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ECJ rules against sanctions on 2 Russian billionaires
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 11 Apr 2024

On April 10 the European Court of Justice ruled that sanctions on Mikhail Fridman and Petr Aven are unlawful because the European Union did not provide sufficient evidence that they should be sanctioned. They were sanctioned in 2022 only 2 days after the Ukraine War began. The men were also sanct...

US says it is giving captured Iranian arms to Ukraine
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 10 Apr 2024

On April 9 the US military made the announcement. The shipments include ammunition and small arms. These Iranian-manufactured weapons were used by Houthi rebels in Yemen. The Yemeni Army captured the weapons in battles against the Houthis. Ukraine is grateful for shipments but small arms inflict ...

Flooding in Russia and Kazakhstan
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 09 Apr 2024

On April 3 serious flooding impacted southern Russia and northern Kazakhstan. The abrupt thaw has caused snow to melt faster than usual. Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated in Russia and 86,000 in Kazakhstan. Over 10,000 houses have been flooded. Some regions have declared a state of ...

US and EU pledges USD 358 million to Armenia
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 06 Apr 2024

On April 5 the President of the European Commission and the US Secretary of State met the Prime Minister of Armenia in Brussels. The EU will grant Armenia USD 293 million. The EU says it is giving the money to enhance Armenia's economy so it can withstand shocks.  The US said it wants to safeguar...

Kyrgyzstan introduces foreign agents' law
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 03 Apr 2024

On April 3 President Japarov signed the act. The law requires many entities to register as foreign agents. The law is based on a similar one in Russia. The law will apply to many NGOs that receive funding from other countries. Those that are involved in what are deemed to be political activities ...

Essential CIS Politics: April 2024
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · Report · 02 Apr 2024

* Putin re-elected as president. * Terrorist attack in Moscow kills 140. * Russia pounds Ukrainian cities but gains little ground. * Ukraine is critically short of shells. * Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan open trade link.

Sanctions on Russia are impacting payment systems, although their effectiveness is unproven in trade
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 31 Mar 2024

On March 28 the South Korean company Samsung said that as of April 1 that the Russian Mir payment system will be disabled on Samsung. Google Pay and Apple Pay have already severed ties with the Mir Russian payment system. The timing of Samsung's decision is possibly related to Russia's recent vot...

Russia moves closer to North Korea
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 29 Mar 2024

On March 27 Russia voted to close a UN panel that monitors sanctions on North Korea. The panel was investigating claims that Russia broke UN rules by buying North Korean ballistic missiles. Sanctions are still extant but the UN cannot effectively monitor them now. Many countries criticized Russia...

Ukrainian Foreign Minister in India
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 29 Mar 2024

On March 28 Dmytro Kuleba arrived in Delhi to met his counterpart. Kuleba was invited by External Affairs Minister Jaishankar. This is the first top level visit by a Ukrainian to India since the war began. The two men discussed a peace formula. Jaishankar said the issues involved in the war canno...

Crackdown on organized crime in Central Asia
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 28 Mar 2024

On March 27 Raimbek Matraimov and his three brothers were extradited from Azerbaijan to Kyrgyzstan. He was second in charge of the Kyrgyz Customs Service for several years. The State Committee of National Security is detaining him before his trial. Conviction rates in Kyrgyzstan are very high.  M...

Putin blames Ukraine for Moscow concert hall terror
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 25 Mar 2024

On March 22 Putin said that the attackers tried to flee to Ukraine and that Ukraine was involved. He did not state how Ukraine was involved. 4 suspects were arrested in Bryansk, which is near Ukraine. It is possible that the suspects were headed to Ukraine even if Ukraine was not connected to the...

Russia is at war - Putin spokesman
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 22 Mar 2024

On March 22 Dmitry Peskov said that there is a war against Ukraine. Russia had officially labelled it a "special military operation" and criminalized the use of the word "war" in relation to it. However, Putin himself slipped out the word "war" in 2023. Peskov said the situation turned into a war...

EU gives Ukraine EUR 4.9 billion non-military aid
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 20 Mar 2024

On March 20 the President of the European Commission made the announcement. The money has already been released to Ukraine. The money comes from a fund established in March 2024 to pay salaries, welfare and to ensure that infrastructure is kept in a usable condition. In 2022 the EU gave Ukraine E...

Tajik-Kyrgyz Border being agreed
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 19 Mar 2024

On March 17 the two countries stated that they had agreed on 11 km of their 972 km border. Over 700 km is now demarcated. The two nations have a border dispute dating back to the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. The countries have repeatedly fought a low level conflict over the border. Both are m...

Putin wins record vote in dubious election
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 18 Mar 2024

As we predicted, Putin won a higher share of the vote than ever before: 87%. He expressed his gratitude to those who voted and took the opportunity to praise Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine. He said the war explained the high turnout, which was a record breaking 70%. The runner up was the co...

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