Economy & Development

Operation Navalnyfail, Part Two: Hackers From Russia’s Volga Region Against Smart Voting

Hackers Selling COVID-19 Vaccination Database With Details Of Millions Of Russians

Details of 48 million COVID-19 vaccination certificates are reportedly being sold on the dark web for $100,000. Journalists identified a vulnerability with an online governmental portal containing vaccination data in 2021 and reported it to Russia's Communications Ministry.

No Nickel In Nikel? A Russian Mining Town Faces Steep Decline

For decades, nickel mining and smelting in the northern Russian town of Nikel provided a living for its residents and vast wealth for the company's owners. But since the town's large smelting plant was shut down over environmental concerns, residents have been wondering what the future holds.

The Search For The Russian Assets Of The Kazakh President's Family

Despite the opacity of both the Kazakh and Russian governments, an investigation by RFE/RL's Russian Service and Current Time has uncovered evidence of the Russian business dealings of Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev's son and former wife.

Friends Turn Plastic Waste Into Cash, Clean Up In Kyrgyzstan

Three friends in Kyrgyzstan's capital hated seeing the pollution caused by plastic waste, so they decided to take matters into their own hands.

Peacekeepers In Kazakhstan: An 'Ideal' Way For Russia To Counter International Critics?

What's Behind The State Of Emergency And Protests Erupting Across Kazakhstan?

A steep rise in energy prices appears to have triggered protests across Kazakhstan that resulted in mass arrests, the dismissal of the government, and the declaration of a state of emergency. We take a closer look at what's driving the crisis in Kazakhstan.

Diamonds, Pineapples, And A Soviet Execution

A folder in Ukraine's KGB Archive reveals the glittering wealth, and shocking punishment dealt out to an allegedly corrupt fruit merchant in Kyiv.

The USSR Quiz: 15 Questions For 15 Republics

Join us on a trip back in time to the last years of the Soviet era and the beginning of a period that would test preconceptions about both sovereignty and democracy.

Poisonous Ruins: Russian Town Struggles With Toxic Lead Legacy

It was once ranked among the most polluted places on Earth, but Rudnaya Pristan in Russia's Far East, about 500 kilometers north of Vladivostok, has cleaned up its act since the closure of its lead smelting plant. Local fish populations benefited from cleaner water but are threatened by overfishing.

'We Had It Coming With Methane': How 51 People Died In A Siberian Coal-Mine Tragedy

According to witnesses to last week's Siberian coal-mine disaster, lax safety standards meant it was an accident waiting to happen. Fifty-one people died in Russia's worst mine tragedy since 2010.

Amidst Rising Death Rates, Some Ukrainian Churches Proselytize For COVID-19 Vaccinations

With one of the world’s highest daily death rates from COVID-19, Ukraine, a predominantly Christian country, is hoping churches can convert more Ukrainians to a belief in vaccination.