Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
Russian Authorities Destroy Southern Dagestani Jamaat
Russian security services conducted a special operation, on June 16–17, against militants in southern Dagestan’s Suleiman-Stalsky and Tabasaran districts. During the operation, the security forces located ten armed men in the area. The militants refused to surrender and opened fire on the authorities. All ten... MORE
Drawing the ‘Cyber Curtain’: Will Russia Follow the Chinese Example?
RT-Inform, a firm owned by the Russian non-profit state corporation Rostec, announced, on June 9, the creation of a protected instant messenger (IM) application designed for use by Russian companies and state agencies (gosstruktury) (Rbc.ru, June 8). The financial details of this initiative are being... MORE
Russian Strategic Goals in Syria Contradict US Policies
Last week, Russia’s defense minister, Army-General Sergei Shoigu inspected Russian troops fighting in Syria "under orders of President Vladimir Putin." On June 18, Shoigu visited the Russian operational command center at Hmeymim airbase, near Latakia, from where Russian bombers run sorties against the Syrian opposition,... MORE
Abkhazia Seeks Membership in International Soccer Association
In late May–early June, the “world championship” of the Confederation of Independent Football Associations (CONIFA) took place in the breakaway Georgian territory of Abkhazia. Twelve soccer teams from internationally unrecognized territories participated. CONIFA is a federation of football associations that was established in 2013 (Sputnik-abkhazia.ru,... MORE
Belarus’s Problems and the Heavy-Handed Conduct of Outside Powers
The Belarusian government responded in a rather conciliatory manner to the decision by President Barack Obama to extend by one more year the United States’ travel sanctions on a number of Belarusian officials (Naviny.by, June 15). Still, the press secretary of the Belarusian Ministry of... MORE
Abkhazia Seeks Membership in International Soccer Association
In late May–early June, the “world championship” of the Confederation of Independent Football Associations (CONIFA) took place in the breakaway Georgian territory of Abkhazia. Twelve soccer teams from internationally unrecognized territories participated. CONIFA is a federation of football associations that was established in 2013 (Sputnik-abkhazia.ru,... MORE
Russian First Guards Tank Army as an Instrument of Hybrid War Against Baltic States
The 1st Guards Tank Army was formed in the Soviet Union, during the Second World War, in 1943. It was disbanded in 1999, but re-established in 2015. As more details about this reborn heavy military unit come to light, worries increase about the threat it... MORE
Terrorist Attacks in West Kazakhstan Call for Urgent Reforms
Kazakhstan has traditionally been considered the most stable and prosperous country of Central Asia and was even dubbed by external observers an “island of stability” in a chronically volatile region. Yet, on June 5, this image was shattered when a group of more than 20... MORE
Tallinn–Helsinki Railroad Tunnel Could Transform Geopolitics of Northern Europe
In mid-June, the European Union pledged to provide one million euros ($1.13 million) to finance a preliminary study on the feasibility of constructing a railway tunnel between Tallinn and Helsinki, under the Gulf of Finland (ERR, June 15). The decision has attracted widespread attention to... MORE
Moscow Tests National Mobilization and Reservist System
President Vladimir Putin ordered, on June 14, another of the traditional “snap inspection exercises,” which have become a hallmark of the approach to testing combat readiness in the hands of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. The latest snap inspection exercise, running from June 14 to 22,... MORE