Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said that US President Donald Trump's decision to waive sweeping sanctions against Russia was "indecisiveness," which "sends the wrong message to the aggressor."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian strikes targeted energy facilities in multiple regions, leaving thousands of households without electricity, as Ukrainian and Russian officials reported civilian deaths following drone attacks on October 18.

Despite legal protections, the Belarusian state is building a sprawling academy complex for the KGB on the grounds of a historic Catholic cemetery in the heart of Minsk, RFE/RL’s Belarus Service has found. Plans call for a swimming pool, a shooting gallery, and office suites for senior officials.

Russian Chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov tells RFE/RL Putin is set on “liquidating Ukraine” and will not concessions. Slamming a proposed US deal to buy Russian diesel, Kasparov said that if Ukraine wins the war Putin will fall – giving a chance for democracy in Russia.

Russia continued to pound Ukraine with missiles and drones, killing civilians and damaging residential buildings and energy sites, as Kyiv described disruptions to the satellite communications of US company SpaceX, crucial to the country's defense, as a deliberate "operation."

Iran’s Islamic republic has survived war, economic crisis, and widespread protests. So why is the system still standing? Vahid Pourostad of RFE/RL's Negah-e-Farda (Iran Tomorrow) program explains that its survival rests on entrenched networks of power and a fractured opposition.

US President Donald Trump has waived nearly all substantive sanctions, tariffs, and restrictions included in a bipartisan law aimed at pressuring Russia to end its war against Ukraine, prompting sharp criticism from Ukraine advocates and US lawmakers from both parties.

As Secretary of State Marco Rubio heads to Uzbekistan, Washington is hoping the high-level diplomatic engagement translates into concrete economic and security cooperation. 

Many Russians feared the Kremlin would order a new mobilization after last month’s elections: to replenish decimated forces fighting in Ukraine. That hasn’t happened. But creative and coercive recruiting tactics – called “quiet” or “creeping” mobilization by some – continue nationwide.

Russia's shadow campaign of drone incursions, sabotage, and assassination attempts in NATO countries has largely backfired by drawing a resolute response but is approaching a "crucial point," Christopher Walker, vice president of the Center for European Policy Analysis, tells RFE/RL.

A Ukrainian platform that shares captured Russian and North Korean military hardware for “destructive testing” and other research has granted access to 376 foreign companies and agencies since its launch, RFE/RL has learned.

Iran’s southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan has been the scene of a spate of militant attacks in the past month. What’s behind the violence in one of Iran’s poorest regions?

Russia is deepening diplomatic and military cooperation with Afghanistan's Taliban rulers, driven by security concerns in Central Asia. But worsening Taliban-Pakistan tensions and questions over the scope of Moscow's assistance are complicating the rapprochement.

Article in Atlantic claims The Blue Fighter was artificially generated, days after it won Caine prize for African writers

The Zimbabwean writer Simbarashe Kundizeza has denied using AI to write a prize-winning short story after an article in the Atlantic said software had flagged it as almost completely AI-generated.

Kundizeza’s story The Blue Fighter was announced as the winner of the prestigious Caine prize for African writers on 6 October. Five days later, The Atlantic published an article by the author and journalist Vauhini Vara titled: “Yet Another Literary prize winner Seems to Be AI.”

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© Photograph: pr image

© Photograph: pr image

© Photograph: pr image

A new dress-code dispute in Azerbaijan’s public schools has sparked protests by parents and students after reports that girls wearing hijabs, or Islamic headscarf, were turned away from classes. The protests come after a new ban on clothing deemed incompatible with the secular nature of education.

Ukraine is increasingly using artificial intelligence in drones and other battlefield systems to track, identify, and attack targets. Military officials say humans still remain in control of lethal decisions, but developers warn that fully autonomous weapons are moving closer to reality.

Azerbaijan’s new school-uniform rules have sparked protests after reports emerged of schools turning away girls wearing hijabs, renewing debate over religious freedom and secular education.

The European Union is working on multiple fronts to limit the number of Russian citizens that can enter the bloc, including the nuclear option of a total ban on all non-essential travel into the club’s Schengen zone.

Russia shows no sign of letting up on its escalating aerial campaign against Ukraine’s apartment buildings, bridges, power plants, electricity grid, and other targets. As fall gives way to winter, Kyiv residents are racing to prepare.

Deadly Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukraine pounded civilian and energy sites across the country, leaving hundreds of thousands without power despite a cease-fire previously announced by US President Donald Trump.