Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez recognized the Russian occupied Georgian provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia today as “independent states” during a meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow."Venezuela joins in recognizing the republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states," Chavez said. "We... MORE

by Tammy Lynch On Wednesday, Russia’s Duma passed in its first reading a significant change to its Law on Defense. The change, which must pass two more readings in the Duma, would allow the country to use its armed forces to “protect its citizens” outside... MORE

The mysterious adventures of the freighter “Arctic Sea” has taken on new dimensions. The Russian Security Service, the FSB, reported on September 8 that there was no illegal cargo on board the ship; only the original load of timber.However, according to the British paper the... MORE

by Giorgi KvelashviliFollowing Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s visit to the occupied Georgian province of Abkhazia in late August 2008, the Kremlin appears to be intensifying its military preparations in the South Caucasus. On September 4, Georgian newspapers and TV channels reported that “the Russian... MORE

by Roman KupchinskyWith the Fall/Winter heating season in Europe rapidly approaching, there are indications that a vicious fight has begun between the apparatus of Russian President Dmitri Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s entrenched loyalists over control of Gazprom, the giant Russian state-owned gas company.... MORE

by Tammy Lynch On August 28, Moldova’s brand new parliament elected a brand new speaker – Liberal Party head Mihai Ghimpu. The 58-year-old Ghimpu has been the head of the Chisinau City Council since 2007. Ghimpu’s election comes on the heels of an opposition victory... MORE

by Giorgi KvelashviliThe Kremlin appears to be increasingly incensed at Georgia’s efforts to protect the sovereignty of its territorial waters in the Black Sea. Over the past few days representatives of the Moscow-sponsored government in the occupied territory of Georgia’s Abkhazia region have ratcheted up... MORE

by Roman KupchinskyAs the summer of 2009 comes to an end, a rash of political maneuvers has begun on the Central Asian gas pipeline front. The greatest interest centered on Turkmenistan President Gurbangully Berdumykhamedov's visit to Bulgaria and Turkey in late August where he promoted... MORE

The Jamestown Blog will be on vacation until September 1st

by Tammy Lynch Ukraine announced yesterday that Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko will meet her Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin next month in Warsaw, Poland. The announcement came on the same day that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev brusquely denounced Ukraine’s “leadership” during a press event with German... MORE