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.

Iranian-born author Marjane Satrapi, who wrote the hit graphic novel Persepolis, was laid to rest on June 19 in Paris amid tributes honoring her work. Her graphic novel was later adapted into a Cannes-winning animated film. Known for her wit, provocative and irreverent storytelling, and outspoken positions on human rights, Satrapi was buried at Père Lachaise Cemetery amid commemorations from international artists.

Iranian authorities have sentenced singer Parastoo Ahmadi to a punishment of 74 lashes for performing in a YouTube video that has racked up 2.9 million views over the last two years. Ahmadi sang the well-known patriotic song From The Blood Of The Youth to an empty theater space in 2024 with the help of eight musicians and crew. They have also been sentenced to flogging, a travel ban, and a prohibition on any "artistic activities" for the next two years. Ahmadi was accused of "offending public decency" after she performed without a hijab, the head covering mandated by Iranian morality police.

The United States and Iran have traded strikes for a second consecutive day as tensions escalate in the Middle East. US Central Command released video late on June 10 of new strikes targeting Iranian military sites. Iran responded by attacking US allies in the Persian Gulf region. Several homes were damaged in Bahrain after debris fell from intercepted Iranian drones. Despite the escalation, both sides said talks to reach a peace deal are still continuing.

Russian drone attacks are a daily reality in Kherson, a frontline city in southern Ukraine. Residents say the threat is growing, with drones increasingly targeting residential neighborhoods and forcing people to seek cover. Yet many refuse to leave.

Residents of the Ukrainian capital have mixed reactions over the removal of a statue of Russian writer Mikhail Bulgakov, author of The Master And Margarita. Born in Kyiv when it was part of the Russian Empire, the novelist and playwright penned sharp satire and criticized Soviet society. But the statue has now been taken down after Ukraine's Institute of National Remembrance determined that Bulgakov also symbolized Russian imperial thinking -- under which Ukraine was seen as a Russian province.

More than three months into Iran's conflict with the United States and Israel, Iranians inside the country say they are increasingly desperate about meeting basic needs. Some say they're down to one meal a day, meat is rare, and household appliances are sold off to pay utility bills that have tripled. Some Iranians have sent voice messages to RFE/RL's Radio Farda recounting the deepening economic hardship amid a tense cease-fire with the United States and Israel.

Two more men have been executed in Iran in connection with the January protests with human rights groups condemning growing repression in the country. Iran's judiciary announced on June 1 that the men were hanged after being convicted of attacking a mosque. More than 40 people have now been executed in Iran since the start of the war with the United States and Israel. An Iranian man was also sentenced to 10 years in prison for simply shooting video of protests that first erupted in December 2025 over economic hardship.

Human rights groups have condemned Iran's hanging of three men in the first executions over January protests and warned they fear more executions to come. Authorities in Iran are trying "to frighten the public" and keep them in line in order to remain in power, says Mahmoud Amiry-Moghaddam of the Oslo-based Iran Human Rights organization.