Although President Viktor Yanukovych publicly portrays his foreign policy as multi-vector – balancing between Russia and the West – in reality, there has been a substantial shift in Ukraine’s orientation toward Russia (see EDM, November 3, 2009, January 20, 2010, January 29, 2010). Yanukovych’s multi-vectorism... MORE

Despite the slow pace of introducing new or modernized weapons and equipment into the table of organization and equipment (TOE) in Russia’s Armed Forces, there are signs that progress is more sporadic and prioritizes one strategic direction. The South Military District (SMD) is receiving new... MORE

The Arab Spring, especially the civil war in Libya and NATO’s “humanitarian intervention” in that conflict, has brought about much closer diplomatic cooperation between China and Russia. Their cooperation has consequently increased in response to efforts by the United States, its allies, and the Arab... MORE

On May 4, 17 Circassians from Syria arrived at the Mineralnye Vody airport, situated in the south of Stavropol region. Fourteen of the new repatriates moved to Kabardino-Balkaria and three to Adygea. About 100 repatriates from Syria have resettled in the North Caucasus after the... MORE

Instead of marking a closure for the turbulent period of ugly elections, Vladimir Putin’s presidential inauguration opened a new phase in the political crisis in Russia. The activities have centered again on Moscow where the heterogeneous opposition finds it remarkably easy to mobilize thousands of... MORE

On May 3, Russian human rights center Memorial filed materials with the Russian Investigative Committee concerning rights abuses in the North Caucasus. The collected evidence comes from four republics: Chechnya, Ingushetia, North Ossetia and Kabardino-Balkaria. On April 18, the Investigative Committee’s chief, Alexander Bastrykin, signed... MORE

In recent years, Moscow and its regional governors have attempted to win over the Muslim publics of the North Caucasus through fortifying the Muslim spiritual boards and pitting them against Salafi ideologies. Initially, neither the government nor the public anticipated the ultimate potency of Salafi... MORE

President Vladimir Putin proceeded smoothly from inauguration on May 7 to overseeing a massive Soviet-style military parade on Red Square on May 9. Putin’s choice as Prime Minister, former president Dmitry Medvedev, was easily voted into office by the Duma. On Red Square, some 14,000... MORE

On May 2, the Georgian parliament held its first public discussion of Georgia’s State Strategy on Relations with the Peoples of the North Caucasus. The strategy prioritizes Georgia-North Caucasus ties, proposing to expand Georgian assistance to North Caucasian human rights activists, cultural and science associations... MORE

“Why is Russia against the US’s Central Asia Counternarcotics Initiative [CACI]?” was the question the Kommersant newspaper asked Victor Ivanov, Director of the Russian Federal Drug Control Service (FDCS), in an interview published on the agency’s website on May 3. This $4.2 million scheme to... MORE