Stories about Eastern & Central Europe from December, 2012
Russian Politicians Doom Orphans as Orthodox Christmas Approaches
On December 26th, 2012 the Federation Council, Russia's upper house of Parliament, upheld a controversial new law banning adoptions of Russian children by Americans. The unanimous vote throws into stark...
This December, Russia's Kids Aren't Alright
As billions of people across the world awoke today to open gifts and be with their families, three of Russian Duma Deputy Sergei Zhelezniak's four daughters rolled out of bed...
Journalists, Opposition Thrown Out of Macedonian Parliament Amid Street Protests
On Monday, Dec. 24, the Macedonian capital Skopje was shaken by a violent protest - and a counter-protest - related to the Parliament's approval of the 2013 state budget. Filip...
Who Supports Russia's Ban on American Adoptions?
A slight majority of Russian internet users support the ban on adoptions by Americans. 50% do not understand the motivation for international adoptions, and 60% think that such adoptions endanger...
Russians Prepared for the Post-Apocalypse with Parties, Stockpiling, & Orgies
That the world failed to come to an end today, "21-12-2012," must come as a relief to many Russian bloggers who have spent the past several weeks obsessing over the...
Hungarian Protesters Occupy Bridge, Three Students Arrested
Student protest rallies continue in Hungary. On Wednesday night, the protesters occupied a Budapest bridge, and three of them ended up getting arrested.
Lobbying and Transparency: Pressuring the European Union
In the European Union, there is considerable political resistance to the culture of transparency. NGOs and bloggers stand up for citizen rights and for participatory democracy.
Tempers Flare As Court Frees Dagestani Boxer Who Killed Russian Teenager
Rasul Mirzaev, a 26-year-old mixed martial arts world champion from Dagestan, is a convicted killer. His victim was a 19-year-old Russian man, Ivan Agafonov, whom he murdered in a scuffle...
Hungarian Students Call for Nationwide Strike
Hungarian high school and college students, who are demanding that the government set university admission quotas to a reasonable level and help those from lower income households to access higher education, are...
Snow Emergency in Western Ukraine
On Sunday, hundreds of vehicles were trapped on the roads of western Ukraine due to severe snowstorms. According to various mainstream and citizen media reports, the situation was critical, as...
“Kosovo 2.0 Talks Sex” Launch Party Cancelled Due to Attack
Kosovo 2.0 was planning to launch its new print issue at the "Kosovo 2.0 Talks Sex" event, on Dec. 14. However, shortly before the launch party started, a group of...
About our Eastern & Central Europe coverage
Filip Stojanovski is the Central Europe editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.
