Stories about Eastern & Central Europe from December, 2022
Russia weaponizes cultural awards: It’s not all the same who is awarding a prize
"To accept a prize awarded by an institution that supports the military aggression of Russia on Ukraine means extending personal support to this aggression."
European Parliament’s Report on Pegasus spyware indicates involvement of North Macedonia companies
Pegasus and Predator spyware can allegedly extract all communications records from mobile devices. A European Parliament report and journalist investigations suspect wide illegal use in and outside of the European Union.
A Buryat voice calling on Russia to decolonize : Interview with Instagrammer Seseg Jigjitova
According to statistics, Russia is home to over 190 ethnic groups in which ethnic Russians account for around 80 percent of the total 146 million population. Yet Moscow maintains a...
For school New Year's Eve parties in Moscow, some music is apparently deemed inappropriate
The list includes 29 artists. Some of them, such as Little Big and Manizha, represented Russia at Eurovideo contest. All of them have explicitely condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
‘The Balkans are Europe's Latin America in many beautiful ways,’ says Albanian writer
Cultural mediators between the Balkans and the Hispanic worlds are scarce. Elvi Sidheri is one of them. As an Albanian author and translator, he has traveled across countries and literary fields.
Governments are still free to use the Pegasus software without human rights safeguards in place
There is an urgent need to regulate the global trade in surveillance technology with the inclusion of human rights safeguards.
Pundits say unblocking the Lachin Corridor is the only way to avoid humanitarian crisis
Lachin Corridor is the only route connecting Armenia to Karabakh and its blocking has disrupted access to essential goods and services for the population living in Karabakh.
Another attack on LGBTQ+ center in Podgorica highlights the need to protect human rights in Montenegro
Six young thugs armed with metal bars attempted to break into an LGBTQ+ Drop In center in Podgorica. In previous days similar groups of young men issued threats to the staff.
Documentary about the 1920s Volga famine is prohibited in Russia but broadcasted on YouTube
A Russian documentary covering the 1921–1923 famine in the Volga region is banned by the Russian government for unclear reasons, but made available online on YouTube.
What is Hong Kong role in Russia's sanction evasion?
The latest reports out of Hong Kong indicate that Russian-affiliated corporations in Hong Kong had evaded western sanctions by exporting chips and even military drones to Russia.
What did the outside world in the 1930s know about the Soviet famine and the ‘Holodomor’ in Ukraine?
Many Ukrainians used social networks to raise awareness of the 1932-1933 Soviet famine as they see the ongoing Russian aggression against their country as a continuation of the same imperial repression.
Russia is waging an information war in Latin America
Russian media leverages Latin America's will to move out of the shadow of the U.S. to position its anti-Western narratives.
‘How the fuck is it possible?': Russian rapper releases anti-war album
Vladi, a lead singer of popular rap music group, now prohibited in Russia, released a new album, “February Lasts and Lasts.” It describes how incomprehensible and horrifying the Russian invasion of Ukraine is.
State capture in South Africa by the Gupta family: A lesson on political influence
Growing inequality and uncapped wealth have created a mega-wealthy segment of society. With this money comes influence that may pose a danger to the integrity of domestic policy and sovereignty.
Popular TikToker Nekoglai tells of torture by Russian police
The TikToker's example shows that videos with some political and oppositional content may be as popular among young audience as entertainment ones.
Twitter account “No Context Russia” is sad yet hilarious
A Twitter account shows images from Russia without context, portraying the country in sad and ironic tones.
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