Stories about Eastern & Central Europe from January, 2014
PHOTOS: Humans of Ukraine's #Euromaidan Protests
Take a look at a side of life at Ukraine's anti-government Euromaidan protests that isn't shown in mainstream media.
Everyday Ukrainian Life in 1942 Depicted Through Fifty Color Photos
As anti-government protests that started on November 21, 2013, burden Ukrainian life today, a vintage photo blog takes a look back on another harsh period of the country's history –...
According to Google Autocomplete ‘Colombia is Passion’ and ‘Mexico is Culture’
Colombian blogger Javier Moreno typed “[Name of country] is” on Google search to see auto-complete suggestions for each country in Latin America and Europe. He modeled his experiment after the...
Ukraine Rolls Back Short-Lived Anti-Protest ‘Dictatorship Laws’
The Ukrainian Parliament voted to revoke the controversial so-called "dictatorship laws" at the same time that the Ukrainian Prime Minister resigned, but protests still continue.
Blogger Unveils Sochi Corruption Website
Alexei Navalny joined the Sochi anti-corruption campaign this week, launching an interactive website outlining what he calls the true costs of the Olympic preparations in Sochi.
Cable Providers Begin Dropping Russia's Only Independent TV Station
The prospect that Russian cable television providers might drop TV Rain became a reality today, when two major cable companies reported their decisions to end access to the station.
So Long to Russia's Only Independent TV Station?
The only opposition television station operating today in Russia is now threatened with losing access to cable broadcasting, after a scandalous poll about the WWII Siege of Leningrad.
Ukrainian #DigitalMaidan Activism Takes Twitter's Trending Topics by Storm
As Euromaidan protests enter their third month, Ukrainian social media users and activists are finding new ways of using Internet tools to explain their plight and seek international support.
Russian Conspiracy Theories about Maidan's First Blood
Given the lack of eyewitnesses, the murder of Serhiy Nigoyan, Maidan’s first shooting fatality, has naturally attracted lots of speculation about who was responsible.
Four Biggest Misconceptions About #Euromaidan Protests in Ukraine
Ucrainica Marginalis published an overview of the four largest misconceptions about #Euromaidan, written by scholars Sofiya Grachova & Stephen A. Walsh. What this overview points out is the vast gap...
Online Mapping of Spreading Unrest After Killing of Protesters in Ukraine
During violent clashes between Euromaidan protesters in Kyiv and police, two protesters were killed. Mass anti-government protests erupted in several regions of Ukraine and spread quickly through the country.
Independent Ukrainian Filmmakers Create #Euromaidan Documentaries
In Ukraine, several filmmakers united to produce a video chronology of the events that came to be known as the Euromaidan protests. “BABYLON'13”, named after a bar in which the...
Super Bowls: Olympic Toilet Humor
Are the "toilet-gate" conspiracy theorists correct in their paranoia? Does it even matter if they aren't?
It's Slash and Burn for Russia's Indigenous
Russia’s indigenous people stand up for their land rights in a quarrel with oil companies, raising issues of environmental and economic justice.
Who Bears the Cost of Russia's Olympics?
Accusations of corruption continue to plague Sochi Olympic preparations.
Young Romanian Builds First Car Entirely Made of LEGO Blocks
20-year-old Raul Oaida from Romania has built what many dreamed of as children – the world’s first life-size LEGO car. The car, including the engine which actually runs, was built...
Rare Roma Holocaust Documentation Center to Open in Hungary
A Roma Holocaust center is planned to be opened in the southern Hungarian city of Pecs by the end of 2014. The documentation center is the joint effort of the...
European Citizens Call for the Protection of Media Pluralism
“European institutions should safeguard the right to free, independent and pluralistic information”. The quote, from the Media Initiative website, summarizes the main idea behind a pan-European campaign that aims at urging the...
How Much Longer Can Russia's Zuckerberg, Pavel Durov, Survive at Vkontakte?
Today, the notoriously Kremlin-connected newspaper Izvestia published an article claiming that Durov had resigned as head of Vkontakte, taking most of the staff with him to work on another project.
Dr. House Hits Sore Spot with Russians
British actor Hugh Laurie caused quite a stir on the RuNet this weekend, when he reacted vehemently to a Guardian article describing Vladimir Putin's views on homosexuality
INFOGRAPHIC: The New Anti-Democratic Laws of Ukraine
On January 16, 2014, Ukrainian Parliament adopted a series of bills with a severe violation of the voting procedure. Nevertheless, on the eve of the same day the bills were...