Conceivable Surprises
Russia’s foreign policy has taken numerous unexpected turns in recent years, from annexation of Crimea to military intervention in Syria. The element of surprise for Germany and the EU arises out of a mix of lack of political transparency in Russia, Western misperceptions and the Kremlin’s deliberate instrumentalisation of...
Chechens Plead Not Guilty to Nemtsov Murder
Suspect and alleged accomplices deny being contracted to kill the Russian opposition politician, who was slain in Moscow. …read more Source: Transitions Online...
Not-So-Phantom Menace
Reporters Without Borders warns of increasing oligarch control over the media and the effect that is having on journalism in Eastern Europe and beyond. …read more Source: Transitions Online...
Rebels Operating ‘Gulags’ in Eastern Ukraine
Human rights activists claim some 5,000 people are being forced to work in self-declared Luhansk People’s Republic. …read more Source: Transitions Online...
Local Change in the Making in Ukraine
Across Ukraine, there are plenty of examples of local dynamism that contrast vividly with the country’s stalled reform efforts at the national level. …read more Source: Carnegie Endowment for International...
Audit of European Support for Ukraine
On October 6, the ECFR, in cooperation with the Institute of World Policy and the Swedish Embassy in Kiev will launch a new report ‘Audit of European Support for Ukraine’. …read more Source: Institute of World...
New Report Documents ‘Crimes Against Humanity’ in Crimea
IHPR points to evidence of enforced disappearance, torture and murder in Russian-annexed Crimea, as well as the forcible displacement of tens of thousands. …read more Source: Transitions Online...
Chinese Top Belarus List of Foreign Workers
More and more Chinese are working in Minsk and beyond, as Beijing extends over $5 billion in loans to fund major Belarusian projects. …read more Source: Transitions Online...
Latvia Responds to Western Uncertainty, Russian Aggression By Increasing Special Forces Troops
The unsettled nature of America’s election process and a clear waver in Europe’s will have set the Baltics on edge. First, it was Estonia nervously replying to American presidential candidate Donald Trump’s declaration that the United States should only help those countries that help the United States, by reminding the world...
Russia upholds Mejlis ban in a move to all-out war against Crimean Tatars
Only a miracle remained, and it didn’t happen. Russia has formally banned the Mejlis, or self-governing body of the Crimean Tatars, the main indigenous people of Crimea which Russia invaded and annexed two and a half years ago. An escalation in repression seems inevitable, with a number of Mejlis leaders in immediate danger. …read...
