Ray Furlong

Iran has recorded a massive uptick in its fishing catch in the Caspian, even as the sea shrinks. But as fishermen celebrate, experts are ringing alarm bells.

Ukrainian troops have complained that people are avoiding military service and leaving them outnumbered on the front line, in interviews near Kupyansk in northeastern Ukraine on November 20. With Russian forces advancing in the area, the few remaining civilians appeared stressed and depressed about the situation.

A 77-year-old Ukrainian man overcomes power cuts resulting from Russian air strikes with his own energy, by pedaling a bicycle hooked up to an electricity generator that lights his home and charges his phone. Oleksandr Klimenko also has his own wind turbine and solar panels.

The New Year has every potential to be momentous, with the return of Donald Trump to the White House, pledging to bring an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine, along with ongoing conflict in the Middle East and tensions between China and Taiwan. Ray Furlong speaks to RFE/RL journalists about what to expect in their patches.

It is not yet clear what role HTS will play in a post-Assad Syria. But if, as seems likely, it emerges as a key player, Western governments appear keen to keep their options open.

The wild apple forests of the Tien-Shan mountains close to Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, are not just picturesque. They are widely regarded as the region where apples genetically originated. What better place, then, to brew cider, a centuries-old alcoholic drink based on apple-pressing that is particularly popular in the west country of England?

On a recent visit to Pokrovsk, our reporter Oleksiy Prodayvoda could hardly believe how much the east Ukrainian town has changed as Russian forces edge closer. "Before, there were guests in every bar and cafe.... Now, it's deserted," he said.

Uzbek migrants in Moscow told RFE/RL that they feared a crackdown after an Uzbek man was arrested in connection with the assassination of Russian General Igor Kirillov. To protect their identities, their faces have been blurred and their voices distorted.

RFE/RL captured dramatic footage as Russia launched massive air strikes on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. As firefighters doused the flames, a man was furious that his business had been destroyed. "They're subhumans," he said.

Ukraine has launched a new offensive in Russia's Kursk region. Reporting from the ground is patchy and often contradictory, but one Russian village has emerged as a key focus of the fighting.