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Eastern Europe
As sanctions bite, Russia eyes Ukraine’s mineral resources to fund its invasion
Russia's 2024 federal budget brought little in the way of surprises, the country is gearing up for a long war. Signed by President Vladimir Putin earlier this week, it ushered record levels of military spending — a sign of Moscow's commitment to its war against Ukraine. While part of the Russian
Belarus Weekly: Putin attends the CSTO summit in Minsk, Armenia skips
Belarus hosts the CSTO summit, with the notable attendance of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the absence of Armenia’s representative. Ukraine imposes sanctions on Russian and Belarusian defense sectors for 50 years after the end of the war. The OSCE designates Malta as the organization’s head after Russia
Opinion: Poland's democratic rebirth pains
WARSAW – In October, Polish voters demonstrated that even extremely unequal elections against authoritarian incumbents can be won. The opposition’s victory, and the country’s subsequent re-democratization, may hold useful lessons for like-minded forces in Hungary, Turkey, and elsewhere. In Poland, the defeated populist leader, Jarosław Kaczyński of Law and
Belarus Weekly: Poland deploys a tank battalion near its border with Belarus
Subscribe to the Newsletter Belarus Weekly Join us Poland deploys a tank battalion near its border with Belarus citing an eastern threat. Belarus develops a new system that would allow it to inspect all mail coming from the European Union. The European Parliament urges the EU to restrict Russian and
Opinion: Will the Kremlin’s war soon expand to a second front in Georgia?
Ukraine has been wreaking havoc on Russia’s navy in the Black Sea through the use of new homemade sea drones and foreign-supplied cruise missiles. As a result of these suffocating attacks, Russia has been forced to have the bulk of its navy retreat from Sevastopol — a port that was
Not backing Ukraine is 'disastrous for Slovak security,' says former defense minister
One of Ukraine's worst fears appears to have come to pass: a key ally announced a halt to military aid. Slovakia, Ukraine's small eastern neighbor of 5.4 million people, gave generously from its Soviet-era arsenal and welcomed Ukrainian refugees after the full-scale war began. Now, a recent election handed
Rise of populism in Ukraine's neighborhood: Not as gloomy as you think
Slovakia's new Prime Minister, Robert Fico, is consistent in his comments that his country will stop providing aid to Ukraine. He also regularly parrots Russian propaganda, blaming Kyiv for Russia's invasion. This makes two of them, with Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban long being accused of being Moscow's favorite EU
New Belarusian poetry collection explores revolution, exile, war
When Belarusian author Hanna Komar brought the manuscript for her poetry collection “Ribwort” to a publisher in Belarus in the summer of 2021, she was told that their business would be shut down if they published her work. Komar, like thousands of her fellow Belarusians, took part in the 2020-2021
Russia, West fight for Kazakhstan as Astana plays both sides
On the surface, Russian President Vladimir Putin's trip to Kazakhstan on Nov. 9 exuded an air of business as usual. The Russian leader was met at dawn on the tarmac of Astana airport by Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev before being greeted by an official guard of honor. The trip coincided
Belarus Weekly: Belarus ranks lowest in Europe for rule of law
Belarus reignites the border crisis spat with Latvia, claiming to have found dead migrants at the countries’ shared border. Latvia denies the claim. The editor-in-chief of an independent Belarusian-language newspaper is sentenced to four years in prison. Human rights groups deem the move politically motivated. Sweden appoints a special envoy
Belarus Weekly: Belarus threatens Lithuania with military action; Lukashenko invites Orban to Minsk
Maria Lvova-Belova, a Russian official wanted by the International Criminal Court for abducting Ukrainian children, visits Minsk to discuss the “protection of children.” Hungary’s foreign minister makes a second controversial visit to Minsk. Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko invites Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to visit Belarus. A Belarusian official
Opinion: Why the Polish elections are good news for Ukraine
The story around the Polish parliamentary elections earlier this month is one of a country at a crossroads. It was said that these were the most important elections since 1989, as a further Law and Justice (PiS) government would have cemented an increasingly illiberal system. In Western media outlets, the
Riots in North Caucasus underscore rampant antisemitism in Russia
Antisemitic riots erupted in Russia’s North Caucasus on Oct. 28-29, with angry mobs looking for Jews and some going as far as calling for murdering them. The rioters in the Muslim-majority North Caucasian regions protested against Israel amid its ongoing war with Hamas, an Islamist terrorist group in the
Belarus Weekly: Russia’s growing nuclear capabilities in Belarus
A Wall Street Journal analysis sheds light on Russia’s growing nuclear capabilities in Belarus. Belarus expects over $600 million from Russia to compensate for losses sustained from a Russian tax change back in 2018. Poland issues a European arrest warrant against six members of Lukashenko’s security services. A
Opinion: What's next for Poland?
WARSAW – This wasn’t supposed to happen. With sweeping control over state financial resources and public and local media, Poland’s populist ruling party, Law and Justice (PiS), had a massive structural advantage in this month’s parliamentary election. It should have won handily and continued consolidating its illiberal, anti-democratic
Belarus Weekly: Post-Soviet strongmen gather in Bishkek, say West tearing them apart
Lukashenko meets with Iran’s first vice president in Minsk to lament Western sanctions amid the countries’ continued support for Russia’s war against Ukraine. Lukashenko attends the CIS summit in Kyrgyzstan to mark Putin’s first trip abroad since his international arrest warrant was issued. The Belarusian parliament approves
How Russia’s liberal tech companies became the foundation of Putin’s war effort
Fridays at Russian tech giant Yandex — the company once christened as "Russia's Google" — are marked by a large-scale all-hands meeting where employees can bring questions and problems to the company's upper management. Called khural, among the company's employees, a name for Mongolian parliament, the values behind it are usually associated
Polish opposition set to win election, according to exit poll
According to an exit poll released after voting ended at 9 p.m. local time, Poland's opposition is set to win the country's general election. The Ipsos exit poll gave Poland's governing Law and Justice (PiS) party 36.8% of the vote, which would result in 200 seats in the
Ukrainians trapped in besieged Gaza: 'We are constantly bombed'
Hundreds of Ukrainians have been caught in the crossfire inside the Gaza Strip after Hamas terrorist attacks on Oct. 7 prompted Israel to respond with a total blockade and intense bombardment of the small Palestinian enclave. Ukraine is now working to evacuate 243 Ukrainian citizens from Gaza, which has plunged
Russia, China and North Korea have new dynamics. And it’s bad for Ukraine
The White House announced on Oct. 13 that North Korea had delivered more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and ammunition to bolster Russia's war against Ukraine. Washington published pictures tracking a set of containers as it traveled from Najin, North Korea, to Dunay, Russia, by a Russian-flagged vessel.
Who's who in Poland's election, and where they stand on Ukraine, Russia, EU
Voters in Poland will cast ballots on Oct. 15 in a high-stakes parliamentary election that may return the ruling conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party to power for a third-straight term, following months of acrimonious campaigning that saw Warsaw's support for Ukraine emerge as one key point of contention. All
Belarus Weekly: Minsk shows children abducted from Ukraine to foreign diplomats
The International Red Cross issues its Belarusian branch an ultimatum: If its current head is not dismissed, the Belarusian branch will no longer receive funding. Minsk showcases children taken from Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine to foreign diplomats visiting Belarus. Minsk announces the creation of a new chain of stores selling
Allies in discord: Roots of recent quarrel between Poland and Ukraine
Over the past year, allied nations Poland and Ukraine went from displays of enthusiastic support and gratitude to trading veiled accusations in the UN General Assembly. When Russia launched a full-scale invasion, Poland took the initiative to provide weapons to Ukraine and called on others to do the same. Poland's
Is Russia involved in Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel?
Palestinian terrorist group Hamas shocked the world on Oct. 7 by launching an unprecedented deadly offensive against Israel, brutally killing over 1,000 people and taking at least 150 Israelis hostage. As Iran-backed terrorists rampaged through Israeli cities, some – including many in Ukraine – pointed fingers at Russia, a country with
Could an election and history’s ghosts upend Ukrainian-Polish alliance?
Days after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, global news outlets cast Poland as a humanitarian superpower. Poles opened their homes to hundreds of thousands of refugees, offered transport, handed out hot soup and warm words of welcome. The government, too, sought to position itself as Kyiv’s champion
Belarus Weekly: Swiss court acquits Belarusian ‘death squad’ member
Belarus plans a visit for foreign representatives to places where abducted Ukrainian children are held, in an attempt to evade complicity in Russia’s war against Ukraine. Minsk claims again that a Polish helicopter violated its airspace, a claim Warsaw vehemently denies. Belarusian authorities shut down the last officially registered
Far-right party may hold keys to next Polish government, sets tone in talks with Ukraine
With the Polish parliamentary elections just around the corner, the country's rising far-right threaten Poland's relations with Ukraine in more ways than one. The Confederation party, a contender for third place in the upcoming Oct. 15 elections, is a disrupting force that pushes the country's mainstream further and further to
Peter Tkacenko: Slovakia after election – If not friend, certainly not enemy of Ukraine
Robert Fico’s Direction – Social Democracy (Smer) has secured victory in the latest Slovak elections with 23% of the vote. Ex-Prime Minister Fico, who expressed dissatisfaction with his country’s support of neighboring Ukraine, has an open road to a third stint as the country’s prime minister. Yet, despite
Belarus Weekly: 2 Belarus delegations compete for attention at UN General Assembly
Representatives of Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko’s regime attend the UN General Assembly meeting in New York. Belarus’ foreign affairs minister calls for the UN to expand the Security Council. Belarusian democratic forces are also in attendance. Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya urges Lukashenko to be excluded from UN forums.
Belarus Weekly: Lukashenko seeks closer ties with Russia, North Korea
Lukashenko proposes creating a trilateral partnership with Russia and North Korea during his meeting with Putin in Sochi. Forty-eight Ukrainian children abducted from Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine arrive in Belarus. Latvia closes one of its border crossings with Belarus due to “the most tense situation since 2021” amid the Minsk-engineered
Russia’s ‘peacekeeper’ act crumbles as Azerbaijan overwhelms Nagorno-Karabakh
On Sept. 19, just under three years after the end of the last major war between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the mountainous region of Nagorno-Karabakh, Baku moved decisively to finish what it started in 2020. Shortly after the announcement of the launching of “anti-terrorist” measures by the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry,
Belarus Weekly: Lukashenko's regime accomplice of Russian war crimes, EU says
The European Parliament recognizes the regime of Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko as an accomplice to the crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine, including the mass abduction of children from occupied parts of Ukraine. The Red Cross recommends that the head of its Belarus branch, Dzmitryi Shautsou, step down until the
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