By Valery DzutsevOn July 31, the head of the Department for Combating Extremism of the Russian Ministry of the Interior in the North Caucasus, Colonel Said-Khussein Shamsatov, made a surprising statement during an online conference. Answering question about sources of support of the insurgency in... MORE

By Paul GobleFar fewer Chechens are scheduled to make the haj this year, owing to a cutback in haj slots allotted to the Russian Federation by Saudi Arabia, the cancellation of land transportation to the holy places because of instability in the Middle East, rising... MORE

By Margarita AssenovaViolent clashes with the police left 16 injured on July 23, the 40th day of anti-government protests in Sofia. Thousands of people have been participating in daily demonstrations against corruption and are demanding the resignation of the Socialist-led cabinet.  Tensions escalated on July... MORE

By Paul Goble   Salafism or “pure Islam,” which often serves as the basis for political radicalism and militant activism, is a very different phenomenon today in the North Caucasus than it was only a decade ago, according to one of Russia’s leading specialists on the... MORE

By Paul GobleA poll conducted by Makhachkala to show how many Dagestanis cannot imagine the future of their republic outside of the Russian Federation in fact shows that nearly one in five—19 percent—are prepared to say that they do not see Dagestan as part of... MORE

By Richard ArnoldThe recent events in the small town of Pugachyov, Saratov Oblast, provide yet another reminder of the power of ethnic Russian nationalism. The murder of Ruslan Marzanov, a half-Tatar paratrooper, by a drunken Chechen youth led to days of rioting, with local police... MORE

By Paul GobleIn recent weeks, Moscow has stepped up its efforts to use ethnic minorities, Russian and non-Russian alike, in neighboring countries to put pressure on those governments in a way that allows it maximum deniability. Russia’s involvement with the Gagauz minority in Moldova is... MORE

By Paul Goble The death of a paper, especially one that speaks for a small community that has few other mouthpieces, is always a tragedy. Efforts to kill such a paper by those who wish that community ill, however, are something much worse—a crime closely... MORE

By Maskym Bugriy On June 19, the Ukrainian parliament (Rada) failed to approve a draft law on the denunciation (abrogation) of the “Kharkiv Accord,” which President Viktor Yanukovych’s government signed with Russia in April 2010. The Kharkiv Accord allowed for the continuation of the stationing... MORE

By Oleg Varfolomeyev Ukrainian businessman Borys Lozhkin has agreed to sell his Ukrainian Media Holding (UMH) company to Serhy Kurchenko, an energy businessman. Kurchenko is reportedly linked to the circle of officials and businessmen dubbed by local pundits “the family” for their links to the... MORE