Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

18/12/2025

The EU could add new members by the end of the decade. Before that happens — how well do you know the candidates?

Take the quiz and share your score 👇

18/12/2025

When the Mikati was sanctioned, it was en route to India. Days later, its ownership was switched to an obscure business hub in Samoa. Then it unloaded its oil.

The story of the Mikati, an aging tanker currently passing through the English Channel, illustrates the strengths and weaknesses of the European Union sanctions regime that now includes some 600 ships.

18/12/2025

In the face of constant Russian advances in airborne weapons and overwhelming swarms of drones and missiles, Ukraine is racing to stay ahead of the curve.

American-made Patriot missile systems have shown promise at stopping ballistic missiles like the Kinzhal, while F-16 fighter planes have proven effective at stopping multiple air threats.

Mobile antiaircraft gun units have also been effective, say Ukrainian system operators.

18/12/2025

Leaders of the European Union are gathering in Brussels for a summit set to decide on a a proposal to use frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine's economic and military needs in the coming years as Kyiv and Moscow exchanged overnight drone attacks.

Leaders of the European Union are gathering in Brussels for a summit set to decide on a a proposal to use frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine's economic and military needs in the coming years as Kyiv and Moscow exchanged overnight drone attacks.

17/12/2025

A former Belarusian prison guard accused of beatings and abuse appears to have wanted a new life in Germany. But the German police are now investigating.

German police are investigating allegations of beatings and abuse at a Belarusian prison, after a former guard appeared to have settled in a provincial German town.

17/12/2025

China has rattled Tehran by again backing the United Arab Emirates’s claim over three Persian Gulf islands controlled by Iran.

17/12/2025

When 86-year-old Sadu, known as Grandfather Sadu, was diagnosed with Parkinson's, his son looked for ways to treat the impaired coordination caused by the disease. After reading about studies on the therapeutic use of video games, he introduced Sadu to an online game that he says has had a noticeable impact on his father's motor skills and mood.

17/12/2025

Recent moves by Washington and Brussels show diplomatic tracks heading in opposite directions with regard to Belarus, highlighting a growing divide between the allies on how to deal with Europe's security.

17/12/2025

Iranians woke up one day to find unusual flyers offering a handsome paycheck for fighting Russia’s war in Ukraine. We called the number listed, and here’s what we were told.

17/12/2025

Iran said the Iranian-Swedish dual national "was recruited by Israeli intelligence in 2023," and was carrying "electronic espionage equipment."

Sweden has confirmed that one of its citizens is in Iranian custody after Tehran announced a Swedish national is on trial for allegedly spying for Israel.

17/12/2025

Russian drones are zeroing in on Ukrainian supply routes as the battle for Pokrovsk intensifies.

A Настоящее Время crew witnessed a drone being shot down and gained rare access to a Ukrainian control center defending the skies near the front line.

Despite Moscow’s claims, Ukrainian forces say Russian troops have failed to break through.

16/12/2025

Ukraine's security services have released video of what they said was an underwater drone attack on a Russian submarine moored at the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. Russia countered with its own video, stating that the sub in question had not been damaged. If confirmed, the undersea drone attack would be the first of its kind in the course of the war.