Russia wants a million drone operators by 2030 and schools are adapting fast to fill the quota. By the time students are 16, many will be taught how to fly multiple drones and how to use them in combat. The authorities are using games and competitions to draw millions of young people into the field.

As Russian forces intensify attacks on Ukraine’s Donetsk region, evacuations are accelerating in Kramatorsk, a key city still held by Kyiv. As Moscow seeks to seize all of the Donetsk region, Ukraine has issued a mandatory evacuation order for families with children in Kramatorsk and Slovyansk.

A bipartisan group of US lawmakers is stepping up efforts to defend Ukraine, challenging President Donald Trump’s decision to ease restrictions on Russian energy imports and demanding guarantees that Kyiv will retain access to critical American military and intelligence support.

Opium cultivation fell dramatically in Afghanistan, the world’s largest producer, after the Taliban imposed a narcotics ban in 2022. Since then, production has surged in neighboring Pakistan and Iran.

The Kremlin has heavily invested in the promise that retreating Arctic sea ice opens up a once impassable route that is further from the reach of Ukrainian drone attacks or European naval interdiction of shadow fleet vessels. But officials are learning that cutting a path through ice isn't easy.

After 14 years dominating Serbian politics, Aleksandar Vucic faces the biggest challenge to his rule in parliamentary elections on October 25 from an opposition movement that has sprung from mass student protests. But there’s growing concern about whether voting will be fair.

A US congressman has urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to sanction four Serbian businessmen with close ties to former president Aleksandar Vucic, accusing them of corruption and election interference ahead of a closely watched parliamentary vote.

The deportation of several Tajik opposition figures from Germany and other European countries, and their subsequent imprisonment, have heightened fears among Tajik oppositionists in exile. Some say they fear not only being sent home but also losing the Western support they once counted on.

US officials publicly accused Russia of threatening a Finnish-operated commercial satellite that provides imagery and intelligence to Ukraine and other nations, calling the move “deliberately reckless.”

In 2022, Ukraine relied almost entirely on Chinese components for its military drones. While that dependency has now been drastically reduced, Ukraine still relies on Beijing for essential parts that remain difficult to replace at the necessary scale and cost.

Russia has released 74-year-old US citizen Stephen Hubbard, who had been detained since 2022. He had been sentenced to prison for allegedly acting as a mercenary in Ukraine, charges his family disputed. President Vladimir Putin announced Hubbard’s release during talks with US envoy Steve Witkoff.

The Soviet-era Roghun Dam project has endured decades of uncertainty and opposition. Now major funding tranches appear to have the project on track to transform Central Asia's energy landscape -- and displace tens of thousands of Tajik villagers.

A viral video of two Ukrainian border guards’ violent pursuit of a man trying to cross the Dniester River into Moldova has highlighted a route Ukrainians use to escape Russia’s war and the prospect of fighting in it. In this case, all three men ended up in Moldova – and the guards were detained.

Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired teacher from Michigan held by Russia since 2022 on accusations of joining Ukraine's armed forces, has been freed in what is being framed as a goodwill gesture by the Kremlin.

Georgia’s Constitutional Court will begin hearings on October 21 on a case seeking to ban five opposition parties that together have won hundreds of thousands of votes. The proceedings mark another critical test for the country’s multiparty democracy, with a final ruling potentially to come later.

Increasing militant attacks along Iran's border with Pakistan by multiple armed groups have stoked fears of further instability in the two countries, both of which already face multifaceted threats of sectarian violence in addition to the broader repercussions of the conflict in the Middle East.

Moldova has announced an investigation into concerns that Russian tech giant Yandex has been harvesting the personal data of its citizens by sending it directly to servers in Russia rather than storing it in the Netherlands as previously believed.

In this week's briefing, RFE/RL Europe Editor Rikard Jozwiak is drilling down on two issues: Croatia’s demands before giving the green light to Montenegro’s EU accession and Georgia’s growing irrelevance in Brussels.

US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will take part in meetings in Oslo to discuss the situation in Ukraine with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Russia continues to pound the country amid growing tensions between Kyiv and Washington.

Last week, a Russian military satellite came “exceptionally close” to another Finnish-operated satellite that provides intelligence to Ukraine. “It’s concerning and aggressive with potential hostile intent – but I also think cooler heads believe it is signaling on the part of the Russians.”