Stories about Eastern & Central Europe from March, 2017
31 March 2017
Russian Web Censor Cracks Down Ahead of Next Anti-Corruption Protests
In the wake of the largest opposition protests since 2011-12, Russia's prosecutor general is cracking down on the organizers of demonstrations planned for April 2.
28 March 2017
Russia's Youngster Uprising
Russian youths have invigorated Alexey Navalny's anti-corruption campaign by challenging educators in classrooms and sharing footage of teachers and administrators trying to indoctrinate students against political activism.
RuPaul on the RuNet: ‘Drag Race’ Catches on in Russia
It’s dramatic, it’s campy, it’s gay, and it comes with Russian subtitles: meet the translators bringing RuPaul's Drag Race to the Russian-language Internet.
25 March 2017
What's Old Is New: Are You Listening? Podcast
We take you to Jamaica, Indonesia, Syria, Macedonia and Ethiopia for tales of remembering, revival and resurgence in this podcast.
23 March 2017
‘Zelyonka': the Anti-Putin Antiseptic
"Brilliant green" is becoming the unofficial color of Russia’s opposition movement.
Meet Ara Malikian, the Cosmopolitan With a Violin
Global Voices interviews Ara Malikian, an Armenian violinist who grew up in Lebanon, about the influences that shaped his life and his music.
Russian Opposition Leader Offers European Court Shield to Thousands
Citing his group's past success, Alexey Navalny implies that coming out to demonstrate against corruption could net as much as 10,000 euros for each person wrongly detained and fined.
21 March 2017
Don’t Make Russia’s Anti-Kremlin Opposition Angry. You Wouldn’t Like It When It’s Angry.
What started out as a playful response to an attack on Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny quickly turned into an online protest.
This Is How a Russian School Principal Talked to Her Students About Patriotism
Leaked audiotape reveals how a Russian school principal insulted her students, saying they lack patriotism, after they challenged her criticisms of opposition leader Alexey Navalny.
18 March 2017
A Visit to a Moscow Mental Health Center
Vera Shengelia, a Russian journalist and a mental health activist, recently visited a young man at a residential care center for adults in Moscow. The experience shook her.
16 March 2017
The Amazing, Endearing PSAs of the Belarusian Ministry of Emergencies
The Belarusian ministry in charge of managing disasters and national emergencies has produced a cartoon show. The series features animals in Looney-Toons-style misadventures, and teaches children how to stay safe.
St. Petersburg Investigators Agree to Review Ballot Stuffing Allegations
It doesn't happen often in Russia, but police have agreed to investigate a case of potential voter fraud from last September's elections in St. Petersburg.
14 March 2017
Remembering Soviet Pop: the USSR's Vocal-Instrumental Ensembles
While the West twisted, discoed, and boogied, the people of the Soviet Union were treated to a bland but charming, state-censored version of Western music: the so-called vocal-instrumental ensembles (VIAs).
13 March 2017
‘Riot Cops in a Kindergarten’: Russia's War on Religious Minorities Escalates
As a new law designed to fight terrorism takes effect in Russia, missionary work by minority Christian groups is becoming a gamble with the police.
Macedonians Mourn Folk Singer Vanja Lazarova, Whose Plight Inspired Facebook Activism
Vanja Lazarova became part of digital activism history in Macedonia after her tough circumstances late in life inspired the innovative use of Facebook as a tool to petition the government.
10 March 2017
Russia Adds First-Ever Foreign Messaging App to Federal Registry
For the first time ever, Russia’s federal censor, Roskomnadzor, has added a foreign online messenger to its “Registry of Information-Dissemination Organizers,” targeting the Swiss company Threema.
8 March 2017
Nyango Star, the Apple-Shaped Mascot Who Drums for Japan's Tohoku Region
"Anytime Nyango Star makes a public appearance it is to help Tohoku recover. The mascot isn't drumming for its personal gain but for its beloved home."
We the Governors of the Russian Federation Would Like to Wish You a Happy International Women's Day
According to sources in the Kremlin, the order came from the very top: Russian governors were to celebrate International Women's Day "creatively."
Russian Socialists Celebrate International Women's Day With Guerilla Ads on the Subway
A group of socialist activists in St. Petersburg is using guerilla advertising to show the city a different way to acknowledge International Women's Day.
2 March 2017
Ukraine Will Blacklist Websites That ‘Undermine Ukrainian Sovereignty’
The list, like Ukraine's new Information Security Doctrine, is directed at countering the dissemination of pro-separatist and pro-Russian information.
About our Eastern & Central Europe coverage
Filip Stojanovski is the Eastern & Central Europe editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.
