· January, 2007

Stories about Eastern & Central Europe from January, 2007

Russia: Amber

  31 January 2007

Copydude writes about the sorry state of the Baltic ecology and about the amber mines of Kaliningrad.

Poland: Politics

  31 January 2007

“This is not a deeply unpopular government at all. It’s supporters appear to quite like it,” writes Warsaw Station in a lengthy post (followed by a lengthy discussion).

Poland: Sex Scandal and Cronyism

  31 January 2007

Traveling Life writes about Poland's ongoing sex scandal and about yet another case of cronyism: “I know that each political appointee has an army of advisers to make sure he doesn't screw up too much. But at some point we have to ask when the sheer incompetence of political appointees...

Poland: LOT Airline

  31 January 2007

“LOT's passenger numbers have risen by less than 2 percent last year at the time when millions of Poles are traveling to work in Irland and Britain.” Polish Matters writes about plans to revive the ailing airline.

Poland: PM With a Broken Arm

  31 January 2007

The beatroot writes: “[The Polish president's twin brother] breaks arm after falling on ice. Does that make him a lame duck Prime Minister?” A commenter responds: “He's a right wing duck, so breaking he left wing is part of his project, surly?” And another one: “Populism and regionalism, only requires...

Poland: Anti-Missile System

  31 January 2007

The beatroot argues that “the critics of the decision of placing a US anti-missile system in Poland are being as paranoid as the US government.”

Poland: The Soviets’ Nuclear Arsenal

  31 January 2007

The beatroot writes about the “now unclassified documents which show that Poland was nothing more than a buffer to the West for the Soviets and one that they could afford to make into a nuclear desert!”

Russia: Litvinenko a Target

  30 January 2007

La Russophobe posts parts of a report from the Polish newspaper Dziennik on the use of Aleksandr Litvinenko's image for target practice by the FSB, and links to a video and photos.

Czech Rebublic: Dechovka Music

  30 January 2007

NvB: Bored in Brno writes about dechovka music and posts a YouTube video of Eva and Vasek, “the most successful musical group in the [Czech] Republic from the standpoint of record sales”: “Happy listening! And remember, every Czech is not just a musician but also a dancer.”

Albania: Petrella Castle

  30 January 2007

Stepping Stones posts pictures from a trip to Petrella Castle, about 15 km southeast of the capital Tirana.

Ukraine, Romania: Serpent Island Dispute

  29 January 2007

Ukraine List writes about a Ukrainian-Romanian dispute over Serpent Island: “The island itself is just a small chunk of limestone (.17 km sq.) with a layer of topsoil. […] The geo-political history of the island is a bit complex […].”

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.