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Latest Articles about Europe
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The Russian Arctic: Between Economic Development and Accelerating Militarization
Lately, hardly a day passes without another announcement of a new Russian military deployment in the Arctic. Yet, the Arctic’s fundamental strategic importance to Russia is economic: namely, the potential for extracting immense amounts of energy and other raw materials. Undeniably, climate change and the... MORE
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Two Battalions of Chechens Now Fighting the Russians in Ukraine
Reading the Ukrainian media earlier this year gave one the impression that Ukraine was fighting not Russia, but Chechnya (vesti.ru, May 28). Few doubted that Chechens were fighting on the Russian side in eastern Ukraine, but their numbers were greatly exaggerated. The deployment of Russian... MORE
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Ukrainian President to Form ‘Pro-European Coalition’
The parties of President Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk won an early parliamentary election on October 26 and have started talks on forming a new governing coalition. As radicals of all kinds lost the election, Ukraine now has a chance to obtain a... MORE
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Social and Political Trends in the Russian-Controlled Donbas
The unrecognized “people’s republics” of Donetsk and Luhansk (“DPR,” “LPR”) elected would-be presidents and legislatures on November 2, in territories seized from Ukraine (see accompanying article). The decision to proceed with these elections came undoubtedly from Moscow and it signifies (inter alia) a temporary suspension... MORE
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Donetsk, Luhansk ‘People’s Republics’ Stage Elections in Ukraine’s Donbas
On November 2, the Russian-controlled Donetsk and Luhansk “people’s republics” (“DPR, LPR”) in Ukraine’s Donbas (eastern region encompassing the Donetsk and Luhansk provinces) staged “presidential” and “legislative” elections for the first time. These were conducted in the presence of Russian and proxy troops on what... MORE
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Paradoxes of Belarus’s Geopolitical Situation
There is something ironic, if not outright paradoxical, about the current configuration of Belarus’s international relationships. On its western flank, the situation appears quite negative. Notably, the European Union has extended its sanctions for another year (Tut.by, October 30), and the top United States diplomat... MORE
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Moscow Using Budapest to Put Rusins in Play Against Kyiv
In its efforts to promote secessionist ideas among the half-million-strong Rusin community along Ukraine’s Western border, Moscow is simultaneously pursuing three goals. First, it is forcing Kyiv to divert its attention from Russian aggression in the east to another theater, thus limiting the ability of... MORE
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North Caucasians Point out Moscow’s Double Standards on North Caucasus and Ukraine
At a recent conference in Pyatigorsk, experts on the North Caucasus extensively compared and contrasted Moscow’s policies in this volatile Russian region and its involvement in Ukrainian affairs. Chechen expert Musa Basnukaev stated that many people in Chechnya ask the question why Russia went to... MORE
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Economic Warfare in the Russian-Ukrainian Conflict: Crimea
Russia’s “hybrid warfare” concept embraces economic warfare as one of its key elements. Yet, less attention has been paid to the details of the economic war between Russia and Ukraine in the conflict over Crimea and parts of Donbas (eastern Ukrainian region encompassing Luhansk and... MORE
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Russian Policy Adjusting After Ukraine’s Parliamentary Elections
Russia has adopted a policy of parallel recognition of two sets of elections in Ukraine: the country’s parliamentary elections and the “elections” in the Russian-occupied parts of Donbas (eastern Ukrainian region encompassing the provinces of Luhansk and Donetsk). This is, innovatively, a policy of pre-emptive... MORE