Stories about Eastern & Central Europe from March, 2006
Belarus: First Detainees Released
Ivan Lenin of Rush-Mush reports on the first prisoners being released from Belarusian jails.
Czech Republic: Making Brno Cleaner
Jesse of Bored in Brno writes about the city authorities’ somewhat irrational attempts to make the city cleaner and shares his own ideas.
Czech Republic: Flood Updates
Douglas Arellanes posts regular updates from the Czech Republic's “flood front.”
Latvia: Tourism Official's Utopian Plans
All About Latvia writes about one official's utopian plans to turn Latvia into Europe's main tourist center. [A belated update: The official's name is Ola Prilof … April Fool!]
Belarus: Ignore What Seems Like a New “Gas War”
VW at TOL's Belarus Blog advises on how to react to what seems like the beginning of a new “gas war,” this time between Russia and Belarus: “Simply pay no attention. Think about those who suffered these weeks.”
Belarus: Lukashenko's Disappearance and Other News
Andrei Khrapavitski, br23 blog and TOL's Belarus Blog write about reports of the first March 25 casualty, Milinkevich's visit to Poland, Polish ex-ambassador's hospitalization – and Aleksandr Lukashenko's disappearance.
China: trans-Asian oil pipeline
Regarding an oil pipeline planned to link Russia and China, with a branch extending through Pakistan into India, the Our Silk Road blogger suggests the old Silk Road could very well be renamed the new Oil Road. “A lucrative idea with a great deal of wheeling and dealing left to...
Belarus: Prison Journal
Ivan Lenin at Rush-Mush links to an English translation of a Belarusian protestor's jail journal. (Written by LJ user forion in Belarusian, translated by LJ user kapitan-tanaka.)
Poland: Singer Turned Politician Tired of Politics
The beatroot writes about a 56-year-old Polish rock musician turned politician and the problems he's facing. “After making a lot of money over the years, he must have got bored – like ageing rock stars do – and thought that he would represent the very un-rock and roll Law and...
Russia: Xenophobia and Racism
Sean Guillory guestblogs at Publius Pundit on racism and xenophobia in today's Russia.
Belarus: Anti-TV Flash Mob
LJ user litota_ posts photos from a flash mob that took place at Oktyabrskaya Sq. in Minsk yesterday: to protest the lies of Belarusian state TV, a group of young people put scarves over their eyes and pretended to watch the news broadcast on a huge screen above.
Belarus: Ex-Ambassador Maszkiewicz Hospitalized
19. People's Blog on Presidential Election reports (RUS) that Mariusz Maszkiewicz, former Polish ambassador to Belarus, has been moved from prison to a hospital, possibly for emergency treatment of a heart attack. Maszkiewicz was jailed for his participation in the March 25 protest rally in Minsk and subjected to harsh...
Belarus: Lukashenko's Missing
Andrei Khrapavitski translates an entry by LJ user wolny on the mysterious public absense of the Belarusian president Aleksandr Lukashenko.
Russia: Ilf and Petrov Exhibit
W. Shedd of The Accidental Russophile writes about famous Soviet writers Ilya Ilf and Evgeniy Petrov, their 1935-36 trip to the United States.
Russia: Putin Plagiarized His Dissertation
W. Shedd of The Accidental Russophile and Alex(ei) of The Russian Dilettante's Weblog discuss Vladimir Putin's plagiarized dissertation: “What was Putin doing in 1997? If I am not mistaken, he was vice mayor of St. Petersburg. For some reason, he decided on getting a PhD […]. What would the typical...
Ukraine: Unexpected Losses On The Way To Parliament
Scott W. Clark of Foreign Notes reviews two political forces that didn't make it into the parliament: Pora-PRP and Volodymyr Lytvyn's Bloc: “Besides their TV advertising later was awful. (A shot showing Klitchko holding a hawk. Close-up of Klitchko and the hawk with Klitchko trying to stare it down. He...
Poland: Parliamentary Crises
The beatroot writes on Poland's inability to come up with a coalition government and the not too efficient attempts to fix the situation: “Many normal people here argue, however, that it is not the system […] that is to blame for Poland’s political instability, but – and here’s a radical...
Czech Republic: Havel Denied Entry Into Belarus Embassy
br23 blog reports on how Vaclav Havel, former president of the Czech Republic, was denied entry by the Belarus Embassy in Prague when he wanted to deliver a letter of protest. The incident reminded him of 1979, when Tom Stoppard and Harold Pinter were protesting his own imprisonment, but were...
Belarus: Diary of a Protester
Rush-Mush links to a LiveJournal translation of the diary of Dasha Kostenko, a Minsk protester who has recently been sentenced to ten days in jail.
Serbia & Montenegro: Likes and Dislikes About the Country
Daniel Ginsberg of The Native Speaker gives an honest answer to this question from an anonymous commenter: “will you be honest and say what (or who) makes you really angry here in serbia? be honest… how do you like people here?”
Serbia & Montenegro: Memories of Belgrade Bombing
Viktor of Belgrade Blog writes about what it felt like to be in Belgrade during the bombing seven years ago.
About our Eastern & Central Europe coverage
Filip Stojanovski is the Central Europe editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.
Daria Dergacheva is the Eastern Europe editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.
