
Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles

US-Russian Relations Wither as the Kremlin Seeks out Internal and External Enemies
Since the rebellion against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad began almost two years ago, many in the West and in the Arab World have eagerly awaited evidence of Moscow beginning to finally ditch the brutal and seemingly doomed Syrian regime. In an interview... MORE

Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan Heighten Tensions in Violent Local Border Dispute
Already unstable relations between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan worsened this week. Violence had erupted in early January 2013 in the Uzbekistani enclave of Sokh located inside Kyrgyzstan that resulted in property damage and hostages being taking. Since January 7, Bishkek continues to block access to Uzbekistan’s... MORE

Turkey Debates SCO as an Alternative to the EU
Turkey–European Union relations were frozen while Cyprus held the rotating EU presidency during the second half of 2012. In those six months, no progress was made in Turkey’s European integration, and very few official visits took place between Turkish and EU delegations. Signifying the tense... MORE

Circassians Grow Frustrated with Moscow’s Handling of Syrian Circassian Repatriation Requests
On January 9, Russia’s State Duma rejected Circassians’ calls for the Russian government to treat the Syrian Circassians as compatriots. In a response to a Russian parliamentary query, the head of the department of inter-ethnic relations of the Russian Ministry for Regional Development, Alexander Zhuravsky,... MORE

What Do Russia’s Arms Sales to Bangladesh Mean?
On January 15–16, President Vladimir Putin held talks in Moscow with Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sekh Hasina. As a result of these discussions, Russia has pledged to lend Bangladesh $1 billion to buy weapons, $500 million to construct the country’s first nuclear plant, as well as... MORE

Deputy Prime Minister Alasania Is Demoted in Georgian Government
Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili signed a decree on January 21, stripping Minister of Defense Irakly Alasania of his dual position as deputy prime minister in the Georgian government https://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=25670). The decree appeared on the government’s website (https://www.government.gov.ge/index.php?lang_id=geo&sec_id=1) one day after Alasania revealed he had had... MORE

Moscow Puts Rights Groups in North Caucasus in ‘Mortal Danger’
The Russian government’s requirement that human rights organizations receiving financial assistance from abroad register as foreign agents and the unwillingness of Russian businessmen to cross the Kremlin by making up the shortfalls is hurting human rights groups across the country. But in the North Caucasus,... MORE

Shamanov Signals Reform Reversals in the VDV
A public dispute about the condition of the Russian Armed Forces has spilled over into the question of awarding an honorific title to an elite unit in the Airborne Forces (Vozdushno-Desantnye Voyska—VDV). Attributing the honorary “Preobrazhenskiy” title to a present-day military unit for some critics... MORE

Tentative Steps Toward Deepening Defense Cooperation in the Baltic Region
In late December, the Swedish defense chief, General Sverker Göranson, stoked controversy by noting that Sweden would only be able to defend itself for a week without outside help (Svenska Dagbladet, December 30, 2012). Generally taking its cues from Sweden, a few weeks later, a... MORE

Ukraine Signs Agreement to Extract Gas Jointly with Shell
Shell will extract unconventional gas in Ukraine according to an agreement signed with Ukraine last week. This will be Ukraine’s first big project with a large multinational company in the oil and gas sector, and Chevron is likely to follow suit later this year. With... MORE