Free media in unfree societies. Local reporting and intensive coverage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, unrest in Iran, Taliban in Afghanistan, and more.
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Hidden in a smuggled KGB archive is an espionage mystery few have ever heard of.
Frederick Flott was a former CIA officer, a US diplomat, and Robert F. Kennedy's interpreter on a Soviet road trip.
But newly examined KGB archive files suggest Flott may have secretly passed classified information to Moscow during the Cold War. His family insists there's another explanation.
Was he a KGB spy or a double agent?
By @Mike_Eckel
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The EU is preparing to host the Taliban in Brussels for the first time for "technical talks" on the repatriation of Afghans despite sharp criticism from rights groups and signs Afghanistan's rulers are cracking down further on women.
@DaudKhattak1
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Ukrainian Drones Target Key Russian Oil Facility, Chemical Plant
Russia and Ukraine continued to exchange air attacks on June 14, as indefinitely paused peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv appear to be overshadowed by developments on the battlefield.
A fresh wave of Ukrainian drone attacks inside Russian regions targeted Russia's key oil facility and a chemical plant, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, adding that Kyiv's deep strikes were in response to "Russia’s refusal to end this war."
Follow here: tinyurl.com/bdd78rvm
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Details about the content of a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran that may be signed later on June 14 are emerging, according to Reuters, which quoted a "senior Iranian official."
The text reportedly stipulates that Iran would immediately open the Strait of Hormuz while the United States in parallel would lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports.
Washington would also release $25 billion of Iran's frozen assets, including via direct cash transfers, impose no new sanctions until a final deal is reached, and waive oil sanctions that it has imposed on Tehran.
Iran, on the other hand, should agree to neither produce nor purchase nuclear weapons, enrich no new uranium until a final deal is concluded, and dilute its highly enriched uranium stockpile inside the country -- although an exact mechanism for that still needs to be worked out.
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This year, Serbia granted citizenship to four times as many Russians as people of all other nationalities combined, and some of them were under international sanctions, an RFE/RL analysis shows. This is a red flag for the EU.
Because Serbia has visa-free access to the bloc, these passports give blacklisted individuals an all-access pass to Europe.
By @RSE_Balkan
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Recent reports from Iran suggest that an intense crackdown on political opposition within the country that began during mass protests in January is continuing unabated.
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Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif said a Washington-Tehran deal was closer than ever, setting expectations for a breakthrough within 24 hours. But Iranian officials disputed the timeline as renewed regional tensions tested the ceasefire.
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US President Donald Trump said that a deal between Washington and Tehran is scheduled to be signed on June 14 and that the key Strait of Hormuz would reopen "to all" immediately afterward, despite conflicting signals from Tehran.
president also suggested that the deal would allow US forces to take possession of Iran's enriched nuclear material and destroy it, "whether in Iran or the United States."
Trump gave no further details on the agreement, expected to be a 60-day memorandum of understanding that lays out a framework for talks on reaching a full peace settlement to end the war that started when the United States and Israel launched air strikes on Iran on February 28.
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Ukraine's summer beach city, Odesa, will welcome visitors for the summer season, offering a temporary respite to war-weary Ukrainains. But getting ready for the season is a tough job: along the coastline, emergency divers are removing debris from downed Russian drones.
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Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has written on social media that a peace agreement between Washington and Tehran is expected within the next 24 hours.
Sharif, a key mediator in the negotiations, repeated his claim that agreement was now closer than ever. The last 24 hours have also seen indications from senior US and Iranian officials that diplomatic progress has moved rapidly forward.
🔴 Live updates: rferl.org/a/33640284.html
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A statement by the judiciary in Iran’s Isfahan Province has announced that the property of 100 people it describes as “traitors” will be confiscated, Iranian media reported.
The statement on June 13 claims the people have been supporting “enemies of Iran,” according to state-run IRIB broadcaster. It added that they were “disrupting” the economy, without providing details.
For several weeks now, the Iranian authorities have announced similar measures against hundreds of people -- part of a wider crackdown that has seen thousands of arrests and dozens of executions of political prisoners.
Live updates: rferl.org/a/33640284.html
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“Not all strikes are equal” --analysts say Ukraine’s strike strategy has got smarter in 2026, and Russia is feeling the pinch.
By @rayfurlong
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Officially, the talks started in June 2024, but the opening and closing of six clusters, which include 33 policy chapters, have been on hold for the better part of two years due to a Hungarian veto.
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The director of US National Intelligence (DNI) has released evidence that her office says shows "longstanding" United States government funding for more than 120 biolabs in over 30 countries where research on biological pathogens, some dangerous, is conducted. rferl.org/a/us-biolabs-ukrai…
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For the first time in 23 years, the Russia Day concert just outside the Kremlin has been canceled, moved to a much less conspicuous indoor location, with far fewer big-name acts.
It’s not the only marquee event that’s been scratched this year.
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🔴 Iranian Foreign Minister Says US Deal With Tehran Is Within Reach
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has said that an agreement with the United States to formally end the Middle East war was close, despite a public dispute over the contents of a proposed deal which prompted US President Donald Trump to accuse Tehran of negotiating in bad faith.
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Ukraine's biggest wartime corruption scandal just got a new layer. Wiretap transcripts obtained by RFE/RL's investigative unit @cxemu show two key suspects discussed enlisting a sitting lawmaker to protect their alleged kickback scheme.
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Separately, Schemes found that Kucherenko sold a large central Kyiv apartment to the wife of a key Midas figure at roughly half its market value.
The building also housed a clinic investigators claim was used as one of several locations where suspects received cash kickbacks.
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When Schemes asked Kucherenko on camera whether he saw a conflict of interest, he responded with expletives and ended the interview.
In writing, he said he saw no conflict of interest.
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