RFE/RL English ▶ Clip Iran

An unauthorized Iranian film released for free on YouTube is stirring debate by openly challenging restrictions on women singing and Iran’s compulsory hijab rules. Bidad, or Outcry, directed by Soheil Beiraghi, was made without government approval and features the voice of Parastoo Ahmadi, a singer who was sentenced to 74 lashes after performing publicly without a head scarf. Parisa Sohbati from RFE/RL's Negah-e-Farda (Iran Tomorrow) program explains.

RFE/RL English ▶ Clip Ukraine

More than a dozen people were killed in overnight Russian ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv, according to Ukrainian authorities on August. 20. The large-scale barrage injured more than 30 as apartment buildings were hit, sparking fires as emergency teams tried to rescue victims.

RFE/RL English ▶ Clip Ukraine

Russian drivers are facing more long waits and lines at gas stations in several regions amid continuing Ukrainian air attacks on refineries. They describe another wave of fuel shortages and Kremlin-imposed limits on gas station sales.

RFE/RL English ▶ Clip Ukraine

When Serhiy Kutrakov decided to take up arms in 2014 to defend Ukraine from Russian-backed separatists, he accepted there was a good chance he would be killed in combat. Now, he's determined to live -- and secure his country's freedom amid Russia's full-scale invasion. Documentarian Yulia Hontaruk followed Kutrakov and two other soldiers on and off the battlefield for 12 years. Her new film, To Die To Live, premiered in July at the Karlovy Vary film festival.

RFE/RL English ▶ Clip Ukraine

A Ukrainian drone attack targeted another Wildberries facility ⁠in Russia, this time in the southern city of Volgograd. Russia's largest online retailer said on July 31 that a logistics hub had been hit. The strike is the latest in a series of attacks that have damaged at least 13 Wildberries warehouses since mid-July, reportedly destroying about 10 percent of the company's storage capacity.

RFE/RL English ▶ Clip Iran

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces carried out a "heavy wave" of strikes against Iranian targets in what it described as a response to Tehran's attempted missile attacks on US forces in the Gulf.

RFE/RL English ▶ Clip Human Rights

Videos posted on social media appeared to show crowds of protesters gathering in the Iranian city of Isfahan on July 28 to demonstrate as state executions of two men took place. With more executions feared, the videos show groups of people chanting "Without honor!" amid a heavy security presence. Iran has been ramping up the numbers of death sentences carried out.

RFE/RL English ▶ Clip Iran

As US forces targeted military sites and infrastructure, primarily in southern Iran, for the sixth night on July 16-17, Tehran responded by announcing it was launching strikes on five Persian Gulf states, including attacks on US military forces in Syria and Bahrain. Tehran's claims could not be independently verified.

RFE/RL English ▶ Clip Videos

Satellite images show Iran is accelerating work at a secretive nuclear-related site deep beneath Kuh-e Kolang mountain, known as Pickaxe Mountain. Intelligence agencies suspect this is where Iran is seeking to build a secret uranium enrichment facility. What do we know about one of the most fortified sites in Iran, which US President Donald Trump has threatened to attack?

RFE/RL English ▶ Clip Iran

A new round of US strikes across Iran hit dozens of military targets in areas near the Strait of Hormuz, including missile storage and launch sites on Greater Tunb island, according to Western military officials. The US military's Central Command released footage it said shows air attacks focused on Iranian drone sites as well as military and communication assets.

RFE/RL English ▶ Clip Iran

In addition to a night of renewed US strikes on Iran, the American military's Central Command reports that its forces targeted a submarine and ship maintenance facility in the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas using sea drones, which marks a first in American combat weapons technology. Three Corsair drones reportedly hit the port naval base. Iran has also claimed hits on at least two commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

RFE/RL English ▶ Clip Iran

Following US military strikes on Iran over the weekend, which came after Iran targeted shipping in the Hormuz Strait, reports of damage are coming in as Iran threatens to target Gulf states. US CENTCOM has released more video of strikes it says are hitting targets in Iran while Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps has shared its own footage it describes as showing outbound rocket launches.

RFE/RL English ▶ Clip Ukraine

More than a dozen people were killed in overnight Russian missile and drone strikes in and around Kyiv on July 6. Residential buildings were hit, and more than 40 people were wounded, including children. The assault came just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned of an impending Russian strike.

RFE/RL English ▶ Clip Iran

Residents of Iranian cities say it's increasingly common for women to go out without a head scarf, a violation that previously would have resulted in harassment or detention. In a year when Iran has been shaken by mass protests and war, it appears there's less focus on enforcing the country's strict dress code. But one rights activist pointed out to RFE/RL's Radio Farda that greater permissiveness does not mean the law itself has changed.

RFE/RL English ▶ Clip Afghanistan

Pakistani air strikes on Afghanistan were blamed for dozens of deaths in eastern areas of the country on June 29, according to Afghan authorities. Pakistani officials say the strikes targeted Taliban military sites, not civilian areas.

RFE/RL English ▶ Clip Iran

Consumers in Iran report they are struggling to afford a staple foodstuff: bread. One listener to RFE/RL's Radio Farda calls prices "horrific," while a baker explains he is trying to shield his customers from his own rocketing expenses for rent and utilities.

RFE/RL English ▶ Clip Ukraine

Ukrainian film artists are determined to build back the loss of 100,000 costumes, used in dozens of historic films, that burned in a Russian air attack on the Dovzhenko National Film Studios on June 15. Current Time's Yulia Zhukova spoke with studio staff about their commitment to cinema heritage.

RFE/RL English ▶ Clip Ukraine

Ukraine's military says it struck oil facilities near the Crimea Bridge and at other sites on the Russian-occupied peninsula on June 23. While Russia claimed it successfully downed Ukrainian drones in the region, footage appeared on social media of blasts amid a severe gasoline shortage in Crimea due to escalating attacks.

RFE/RL English ▶ Clip Ukraine

After recent Ukrainian drone strikes on Moscow’s main oil refinery, Russian media are downplaying the impact of the dramatic attacks. As Current Time's Andrey Cherkasov explains, authorities and pro-Kremlin pundits are calling for a crackdown on people who post videos of burning ruins online.