
Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles

Anniversary of Stalinist Deportations Shines Renewed Spotlight on Unresolved Chechen-Dagestani Territorial Dispute
An estimated 10,000 people gathered in the Novolaksky district of Dagestan, on February 23, to commemorate the anniversary of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin’s deportation of the Chechens in 1944. The deputy speaker of the Chechen parliament, Shaid Zhamaldaev, attended the event, but no high-ranking Dagestani... MORE

Including Iran in Moscow-Led Economic Group Will Upend Former Soviet Space
Reports claiming that Russia will, within a few weeks, welcome Iran as a new member of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) may be premature, but they are still likely to be realized in the not-too-distant future, some Russian analysts argue (RitmEurasia, February 26). These reports... MORE

Moscow Angered but Not Deterred by Newest Round of Western Sanctions
After repeatedly and unsuccessfully pleading with the Kremlin to release imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the European Union and the United States, in a coordinated move, imposed additional sanctions packages against Russia. Seven top security, defense and Kremlin administration officials were personally blacklisted. Some of... MORE

Kyrgyzstan Preparing for Constitutional Reform in Search for Stability
On January 11, the leader of Kyrgyzstan’s most recent revolution, Sadyr Zhaparov, won the presidency in what turned out to be a largely uncontested election. He obtained nearly 80 percent of all ballots cast, compared with only 6.74 percent that went to the runner-up, Adakhan... MORE

Azerbaijan, Turkey Watching Armenia’s Political Crisis
Viewed from Baku and Ankara, the political conflict in Armenia pits military and civilian nationalists unreconciled to defeat in the Second Karabakh War (September 27–November 9, 2020) versus the armistice-accepting government of Nikol Pashinian. As the former seek to oust the latter from power (see... MORE

Moscow Prioritizes the Development of Hypersonic Weapons
Since Moscow’s entry into the civil war in Syria in September 2015, its experimentation with high-precision cruise missile strikes has served to boost this element of the Russian defense industry and to convince the political-military leadership to prioritize the further development of such systems (see... MORE

Sochi Summit Contra the West’s Belarus Policies
Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka landed in Sochi, Russia, on Friday, February 19, and left on Tuesday, February 23. His meeting with President Vladimir Putin occurred on Monday and lasted six hours, following a joint skiing escapade. The two heads of state also talked on the... MORE

Russia’s New ‘Arctic Offensive’: Do the Benefits Outweigh the Costs? (Part Two)
*To read Part One, please click here. On February 1, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed a decree approving the launch of six large investment projects in the Arctic that are to be completed by 2027 (Government.ru, February 1; see Part One in EDM, February... MORE

Moscow Expanding Diplomatic Contacts With Less Prominent Countries in Africa
Russia’s involvement in Africa over the last decade has attracted attention particularly when it has involved Moscow’s use of private military companies to support one or another side of civil conflicts there (see Jamestown.org, January 10, 2020; see EDM, January 20, 2021) or when it... MORE

Protests in Georgia Increase Former President Mikheil Saakashvili’s Influence
On March 1, European Council President Charles Michel met in Tbilisi with Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili and Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili. Reportedly, the two sides were predominantly going to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic as well as cooperation between Georgia and the European Union under the... MORE