Stories about Eastern & Central Europe from June, 2024
Poland plans to close the last border crossings with Belarus as migrant crisis continues
‘Like in Finland, the talk in Poland is of instrumentalized migration driven by a hostile foreign state, not of the humanitarian needs of those on the move.’
Central African Republic: Renewed relations with France despite Russian military presence
After pausing discussions following the Russian military group Wagner’s arrival in the Central African Republic in 2018, Paris and Bangui resumed talks and announced the next phase of their cooperation.
Russian LGBTQ+ activist attended the Pride march in Moldova
According to the organizers, it was the largest march in Moldova's history, with over 800 participants
Koryo-saram: The long and tragic story of Koreans in Russia
While the two dictators are growing closer, it is important to remember the tragic history of Koreans in the Tsarist and then Soviet Russia
‘Spectacularly disobedient’: Pride parades in the Balkans
Similar to previous years, several Pride marches took place on the same day in June across the Balkans from Skopje to Sarajevo and Sofia.
How data shapes political narratives amid the 2024 super-elections
"The age of data might seem like a modern concept, but the notion of using information for political advantage has a long history."
How the Moldovan opposition is searching for a unifying presidential candidate
Experts don't believe opposition parties will be able to propose a common idea beyond the idea of ‘ousting the current President.’
Where are the unusual swarms of bees in Chișinău, Moldova, coming from?
Similar occurrences have been observed in previous years, and the appearance of bees in urban areas is largely coincidental
How will China balance Russian and European relations after the Swiss Peace Summit?
China called for an alternative peace talk after the Swiss Summit, but Russia and Ukraine do not have any common ground for the meetup.
Implications of the EU Digital Services Act on critical voices in Serbia: Challenges for civil society organizations and investigative journalists
Europe’s Digital Services Act (DSA) will have a significant impact on the digital environment, both within the European Union and beyond.
Polish-Taiwanese cultural bridges: An interview with translator Wei-Yun Lin-Górecka
Taiwan and Poland are distant geographically and culturally, yet share a long history of bilateral relations, as Lin Wei-Yun Górecka, a Taiwan based translator and researcher explains to Global Voices.
Sanctifying the profane: The Russian Orthodox Church at the front
The militarization of the Russian Orthodox Church is ramping up, while the war is increasingly seen as sacred in the eyes of many Russians
An Orthodox priest in Kazakhstan is trying to open a church independent from the Russian Orthodox Church
The difficulty is that according to the law in Kazakhstan, preaching and missionary activity without registration are prohibited.
‘I would rather die because of a missile than of sadness in another city’: Why Ukrainians are not leaving their frontline homes
Ukraine's Donetsk region, more than half of which is currently occupied by Russia, is shelled 1,500–2,500 times almost daily. Some are choosing to stay as a form of protest and resistance.
President Zelenskyy’s first interview with Central Asian journalists warns of dangers of being in Russia’s orbit
The interview came at a time when people in Central Asia remain divided regarding their opinion on the war in Ukraine.
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