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Project Sapphire: The Secret US Operation To Airlift Soviet Uranium Out Of Kazakhstan

6 June 2026 at 12:06
Kazakhstan has offered to host Iran's enriched uranium in order to streamline a potential peace deal between Tehran and Washington. The offer comes more than 30 years after a massive haul of weapons-grade uranium was taken out of the Central Asian country and flown to the US.

Sun. Sea. Sand. No Gasoline. There’s A Major Problem This Tourist Season In Russian-Occupied Crimea.

6 June 2026 at 10:43
Crimea, the Ukrainian Black Sea region occupied by Russia, is heavily dependent on Russian visitors for its economy. This summer, it faces major gasoline shortages, as Ukraine’s military drone campaign squeezes transport routes, making life even more difficult for vacationers.

US Reaffirms Support For Armenia Ahead Of Weekend Election

5 June 2026 at 12:14
The United States has reaffirmed its support for Armenia's sovereignty and democratic institutions amid growing concerns over what Western officials describe as an intensifying Russian campaign to weaken Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian ahead of the country's upcoming elections.

Russia Uses Economic Chokehold To Counter Armenia's Westward Tilt

5 June 2026 at 11:49
Armenians go to the polls on June 7 in parliamentary elections in which the country’s basic foreign policy orientation is at stake. While Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has pulled the country towards the West, Russia has responded with multiple moves aimed at halting the shift.

Any Iran Deal Must Be Measured By Actions, Not Promises, Says Former Ambassador Lisa Gable

5 June 2026 at 10:47
RFE/RL spoke with Lisa Gable, a former US ambassador who served during the George W. Bush administration and is now the chairwoman of World In 2050, about the prospects for diplomacy with Iran, the challenges of verification, and the broader geopolitical stakes of the current conflict.

'I'm Horrified': Russia Sentences Traveler To 16 Years For Treason Over A $250 Transfer To A Ukrainian

5 June 2026 at 10:00
Riding into Russia on a motorcycle to see his ailing father, Mikhail Loshchinin was detained at the border, tortured, and tried on a treason charge over a $245 transfer to a Ukrainian ex-girlfriend, he and relatives and supporters say. This week, he was convicted and sentenced to 16 years in prison.

From Iran To Ukraine: How Asymmetric Warfare Is Challenging Conventional Military Power

5 June 2026 at 09:52
From Ukraine to Tehran, asymmetric warfare is redefining the modern battlefield. Superiority is no longer measured solely by jets and naval fleets, but by inexpensive unmanned drones.

Mixed Signals Suggest US-Iran Crisis Is Far From Over, Says Security Analyst Jake Sotiriadis

4 June 2026 at 11:02
RFE/RL spoke with Jake Sotiriadis, an adviser to the US State Department, about whether these developments could signal the beginning of a diplomatic off-ramp between Washington and Tehran or merely a pause in a confrontation that still carries a significant risk of escalation.

'No Way Out': Russia Sends Badly Wounded Men Back Into Battle In Ukraine

4 June 2026 at 07:56
As Russia struggles to replace soldiers being killed in high numbers in the fifth year of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, these is mounting evidence of the military returning men to the war despite severe injuries and, sometimes, medical findings saying they are not fit for further service.

Can Diplomacy Survive? Analyst Dania Arayssi On Iran, Hezbollah, And The Struggle For A Deal

3 June 2026 at 11:34
Diplomatic efforts to contain the widening Middle East crisis entered a critical phase this week as US officials sought to keep alive negotiations with Iran amid mounting tensions. RFE/RL spoke with Dania Arayssi, program head and senior analyst at the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy.

Russia Bets On Education To Sustain Influence In Central Asia

2 June 2026 at 15:52
Russia is investing hundreds of millions of dollars to build schools and universities across Central Asia, reinforcing the use of the Russian language at a time when younger generations in the region are increasingly exposed to Western and Chinese influences.

Kremlin-Backed Disinformation Unit Tied To Zelenskyy Dubai Apartment Hoax

30 May 2026 at 09:55
Leaked documents examined by Schemes link a debunked report that claimed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy bought a $3.2 million apartment in Dubai for his mother to a Kremlin-backed disinformation outfit hit with sanctions by the US, the EU, and the UK.

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