Stories about Eastern & Central Europe from May, 2006
Russia: Bibliography on Russian-Germans
J. Otto Pohl posts a list of English-language publications on Russian-Germans, one of the many nations deported by Stalin during WWII.
Czech Republic: Wedding Tradition
David of Prague Blog writes about a fun wedding tradition that the Czechs seem to observe: “After the wedding ceremony, and before the reception, the best man “kidnaps” the bride...
Belarus: Lukashenko's Childhood and Family
Tobias Ljungvall writes about Aleksandr Lukashenko's difficult childhood and posts a photo of the dictator's aunt that he took in 2002. (Two photos of Lukashenko's wife have been added, too.)
Belarus, Russia: IMF Approves of Common Currency
TOL's Belarus Blog criticizes the IMF's approval of the common currency of Belarus and Russia: “Oh, yeah, IMF is not a political body and does not care or understand that...
Belarus: Hunger Strikes and Persecutions
Andrei Khrapavitski writes about “repressions and deaths” in Belarus, as well as two hunger strikes – by the young politicians and a businessman facing a 6-year sentence for tax evasion.
Serbia & Montenegro: Referendum's Potential Consequences
Srdjan Cvijic of The TransAtlantic Assembly writes on potential geopolitical consequences of the Montenegro vote: “Independence of Montenegro, inevitable nourishes independence aspirations of other territorial entities across Europe and the...
Estonia: Nordic Battle Group
Giustino of Itching for Eestimaa writes about the history of military action of Sweden, Norway, Estonia and Finland, and reports on a Nordic Battle Group's workshop that took place Tuesday.
Latvia: Aleksiy II's Visit
All About Latvia writes about the visit of Aleksiy II, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, to Latvia last weekend. Latvia is home to some 350,000 Orthodox Christians.
Latvia: Second Gay Pride Parade
All About Latvia writes about the politics of this year's gay pride parade (to be held in Riga on July 22): “For political parties who objected the march last year,...
Russia: “Moscow Has Lost Its Pride”
Vilhelm Konnander and Ufa Blog discuss the failure to hold the first gay pride parade in Moscow.
Russia: Moscow Photos
Moscow-Blog has Konstantin Leibovitch's most recent Moscow photos and commentary.
Czech Republic: Montenegro Vote and the Split of Czechoslovakia
Dana of My Czech Republic Blog is reminded by the recent vote in Montenegro of the lack of a similar vote in what used to be Czechoslovakia: “We were not...
Slovenia: President's Book Review
AlesS of A Little Blog For a Restless Mind reviews a book written by Janez Drnovsek, Slovenia's president: Thoughts on Life and Awareness. “To me the president with this book...
Estonia: “The Hole” Review
David McDuff of A Step At A Time reviews The Hole, a study on the sinking of Estonia, “a giant passenger and car ferry in the Baltic Sea in September...
Russia: “And You Call It A Gay [Pride] Parade?”
This past Saturday marked the 13th anniversary of the decriminalization of homosexuality in Russia, and a number of people attempted to take part in a gay pride parade in Moscow...
Russia: Pogrom Instead of Gay Pride
LJ user greenmih posts photos from the pogrom that took place in Moscow on Saturday instead of the gay pride parade, which had been banned by Moscow's mayor (RUS). Riot...
Russia: Moscow Roma
Julia (LJ user kunstkamera) posts striking photos of the Roma living in Moscow (RUS). She went to their camp together with a friend – who, at one point, even lent...
Serbia & Montenegro: Photos of the Missing Albanians of Kosovo
Doug Muir of A Fistful of Euros writes about a wall of photos of 2,000 missing Albanians next to the government building in Pristina, Kosovo, the story behind these photos...
Russia: The Plight of Russian-Germans
J. Otto Pohl writes about one Russian-German family's road to political asylum in the U.S., the plight of the Russian-Germans during WWII and now, and the “deep-rooted Germanophobia among the...
Belarus: Helsinki Committee Banned
Vilhelm Konnander reports on the ban of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee by Aleksandr Lukashenko's regime.
Ukraine: GUAM Founds ODED
Vilhelm Konnander writes about a new organization whose founding members are Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova (GUAM): the Organization for Democracy and Economic Development (ODED), to be based in Kyiv,...