Ukrainian drone strikes on three data centers operated by Russia’s Yandex will reportedly take months to repair and have caused widespread disruption in everyday life across Russia and other countries the sprawling tech company operates in.

Russia launched overnight missile and drone attacks across Ukraine, striking Kyiv, Kharkiv, and other regions. At least four people were killed in Kharkiv. The attacks came amid a US-proposed energy cease-fire that Moscow has not confirmed.

In this week's briefing, RFE/RL Europe Editor Rikard Jozwiak drills down on one issue: the upcoming EU summit, with a focus on Ukraine, Russia sanctions, and EU enlargement.

After four years of speculation, leaks, and briefings by anonymous sources, the world is finally about to hear evidence given publicly under oath in a German courtroom about how the Nord Stream gas pipelines were blown up -- in a case that could prove politically explosive.

US President Donald Trump, in the face of sharp criticism from officials in Ukraine, Europe, and even his Republican party, defended his decision to allow Russian diesel exports and insisted an energy cease-fire between Kyiv and Moscow is in place despite a lack of confirmation from either side.

Despite sweeping restrictions on women’s employment, some Afghan women are finding ways to build businesses and earn a living.

Ukraine has struck three of Russian tech giant Yandex’s data centers in four days. Known as "Russia's Google," Yandex said it shut down a facility in the country's Vladimir region following an attack on October 11. The strikes have reportedly caused huge disruptions to digital services in Russia.

A prominent human rights lawyer and activist has been arrested in Iran, sources close to him told RFE/RL’s Radio Farda.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Ukraine's recent attacks on Russian tech giant Yandex’s data centers have resulted in fewer Internet bots promoting pro-Kremlin hate, a claim that has been disputed by many technology researchers.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of striking an energy plant after US leader Donald Trump's surprise announcement of an “energy cease-fire,” while Moscow remained silent on any suggestion of a truce.

European leaders rallied behind Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after Donald Trump eased restrictions on Russian diesel and called for new leadership in Kyiv, as Russia and Ukraine traded fresh strikes.

Central Asian nations are increasingly turning to India, China, Turkey, and Europe for military equipment to reduce their dependence on Russia. Analysts note that this diversification offers greater political flexibility but could create long-term logistical and operational challenges.

Republican Representative Brian Fitzpatrick plans to force a House vote on legislation blocking Russian oil purchases, challenging President Donald Trump's decision to ease restrictions on Russian diesel exports as lawmakers warn the move could help finance Moscow's war against Ukraine.

Is Russia about to attack the Baltic states? There are no signs of an imminent conventional invasion, but concerns are growing that Moscow could test NATO in other ways.

US President Donald Trump said he reached an agreement with President Vladimir Putin to temporarily ease sanctions on Russian diesel exports, a move Ukraine immediately criticized as a "gift" to the Kremlin.

OpenAI has said Iranian operatives used ChatGPT to create fake journalist personas and push anti-American narratives. RFE/RL looks at one of the personas.

A Starlink trial on an Italian hilltop connected an ordinary smartphone to the Internet without mobile coverage, a satellite dish, or an external antenna. It drew attention in Iran, where Internet access is heavily filtered and authorities imposed a near-total blackout during the January protests.

Impoverished Afghans are illegally selling their kidneys to repay debts and buy food. The selling of organs comes as the war-torn country grapples with one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.

As millions of Afghans struggle just to afford food, some have turned to selling one of their last remaining resources: a healthy kidney. The costs can be devastating: One woman said her health has deteriorated since she sold a kidney for a modest sum that failed to clear her family's debts.

A recent announcement that 177 cities, towns and villages will lose their “contaminated” status on January 1, 2027 affects some 566,400 people from a total of 930,600 living on Belarusian territory that was contaminated by the 1986 nuclear accident in Soviet Ukraine.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that Russia's war against Ukraine is at a stalemate but could escalate into a broader regional conflict if the deadlock pushes either side toward increasingly dangerous actions.

As Ukraine prepares for its fifth winter since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, a document obtained by RFE/RL sets out a potential blueprint for a campaign by Moscow to inflict enormous suffering on civilians with attacks aimed at sharply cutting supplies of power, heat, and water.

More than 30 people were killed and several dozen others injured after a Russian attack on two passenger buses in Kramatorsk, according to Ukrainian authorities. Two buses were destroyed in the strike and public transportation was suspended.

Moldova saw more Russian drones crash on its territory in August than it did over all of 2025. Moldovan authorities are increasingly rattled—but there’s little a cash-strapped government can do beyond complaining diplomatically.

Mikhail Klimaryov fled Russia to escape political persecution and now lives in Germany, but says he is still not safe. The constant pressure from Kremlin agents has, he says, driven him to "a kind of paranoia" about his security.

Authoritarian states such as Russia and Iran are increasingly pursuing their opponents even after they find shelter in apparently safe Western countries. RFE/RL talks to some of those affected.

Belarus’s Minsk Automobile Plant is under Western sanctions, limiting who can buy the vehicles produced there. That may be the reason trucks branded with the previously unknown “HAL” badge have been spotted amid strengthening trade relations between Belarus and Indonesia.

The European Union has expressed “deep concern” over Kosovo’s adoption of legislation that seeks to narrow the jurisdiction of a Hague-based war crimes court, saying the changes violate the country’s international obligations toward the bloc.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran will never be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon, declaring that preventing Tehran from doing so is a red line for President Donald Trump.

Russia launched a massive overnight missile and drone attack across Ukraine, killing at least 19 people. Strikes severely damaged a 5-story apartment building in the northeastern city of Pryluky and caused extensive damage to homes and infrastructure in Kremenchuk in the central Poltava region.

Two decades after the murder of Anna Politkovskaya, a tenacious investigative reporter who exposed the brutality of Russia's war in Chechnya and documented how President Vladimir Putin curtailed democracy in Russia, her daughter Vera says little has changed in the country's political climate.

A Liberian-flagged oil tanker caught fire off the Russian resort city of Sochi after an apparent drone attack, Russian authorities said on October 6. The 23 crew members, all Indian, were rescued. A Ukrainian monitoring site said the vessel as part of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet.

Russian missile and drone strikes pounded Ukraine on Russian leader Vladimir Putin's birthday, leaving dozens of people dead or injured in one of "the most vile" attacks in recent times, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has signaled a renewed American push to strengthen security in the Arctic, warning that US adversaries and competitors are already acting in a region of growing strategic importance.

October 7 marks the 20th anniversary of the murder of prominent Kremlin critic Anna Politkovskaya, a tenacious investigative reporter who exposed the brutality of Russia's war in Chechnya and documented how President Vladimir Putin curtailed democracy in Russia.

Parliament elected Justina Shiroka Pula as Kosovo's new president late on October 6 following a last-minute political deal that secured lawmakers' approval of legal changes restricting the powers of a Hague-based war crimes court.

A prominent lawmaker has sparked controversy by saying Ukraine is losing the war and should consider making controversial compromises with Moscow. An opposition party ejected Oleksiy Honcharenko from its parliamentary faction, but his remarks may fuel further debate amid relentless Russian attacks.

Iran’s worsening medicine shortages are driving patients to a booming black market, where essential drugs can cost several times official prices. Cancer and chronic disease patients face soaring costs, while authorities struggle with imports, currency shortages, and supply disruptions.

A suspected case of pneumonic plague killing a laboratory technician in Russia has sparked global alarm about the possibility of wider transmission. RFE/RL spoke to Brendan Wren, a professor of microbial pathogenesis, about the situation and Russia's moves to deal with it.

In this week's Wider Europe, Rikard Jozwiak drills down on two issues: the EU's new enlargement strategy and the EU's game plan to keep Russia (and Belarus) out of sports.

Powerful phone hacking software built by Russian-owned Oxygen Forensics was used by dozens of US and European government agencies, including the FBI and the Secret Service. One former agent used it to pull thousands of hidden files from Hunter Biden’s laptop.

In this October 15, 2024, video obtained by RFE/RL, former Secret Service agent Konstantinos Dimitrelos discusses how he used Oxygen Forensics' Russia-built software to "hack" a copy of a hard drive belonging to Hunter Biden.

Police fired tear gas at protesters outside the parliament building in Kosovo's capital, Pristina, on October 5. The protesters were demanding that lawmakers pass legislation that would limit the decisions of a special war crimes tribunal by imposing caps on prison terms for convicted criminals.

Kazakhstan has asked Moscow to help bring home citizens who say they were pressured into signing military contracts to fight in Ukraine. The request puts a fresh spotlight on the vulnerability of Central Asian migrants to Russia’s military enlistment efforts.

A photo of Brigadier General Gholamreza Jalali, the head of Iran's Passive Defense Organization, wearing a smartwatch has sparked a backlash. His response, that it's peacetime and people have smart TVs at home, has only fueled criticism of lax security among Iran's top brass.

Kosovo’s parliament approved at first reading a bill to sharply restrict the jurisdiction of the Hague-based Kosovo Specialist Chambers on October 5, a day before a deadline to elect a new president or face fresh parliamentary elections.

After studying at Berklee and building a career in New York, Ukrainian singer Valeriia Vovk returned home to perform for troops, including near the front. She says simply being there, talking to soldiers and singing for them, has great value.

The United States is monitoring reports of a suspected case of pneumonic plague in Russia after the death of a 28-year-old laboratory worker in the Siberian region of Irkutsk, as some US political figures call for sweeping travel restrictions involving Russia.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is heading to Iceland, Greece, and Portugal on October 5-8 for talks on security, defense, energy, economic cooperation, and technology as NATO allies face growing security concerns over Russia’s military activity and continued Middle East instability.

Milorad Dodik, the Russia-friendly former leader of Bosnia-Herzegovina's Serbian-led entity, declared victory for his party in the region, with nationalist forces also scoring wins in Bosnia's complex electoral system -- results likely to keep tensions high in the country and the region.