Stories about Eastern & Central Europe from January, 2009
Ukraine: Yushchenko vs Tymoshenko
Ukrainiana translates Victor Yushchenko's address to the nation – and Yulia Tymoshenko's response.
Russia: Putin in Davos
Leopolis writes about Putin's appearance at this year's World Economic Forum in Davos: “Despite being lost in translation, the Putin-Dell exchange illustrates the fact that Russia and the West are...
Russia, Poland: Robert Amsterdam's Interview
Translation of Robert Amsterdam's interview in the Polish Gazeta Wyborzca – at Robert Amsterdam Blog.
Russia: Diarchy
Robert Coalson of RFE/RL's The Power Vertical muses on the state of the Russian “diarchy.”
Latvia: Protest and Changes
Baltic writes about political changes taking place in Latvia due to the crisis. Free Speech Emergency in Latvia posts a video from a silent protest in Riga.
Latvia: “Beginning to Smell Like the 90s”
All About Latvia writes that “it’s hard not to notice that it is beginning to smell like the 90s”: “In the last week, strangers asked me three times for some...
Czech Republic: Jobless Foreign Laborers
The Czech Daily Word writes about the situation with several thousand foreign workers in the Czech Republic, who have lost their jobs and are now stuck in the country: “And...
Russia: Moscow Riot Cops vs Garbage Container
LJ user trashman_2009, a Greenpeace activist, posts pictures of himself dressed as a green garbage container, being dragged away by Moscow riot police after a failed attempt to get an...
Russia: Medvedev on Markelov's Murder
RFE/RL's The Power Vertical, Robert Amsterdam's Blog, and Sean's Russia Blog comment on Dmitry Medvedev's remarks about the murders of Stanislav Markelov and Anastasia Baburova in Moscow last week.
Russia: Putin's Response to Dell
Eternal Remont and Scraps of Moscow comment on Vladimir Putin's response to the Dell Computer founder at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Ukraine: KGB Archive
Sean's Russia Blog writes this about Ukraine's plans “the entire KGB archive dating 1917-1991″: “These materials will certainly be employed in the further crafting of Ukraine’s ‘imagined community’ of victimization...
Georgia: Glukhov's Case; U.S.-Based “Georgian Chalabis”
Scraps of Moscow writes about Aleksandr Glukhov's case, and notes on the possibility “that Georgian Chalabis are already being groomed Stateside.”
Moldova: A “Stable” Economy
Moldova's economy has been declared “well-protected […] from the slowdown” by London-based magazine The Banker. Eternal Remont comments: “This one gets filed under, ‘I've been down so long it looks...
Poland: Maanam
the POLSKI blog writes about Maanam, a Polish band that, in the early 1980s, was “the epitome of cool, largely thanks to their unique sound and the distinctive voice and...
Europe: The “Two Cows” Jokes
Inspired by the “two cows” joke that's “been around for years in one form or another,” 20 east comes up with a few ones of his own.
Latvia: Snap Election?
All About Latvia thinks the country is “heading for snap elections” and this may be a good thing: “While the IMF sees an election as a liability because it ushers...
Russia, Georgia: Glukhov's Unit in Tskhinvali Since June 2008?
AnTyx comments on soldier Aleksandr Glukhov‘s mention of his unit's transfer to South Ossetia in June 2008: “If true, it would mean that the war in Georgia was deliberately provoked...
Czech Republic: European Artists Strike Back (at Entropa)
CzechFolks.com writes about a few European artists who have reacted to Entropa by creating “caricatures of the Czech Republic through their eyes.”
EU: Investing in Ukraine's Gas Pipeline?
Wu Wei quotes a Kyiv Post editorial, which urges the EU to consider investing in Ukraine's gas pipeline system, and posts this comment: “But on what terms will this be...
Cuba: Raul in Russia
Child of the Revolution, Una Familia en Cuba [Sp] and Havana Times all blog about Cuban President Raul Castro's official visit to Russia.
Russia: Conscript Seeks Asylum in Georgia
Aleksandr Glukhov, a 21-year-old Russian conscript, has asked for asylum in the Republic of Georgia to escape the "unbearable conditions" in the Russian army. One of Glukhov's media appearances took place as he was dining at a McDonald's restaurant in Tbilisi. Russian officials claim that Glukhov was captured by Georgian armed forces in South Ossetia, where he was performing his compulsory military service, and taken to the Georgian capital. Quite a few people in Russia seem to consider Glukhov "a traitor." Below are some of the reactions from the Russophone blogosphere.
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