The foreign agent laws adopted this year by Georgia and Kyrgyzstan are not fueling mounting authoritarianism and crony rule. They are the result of it. Critics of the countries’ regimes derisively allude to the legislation cracking down on nongovernmental organizations that receive funds from abroad as “Russian laws.” This is
The exercises aim to "exchange experience, coordinate Belarusian and Chinese units, and create a foundation for the further development of Belarusian-Chinese relations in the field of joint training of troops," according to the Belarusian Defense Ministry.
The EU imposes new sanctions on Belarus, targeting sanction circumvention. Amid rising border tensions between Ukraine and Belarus, Belarusian official bolsters nuclear threats. Ukraine returns five of its citizens held in Belarusian prisons in a latest prisoner swap with Russia. Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko suggests possible release of seriously ill
Before Belarus joined, the organization consisted of nine member states, including China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, the Russian government has focused all of its financial resources on funding the war. As the war is the Kremlin's number one priority, all tools at its disposal have been used: increased taxation, sovereign funds, domestic borrowing, and the printing of
"This vote once again demonstrates that Russia can hit the wall as many times as it wants, but the outcome will remain the same: international criminals are not welcome in international bodies," Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says no Armenian official will visit Belarus as long as Alexander Lukashenko remains in power following a diplomatic scandal over Belarus’ support for Azerbaijan. The U.S. expands sanctions on over 300 entities in China and Belarus to thwart Russian sanction circumvention. Twelve human rights
Following the death of a Polish soldier stabbed at the Polish-Belarusian, Warsaw reintroduces its buffer zone and demands that Belarus extradite the suspected attacker. Belarus joins in the second stage of Russian nuclear drills, simulating the combat use of tactical nuclear warheads, with the aim of undermining Western support for
The U.S. State and Treasury departments issued what they called a "sweeping" set of sanctions against Russia and its financial backers on June 12, in the latest move to try and degrade Moscow's wartime economy. Western countries have imposed extensive economic restrictions against Moscow over its full-scale invasion of
Under the deal, DTEK, Ukraine's largest private energy company, will start purchasing an unspecified amount of LNG from Venture Global later in 2024 and throughout 2026.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó visits Belarus, despite EU sanctions. Poland to reinstate 200-meter buffer zone at Belarus border amid surge in attacks on border guards and worsening of the Belarus-instigated migration crisis at EU border. EU approved tariffs on Russian and Belarusian grain products to cut funding for Russia's
Igor Gorgan, who lost his post after pro-Western President Maia Sandu took office in 2021, continues to use his contacts in the Defense Ministry and pass sensitive information on military aid for Ukraine, the investigation said, citing accessed Telegram correspondence.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus meet in Minsk to discuss security and economy after both countries recently announced exercises involving tactical nuclear weapons. As Putin visited Minsk, former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych's plane was spotted landing in the Belarusian city of Homel. Belarusian political analyst Alexander
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Moldova on May 29 to meet with President Maia Sandu and announce support worth $50 million to help Chisinau transition away from Russian energy dependence and further integrate with the EU, amid warnings of heightened hybrid threats from Russia.
The legislation will now be sent back to President Salome Zourabichvili, who will have five days to sign into law. In the likely situation that she refuses, Parliamentary Speaker Shalva Papuashvili will be able to sign it into law, after which it will be enacted.
Lithuania's incumbent President Gitanas Nauseda on May 26 declared a landslide victory in the presidential runoff vote, securing his second term in office.
In an unprecedented and shocking event, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was grievously injured when an attacker fired several shots at him in the town of Handlova after a government meeting on May 15. Fico remains hospitalized in "serious condition," and the motive of the detained suspected attacker, identified by
"It (partnership) will allow to jointly address common security challenges, make our engagement more effective and explore new areas of cooperation," European Union's top diplomat Josep Borrell said.
Salome Zourabichvili, Georgia's pro-Western president and a political opponent of Georgian Dream, vetoed the law on May 18, but the government has a large enough majority in parliament to overrule it.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk says Poland to bolster its border with Belarus amid warnings of mass migration breach and "hybrid war" threats. Ukraine’s parliament considers a bill to grant citizenship to foreign volunteers fighting in as part of the Ukrainian Army, addressing legal challenges currently facing Belarusians fighting
Russian President Vladimir Putin's appointment of a new defense minister, Andrey Belousov, is seen as an attempt to streamline Russia's economy and mobilize it for the war effort. Russia's military has faced numerous supply and logistics problems that thwarted its all-out war against Ukraine from the get-go. Two years later,
Moldova and the EU intend to sign a security agreement in the next week, increasing cooperation in the spheres of defense, cyber threats, and foreign interference to "unprecedented levels," the Financial Times reported on May 14.
For the past few weeks, thousands of protesters have gathered every night in front of the Georgian parliament in opposition to the controversial foreign agents law that the ruling Georgian Dream party is attempting to pass. The final vote is set to take place on May 14. The law would
The ministry said that individuals arrested "ignored the legal request of the police" and "violated public order, resisted, and insulted law enforcement officers."
Georgian Parliament's Legal Committee took just 67 seconds to assess and vote on the controversial foreign agents' law. At the same time, most opposition MPs could not join the session, Georgian news outlet Civil Georgia reported on May 13.
Thousands of protesters remained on the streets of Tbilisi overnight on May 12 ahead of the final reading of the controversial "foreign agents law" in Georgia's parliament on May 14.
Latvia has been one of Ukraine's staunchest supporters since the outbreak of the full-scale war and annually allocates 0.25% of its GDP to provide military aid to Ukraine. Silina said earlier in April that Riga's military aid for Kyiv amounted to 392 million euros ($419 million) since February 2022.
Warsaw has also, for several years, accused Belarus of deliberately pushing migrants into Poland in order to pressure the EU over sanctions, a charge Belarus has denied.
Belarus announces sudden inspection of tactical nuclear weapons launchers, simultaneously with Russia's tactical nuclear drills. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk calls for a security meeting after Polish judge Tomasz Szmydt flees to Belarus and requests political asylum. Latvia digs an anti-tank ditch on its borders with Russia and Belarus as
The legacy of Soviet victory over Nazi Germany feeds pro-war aggression in Putin’s Russia — and is celebrated with a religious fervor. When Russian President Vladimir Putin swept into power in 2000, he faced a divided land. The disintegration of the Soviet Union and the economic downturn that followed left
Warning: This article contains graphic images. The slogan "Never again" emerged in response to the Holocaust and other atrocities of World War II as a vow of humanity to prevent such horrific events from being repeated. On May 8, the world marks Victory in Europe Day, celebrating 79 years since
"A unit of Iskander operational-tactical system and a squadron of Su-25 aircraft are being prepared to carry out their intended tasks," Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said.
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