We bring you a special edition of the FRANCE 24 Debate marking the 30th anniversary of the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Growing up, it seemed as if the zero-sum game of the Cold War would last forever. What did we see coming? And what did we miss as supplies ran low, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant broke down, the Red Army suffered setbacks in Afghanistan and the Communist Party's grip started to loosen, in the far reaches of an empire that stretched over 11 time zones?

Taliban authorities in Afghanistan on Sunday gave new guidance to taxi drivers, advising them against taking fares from women who do not follow a strict Islamic dress code by wearing the hijab, or Islamic headscarf.

The Soviet bloc officially collapsed in late December of 1991, leaving 14 independent republics in its wake in addition to the newly named Russian Federation. Three decades on, FRANCE 24's James André, Achraf Abid, Gulliver Cragg, Sylvain Rousseau and Elena Volochine bring us a series of reports from Russia, Estonia, Ukraine and Georgia on what remains of the Soviet era – and the relationship that these countries have with Moscow today.

Monday's meeting between the Russian and French presidents in Moscow gave rise to a lot of photoshopped content on social media - mostly sufficiently far-fetched so as not to be believable. We take a closer look. We also take a look at some convincing fake news stories that have been doing the rounds about Russia's current tensions with Ukraine and NATO.

Russian President Vladimir Putin oversaw military exercises involving Russian "strategic forces." The drills included ballistic and cruise missile launches.

The popular Lagos yellow taxis may soon disappear from Lagos roads and streets. The government is not only taking the rickety cars off the streets, it plans to replace them with blue and white painted mini SUVs and saloon vehicles.

Today we take a look at day two of Russia's attack against Ukraine, with shelling and combat claimed on several fronts. Ukrainian forces fought off Russian troops in the capital Kyiv on Friday, as Russian President Vladimir Putin called on the Ukrainian army to remove the country's leadership.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett was the latest international leader in Moscow to sound out Russia's Vladimir Putin on the war in Ukraine. Some see Bennett as a potential mediator between Moscow and Kyiv.

Did the Russian president harshly criticise Emmanuel Macron? In a video shared widely on social media since March 1, Vladimir Putin is subtitled in French saying not-so-flattering things about Macron, which is quite credible in the context of current geopolitical tensions. The video however dates back to 2019, at the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum. A full transcript of the forum confirms that the subtitles are completely bogus. Elsewhere, we take a look at a Russian fact-checking website that is far from fully neutral on events in Ukraine.

The war in Ukraine overshadows Moscow's annual celebration of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany. Following the huge military parade, the Russian president has claimed Russia is defending the "Motherland" in Donbas.

A nuclear threat from Ukraine? A Ukrainian invasion of Crimea? Ukrainian neo-Nazis? Russian President Vladimir Putin's May 9 speech contained new and familiar accusations amid the war in Ukraine. Most of them are false.

Driving without legs may seems impossible. But Babatunde Kewejo keeps pushing himself and others to prove that amputees are not a burden to anyone.