Stories about Eastern & Central Europe from April, 2020
Russians under lockdown (re)create famous artworks online
The Izoizolyatsiya photo challenge has become a national obsession. To the RuNet's delight, thousands of Russians are recreating famous artworks using ordinary household items — in hilarious and often bizarre ways.
Out of 20,000 COVID-19 cases in the Balkans, more than a third are in Serbia
In Serbia, the government first ignored COVID-19 and even made fun of it.
Prosecutions mount as Russia intensifies fight against COVID-19 ‘fake news’
Russia has made sharing "fake news" a criminal offence. Rights activists fear that charges will be brought against anybody questioning the state's account of the coronavirus pandemic.
Six false statements by Serbian government officials on COVID-19
Government officials are helping spread disinformation about the pandemic.
Russians launch mass virtual protests using satnav application
People across Russia are logging onto a popular satnav to launch virtual protests. Within hours, the Yandex.Navigator app was showing empty squares and streets of cities in lockdown as "congested"
From Brazil to Kosovo to the Philippines, confined citizens protest from their windows
People all over the world have been banging pots and pans to attract the attention of politicians and decision-makers in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ghost cities in a COVID-19 world
Videos of empty cities from around the world curated by Global Voices' contributors.
A new cross-regional anti-disinformation initiative launches in the Balkans
The network includes members from North Macedonia, Greece, Serbia, Kosovo, and Albania, and will work in cooperation with similar groups from other neighboring countries.
In Russia's far east, a feminist theatre director comes under attack
Yulia Tsvetkova was building a community in her hometown in Russia's far east — until she was targeted by violent homophobes and a hostile police.
Serbian government revokes controversial COVID-19-related decree used as pretext to arrests journalists
Public outcry after arrest of journalist embarrassed the Serbian government, which revoked its decree aimed at centralizing flow of information about COVID-19 epidemic.
As Russia goes into lockdown, feminists fear an epidemic of domestic violence
Russia is seized by fear of the coronavirus epidemic. But for some Russian women under lockdown, the priority is to survive the epidemic of domestic violence.
Fans and colleagues pay respects to late Italian comics author Giovanni Romanini
Romanini was acclaimed as a life-long collaborator of the late comics legend Magnus.
About our Eastern & Central Europe coverage
Filip Stojanovski is the Central Europe editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.
Daria Dergacheva is the Eastern Europe editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.
