A US-brokered mission, which would allow humanitarian aid to enter the Russian-occupied southern Ukrainian city of Oleshky and residents to leave safely, is in its final phase, Kyiv announced.

Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tells RFE/RL that Vladimir Putin has shown no willingness to end the war in Ukraine and warns of growing cooperation between Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. He also discusses prospects for peace and the risks of negotiating with Moscow.

Intermediaries on Iranian Telegram channels are offering newborns for up to $1,100 under the guise of charity, with some promising to falsify birth records and others arranging placements with Iranian families abroad, despite a ban on the sale of babies.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu has called a national security meeting after a major cyberattack exposed personal data linked to some 750,000 people. Authorities are investigating possible foreign involvement in the attack, which may have been aided by artificial intelligence.

A Russian attack on Ukraine's eastern city of Dnipro killed at least 14 people and injured more than 10 others, according to Ukrainian officials, as a fragile cease-fire around Russian-occupied Oleshky entered its third day on October 29.

A military airfield in Crimea has been transformed into a hub for drone launches, new satellite images sourced by RFE/RL show. We spoke to one Crimean military insider about why Ukraine has been unable to take the site out of action.

Aleksandar Vucic’s election defeat has ended more than a decade of political dominance and handed victory to Serbia’s student-led opposition movement. RFE/RL's Balkan Service spoke with Ilija Srdanovic, the top candidate for the Student List party on what comes next for the country.

Residents fleeing Russian-occupied Oleshky describe hunger, soaring food prices, and threats from Russian soldiers. Cut off from supplies, civilians risk mines and drone attacks to escape. Now, a proposed cease-fire could open a humanitarian corridor for those still trapped in the Ukrainian city.

A bipartisan group of US lawmakers have warned American banks, port authorities and fuel-industry groups against facilitating imports of Russian diesel, raising the prospect of congressional investigations and legal action over President Donald Trump’s decision to ease restrictions on Russian fuel.

In this week's briefing, Rikard Jozwiak drills down on two issues: Can the EU add Russia's GRU to its terror list? Plus, more rolling EU sanctions on Moscow.

Russia and Iran are expanding their nuclear cooperation as both countries face Western sanctions and international isolation. Their partnership includes the construction of nuclear power plants, fuel supplies, and broader technological cooperation.

The Student List, a political grouping of 250 representatives that just won Serbia’s parliamentary elections, has deliberately avoided having a clear leader. While it remains uncertain who Serbia’s prime minister will be, here are some of the high-profile Serbians representing the movement.

Officials from the so-called Mecca Defense Alliance have gathered for a snap meeting in Tehran as they look to settle conflicts in the Middle East that have left the region reeling and are impacting global flows of oil and other cargo.

Aleksandar Vucic, Serbia's former president and dominant political figure for more than a decade, conceded defeat to the student-led protest movement in the country's parliamentary elections, potentially ushering in a new era of politics more closely aligned with Europe and away from the Kremlin.

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.