When Russia started drafting men to fight in Ukraine last fall, thousands fled to neighboring countries in Central Asia. The draft has been paused and some are returning home. But less so for members of the LGBTQ community, who say the government's increasing hostility has made Russia unsafe.
Central Asia has long been the focus of tense geopolitical battles between world powers. The latest one started more than a decade ago, when the United States turned the region into a primary staging ground for its war in Afghanistan. A three-way struggle has since emerged between the U.S., China and Russia.
As the Kyrgyzstan's fledgling democracy moves forward, the local media have been covering events closely. But so has an older, arguably more powerful institution in Kyrgyzstan.
For our Geo Quiz, we want to know where apples originated, thousands of years ago. Scientists point to a Central Asian mountain range where Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and China meet.
Washington's past compromises now plagues its policy throughout the Arab World: supporting an unpopular strongman in exchange for a military stronghold.
The Geo Quiz visits a Central Asian river valley where marijuana is harvested 'au naturel.'
Presidential elections are scheduled for October to make the country more democratic than its authoritarian neighbors.
Kyrgyzstan saw two revolutions in recent years to become the first parliamentary democracy in Central Asia.
Tens of thousands of refugees from southern Kyrgyzstan are fleeing to neighboring Uzbekistan after three days of violence aimed at ethnic Uzbeks. Hamid Ishmailov, head of BBC's Central Asian and Caucasus service, reports from Kyrgyzstan.
Unrest in the Central Asian nation of Kyrgyzstan may endanger a US military base key to operations in Afghanistan.
The United States and NATO have longed use a base in Kyrgyzstan as a vital stopover in the supply route for their operations in Afghanistan. That may be changing as Russia has offered two billion dollars in aid if Kyrgyzstan agreed to close the base.