Latest Eurasia Daily Monitor Articles
The Latest Reshuffle in the Russian Military
On January 13 the Russian defense ministry confirmed important changes within the military leadership (Interfax, January 12; www.mil.ru, January 13). According to an official account, the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Ground Forces Army-General Vladimir Boldyrev and the Commander of the North Caucasus Military District Colonel-General... MORE
Russia Reflects on the Presidential Elections in Ukraine
The outcome of the first round of elections in Ukraine is fairly clear, despite the usual procrastination with confirming the results, but it could have more impact on Russia’s stalled political modernization than the misanthropic political elite in Moscow expects. Taking a lesson from their... MORE
Erdogan Fosters Nuclear Cooperation with Russia
The Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, accompanied by several of his ministers, including Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Energy Minister Taner Yildiz, recently visited Moscow. Carrying a busy portfolio, he met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.Reflecting the spirit of... MORE
Kyrgyzstan Boosts Cooperation With China
This week a Kyrgyz government delegation, led by President Kurmanbek Bakiyev’s son Maksim, visited Beijing to strengthen economic relations with China. At a meeting with Chen Jian, the Chinese Assistant Minister of Commerce, Maksim Bakiyev expressed strong interest in building links with China in its... MORE
Rebel Ideologue Vows More Frequent Attacks on “Russian Occupiers”
The year ended unexpectedly for Dagestan’s Sharia Jamaat. Completely by accident, a group of Khasavyurt city policemen encountered a car that disregarded their demands to stop. As a result of the ensuing gun battle, all four occupants of the vehicle were killed (Interfax, December 31).... MORE
Moscow Tightens Squeeze on Belarus Oil Industry
The Russian government threatens Belarus with an imminent cessation of oil supplies to the country’s two big refineries, Mozyr and Navapolatsk (aggregate capacity at least 25 million tons annually). The declared trigger of this threat is the dispute over Russian taxation of oil deliveries to... MORE
The Russian Factor in Ukraine’s 2010 Presidential Elections
The Russian factor in this year’s Ukrainian presidential elections is essentially a straw man and far less important key than five years ago. Russian political technologists openly worked for one candidate (Viktor Yanukovych), while Moscow allegedly sought to poison the opposition candidate (Viktor Yushchenko) and... MORE
Medvedev Offers No New Solutions to Dagestan’s Ongoing Destabilization
On January 12, a major gas pipeline was blown up with an explosive device in southern Dagestan. The pipeline stretching from Mozdok in North Ossetia to Kazimagomed in Dagestan connects Russian gas pipelines to the Azeri gas pipeline network. Eleven settlements, including the city of... MORE
Kadyrov Orders Formation of Special Unit to Target Dokka Umarov
Violence continues unabated in the North Caucasus in the second week of January, with apparent insurgency-related incidents reported in Ingushetia, Dagestan, Chechnya and Kabardino-Balkaria.Unidentified attackers fired automatic weapons at the home of a businessman and his family in Nazran, Ingushetia, early today (January 14). No... MORE
Gazprom Wooing Croatia Ahead of Putin-Kosor Meeting
Interviewed in the current issue of Southeast European Times (January 12), Gazprom Vice-President (and Gazprom Export chief) Aleksandr Medvedev unveiled a program of business expansion throughout that region, with a distinct focus on Croatia. Ahead of Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor’s imminent first visit to... MORE