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Belarus parliamentary elections held
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 28 Feb 2024

On February 26 all the results were announced. Turnout was 74%. Only pro-Lukashenko parties were allowed to run. These included the Communist Party and the Liberal Democrats. Several opposition parties were refused registration for the elections. Some people claim the government pressured them to...

Armenia suspends membership in Russian led military alliance
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 25 Feb 2024

On February 23 Prime Minister Pashinyan said that his country had taken the decision regarding the 6-member Collective Security Treaty Organization. The 6 CSTO members are all former Soviet republics. The CSTO is Russia's equivalent of NATO. Armenia refused to send a delegate to the CSTO summit i...

US, EU and UK sanction Russia
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 24 Feb 2024

On February 23 Biden said the package is because of the death of Navalny and the war in Ukraine. Biden again urged the US Congress to pass the USD 60 billion aid package for Ukraine. He noted that the Republican Congressmen who are blocking the aid package are indirectly assisting Russia. Biden s...

Lithuania restricts train travel to and from Russian exclave
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 22 Feb 2024

On February 22 the announcement was made that trains going from Russia through Lithuania to the Russian exclave Kaliningrad will not be allowed to pick up or drop off passengers. The rule will take effect from March 1. Lithuania is also closing two border crossings with Belarus. It closed another...

Russia and Venezuela agree to enhance collaboration on hydrocarbons
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 21 Feb 2024

On February 20 the foreign ministers of the two countries met in Caracas and made the agreement that included a statement about working together on civilian nuclear energy, farming and medicine. This is Sergei Lavrov's second visit to Venezuela since the Ukraine War began. The Russian Foreign Min...

Polish protests block Ukrainian exports
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 20 Feb 2024

On February 20 farmers and truckers stepped up protests to stop Ukrainian food from being brought into Poland. They say they are being undercut by Ukrainian produce and the low wages of Ukrainian truckers. They want limits on Ukrainian food and trucks entering the country. Much of the produce is ...

Azerbaijan reappoints PM
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 19 Feb 2024

On February 16 President Aliyev reaffirmed Ali Asadov's prime ministership. The Majilis (parliament) voted its approval of the nomination. Asadov has held this office since 2019. He is a member of the New Azerbaijan like Aliyev. He is 67 and does not overshadow the president in any way. Aliyev ha...

Ukraine withdrawing from Avdiivka
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 17 Feb 2024

On February 17 the new head of the Ukrainian Army announced the pullout is because the city is almost enveloped. This is Russia's greatest victory since Bakhmut in May 2023. The difference is that Russia suffered horrendous casualties in Bakhmut but not in Avdiivka.  General Syrsky said that the ...

Anti-corruption campaigner Navalny dies in jail
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 16 Feb 2024

On February 16 the news was announced with no official cause of death yet. A pro-Kremlin TV channel suggested it was a blood clot. A doctor who often examined Navalny said this was impossible to determine without an autopsy. He was being held in a remote northern prison.  Navalny had been well kn...

Russia issues arrest warrant for Estonian Prime Minister
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 14 Feb 2024

On February 13 this unprecedented move was made against Kaja Kallas. Kallas advocated for the removal of a Soviet monument in Estonia. Estonia is a former Soviet republic and has a significant Russian minority. It is an EU and NATO member and has been vociferous in support of Ukraine.  The arrest...

Chinese bank stops settlements with Russia
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 12 Feb 2024

On February 7 the news about Chouzhou Commercial Bank (CCB) was reported in the Russian business newspaper Vedomosti. CCB has been vital for Russia to pay for imports since 2022. CCB has reportedly informed clients that it will no longer facilitate payments. The CCB payments ended on SWIFT and Ch...

US journalist interviews Putin
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 10 Feb 2024

On January 8 Tucker Carlson interviewed the Russian president. Carlson is a right wing TV presenter who worked for Fox News until 2023. Putin spoke for 30 minutes about his belief that Ukraine is not a real country. There was no doubt about Putin's sincerity when he traced Russia's history from i...

New top general appointed in Ukrainian Army
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 08 Feb 2024

On February 8 President Zelensky promoted Oleksandr Syrsky to be the armed forces chief. Zelensky expressed gratitude to the previous armed forces chief, Valerii Zaluzhnyi. Zelensky acknowledged in November 2023 rumors of tension between himself and Zaluzhnyi but said the rumors were false. Zelen...

New Prime Minister in Kazakhstan
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 08 Feb 2024

On February 6 Olzhas Bektenov was appointed. Parliament approved Bektenov: 69 voted for him and 7 abstained. None voted against. He vowed that his premiership will be about action not words. He said he will avoid unnecessary meetings and cut bureaucracy. Bektenov said his main task was to carry o...

Pro-peace candidate not allowed to run for Russian presidency
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 08 Feb 2024

On February 8 the Central Election Commission made the announcement because there were many mistakes in the signatures of people who nominated him. Boris Nadezhdin is the candidate and he gathered 105,000 signatures, but the CEC invalidated 15% of them. Many of the signatures came from Russians a...

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