Stories about Eastern & Central Europe from May, 2008
Russia: Medvedev and 1999 Apartment Bombings
Lex Libertas links to an op-ed calling for president Dmitry Medvedev to start a new investigation of the 1999 apartment bombings in Russia.
Ukraine, Russia: Personae Non Gratae
On May 12, Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov was declared persona non grata in Ukraine, following his calls for Russia to take ownership of Sevastopol, a Ukrainian Black Sea naval port. On May 15, Russia denied entry to Vladyslav Kaskiv, one of the leaders of the 2004 protests in Kyiv and member of the Our Ukraine/People's Self-Defense faction in the Ukrainian parliament. LJ user varfolomeev66, a Russian journalist, compares the two cases.
Europe: More on Eurovision
Belatedly, a link to a Eurovision report by BBC's Mark Mardell – and over 150 comments to his post.
Romania: Corruption
Transatlantic Politics writes about corruption in Eastern and Central Europe: “A survey made amongst Romanian judges showed that most of them don’t consider corruption as being a serious crime.”
Lithuania: Russian Pop Music
Viola in Vilnius notes the popularity of Russian pop music in Lithuania.
Balkans: Travel Articles
Balkanology Blog reviews recent English-language travel articles about the Balkans.
Bulgaria: Stoev's Murder and Anonymous Blogging
Maya's Corner quotes a passage on Georgi Stoev's murder and the dangers of writing under one's real name in Bulgaria.
Czech Republic: Cabs and Buses
The Czech Daily Word writes about cab drivers and public transportation system in the Czech Republic.
Czech Republic: “How I Fought Over A Supermodel”
Petr Bokuvka of The Czech Daily Word shares a childhood memory of the Czech supermodel Veronika Varekova.
Hungary: Ferenc Szálasi
Hungarian Spectrum writes about Ferenc Szálasi and Hungarian nationalist politics – here and here: “Perhaps no one will be surprised to discover that the man who came up with “Hungarism”...
Greece: Macedonian Party
Say: Macedonia writes about the first congress of the Macedonian “Rainbow Party” in Greece.
Russia: “Medialogia”
Scraps of Moscow writes about Russian politics and the media: “Sometimes, though, mediologists, not meteorologists, are the best way of trying to figure out which way the political winds are...
Russia: Kaliningrad Region
Raf Uzar writes about the history of Kaliningrad region.
Poland, Germany, UK: Eurovision
The beatroot writes at Polandian that Poland, Germany and the UK aren't getting any votes at Eurovision, and something has to be done about it.
Poland: Songs
“A Guide To Songs About Poland” – at Polandian.
Russia: Ideas for Eurovision
Megan Case 2.0 writes on Russia's Eurovision victory: “I think that Russia should have pulled out all the stops and filled the stage with famous people – they could have...
Kosovo: “Failure to Get More Recognitions”
Prishtine: Independence and Kanun writes: “[…] out of the other 192 (plus 2) countries in the world, the government of Kosovo should have been able to lobby more than just...
Ukraine: Opposition and Alliances
Foreign Notes writes on the relationship between PM Tymoshenko, president Yushchenko, and the Party of the Regions.
Ukraine: Tymoshenko's Politics
Foreign Notes writes about PM Yulia Tymoshenko's defeat in the Kyiv election, her meeting with PM Vladimir Putin, and the future of her cabinet.
Europe: Liveblogging Eurovision
Belatedly, a link to a what was a Eurovision liveblog on Saturday – at Greetings from Kyiv.
Ukraine: News Roundup
An update on oil, inflation and other Ukrainian issues – at Orange Ukraine.
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