RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS

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Essential CIS Politics: January 2025

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · Report · 31 Dec 2024

- Moscow and Kyiv exchange prisoners ahead of the new year as rumors of negotiations of a ceasefire spread. - Russia is suspected of sabotaging the Finnish-Estonian energy interconnection. - Protests continue in Georgia amidst the inauguration of a new president and the refusal of former Pre...

Protests rock Georgia amid institutional crisis

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · Report · 16 Dec 2024

- Georgians continue protesting two weeks since the PM announced the suspension of EU accession negotiations until 2028. - The new president was elected under the new system, unrecognized by the previous president and the political opposition. - As the crisis continues and the EU cuts ties, ...

Russian-supported Syrian government collapses—an analysis

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · Report · 13 Dec 2024

- Jihadi HTS broke its ceasefire, leading to the fall of the Assad regime in less than two weeks. - Russia’s Mediterranean naval base in Tartus, the air bridge for Africa Corps and Russia's international credibility are all at stake. - Russia is not antagonizing Erdogan despite blatant Turki...

Essential CIS Politics: December 2024

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · Report · 29 Nov 2024

- Trump’s possible future effects on the CIS examined - Russia updates nuclear doctrine in response to Western weapons targeting its territory - Government rides out protests in Georgia - COP 29 in Azerbaijan provokes new diplomatic row with France

Maia Sandu wins on 2nd round of the Presidential election in Moldova

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 10 Nov 2024

- Sandu wins 2nd round thanks to votes from abroad - Stoianoglo won in most districts inside Moldova - The country remains highly divided as it reinforces its pro-EU path On November 3, 2024, Moldova re-elected President Maia Sandu with 55% of the vote in the second round of the controversial pre...

Bulgaria holds 7th election in three years as the Russia question divides the electorate

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · Report · 05 Nov 2024

Bulgaria’s 7th election in the last three years has not yielded drastically different results from the last election in June, and a hung parliament is still likely, with some parties holding pro-Russian views. Bulgarian companies have been sanctioned for supporting Russia’s military, as Bulgaria'...

Essential CIS Politics: November 2024

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · Report · 01 Nov 2024

-Russia continues a steady advance along the front. -Ukraine makes bold pronouncements on victory plans. -North Korean troops are alleged to be readied for war in Ukraine. -BRICS summit is held in Russia with many world leaders in attendance. -Moldova and Georgia hold bitt...

BRICS Summit in Kazan to show Russia is not isolated

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · Report · 25 Oct 2024

On October 22-24, the BRICS annual summit took place in Russia’s fifth largest city, Kazan. This is the capital of Tatarstan, a Russian region that is a homeland for the Tatar indigenous ethnic group, whose main religion is Sunni Islam. There was a tight security cordon in Kazan, obliging schools...

Moldovan presidential election and EU referendum analysis

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · Report · 23 Oct 2024

Moldova has been labelled by observers a “geopolitical swing State”, at the crossroads between the West and Russia. Last weekend’s events confirmed there is a clear social divide over the future of this small former Soviet Republic bordering Ukraine, which constitutes another less-known scenario ...