· March, 2006

Stories about Eastern & Central Europe from March, 2006

Latvia: Tourism Official's Utopian Plans

  31 March 2006

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”

  31 March 2006

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

  31 March 2006

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

  31 March 2006

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

  30 March 2006

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

  30 March 2006

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...

Belarus: Anti-TV Flash Mob

  30 March 2006

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

  30 March 2006

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

  30 March 2006

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

  29 March 2006

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

  29 March 2006

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

  29 March 2006

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

  29 March 2006

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

  29 March 2006

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

  28 March 2006

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.

About our Eastern & Central Europe coverage

Filip Stojanovski
Filip Stojanovski is the Central Europe editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.

Daria Dergacheva
Daria Dergacheva is the Eastern Europe editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.