Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
Yevtushenkov’s Arrest: A Stern Warning to All the Wealthy and Powerful
The Russian business community was shocked by the arrest this week (September 16) of one of Russia’s richest industrialists—billionaire-tycoon Vladimir Yevtushenkov (65), accused of money laundering. In 2009, Yevtushenkov acquired Bashneft, a major oil and petrochemical company. Prosecutors allege Bashneft was illegally privatized by Ural... MORE
Turkish Businesses Seek to Open North Caucasus to the Outside World
On September 7, representatives of the Turkish government-owned company Caykur met with North Ossetia’s Prime Minister Sergei Takoev to discuss an investment project in the Russian republic. Caykur applied for a swath of land in North Ossetia on which to build a tea packing plant... MORE
Ukrainian Economy in Dire Straits, Being Destroyed by War
If turmoil in Donbas, Ukraine’s industrial heartland comprising the provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk, continues, next year will be the third year without economic growth for the country. This is especially detrimental for an emerging economy that has not yet overcome the devastating effects of... MORE
Russia Wields Upper Hand in Ukraine’s Donbas Post-Armistice
Russia’s war against Ukraine is a multi-dimensional conflict undertaking. It has come to a standstill on the battlefield in Ukraine, but continues nonetheless in its military aspect (below the combat threshold) and in its political, economic, propaganda, and cultural aspects. Russia’s overall objective is to... MORE
Russia, NATO Continue to Hold Countervailing Military Exercises in and Around Ukraine
In the wake of worsening Russian-Western relations over Ukraine, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is holding Rapid Trident military exercises, on September 16–26, in Ukraine near Lviv. According to European Command (EUCOM) spokesman Gregory Hicks, the drills will bring together about 1,300 troops from... MORE
Chisinau Says Pro-Moscow Provocations Ahead
Mihai Balan, director of Moldova’s Intelligence and Security Service (SIS), says the organization has evidence that Moscow is planning to stage provocations in his country in the coming weeks, in advance of the Moldovan November parliamentary elections. Russia will utilize not only traditional sources of... MORE
Putin Orders Largest Snap Inspection Exercise of the Year
On September 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a “snap inspection” of the Armed Forces in Eastern Military District (MD). The motif of the “snap inspection” has been popularized by the defense minister, Army-General Sergei Shoigu, since early 2013 and used to great effect during... MORE
Between Uncle Sam and ‘Uncle Vova’
Alyaksandr Lukashenka has somewhat softened his rhetoric about the supposed crucial role of the United States in sparking the Ukrainian crisis (see EDM, September 9). On September 9, during his visit to the Minsk Industrial Leather Association, he said that “the root causes of the... MORE
Head of Dagestan Faces Criticism From Moscow
September 8 marked a year since Ramazan Abdulatipov became governor of Dagestan. Abdulatipov was officially appointed governor of the region in September 2013, even though he had been the acting interim head of the republic since January 2013. Despite Moscow’s approval of Abdulatipov and the... MORE
The Pause in the Ukraine War Is Not Putin’s Victory
The tragic battles around Donetsk and Luhansk (collectively known as the Donbas region) have taken a pause, and as civilians try to rebuild a semblance of normal life, leaders are figuring out how to now move forward. In his first 100 days, Ukrainian President Petro... MORE