Life

(L) Fedir Sandor, head of the sociology faculty at Uzhhorod University, enlisted in the Ukrainian military and he still conducts virtual lectures from the trenches. (R) Fedir Shandor (centre) with his army friends. © (L) Uzhhorod University (R) photo courtesy of Fedir Shandor

Ukraine: The Professor on the Frontline

Giving lectures from the trenches, one sociologist combines military service with academia.

24 May 22

Harvest in Hartagyugh, a village in Armenia's northwestern region of Lori. Over the past five years, food self-sufficiency has been steadily decreasing in the South Caucasus country of three million, due to low yields, uncultivated land and rising fertilisers and fuel prices. © Gayane Sargsyan

Armenian Farmers Brace for a Difficult Year

Geopolitics and lack of long-term vision threaten the country’s food security.

24 May 22

Armenia's Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs in Yerevan. The Ministry has been actively working in recent years to create a foster care institution: child care and protection centers are being liquidated, and with the funds raised, the crisis centers of child care and the number of foster families are increasing, both in the capital and in the regions.

Armenia’s Growing Foster Families

Ministry of labour and social affairs promotes alternative to placing vulnerable young people in orphanages or children’s homes.

20 May 22

Ukrainian forces have managed to largely halt the Russian advance around the capital, but shelling and air strikes persist, driving up civilian and military casualties caused by Russia's large-scale invasion launched in Feb. 24. © Anastasia Vlasova/Getty Images

Ukraine: The Clinic in an Underground Car Park

Volunteer medical centre can provide everything from dressings to surgery.

18 May 22

Following Russia's retreat from areas around the Ukrainian capital, signs of normal life have returned to Kyiv, with residents taking advantage of shortened curfew hours, businesses reopening, and foreign countries promising to return their diplomats. © Alexey Furman/Getty Images

Kyiv Residents Defy Risks to Return

“We are incredibly happy; we love our life, our country and this city."

13 May 22

A pier in Sukhumi, Abkhazia. © Tim Waters/Flickr

Ukraine Crisis Imperils Abkhazia

Experts believe that Moscow is now aiming to divert resources, given the heavy costs of its ongoing invasion.

9 May 22

Turkmenistan's authorities have introduced severe restrictions on women's appearance, banning beauty practices like dyed hair, manicure and fake nails and eyelashes. Since April, women are also no longer allowed to sit in the front seat of taxis and male drivers are barred from offering rides to women who are not family members. © Igor Sasin/AFP via Getty Images

Turkmenistan: Car and Beauty Bans Further Erode Women’s Rights

Fresh prohibitions have crushed hopes that newly appointed 40-year-old president Serdar Berdymukhamedov would pursue a more enlightened path.

9 May 22

Thursday, 28 April '22 in Kharkiv, Ukraine

"Sometimes, the pounding from the bombs is so hard, it feels like the house is dancing."

5 May 22

A row of buildings destroyed in Mariupol.

Besieged Mariupol: How I Got Out of Hell

Survivor describes heavy bombing, food shortages and intense loneliness of the siege.

5 May 22

Tajik Society Divided Over Russian Invasion of Ukraine

With authorities remaining tight-lipped, emotions run high in Tajikistan as citizens argue over the ongoing conflict.

28 Apr 22

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