How to live without a budget

Listen3 min. Audio created using artificial intelligence technologies Президент Украины Владимир Зеленский 1 октября, когда в стране отмечается День защитников и защитниц, присвоил 16 населённым пунктам звание "Город-герой Украины". Опубликован указ об этом. "Города, благодаря которым спасены тысячи жизней наших людей. Города, которые на защите всего нашего государства – в полном смысле этих слов" - объяснил своё решение Зеленский.

Listen3 min. Audio created using artificial intelligence technologies On October 1, the Committee to Protect Journalists called on the Russian authorities to stop the criminal prosecution of journalist Svetlana Khustik arrested in Krasnoyarsk and immediately release her from custody. Hustik, who previously collaborated with a number of media outlets, including Radio Liberty, was charged with disseminating so-called fake news about the Russian army.

How the state forces people to go to war, we talk in the program “Facing the Event” with political scientist Boris Pastukhov.

Since ancient times, tyrants and dictators have hated and feared any jokes directed at them. Is the modern world once again entering an era of global suppression of any humor and satire whose objects are power?

Prepared and hosted by Alexander Voronin. Broadcast April 1, 1989. Boris Paramonov from New York about Pushkin. Aired April 5, 1989.

Where has the war brought Israel? The October 7 tragedy in Israel marks two years, but its consequences are becoming more severe. The remaining hostages are still in captivity, Gaza has been reduced to ruins, Hamas has not been destroyed. Israel's two-year operation in Gaza has led to its international isolation, anti-Israel and anti-Semitic sentiment is growing in the world, and more and more countries are recognizing the Palestinian state.

Capitol building Listen2 min. Audio created using artificial intelligence technologies The US federal government has shut down. Congress did not pass the budget by October 1, which is why the shutdown began. About 750 thousand officials have been sent on unpaid leave, and critical employees, including military and medical personnel, are working without pay. Earlier, US President Donald Trump said that the likelihood of a federal government shutdown remains high, although it can be avoided.

G7 countries are nearing agreement on significantly tightening sanctions against Russia. This is reported by Bloomberg, which has reviewed the draft statement. The document says G7 countries are working on a range of options that include new measures for key sectors of the Russian economy such as energy, finance and the military industry. It also considers measures to influence countries and organizations that support Moscow’s military efforts and help it circumvent sanctions.

Radio Liberty News: final release

The Austrian banking group Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) once again tried to sell its Russian business, but the deal was blocked by the Russian authorities. This was reported by Reuters citing sources. According to the agency, Moscow is interested in maintaining Raiffeisenbank as an important financial channel to Europe. The Kremlin fears that the sale of a stake to a Russian investor could provoke new Western sanctions against the bank.

Collage: autumn recruitment into the Russian army Putin needs people for war. How to avoid being drafted? For the first time, conscription into the Russian army is carried out with electronic summons. From October 1 to December 31 in Moscow, Mari El, the Ryazan region and Sakhalin, only electronic summons will be sent to conscripts. 135 thousand people aged 18 to 30 will be conscripted into the Russian army. In 2024, during the autumn conscription, 133 thousand people were sent to the army.

Radio Liberty news: accuracy, efficiency, impartiality

Tanker of the "shadow fleet" (illustrative photo) Listen3 min. Audio created using artificial intelligence technologies French authorities detained the Benin-flagged tanker Boracay in the English Channel, which was included in the EU sanctions list as a vessel that is part of the Russian so-called shadow fleet. The agencies reported this on Wednesday. Two crew members were detained, the prosecutor of the French city of Brest reported on the evening of October 1.