By Paul GobleWhen Chechnya’s Ramzan Kadyrov dedicated a monument to women who died in the fight against Russian imperial expansion in the Caucasus in the 19th century, that action attracted a great deal of attention in Moscow and around the world (see EDM, September 26).... MORE

By Alicia CampiOn Monday, September 16, a coordinated series of violent protests and bomb scares occurred in in Mongolia’s capital of Ulaanbaatar, seemingly carried out by “eco-terrorists” affiliated with the domestic anti-mining movement. The target of the attacks was the Government House in the city’s... MORE

By Valery Dzutsev On September 20, Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed Vladislav Surkov as his aide (https://news.kremlin.ru/media/events/files/41d48f190dc2821f7392.pdf). Surkov replaced Tatyana Golikova and is expected to oversee “exactly” the same policy issues as his predecessor, according to the presidential spokesman, Dmitry Peskov. As the president’s advisor,... MORE

By Anna BabinetsOn September 12, the Russian destroyer Smetlivy was stoppedon its way to the Mediterranean Sea in the port of Sevastopol by Ukraine’s border guards, who spent more than three hours checking the vessel’s documents. Ukraine’s border guard service is allowed to check all... MORE

By Paul GobleThe Circassian Parliament, an organization that speaks on behalf of the more than 5 million Circassians living outside of the North Caucasus, says that it is “100 percent” certain that Moscow is preparing “a bloody crime” around the Sochi Olympics to distract attention... MORE

By Oleg VarfolomeyevUkraine is making strides toward signing an association and free trade agreement with the European Union. Chances are high that it will be signed in Vilnius in November as scheduled even if former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko is not allowed to receive medical... MORE

By Oleg VarfolomeyevTwo maverick regional councils, dominated by the far-right political party Freedom, are threatening to derail Chevron’s plans to drill for shale gas in Ukraine. This may discourage potential investors in the Ukrainian energy sector and make it harder for the government of President... MORE

By Matthew CzekajAt approximately 9:05 p.m., on August 8, the lights went out across Kaliningrad, the largest city in the Russian exclave region of the same name. The power outage was caused by a malfunctioning high-voltage power line leading from the Kaliningrad-2 combined heat-and-power plant,... MORE

By Richard ArnoldOn July 27, Moscow police clashed with Dagestani traders in the market near Moscow’s Matveyevskoye district. After a scuffle that ended with one police officer dead, the Moscow police launched a crackdown on migrant traders across the city, with 1,000 migrants rounded up... MORE

By Paul GobleAfter the United States withdraws from Afghanistan in 2014, the Taliban is likely to return to power and become a base for radical Islamists just as that country was between 1996 and 2001, according to a Kazan-based specialist on Islamic movements. And, he... MORE