Stories about Eastern & Central Europe from May, 2013
Macedonian Journalist's Arrest Stirs Protest
Macedonian journalists gathered [mk; video and text: sq, mk] in front of the Criminal Court in the capital Skopje today to protest against the arrest of their colleague, Tomislav Kezarovski,...
Journalists Fight Hired Hooligans and Police Indifference in Ukraine
May 18 was an eventful day in Ukraine's capital Kyiv. But of all the highlights of that day, only one incident - an attack on journalists that the police first...
Cheat.org: What's Wrong with Russia's Online Petitions?
The Russian government-sponsored initiative to increase public participation in policy making through a petition process, was met with suspicion even before its launch in April. Now, almost two months later,...
The “Brave” Democrats of Russia's Growing Civil Society
Last week, when Surkov-ally Alexey Chesnakov quit United Russia and publicly criticized the party, few in the English-speaking world noticed, but the event—like Surkov's ouster weeks earlier—could just as easily...
Former Croatian PM Tweets on Parliament's Discussion on Marriage
Former Croatian PM Jadranka Kosor decided to use her Twitter account to express her dissatisfaction with one of the debates taking place in the Parliament these days: the definition of...
VIDEO: Impromptu Georgian Chorus at Kyiv Airport
On May 21, YouTube user Yevgeni Melnik shared this video of a group of four anonymous Georgian men doing an impromptu performance of traditional Georgian singing and dancing at Terminal...
Alphabets Bring Joy and Sadness to Bulgaria
[…] One of the purest and most sacred holidays in Bulgaria! It's a celebration that makes us proud to have given something to the world! It's a holiday which is...
After Probing Chemical Lake, Eco-Blogger Attacked in Russia
Environmental protection has become a dangerous area of public activism in Russia—at least where industrial pollution is concerned. This is because eco-activists often directly oppose regional business interests, who sometimes...
“When a Burglar Enters Your Home”: Debating Serbia's Self-Defense Law
Saško Bogeski killed a burglar in his home in Belgrade on Tuesday and was immediately arrested. The authorities believe this to be the case of excessive self-defense. Serbian netizens have...
Russian Non-Profit “Mercy Island” Helps Stray Animals
In an April 2013 interview with Evgeny Voropai of Social Technologies Greenhouse, Tatiana Nikitina, president of the charity group Mercy Island, discussed why public organizations are interested in social media...
As Croatia Marches Towards the EU, Skepticism Meets Excitement in the Balkans
As Croatia prepares to enter the European Union officially on July 1 of this year, and Serbia awaits to finally receive a date to begin talks about EU entry, citizens...
How Big Is Alexey Navalny's Army?
As Navalny's show-trial for lumber embezzlement continues, such questions are perhaps more important than ever. Here are some data-points which could be used to make a rough approximation:
Laughing at Russia's Eurovision Shooting Spirit
Earlier today, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov commented on his country's fifth place finish in this year's Eurovision Song Contest. At a press conference, Lavrov denounced supposed voting irregularities, claiming...
69th Anniversary of Crimean Tatar Deportations: Memory and Politics in Crimea
On May 18, some 30,000 people gathered at a rally in Crimea's capital Simferopol to honor the memory of the victims of the 1944 Crimean Tatar deportations and to demand...
Russian Sociology Under Assault
Science isn’t safe in Russia today. That, anyway, was Lev Gudkov’s message in a public statement today, announcing that prosecutors in Moscow contacted him five days ago, to issue an...
Moscow Soccer Fans Clash with Police
Following Saturday's scoreless soccer game that catapulted Moscow's CSKA club to its fourth Russian Premier League title, the team's fans clashed with riot troops in downtown Moscow. Police detained 140 people [ru], later releasing...
Tinker, Tailor, Compass, Wig: Russia's Amusing American Spy Scandal
Fogle's alleged letter (written in awkward if grammatically correct Russian) looked like "Nigerian spam run through Google translate".
In Wake of Brutal Murder, Questions About the Roots of Russian Homophobia
Are Russia's members of parliament, who have fostered a climate of homophobia over the past year, to blame for a man tortured to death by drunk hooligans in Volgograd?
Dirty Words Russian Girls Can’t Say on the Internet
Earlier this week, opposition figure Maria Baronova penned an open letter to writer and political dissident Eduard Limonov, wherein she dropped a sexual bombshell. Her text unabashedly refers to “masturbating...
Ukrainian Blogger's Bobs 2013 Award Revoked
Ukrainian blogger Olena Bilozerska's User Winner prize in the Bobs 2013 Best Blog Ukrainian nomination has been revoked, writes [ru] Mustafa Nayyem, the Ukrainian member of the Bobs 2013 jury,...
About our Eastern & Central Europe coverage
Filip Stojanovski is the Central Europe editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.
