Archive - 2005

Following last week’s meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, many observers – myself included – chose to make fun of the way in which Lukashenko...

Anatoly Trofimov, a former Colonel-General who headed the FSB’s Moscow region during the Yeltsin presidency, was assassinated on Sunday. His wife died in hospital today of her injuries.  The most widely...

It’s 3:40am and I can’t sleep.  So, what better to do than read Publius Pundit?  Belarus is the latest country in Robert’s sights, and this is just a part of what he has to say: Regardless of...

No revolutions this week, but plenty of news nonetheless.  Russia may finally be ready to take AIDS seriously, Moldova has finally elected its President, while Kyrgyzstan’s President has finally resigned...

Those of you living outside of Europe will probably have never heard of the Eurovision Song Contest, and many of those living in Europe don’t actually care.  A few people do care though – enough to make...

Russia has written off Ethiopia’s $1.1 billion debt, ostensibly to help Ethiopia in its fight against poverty, although I suspect arms sales may, as is so often the case, be at the root of Russia’s decision:...

Protests, protests, protests, is the story of the week in Russia and its near abroad, with Kyrgyzstan’s Tulip revolution overshadowing the demonstrations in Belarus, Ingushetia and Bashkortostan.  Details of...

An opposition protest in Minsk yesterday was broken up by truncheon wielding police. Showing he will not tolerate demonstrations like those that drove the presidents of Georgia, Ukraine and now Kyrgyzstan from power...

This is interesting – three Menatep shareholders have paid Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s $54 million tax debt in full.  "My lawyers have informed me today that my friends decided to pay the claim laid...

Remember the Moldovan election back in early March? The Communist Party won re-election in the parliamentary election, following which the newly elected members of Parliament vote for their President in early April...