than 1,400 people, according to Taliban authorities. The deadly 6.0 magnitude quake that struck the provinces of…
Ukraine urged China to pressure Vladimir Putin to move toward peace as the Russian president arrived in Beijing following his participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit — where he defended the war that has killed tens of thousands of people. “Given the significant geopolitical role of the People’s Republic of China, we would…
KYIV — Amid the dust, the rescue workers, and the diggers, Mykola is lucky to be alive. The five-story apartment block he called home was reduced to rubble the previous day in a Russian strike that killed 22 of his neighbors, including four children. Speaking to RFE/RL’s Current Time on August 29, he recalled being…
US President Donald Trump again played down the likelihood of a quick meeting of the Russian and Ukrainian leaders and raised the possibility of new sanctions on Moscow, although he also said the Ukrainian side is not without blame. “I want to see that [war] end,” Trump told reporters on August 26 at the White…
Washington appeared to be preparing Kyiv and Moscow for major compromises to end the long, bloody war ahead of a face-to-face meeting of the US and Russian presidents, with US Vice President JD Vance warning that any peace deal will likely leave both sides “unhappy.” “It’s not going to make anybody super happy. Both the…