Stories about Eastern & Central Europe from November, 2015
Armed Police Provide Intimidating Backdrop for Serbian Interior Minister's Press Conference
"This is a way of openly calling for persecution and lynching of individual journalists and directly puts their safety at risk"
Russia Considers Tougher Restrictions on Mobile SIM-Card Sales
You already need a passport to buy a prepaid SIM-card in Russia, but regulators want to further restrict SIM-card sales, citing security reasons and the increasing "terrorist threat."
Kyrgyzstan Torn Between Russia and Turkey Over Plane Spat
As the Moscow-Ankara standoff continues, the small countries in the pair's respective spheres of influence have tough choices to make.
Are Russian News Media Getting a Boost from Retweet Bots on Twitter?
Analysis indicates the retweet and favorite counts of some of Russia's top news agencies are seemingly being artificially inflated by hundreds of Twitter bots.
President Duda's Controversial Pardon Has Not Put Poles in a Forgiving Mood
Earlier this month, just a day after the new Polish government was sworn in, President Duda made the controversial decision to pardon Mariusz Kamiński, a member of Duda's former party.
Iran's Supreme Leader Tweets Commentary on Global Conflicts, Blaming the US
"[Supreme] Leader in meeting with Russian president: America always try to put rivals in status of passiveness but you neutralized this policy."
Two Russian Lawmakers Want to Ban Homosexuality in Public. This Is How They'd Do It.
Many expected officials to strike down a 2013 law banning "gay propaganda," but they didn't. A new proposal, meanwhile, is an even more glaring affront to Russians' fundamental rights.
Welcome to the #StandwithRussia Movement
Russian Internet users are getting quite inventive about conveying to Turkey how they feel about an attack on a Sukhoi Su-24 jet earlier this week.
New Ukrainian Police Banned from Using Russian Social Networks
VKontakte and Odnoklassniki, the top Russian social network sites hugely popular in Ukraine, are now off limits for Ukrainian police officers.
Nord-Ost Siege Survivor Remembers Captivity After Paris Attacks
With the tragic attacks in Paris earlier this month, many Russians are now remembering how bullets and bombs littered their own capital thirteen years ago.
Ukrainian Men's Travel Ban News Debunked as Fake by Military
"Santa Claus will not be paying a visit to those who spread rumors and unverified information."
New Bill Urges Ban on WhatsApp and Google for Russian Officials
Banning the use of foreign services such as Google, Yahoo!, and WhatApp for Russian state officials is key to preserving confidentiality of state secrets, says one Russian lawmaker.
Inside Big Brother: How Russians Created the ‘Red Web’
In a special report for RuNet Echo, Darya Luganskaya speaks to Andrei Soldatov about his new book with Irina Borogan about the past, present, and future of Russian Internet censorship.
Russian Lawmaker Suggests Banning Telegram Messenger ‘Because It's Used by ISIS’
Should Telegram be banned because it's used by extremist organizations such as ISIS? One Russian lawmaker believes it should, but plenty of others in Russia disagree.
Unearthing Local Stories on the Russian-Language Internet
While a lot of open-source research on the RuNet is possible thanks to broad Internet searches, sometimes it’s best to drill down to the narrowest sources available.
Russia Changes Its Mind, Asks Twitter to Store Russian User Data Locally
Previously, Roscomnadzor had said Twitter was exempt from the norms of the data localization law as the kind of user data Twitter collects did not qualify as “personal information."
Russia's Internet Watchdog May Soon Get More Extrajudicial Website Blocking Powers
Roscomnadzor can already make websites unavailable for Russian users without a court order, but they remain available to users outside Russia—something the new, broader mandate could end.
New Platform Provides Grassroots Organizing Opportunities for Ukraine's Urbanites
The online platform called "Zhyteli" (Dwellers) is aimed at arming urbanites with the tools to communicate with their neighbors more effectively about anything from utilities prices to major renovations.
Russian Performance Artist Detained for Setting Fire to Federal Security Service HQ
Pavlensky, known for hard-hitting and sometimes shocking performance art, said setting fire to the doors was a symbolic act highlighting the "constant terror methods" used by the FSB against citizens.
Russia's Most Popular Social Network Just Sent 20,000 Users a Private Message From the Government
Vkontakte says it merely geolocated all users with recent activity in Egypt, contacting them on behalf of the Russian government. There was “no additional targeting,” the website explains.
Hungarian Woman Fined for Facebook Post About State Spending
The Hungarian Civil Liberties Union has started a crowdsourcing campaign to support Maria Somogyi as part of its work to end the abuse of libel laws.
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