· December, 2012

Stories about Eastern & Central Europe from December, 2012

Macedonia: Beer Belly Blog Anniversary

The “Beer Belly” blog celebrated [mk, mk] its first anniversary. Its author @Twibi thanked members of the Macedonian Twitter community who have been bringing him beer samples from their trips...

27 December 2012

This December, Russia's Kids Aren't Alright

RuNet Echo

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 to find that intimate photographs from their social network accounts had been published in a muckraking attack on their father. Navalny's decision to target Zhelezniak's children has split the RuNet into camps of supporters and critics.

25 December 2012

Macedonia: Nude Art Twitter Calendar for Charity

Twelve Macedonian women – regular Twitter users – took part in a humanitarian project organized by @IlinaBookbox, two photographers and one designer via the hashtag #ТвитерКалендар (Macedonian for ‘Twitter Calendar’)....

24 December 2012

Promoting Recycling in Macedonia

Continuing the tradition that started last year (en, mk, nl, es), the Macedonian Twitter community has erected a new Christmas Tree made of plastic bottles (mk, mk, photos 1, 2,...

24 December 2012

Who Supports Russia's Ban on American Adoptions?

RuNet Echo

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 children. Who are these people, and what are they saying?

24 December 2012

Tempers Flare As Court Frees Dagestani Boxer Who Killed Russian Teenager

RuNet Echo

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 outside a nightclub in August 2011. On November 27, 2012, a Moscow court let him walk free, after a little more than a year in custody. The RuNet has responded with often vehement emotion.

20 December 2012

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 calling for a nationwide strike on Wednesday.

18 December 2012

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 many of those stuck inside their cars were running out of food, water and gasoline, while the weather was not getting better.

17 December 2012

“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 approximately 20 men entered the Pristina venue, destroyed the stage and beat up one of the employees. The event was cancelled. Elena Ignatova reports.

15 December 2012

On Putin's Address to the Federal Assembly

RuNet Echo

RuNet Echo contributor Donna Welles compiles [en] netizen reactions to President Putin's Address to the Federal Assembly (ru, en), highlighting which passages best resonated with bloggers and how they interpreted and...

15 December 2012

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.