Stories about Eastern & Central Europe from July, 2013
Brutal Attack on Moscow Cop Reignites Russian Ethnic Tensions
Russia rarely enjoys any stretch of time without some news event involving ghastly violence between ethnic Russians and ethnic minorities.
Serbia, Turkey, Slovenia and Brazil on Winning Streak at Girls’ U18 Volleyball World Championship
As the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) blog reports, the Serbian, Turkish, Slovenian and Brazilian under-18 girls’ national volleyball teams showed outstanding results on the weekend of July 27-28, some with a perfect win-loss ratio. Full stats and results are available and regularly updated on the Federation's website.
Macedonia: Ohrid's Hidden Medieval Masks
A traveling blogger and communications specialist in the tourism industry, Tricia A. Mitchell, tells of her curious find in Macedonia's UNESCO registered Ohrid old town.
Bosnian Fans of Serbia's Red Star Football Carve 60-Meter Mountainside Logo
As many fans and foreign friends from the region attest, it is a sign of true fanaticism for one's favorite football club.
Can Pirates Save the Russian Internet?
Judging from attendance at recent demonstrations, Russian supporters of internet freedom have their work cut out for them if they want to move their cause from online to offline.
Laughing at Putin's Pike
Vladimir Putin's presidential photo-ops, which grow more absurd with each passing year. In his latest publicity stunt, Putin joined Prime Minister and Defense Minister on a fishing trip in Krasnoyarsk.
Anti-Gay Protesters Violently Disrupt Montenegro's First Pride Parade
About 500 people along the parade route tried to stop the historic event, according to police.
A Jewish Russian Mayoral Candidate Even the Nazis Can Love
With his half Jewish heritage, Evgeny Roizman would be an unlikely political star in Russia, were he anyone but Evgeny Roizman.
Ethnic Slurs Haunt Alexey Navalny
Alexey Navalny came under harsh criticism from Russian opposition movement colleagues just days after he was released from Kirov jail, and as soon as it became clear that he would continue to run for mayor of Moscow throughout the appeals process for his 5-year long prison sentence.
Has Alexey Navalny Really Changed Russian Politics?
If convicted activist and Moscow mayoral candidate Navalny has in fact rejuvenated Russian politics, what does that look like online, where his support base is supposedly strongest?
Poland Bans Ritual Slaughter of Animals
Online magazine Commentary and many others have been discussing the decision of the Polish government to ban ritual slaughter of animals, in accordance to humane slaughter practices, which many EU countries have recently been leaning towards. For Poland however, this decision is a controversial one, in light of its history...
The Terrifying Potential of a Post-Navalny Russia
On the eve of being sentenced to a five-year term in a penal colony, Alexey Navalny blogged as irreverently as ever.
Russian Nationalists Score Victory in Opposition Council
The Coordinating Council of the Opposition has released a statement on the ethnic clashes and protests taking place in the town of Pugachev.
Russian Blood on the Asphalt, Armenian Hands on the Wheel
A fatal bus crash that killed 18 has heightened anti-immigrant tensions in Russia.
With Russian Netizens Like These, Who Needs Trolls?
Pavel Astakhov, Russia's children's ombudsman, blithely raises the possibility of sending Russian orphans to be adopted in the North Caucasus. Again.
Snowden Airport Saga Polarizes Russian Human Rights Community
Are some of Russia's human right defenders guilty of letting the Kremlin score a few PR points?
Tragedy Ignites Online Friendship Between Romanians and Montenegrins
In one of the most tragic road accidents ever seen in Montenegro, 18 Romanian nationals lost their lives and 29 were injured on June 23, 2013 when a Romanian bus full of tourists ran off a bridge into a ravine. News of the accident soon spread and, due to the generosity of the Montenegro people toward the victims and families, so did an outpouring of messages of gratitude, empathy, solidarity and adoration on social networks from both countries.
Fear and Censorship in Russia's Huffington Post
PublicPost, an internet news publication that for a time sought to become the Russian Huffington Post, met its end last month, when it became the latest in a series of innovative online media to be shut down this year.
Serbia Rises to Save 600-Year-Old Oak Tree
As a plan to remove Istanbul's Gezi park sparked a mass uprising in Turkey in recent weeks, the people of Serbia were faced with a similar fight. A planned highway was set to destroy a 600-year-old oak tree in central Serbia, but after days of protests, the government seems to...
Bulgarian Protesters March Kilometers to Challenge Government
On Sunday, July 7, the number of protesters in the streets of the Bulgarian capital was unprecedented, as tens of thousands of citizens marched in the streets, again demanding the resignation of the current regime. But after 27 days of anti-government protests in Bulgaria, the leadership of this Eastern European country has so far made no changes.
Vigilante Justice & Race Riots in Provincial Russia
A bar fight that broke out last weekend between two young men in a small town of Pugachev in Russia’s central Saratov region, ended with racial violence.
About our Eastern & Central Europe coverage
Filip Stojanovski is the Central Europe editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.
Roman Shemakov is the Eastern Europe editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.
