Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles

Social Protest and Political Struggle on the Rise in Dagestan

Electricity cutoffs in the capital of Dagestan, Makhachkala, have become the focal point of social protest actions in the republic. The Dagestani electricity distribution company imposed restrictions on the supply of electricity in Makhachkala on May 21 and extended the restrictions to several other Dagestani... MORE

Bombings and Shootings Reported Across North Caucasus

A month and a half after the President Dmitry Medvedev ordered an official end to the decade-long counter-terrorism operation in Chechnya, bombings and shootings have been reported there and in neighboring Dagestan, Ingushetia, North Ossetia over the past several days.A man was hospitalized with shrapnel... MORE

Russia Struggles to Sustain Alliance with Belarus

Russia's relationship with its former closest ally, Belarus, has reached a new low point following a bitter dispute. Moscow has apparently struggled to remain on good terms with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenka -described by some as Europe's last dictator. Meanwhile, although both countries have attempted... MORE

Erdogan Prioritizes Foreign Policy in State of the Union Address

On May 30 Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivered his State of the Union address, focusing on Turkey's enhanced profile in regional diplomacy. Erdogan provided details relating to his trips to Azerbaijan, Russia and Poland, and discussed recent foreign policy initiatives, most importantly Turkey's... MORE

Russia and Ukraine Revisit Gas Conflict

In what is becoming a monthly ritual, the Russian leadership has publicly stated that they fear Ukraine will be unable to pay its upcoming bill for Russian gas delivered in May. On May 27 Gazprom's spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov stated "Naftogaz is finding it enormously difficult... MORE

Lukashenka Plays Hard Ball with Russian Leadership

On May 29 Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenka instructed his ministers not to "whine and weep" when things did not work out with Russia but to "look for better luck in other parts of the world" (www.gazeta.ru, May 29). He was obviously disappointed after the meeting... MORE

The Turkish Parliament Blocks Controversial Investment Plan

The Turkish government drafted a bill on a proposed de-mining project on the Syrian border, which sparked controversy among neo-nationalists and Islamists (EDM, May 21). The Justice and Development Party (AKP) government proposed to lease the de-mined area for 44 years to a foreign company.... MORE