VOA Russian: Putin’s apology for downed plane not enough for Azerbaijan
VOA Russian speaks to regional experts who believe that President Vladimir Putin has unexpectedly found himself in a corner after it appears Russian air defenseчитати
Russian drone attack injures 6 in Kyiv
Officials in Ukraine’s capital said Wednesday a Russian drone attack injured at least six people. Serhii Popko, head of Kyiv’s City Military Administration, said onчитати
Thousands in Serbia turn New Year’s celebration into anti-government protest
BELGRADE, SERBIA — Instead of the traditional boisterous street partying on New Year’s Eve, tens of thousands of protesters led by university students gathered overnight inчитати
VOA Russian: Kremlin spin masters struggle to break Moldova
Even as Russia stops gas deliveries to Moldova, along with all gas transit to the EU through Ukraine, on Jan. 1, Moscow continues to meddleчитати
France strikes Islamic State targets in Syria
France said Tuesday it had carried out airstrikes against Islamic State militant positions in Syria. French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said in a post onчитати
Russia says Ukrainian drone debris sparks fire in Smolensk region
Russian officials said Tuesday that debris from a destroyed Ukrainian drone fell on an oil facility in the Smolensk region, causing a fire. The Russianчитати
Scores of Ukrainian and Russian prisoners head back home after swap
KYIV, UKRAINE — Ukraine and Russia carried out a new exchange of prisoners of war on Monday, with the two sides bringing home a combined totalчитати
Serbian court convicts parents of teen who fatally shot 10 at Belgrade school
BELGRADE, Serbia — A court in Serbia on Monday convicted the parents of a teenage boy who last year shot dead nine pupils and a schoolчитати
VOA Russian: Kremlin could force Belarus to enter war in Ukraine or lose independence
As Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ally, Alexander Lukashenko, prepares to stage another presidential election in Belarus in January, the country continues to face a seriousчитати
Finland discovers anchor ‘dragging track’ amid suspicions of Russian subsea sabotage
LONDON — Finnish authorities have discovered anchor drag marks running for several kilometers across the Baltic seabed as they probe the recent severing of important powerчитати
US announces $2.5 billion in new Ukraine aid
The United States Monday announced nearly $2.5 billion in new aid for Ukraine as part of a surge of assistance in the waning days ofчитати
German government seeks to downplay Musk’s backing of far-right party ahead of general election
Berlin — The German government on Monday sought to downplay efforts by tech entrepreneur Elon Musk to get involved in the country’s general election campaign byчитати
Ukraine says it shot down 21 of 43 Russian drones
Ukraine’s military said Monday it shot down 21 drones that Russian forces used in attacks overnight targeting multiple areas across northern and eastern Ukraine. Theчитати
In Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, aid workers risk lives to keep residents warm
As harsh winter weather descends on Ukraine, UNICEF and other aid organizations are helping communities in eastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region prepare for the cold season.читати
Finland finds drag marks on Baltic seabed after cable damage
OSLO, NORWAY — Finnish police said on Sunday they had found tracks that drag on for dozens of kilometers along the bottom of the Baltic Seaчитати
Croatia holds presidential election with incumbent NATO, EU critic favored
ZAGREB — Croatia’s left-leaning president, an outspoken critic of Western military support for Ukraine in its war against Russia, is running for reelection in the Adriaticчитати
UK to tax private schools in $1.9 B boost to public education
LONDON — The U.K. will end a tax exemption for private schools Wednesday, the center-left Labour government has announced, in a move set to raise overчитати
Ukrainian soldiers find rest, restoration at Carpathian mountain retreat
As Russia’s war against Ukraine enters its third year, centers focused on soldiers’ rehabilitation and mental health are appearing across Ukraine. An active serviceman startedчитати
Efforts to free reporter held in Iran ‘complicated,’ says Italy
ROME — Efforts to release Italian journalist Cecilia Sala from prison in Iran are “complicated,” Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Saturday. Sala was detained onчитати
Russia to stop gas exports to Moldova beginning Jan. 1
MOSCOW / CHISINAU, MOLDOVA — Russian energy giant Gazprom said Saturday it would suspend gas exports to Moldova from 0500 GMT on Jan. 1 due toчитати
Turkey’s pro-Kurd party to meet jailed PKK leader on Saturday
ISTANBUL — A delegation from Turkey’s main pro-Kurdish DEM party is due on Saturday to visit jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, who is serving a lifeчитати
Ukraine says it struck drone depot in Russia’s Oryol region
Ukraine said on Saturday it had struck a storage and maintenance depot for long-range Shahed drones in Russia’s Oryol region, adding that this had “significantlyчитати
Somali migrant who survived boat sinking wants to try again for Europe
MOGADISHU, Somalia — Idil Abdullahi Goley’s journey seeking a better life in Europe started in Somalia with a $6,500 payment to local smugglers. It ended aчитати
VOA Russian: Washington, Moscow, Beijing to form complicated strategic triangle in 2025
VOA Russian spoke with U.S. officials, politicians and experts to see how U.S. relations with China and Russia could change under the incoming Donald Trumpчитати
Senegal to close foreign military bases, cuts ties to ex-colonial power France
DAKAR, SENEGAL — Senegal has announced the closure of all foreign military bases, without setting a timeline for the exit of foreign troops. Prime Minister Ousmaneчитати
North Korean troops experience mass casualties on Ukraine front lines, White House says
North Korean forces are experiencing mass casualties on the front lines of Russia’s war against Ukraine, with a thousand of their troops killed or injuredчитати
Seoul: North Korean soldier captured in Russia-Ukraine war dies
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — A North Korean soldier who was captured while fighting in Russia’s war against Ukraine has died of his wounds, South Korea’s spyчитати
NATO to boost military presence in Baltic after cables ‘sabotage’
Brussels — NATO will bolster its military presence in the Baltic Sea after the suspected sabotage of an undersea power cable linking Finland and Estonia thisчитати
Seoul: North Korean soldier captured in Russia-Ukraine war
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — South Korea’s spy agency said Friday it had confirmed that a North Korean soldier sent to back Russia’s war against Ukraine hadчитати
VOA Russian: How drones changed military tactics in Russia’s war in Ukraine
Both Russia and Ukraine expanded the use of drones in 2024 as a relatively cheap means of warfare that requires an opponent to use aчитати
Moldova backs defense strategy calling for increased spending
CHISINAU, MOLDOVA — The parliament in ex-Soviet Moldova, controlled by pro-Western lawmakers, approved a 10-year defense strategy on Thursday calling for increased military spending as partчитати
Russian defense fire likely caused Azerbaijan plane crash, experts say
Aviation experts said Thursday that Russian air defense fire was likely responsible for the Azerbaijani plane crash the day before that killed 38 people andчитати
Finland detains Russia-linked vessel on suspicion it damaged undersea cable
FRANKFURT, GERMANY — Finnish authorities have detained a Russia-linked ship as they investigate whether it damaged a Baltic Sea power cable and several data cables, accordingчитати
Azerbaijan observes day of mourning for air crash victims as speculation mount about its cause
Azerbaijan on Thursday observed a nationwide day of mourning for the victims of the plane crash that killed 38 people and left all 29 survivorsчитати
Ukraine says it shot down 20 Russian drones
Ukraine’s military said Thursday it shot down 20 of the 31 drones that Russian forces launched in overnight attacks. The intercepts took place over theчитати
Kyrgyzstan faces difficulties enforcing West’s Russia sanctions
BISHKEK, KYRGYZSTAN — Experts say Kyrgyzstan’s efforts to enforce Western sanctions against companies supplying dual-use goods and equipment to Russia are constrained by opposition from business,читати