Latest news, headlines and top stories you need to know RIGHT NOW about Russia, the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.
Image by David Liuzzo The prime minister of Macedonia, Zoran Zaev, has floated the idea that the country may temporarily change its name to please Greece in order to enter the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Athens has long objected to Macedonia claiming the name of one of its northern…
Image by Ivanaivanova “Loveless,” a new film about the failed institutions in and of the Russian state, couldn’t be more timely. And since it comes from Andrey Zvyagintsev — whose 2014 drama “Leviathan” was a subtle but blistering indictment of his country’s government — you could be forgiven for reading…
Image by Evgeny Feldman Firebrand anti-corruption activist in Moscow, Alexei Navalny, was arrested by police as he left his home enroute to anti-corruption protests scheduled in cities across Russia today. Navalny’s wife, Yulia, said on his Twitter feed that he was arrested about a half-hour before the demonstration was to…
Russia, Saudis See Oil Levels Dropping After Price Drop.
Image by https://www.flickr.com/photos/usarmyeurope_images/15243319351/in/set-72157647222797938 Ukrainians were on Sunday celebrating the first day of visa-free access to the European Union, with thousands crossing the border as President Petro Poroshenko proclaimed a dramatic “exit” from Moscow’s grip. The move is symbolic for Kiev, where a pro-EU revolt in 2014 toppled the previous Russia-backed…
Image by Ermanarich After U.S. forces shot down a Syrian drone and attacked pro-regime forces that had crossed a deconfliction line, it seems Russian military officials calmed the situation and prevented a larger fight erupting between American and Syrian forces. Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said as much during a…
Russian State Duma Extends Elvira Nabiullina’s Term Of Office As Central Bank Chief.
Image by Bezik Russia threatened on Friday to seize U.S. diplomatic property and make things difficult for the Anglo-American School in Moscow if the U.S. does not return Russian diplomatic properties seized by the Obama administration in 2016. Two Russian compounds in the U.S. are still being held by American…
“The condemned were brought by car to a forest. There, deep pits were dug and the prisoners were told to lay down face down. After that they were shot”. So read the notes of the interrogation of NKVD executioner Mikhail Matveyev, who personally executed 1111 prisoners from the notorious Solovki…
Image by Rei-artur Bugaria’s Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva says the nation wants to be free from EU monitoring of its judicial reforms by 2018. She said internal reforms will be completed by the end of that year and the monitoring “can’t go on forever.” On a visit to Bucharest, Romania,…