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Anti-corruption campaigner Navalny dies in jail
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 16 Feb 2024

On February 16 the news was announced with no official cause of death yet. A pro-Kremlin TV channel suggested it was a blood clot. A doctor who often examined Navalny said this was impossible to determine without an autopsy. He was being held in a remote northern prison.  Navalny had been well kn...

Russia issues arrest warrant for Estonian Prime Minister
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 14 Feb 2024

On February 13 this unprecedented move was made against Kaja Kallas. Kallas advocated for the removal of a Soviet monument in Estonia. Estonia is a former Soviet republic and has a significant Russian minority. It is an EU and NATO member and has been vociferous in support of Ukraine.  The arrest...

Chinese bank stops settlements with Russia
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 12 Feb 2024

On February 7 the news about Chouzhou Commercial Bank (CCB) was reported in the Russian business newspaper Vedomosti. CCB has been vital for Russia to pay for imports since 2022. CCB has reportedly informed clients that it will no longer facilitate payments. The CCB payments ended on SWIFT and Ch...

US journalist interviews Putin
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 10 Feb 2024

On January 8 Tucker Carlson interviewed the Russian president. Carlson is a right wing TV presenter who worked for Fox News until 2023. Putin spoke for 30 minutes about his belief that Ukraine is not a real country. There was no doubt about Putin's sincerity when he traced Russia's history from i...

New top general appointed in Ukrainian Army
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 08 Feb 2024

On February 8 President Zelensky promoted Oleksandr Syrsky to be the armed forces chief. Zelensky expressed gratitude to the previous armed forces chief, Valerii Zaluzhnyi. Zelensky acknowledged in November 2023 rumors of tension between himself and Zaluzhnyi but said the rumors were false. Zelen...

New Prime Minister in Kazakhstan
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 08 Feb 2024

On February 6 Olzhas Bektenov was appointed. Parliament approved Bektenov: 69 voted for him and 7 abstained. None voted against. He vowed that his premiership will be about action not words. He said he will avoid unnecessary meetings and cut bureaucracy. Bektenov said his main task was to carry o...

Pro-peace candidate not allowed to run for Russian presidency
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 08 Feb 2024

On February 8 the Central Election Commission made the announcement because there were many mistakes in the signatures of people who nominated him. Boris Nadezhdin is the candidate and he gathered 105,000 signatures, but the CEC invalidated 15% of them. Many of the signatures came from Russians a...

Azerbaijan re-elects president
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 07 Feb 2024

On February 7 Azerbaijan's exit polls said that Ilham Aliyev is winning 94% of the vote. The polls have not yet closed. This comes as no surprise. He has ruled since his late father handed the role over to him in 2003. Every election Aliyev has won has failed to meet international standards of in...

EU foreign affairs high representative in Kyiv
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 06 Feb 2024

On February 6 Josep Borrell paid his 4th visit since the war began. He said he was there to reaffirm the EU's commitment to Ukraine. All these declaration of absolute solidarity seem suspicious. If the EU is so obviously committed why is it impelled to repeat that mantra constantly? In March 2024...

Kazakh government dismissed
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 05 Feb 2024 · 1 response

On February 5 the entire cabinet was dismissed by President Tokayev. He appointed a new acting prime minister: Roman Sklyar. Sklyar previously served as deputy prime minister. He is ethnically Russian and is the first ethnic Russian to hold this post since the Soviet era. In 2019 the entire cabin...

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister in South Korea
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 05 Feb 2024

On February 4 the visit by Andrei Rudenko to Seoul took place. Russo-South Korean relations were discussed as well as the Ukraine War. Rudenko met his South Korean opposite number. Rudenko has special responsibility for Asia-Pacific matters in the Russian Foreign Ministry. South Korea voiced its ...

Putin addresses ''Everything for Victory'' conference as ware causes labor shortages
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 04 Feb 2024

On February 3 Putin spoke at the conference, which revived a World War II slogan as its title. The Russian president said that Russia must produce everything it needs or national sovereignty will be jeopardized. He returned to his favorite themes of national defense. He warned that if Russia is n...

Turkey's banks shutter accounts of Russian corporations
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 02 Feb 2024

On February 1 the Russian business newspaper Vedomosti reported the news and cited sources such as business owners. Ankara has caved in to pressure from the US. Affluent Russians often have citizenship of other countries such as Israel or Cyprus, which makes it easy to get around sanctions. Middl...

Essential CIS Politics: February 2024
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · Report · 02 Feb 2024

* Russia and Ukraine are bombarding cities with increasing ferocity. * Russia's presidential election looms in March, but no change is expected. * Ukraine’s ammunition and recruitment situations are becoming critical. * The Kazakh oil workers’ strike continued for a month but is still sma...

EU passes EUR 50 billion aid package for Ukraine
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 01 Feb 2024

On February 1 all 27 EU member states agreed to the package. The row over this has lasted for 6 weeks. Hungary had vetoed the package until now. The President of the European Council hailed the news. There had been talk of stripping Hungary of its voting rights if Hungary did not agree. Hungary h...

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