Stories about Eastern & Central Europe from December, 2021
North Macedonia's Zoran Zaev, the prime minister who ‘has done the most to serve his country’
Zaev resigned as prime minister on December 22. His goals were to restore democracy and freedom, bring North Macedonia into NATO and the EU, and improve the quality of life.
Ukraine to get support from Apple with conducting national census in 2023
Commenting on the collaboration with Apple for the 2023 national census, Ukraine's President Zelenskyy said digitisation was "an unconditional priority for our state".
Exploitation of Indian migrant workers in Serbia continues
The workers' attempt to get redress are complicated by the layers of ownership and contracts, which allow the Serbian company to claim the contract is with a US company.
Russian censors block website of legal aid non-profit OVD-Info
"We see this as a continuation of the state's attack on civil society. It is no surprise that the attack is now focused on OVD-Info."
Indian migrant workers fight for their right to get paid in Serbia
Indian migrant workers have been targeted to work at mega construction projects in Serbia. Several workers are not willing to give up fighting for their back pay, despite legal loopholes.
Serbian authorities accused of spying on visiting Russian citizens at behest of Kremlin
Russia and Serbia have formed a joint working group to combat protest movements against autocratic and populist governments by suppressing grassroots initiatives, independent media, the opposition and civil society organizations.
In Russia, an ongoing battle for the future of science
Fear, self-censorship and job insecurity are leading to ethical violations in the country’s universities and scientific establishments.
Russian peacekeepers promise to oversee return of all Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan
While both parties pledged to return all prisoners as part of the ceasefire signed on November 9, 2020, the number of Armenian POWs still in Azerbaijan remains unknown.
Russian filmmaker Sergei Solovyov dies at 77
Solovyov is best known for films portraying the turbulent transformations in Russian and Soviet society that occurred during the late 1980s during the perestroika and glasnost era.
Zagreb protests: Croatians divided around COVID-19 certificates
A series of protests erupted in Croatia after its government mandated certificates to show public sector employees are vaccinated, have recovered from COVID-19 or have tested negative.
How new generations are reinventing antifascism in Bosnia and Herzegovina
"How can we truly recognize manifestations of fascism and antifascism in societies that are free from direct physical conflict, where the definition of the 'other side' is becoming progressively more blurry ... ?"
Russia blocks access to Tor browser website
The push for greater online censorship is part of the country's "sovereign internet" strategy which seeks to cement centralised state control over internet infrastructure and online spaces.
Belarus, transformed: political analysts track social and political change in the country
"The Belarusians have re-envisioned their national identity, giving birth to a new civil society and reformatting social processes that generate new patterns of behavior."
Artist collective rekindles Argentine folklore from a queer perspective
The first subversive "chamamé" is a collaborative work between Argentina, Russia and Canada from the multicultural art collective Bagner, seeking to revive Argentine and Latin American folklore from a non-binary and young perspective.
Armenia and Azerbaijan pledge progress as leaders meet in Sochi
Commenting on the meeting, Russian president Vladimir Putin said the leaders reached agreements on some of the key issues and that the meeting was overall positive.
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