Sanctuary for ‘Rainbow Youth’
Safe houses in Poland offer shelter to homeless and persecuted LGBTQ youth.
Around the Bloc
Russia Takes Over Entire Luhansk Region Amid Ukrainian Retreat
Plus: Uzbek unrest, EU-related protests in Tbilisi & Skopje, Hungarian IVF, and more.
As Russia Expands Bombing Campaign, Putin Talks About Macho Image
Plus: Marmots in Mongolia, Siberian scientist arrested, EU court slams Lithuania, and more.
NATO Declares Russia ‘Direct Threat’ as Putin Cries ‘Imperialism’
Plus: Slovaks cure dog disease, UK supports cyberdefense in Georgia, police brutality in Romania, and more.
Turkey Agrees to NATO Bid for Finland & Sweden
Plus: Uzbek smuggling tunnels, Lithuanian cannabis, Polish court supports LGBTQ rights, and more.
Ukrainian & G7 Leaders Call Russian Bombing of Mall ‘War Crime,’ ‘Terrorist Attack’
Plus: Riga ends new refugee aid, Romanian prince in Paris custody, Kazakh activists freed, and more.

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Commentary
Watch Your Language
As a new wave of persecution hits the Belarusian-language book publishing industry, the war in Ukraine has prompted more Belarusians to speak their native tongue. From Al Jazeera.
We Know Whom to Blame
If Poland ends up not getting any EU recovery money, all fingers should point at President Duda. From Gazeta Wyborcza.
The Ukraine War and the Putin Succession
Putin will not want to exit the Kremlin while the war continues, if only because his successor would probably blame him for creating a geopolitical and economic mess.
In Crisis, Once More
Hopes for a stable government in Bulgaria fade as alliances falter and leaders lock horns over North Macedonia.
Latest News
Sanction Signals in Serbia
Do recent rhetorical shifts indicate that traditionally pro-Russian Serbia could be on the brink of a symbolic break with Moscow?
The EU and Ukraine
Granting Ukraine candidate status would maximize the EU’s transformative power.
Pictures for Posterity
Photographer documents the reality and resilience of Ukraine’s graduating high school students.
Battered Mariupol Faces Attack on a New Front
Exiled authorities say cholera has broken out, but can information from the Russian-occupied city be trusted? From Rubryka.
Is Decoupling the Key to Albania’s EU Dream?
Hostage to historical disputes between Bulgaria and North Macedonia, Tirana seeks to start its accession talks by another route.
Helping Friends, Tracking Enemies
Some Hungarian embassies are actively assisting pro-government media while monitoring the trips of independent journalists. From Telex/Direkt36.