Stories about Eastern & Central Europe from July, 2012
Russia: Anti-Church Activist Flees Under Psychiatric Incarceration Threat
A blogger and leader of the Youth Human Rights Group in Karelia, has fled Russia to Poland after months of interrogations by prosecutors that included threats of detention in a...
Ukraine: Forest Fires in Yalta, Crimea
On Facebook, Andrey Klimenko of BlackSeaNews.net posted night photos (here and here; ru) of the fire raging in the mountainous forest reserve near Yalta, Crimea. On July 31 [ru], there...
Russia: The ‘Mating Rituals’ of Bloggers and Governors
"We're not going to go to any more of these meetings, we've decided. From now on, let the suck-ups get together - the Nashists and the 'Stal'evtsy - but we...
Ukraine, Russia: Olympic Athletes’ Birthplace Controversy
The official website of the London 2012 Olympics turned out to be not the most reliable source of info on a number of foreign-born members of the Russian team. Demanding...
Russia: Nepofigism, Free Crowdsourced Legal Consultation
The Russian online group "Nepofigism" offers a free legal consulting service. The project's creators designate no particular direction for the consulting. Their aim is to offer real help to people...
‘Small’ Georgia Takes on ‘Big’ Russia with New Media
Georgia uses blogging and new media to project soft power in Russia. Even though most Georgians blog in Georgian, there is a sizable contingent of Russian speaking Georgians on Russia's...
Russia: Senator Wants Criminal Case Against Satirical Blogger
Novgorod Senator Dmitri Krivitskii has accused [ru] local blogger Vadim Beriashvili of violating the Russian criminal code's infamous Article 282 [en], alleging that he incited hatred against “a social group” when he...
Russia: Paving Political Potholes
Say the word "roads" to most Russians, and you are likely to end up with a half-hour discussion. Throughout history, Russia has been infamous for its bad road quality. However,...
London Olympics: Ambush Marketers Be Warned!
The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) has taken stringent measures to try to ensure no ‘ambush marketing’ tactics are used during the London 2012 Olympics. A common...
Russia: The Killing of Krutov
The June 29 murder of Svetloyarsk Raion administration head Nikolay Krutov was a blip on that day’s news. It was not unprecedented, but unraveling why the crime was committed (and...
Russia: Hacker Hell, Scourge of the RuNet
When noted Russian anti-corruption activist Alexey Navalny's email and Twitter accounts were hacked, it came as no surprise that the hacker "Hell" took responsibility. A legendary figure in the RuNet,...
Russia: The Denver Cinema Shooting As A Case for Gun Rights in Russia
Anti-Kremlin blogger Vladislav Naganov responded to this week's shooting in a Denver, Colorado, movie theater by arguing [ru] that American gun violence proves the need for expanded gun rights in Russia,...
Hungary: Community News Site Takes On Neglected Fire Hydrants
Faulty and out-of-order fire hydrants made it difficult to control a fire that broke out in the Kutya mountain, close to the town of Nagykovácsi in Hungary. This inspired the...
Moldova: Communism – Is It Really Over Now?
On June 12, Moldova’s parliament condemned the Soviet totalitarian communist regime and prohibited the use of the communist symbols, the hammer and sickle. Diana Lungu reports on the online reactions...
Russia: A Conspiracy Theory Against United Russia in Yaroslavl's LJ Case
Writing in the politics-ru LiveJournal community [ru], user oficer2001 [ru] alleges that pat-index, the blogger at the center of the case in Yaroslavl (where LJ was banned by court order), is actually a...
Russia, Belarus: Medvedev and the “Belarusian Circus”
A picture says more than a thousand words, the saying goes. An Instagram snapshot that the Russian PM Dmitry Medvedev tweeted as a tacit comment to his visit to Minsk...
MENA: Welcoming Ramadan
Ramadan, the ninth month in the Islamic calendar has just begun. It is a time when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, try to get closer to God and celebrate...
Russia: Yaroslavl Court Bans LiveJournal
Earlier this week, a Yaroslavl court responded to a request from local police and ordered Internet provider Netis Telekom to shut off access to a handful of websites, including Russia's...
Bulgaria: Security Services “Do Not Serve the Public”
Maya M of Maya's Corner comments on today's deadly bus explosion in the Bulgarian city of Burgas: “[…] While I understand that even the best intelligence can overlook the preparation...
Israeli Tourist Bus Attacked in Bulgaria
At least seven people were killed in an attack against Israeli youth on a tour bus in Burgus Airport in Bulgaria. Reports claim the attack was most likely carried out...
About our Eastern & Central Europe coverage
Filip Stojanovski is the Central Europe editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.
