
Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles

Why Are Georgia and Abkhazia Still Far From Reconciliation?
On September 27, Georgian authorities and activists commemorated the 23rd anniversary of the “Fall of Sukhumi.” On that date in 1993, an armed group of Abkhaz and North Caucasian fighters, clandestinely supported in various ways by Russian forces stationed in Abkhazia, managed to establish control... MORE

Belarus Suffers Economic Woes While Projecting Inner Tranquility
Belarus’s current economic situation is a cause for concern. The decline in GDP by the end of 2016 will amount to 3 percent. Between January and August, the country led the entire Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) on inflation: retail prices have grown by 7.6... MORE

Budgetary Fight in Moscow Sends US-Russian Relations Into Deep Crisis
US Secretary of State John Kerry’s attempts to hammer out a Syrian ceasefire agreement with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, have collapsed, leaving relations between Washington and Moscow in tatters. The Russian-led coalition, which includes military forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government as... MORE

Ukrainian Government Moves Ahead With Some Important Energy Reforms, Stumbles on Others
Ukraine has approved reforms aimed at changing domestic electricity market rules, a step that is essential for curbing corruption in the power sector. This complements the natural gas pricing reforms undertaken earlier, in 2015–2016, which achieved price parity on the domestic market with import prices;... MORE

Azerbaijan’s Possible Reactions to Armenia’s Iskanders: Defense Versus Offense
In recent weeks, Armenia has been showing off the sophisticated new weapons it acquired via a $200 million credit line extended by Russia. And most notably, on September 21, during a parade in Yerevan commemorating the 25th anniversary of Armenian independence, the Armed Forces showcased... MORE

Western Sanctions and Russia’s Surprising Financial Trap
On September 30, trading on the Moscow Exchange pushed up the Russian ruble to 62.81 per US dollar, its highest recorded value for the current year (RT, October 3), marking a 31 percent appreciation versus the greenback since end of January 2016. The move reflected,... MORE

Ramzan Kadyrov Lashes out at Chechens Who Flee Republic
The ruler of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, has finally reacted to the ongoing scandal related to Chechen refugees stuck in Belarus since the summer (see EDM, September 29). Using his favorite means of public communication, Instagram, Kadyrov dismissed claims that residents of Chechnya have to leave... MORE

Planning and Corruption Setbacks for Russia’s Military Modernization
Russia’s highly ambitious military modernization agenda to 2020 has garnered unprecedented government spending to redress the long hiatus in replacing dated weapons equipment. Yet, it faces potentially crippling obstacles to a fuller implementation of such goals. The original plan, to achieve 70 percent new or... MORE

The End of the Line for the Trans-Siberian Railroad?
October 2016 marks the centennial of the completion of the Trans-Siberian Railroad (Trans-Sib), Russia and the world’s longest railroad line. Yet, no special celebrations are planned—in part due to Russia’s current economic difficulties, but also because that fabled railroad may be reaching the end of... MORE

Will Mirziyaev Initiate Long-Awaited Reforms in Uzbekistan?
With Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyaev settling into Uzbekistan’s top spot as interim head of state following the death of President Islam Karimov (see EDM, September 8), questions have been mounting about the new leader’s background and what Mirziyaev-era Uzbekistan will look like. According to forecasts,... MORE