Kennan Cable No.7: A Closer look at Russia’s “Hybrid War”
Western observers have fallen into a now familiar parlance for describing Russia’s annexation of Crimea and subsequent invasion of Eastern Ukraine. Frequently termed Russia’s “hybrid war” against Ukraine, it is seen by the West as a threatening precedent—even a likely model—for future conflicts on Russia’s periphery. In this...
Weekly update from the OSCE Observer Mission at Russian Checkpoints Gukovo and Donetsk based on information as of 10:00 (Moscow time), 15 April 2015
This report is for media and the general public. SUMMARY KAMENSK-SHAKHTINSKIY, Russian Federation. The Observer Mission (OM) continues to operate 24/7 at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs). The overall cross-border traffic increased at both BCPs. DETAIL OM’s staff composition The OM is currently operating with 19 staff members, consisting...
Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30 (Kyiv time), 14 April 2015
This report is for the media and general public. For a complete breakdown of recorded violations during the reporting period, see the attached document, or www.osce.org/ukraine-smm/151176 The SMM monitored the implementation of the “Package of measures for the implementation of the Minsk agreements”. The SMM, based on its monitoring – which was...
All for All? The Breakdown of POW Exchanges in the Donbas
The fact that the process of prisoner exchanges is still incomplete after months of fits and starts volumes about the messiness of the situation in eastern Ukraine. …read more Source: Carnegie Endowment for International...
Open Europe study: How would Brexit impact Ireland?
Open Europe study: How would Brexit impact Ireland?The front page of The Irish Times features the latest instalment of Open Europe’s Brexit study, which finds that Ireland could be worse off than the UK in a Brexit scenario. In a best-case scenario, where the UK negotiated an “ambitious” free-trade agreement with the EU, Ireland would still...
Moscow’s Pressure on Belarus Increasingly Counterproductive
Moscow’s increasing pressure on Minsk to hew the pro-Russia line is proving to be counterproductive in three ways: First, it has prompted President Alyaksandr Lukashenka to take on even more independent positions—and owing to what Vladimir Putin is doing, he is not the “last dictator in Europe” any more. Second, Russian pressure is...
Moldova Risks Opening Pandora’s Box With ‘National-Cultural’ Districts
The Gagauz autonomous territory, instituted in 1994, is the only jurisdiction with ethnic autonomy in Moldova. Adjacent to the Gagauz territory, the Bulgarian-majority district (“raion”) of Taraclia has no particular status. Legislation now pending in the Moldovan parliament would allow conferring a special status on districts or towns, beginning...
Rebel Forces Prepare Spring Offensive in Ukraine
All parties to the Minsk Two agreement, which has resulted in a shaky ceasefire in southeastern Ukraine since February 12, express varying levels of concern about a possible full resumption of hostilities. On April 10, the pro-Russian Ukrainian rebel leader who heads the Donetsk “People’s Republic” (DPR), Alexander Zakharchenko, warned that...
Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30 (Kyiv time), 13 April 2015
This report is for the media and general public. The SMM monitored the implementation of the “Package of measures for the Implementation of the Minsk agreements”. The SMM, based on its monitoring – which was restricted by third parties and by security considerations* – observed a massive increase in the number of ceasefire violations, especially...
In Poland, a Tragedy of Negligence, a Legacy of Blame
Five years after the Smolensk crash, the most pressing lessons seem not to have been learned. …read more Source: Transitions Online...
