Latest Articles about Europe
No Surprises but Putin Reveals Frustrations at Valdai
The Valdai Club’s annual conference used to be a gala gathering of Western and international experts who appreciated direct access to Russian elites and expected to hear about new trends and ambitions in Moscow’s foreign policy from the traditional speech given by President Vladimir Putin.... MORE
The Ghosts of ‘Taras Bul’ba’
A recently completed investigation demonstrates that the main goal of the Russian-forced re-location of Ukrainian children to Russia is so they can be raised to value their “true” heritage, which has drawn the ire of Kyiv (Ukrainian.voanews.com, October 22). The shared cultural heritage of Russia... MORE
Ukraine’s Kherson and Zaporizhzhia Regions Under the Russian State of War (Part Two)
*Click here to read Part One. The Ukrainian army’s liberation campaign in Kherson region has ground to a halt. This should not be surprising as the army is insufficiently equipped with heavy long-range artillery, tanks and helicopters. Hopes that the Ukrainian army would advance and... MORE
Ukraine’s Kherson and Zaporizhzhia Regions Under the Russian State of War (Part One)
Russia designates its all-out aggression in Ukraine as a “special military operation,” avoiding the term “war.” Nevertheless, the Kremlin has imposed a “state of war” (voyennoye polozhenie) in the Russian-occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine. This decision caps the declaration of a... MORE
Moscow Alarmed by Growing Non-Russian Nationalism and Ukraine’s Role in It
Moscow has long been upset by Kyiv’s efforts to reach out to non-Russian nations inside the Russian Federation and enlist them as allies in its fight against the Kremlin. But steps taken by Ukrainian leaders in the past few weeks, a time of heightened concern... MORE
Uzbekistan: An Aspiring Transport Hub for Central Asia
Throughout the Russo-Ukrainian war and a period of tense relations between Russia and Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan has followed a proactive track of transport diplomacy to strengthen its geopolitical and geo-economic position through Eurasian rail trade. The main aim of Tashkent’s diplomacy is to transform itself from... MORE
As War Rages in Ukraine, the German-Polish Schism Deepens
While German politics remained relatively stable under former Chancellor Angela Merkel and we may observe a certain level of continuity under her successor, Olaf Scholz, Polish politics have undergone a profound change since 2015, when the United Right (Law and Justice) took charge. This shift... MORE
Soul-Searching in the Opposition Amid Growing Threats to Belarusian Sovereignty
The Belarusian opposition media continues to be frustrated with Ukrainians' worsening attitude toward Belarusians in their country. The September 2022 telephone and online survey of 2,000 Ukrainians by the Kyiv-based International Institute of Sociology revealed that, regarding Belarusians, Ukrainians view the group with the third-most... MORE
Recent Kremlin Policies Bog Down Russian War Effort (Part Two)
When it comes to industrial mobilization in Russia, it is necessary to underline a critical component: the degree of integration between military and civilian production. During World War I, 80 percent of military products were produced by civilian enterprises in Russia; by 1941, the share... MORE
As Putin’s War Disrupts Eurasian Railways, China Investigates Alternatives
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” against Ukraine has severely impacted Eurasian transport logistics, particularly cargo traveling along the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) bound for Europe via Russian Railways (RZD). In 2021, China Railway Express (CRE), a subsidiary... MORE