The Week’s Best: Stories You May Have Missed

As we get the 2020s under way, here’s a quick dive into what some forward-looking thinkers in the past thought the coming decade would look like.​ By Coilin O’Connor

The year 2019 was a difficult one for Iran, which was severely affected by devastating U.S. sanctions that helped create an increasingly frustrated population. The New Year is likely to be equally difficult. By Golnaz Esfandiari

A new village of wooden historic replicas is being built in Nevsky Forest Park, near the Russian city of St. Petersburg. The village, called Ethnopark Bogoslovka, is centered around a reconstructed historic cathedral and will become a museum when completed. By AP and Neil Bowdler

Twenty years ago, on December 31, 1999, Vladimir Putin became the acting president of Russia. Now serving his fourth term in office, Putin is dealing with a struggling economy, tough Western sanctions, unpopular government reforms, and a drop in his approval rating. Let’s take a look at how Russia was doing when Putin took charge and how it’s faring today. By Kristyna Foltynova

A doddering Leonid Brezhnev slurred his way through a New Year’s greeting to the Soviet people in 1979, while Mikhail Gorbachev touched on the festive topic of medium-range nuclear missiles in 1988. Grab some shampanskoye and olivye and join in as RFE/RL takes a look at a few of the more striking season’s greetings from Russian and Soviet leaders. By Robert Coalson

Get in the mood for a “dry January” with this selection of Soviet posters. From the 1920s to the 1980s, successive campaigns were launched to reduce alcohol consumption. They were not successful. By RFE/RL

The Armenian government has launched a major investigation into numerous adoptions that may have been the result of babies illegally taken from hospitals and orphanages. Mothers have come forward to say they were deceived into giving up their children as part of an organized crime scheme operating for decades. By John Mastrini, RFE/RL’s Armenian Service, and AFP

In Moscow, large-scale Orthodox icons rendered in spray paint decorate bridges and underpasses. They’re the work of artist Aleksandr Tsypkov and fellow creators who believe that everyone, not just church-goers, should be able to see religious art. By Margot Buff and AP