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Russian military plane shot down by Ukraine
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 25 Jan 2024

On January 24 the plane was destroyed in Russian airspace. Surprisingly, Russia acknowledged the loss and attributed it to Ukrainian action. The Ilyushin 76 crashed near Belgorod. Moscow says all on board were killed and claims that 65 were Ukrainian Prisoners of War (POWs) and 9 Russian personne...

Uzbek President in Beijing
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 24 Jan 2024

On January 23 President Mirziyoyev began a 3-day state visit to China. He seems to be mostly touting for investment. He is due to meet President Xi. China has been the single biggest trade partner for Uzbekistan since 2023. Trade between the two countries reached USD 14 billion. That is a stunnin...

UK accuses Russia of buying munitions from North Korea
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 23 Jan 2024

On January 23 the United Kingdom showed the UN satellite images of 3 Russian ships in North Korea that were allegedly loading munitions to be used in the Ukraine War. However, the containers loaded cannot be proven to be filled with munitions. The ships were photographed in late 2023. The US has ...

Growing protests in Russian ethnic minority region
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 21 Jan 2024

Protests in Bashkortostan started on January 17 when a peace and environmental activist was sentenced to 4 years in jail for extremism. Hundreds of young men pelted the police with snowballs.  Protests started in a small city but on January 19 spread to the regional capital, Ufa. 1,500 people dem...

Protestors block Ukrainian trucks from entering Romania
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 20 Jan 2024

On January 18 2024 the truckers and farmers stopped Ukrainian trucks entering the country. They did this at all three crossings between Romania and Ukraine. The protests are about subsidies paid to farmers, forgiving loans and the fact that so many Ukrainian trucks are coming that it slows down R...

Protests in ethnic minority region of Russia
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 18 Jan 2024

On January 17 there were protests outside a courthouse in Bashkorostan when a local activist was given a 4-year sentence for spreading racial hatred. The police contained the protest only with difficulty and deployed 5 tear gas cannons. Scores of people were arrested. Some people were injured, bu...

Uzbekistan-to-China road opens
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 16 Jan 2024

On January 10 the first TIR (Transports Internationaux Routiers or International Road Transport) truck departed from China to Tashkent, Uzbekistan carrying electrical goods. It is a 6,500 km journey. The route goes via Kyrgyzstan. The journey should take 7 days. Before the new road opened it usua...

North Korean Foreign Minister in Moscow
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 16 Jan 2024

On January 16 Choe Son Hui met her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. Very few countries are willing to receive North Korean dignitaries. Lavrov expressed his gratitude for North Korea's vote against a UN resolution calling on Russia to withdraw from Ukraine. He said his meeting today was to refl...

United Nations asks for USD 4.2 billion in aid for Ukraine
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 15 Jan 2024

On January 15 the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNCHA) asked for this amount in humanitarian aid. This is to provide for people in Ukraine and for Ukrainians who have fled abroad. 40% of the Ukrainian population is dependent on aid. Over 6 million Ukrainians are refugees...

Oil workers' strike in Kazakhstan
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 14 Jan 2024

On January 5 oil workers for a Chinese owned company called Velikaya Stena went on strike in Manghystau Region. They want lay-offs to be reversed and they demand higher salaries and fair working conditions. The strikes are in Aqtau. They have requested the president to mediate. Other oil transpor...

UK Prime Minister in Kyiv
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 12 Jan 2024

On January 12 Sunak made the unannounced visit. Like most leaders, he crossed the border from Poland and travelled by train. Sunak announced an aid package of USD 3.2 billion for 2024. This is USD 250 million more than 2023. Bear in mind that with inflation this is a small increase on 2023. Briti...

Baltics donating to Ukraine
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 12 Jan 2024

On January 11 Lithuania announced aid for Ukraine including anti-tank weapons, anti-aircraft systems, artillery and shells. On January 11 Zelensky also visited Latvia, where he met the president. Latvia also announced military aid to Ukraine. This comprises anti-tank systems, anti-aircraft system...

Zelensky in Lithuania
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 10 Jan 2024

On January 10 the Ukrainian President made an unannounced visit to Vilnius where he met his Lithuanian counterpart. Ukrainian accession to NATO and the EU were on the agenda. Lithuania is a member of both. It is also a former Soviet republic. Zelensky visited the country in 2023, as well. Zelensk...

Japan offers to fund Ukraine air defense
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 07 Jan 2024

On January 7 the Japanese Foreign Minister made a surprise visit to Kyiv. She said that Japan will donate another USD 37 million so Ukraine can afford drone detection systems. These are important in air defense. The Foreign Minister's press conference was held in an underground bomb shelter due t...

EU sanctions Russian diamonds
RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS · In Brief · 06 Jan 2024

On January 3 the European Union announced an immediate ban on diamonds from the state-run Alrosa. Its CEO is also sanctioned, meaning his assets in the EU are frozen and he is unable to travel to the EU. Alrosa is the largest diamond mining company on the planet. The ban covers synthetic as well ...

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