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 US and Iran have electronically signed a framework deal to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, senior US administration officials said on June 15.
rferl.org/a/trump-iran-peace…
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A Tajik activist in Germany has until July 1 to convince a court not to send him home, where he says he will certainly be arrested.
His case has become a rallying point for Tajik opposition members across Europe who fear they could be next.
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As Iran and the US announce a framework peace deal, Iranians say they are more afraid to speak than at any point during the war.
Some sources have gone silent, while others have been warned directly not to talk to foreign media.
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Locals evacuated paintings and other artworks from the Kharkiv Art Museum after it was struck by a Russian drone on June 14.
The attack started a fire in the building, which houses thousands of works by prominent Ukrainian artists.
Authorities also said six people, including an infant, were injured as the result of a Russian strike on the museum district. Five emergency crew members were killed in a second strike.
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Parts of the UNESCO-protected Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, Ukraine's most revered Orthodox monastery, were set ablaze during a Russian missile and drone barrage. Across the country, at least nine people were killed and dozens injured as 70 missiles and more than 600 drones targeted major cities. Ukrainian officials condemned the fire at Kyiv World Heritage site as an attack on the nation’s cultural and spiritual heritage.
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It is the latest war damage inflicted on the Dormition Cathedral of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra in the monastery's turbulent, nearly 1,000-year history:
rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-i…
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For nearly three months, Nartai Zhenis says he has had no direct contact with his father, the celebrated writer and satirist Zhenis Ryskhanuly. His family is still searching for answers. rferl.org/a/family-seeks-ans…
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Russia struck the UNESCO-protected Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, Ukraine's most important Orthodox monastery, during a massive overnight missile and drone barrage that killed at least nine people across the country. rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-t…
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US President Donald Trump said a framework agreement has been reached to halt fighting in the Middle East, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and end the US blockade of Iranian ports. rferl.org/a/trump-iran-peace…
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US President Donald Trump said a peace deal with Iran is "now complete" and that he has ordered an end to the naval blockade of Iran's ports in exchange for the free flow of traffic through the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
"Congratulations to all! I hereby fully authorize the toll free opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and, simultaneously herewith, authorize the immediate removal of the United States Naval blockade. Ships of the World, start your engines,” he wrote on Truth Social.
Iran appeared to confirm that a deal had been reached, with its deputy foreign minister saying the "immediate and permanent end to the war and military operations on various fronts, including Lebanon, will be announced starting tonight," according to state-run Tasnim news agency.
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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
rferl.org/a/eu-taliban-meeti…
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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."
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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.
rferl.org/a/iran-arrests-pol…
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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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