
Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles

Ukraine Expanding Space Program, Plans 2022 Moon Launch
Interest in privatizing space operations by Western companies such as SpaceX and Virgin Galactic has now reached the former Soviet republic of Ukraine, which, for the moment, is focused on technological payloads rather than manned spaceflight. Unfortunately for advocates of Ukraine’s aerospace capabilities, on September... MORE

How New Are the ‘New People’ in Russia’s Parliament?
One of the sensations of the September 17–19 elections in Russia—on the whole absolutely predictable—was the entry of the New People party into the State Duma (lower chamber of parliament). The faction received 5.32 percent of the vote and, accordingly, 13 deputy mandates. This is... MORE

War Games Shine Light on Deep-Running Iran-Azerbaijan Tensions
On September 21, 2021, Iran kicked off military drills near the Azerbaijani districts of Fizuli, Jebrayil and Zangilan, which Azerbaijan had de-occupied last year, during the Second Karabakh War with Armenia. The Iranian exercises marked the first time in history that Tehran carried out war... MORE

Hopes for Solution to Belarus’s Political Crisis Derailed Again
On September 30, Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka gave an hour-and-seven-minutes-long interview to CNN (President.gov.by, September 30). He agreed to speak under the condition that the cable news channel publish a full recording of the interview, which it did. It is difficult to judge how those... MORE

The Realities of Russian Military Shipbuilding (Part One)
In the last decade, Russia has increasingly sought to show off its muscles to the rest of the world. Extensive Russian propaganda has focused on purported successes in the country’s rearmament and military modernization programs, going some way toward convincing the West of the worsening... MORE

Clashes Intensify Between Moscow and Circassians on Key Issues
The range of issues on which Moscow and the Circassian nation are in conflict is expanding, and the Russian government, along with its agents in the Circassian republics and regions of the North Caucasus, have stepped up their efforts to block Circassian demands. In response,... MORE

Ukrainian Anti-Oligarch Law Inadvertently Shines Spotlight on Russian-Linked Members of Presidential Entourage
On September 22, someone fired shots at the car of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s first aide, Serhiy Shefir. The attack unfolded near the village of Lisnyky, outside Kyiv. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, more than ten bullets hit Shefir’s vehicle, wounding the driver,... MORE

Georgian Government Arrests Former President Saakashvili Upon His Return From Exile
On October 1, one day before Georgia held local elections, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili stated that the police had arrested former president Mikhail Saakashvili in the Georgian capital city of Tbilisi (Radio Tavisupleba, Civil.ge, October 1). Saakashvili was detained almost immediately upon his return to... MORE

Russia’s Four Diplomatic Encounters and a Summit
In late September, while President Joseph Biden struggled with a multitude of domestic issues and President Vladimir Putin sought opportunities to score points on the international arena, the United States and Russia accomplished a series of potentially consequential diplomatic exchanges and probes at the medium–high... MORE

Anti-Migrant Rally in Buzhaninovo Raises Specter of Dangerous Russian Nationalism
On September 13, more than 300 individuals gathered for a “people’s meeting,” or skhod, outside a dormitory for migrant workers in the Moscow Oblast town of Buzhaninovo, near Sergiev Posad. The rally participants called on the local police to investigate the foreign migrants in the... MORE