Stories about Eastern & Central Europe from April, 2006
Belarus: Chernobyl Neglect
TOL's Belarus Blog notes that when it comes to Chernobyl awareness and aid distribution, Belarus is neglected: “70% of all the radioactive fallout landed in Belarus. And yet, in mass-media world-wide everyone talks only about Ukraine. Belarus is lucky if it’s getting 5-10% of the coverage and 5-10% of the...
Russia: Svetlana Bakhmina's Sentence A “Replay” of the 1930s
Alex(ei) of The Russian Dilettante's Weblog writes that the case of the former Yukos lawyer Svetlana Bakhmina might be a “replay” of the 1930s and deserves “international interference or protests.” “The convicted mother of two, who has been in detention since 2005, is not only legally innocent — her standing...
Russia: Klyukva v Sakhare
Konstantin Dlutskiy of Russian Marketing Blog writes about “another nostalgia food product” – klyukva v sakhare (cranberry in sugar).
Ukraine, Belarus: Chernobyl Links
Megan Case posts links to Chernobyl-related websites and writes about her own memories of 1986.
Romania: Kiosk As A Local Version Of Wal-Mart
An American in Romania writes about “the Romanian version of Wal-Mart”: “The Romanian kiosk looks nothing like a Wal-Mart, that's why it is so deceptive. It's a tiny building with room inside for one or maybe two people tops. You could probably link arms with three of your friends and...
Latvia: Dangerous for Russians
All About Latvia writes that, according to one survey, “53 percent of [Russian] respondents named Georgia as the most dangerous country to Russians, while Latvia came second with 29 percent.” Belarus and Kazakhstan are considered the safest.
Hungary: Budapest Cliches
Paul of Further Ramblings of a N.Irish Magyar cites an amazingly cliched text about Budapest for aspiring expats.
Belarus: Alternative Student Resource
Iryna of TOL's Belarus Blog writes about a Belarusian-language alternative online student resource – www.studenty.by: “More than 10,000 people visited the web-site when the first cartoon about Vasilek, a freshmen university student who came to Miensk from a small village, was posted a couple of months ago (you can see...
Latvia: More On Aivars Lemberg
All About Latvia posts an update on Aivars Lembergs, the man who might rule Latvia after the election in October.
Czech Republic: Radio Transmitting Tower to Become a UNESCO Site
Jesse of Bored in Brno is wondering why “a Czech radio broadcasting tower might be added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites.”
Czech Republic: Unie Svobody and the June Election
Douglas Arellanes writes about the unlikely “first moves in the relaunch of the Unie Svobody (Freedom Union), the right of center party that is still in the governing coalition along with the Social Democrats and the Christian Democrats”: their posters, their slogans and their site, as well as potential problems...
Ukraine: One Man's Chernobyl 20 Years On
Stefan at Dykun writes about a Ukrainian relative who was sent to work in Chernobyl 20 years ago: he's in his 40s now but walks with a cane. “Mykhajlo wears what must count as the thickest glasses ever worn by a human being–they should definitely find a place in a...
Serbia & Montenegro: Kosovar Schoolgirl Battling Dutch Immigration Officials
CafeDA writes about Kosovar schoolgirl Taida Pasic's battle with the Dutch immigration authorities: “Pasic's family fled from Kosovo to the Netherlands when she was 12. The IND decided the family could not stay and they were given money to leave voluntarily. Taida said she returned to complete her schooling in...
Russia: Ethnically Motivated Violence
Racially and ethnically motivated violence seems to be on the rise in Russia. Some of the most publicized cases that took place in April alone include an attack on a TV journalist of Azeri origin on a subway train in the center of Moscow; an attack on the culture minister...
Russia: NGOs Under Attack, Anti-Fascist Killed
Sean Guillory reports on one day's news out of Russia's capital: “Soldiers’ Mothers, HIV/AIDS NGOs Under Attack & Anti-Fascist Murdered in Moscow.”
Russia: Demographic Situation
W. Shedd of The Accidental Russophile writes about the demographic situation in Russia.
Poland: GM Crops
The beatroot writes that Polish conservatives have joined forces with liberals to fight against GM crops.
Poland: Communist Jokes
According to one Russian historian, about 200,000 people were sent to camps for telling jokes in Stalin's time. The beatroot doesn't find Communist jokes funny: according to him, “the jokes were the serious antidote to the very funny horror of reality.”
Moldova: Corrupt Police and Gang Crime
Jessica of Life in Moldova writes about gang crime and the corrupt police in a small town in Moldova.
Hungary: Opposition Lost
Pestiside.hu reports on how the opposition is taking its defeat in the general elections.
Belarus: “Public Repentance”
Iryna of TOL's Belarus Blog writes about “public repentance” taking place in Belarus now: “Students, who spent 10 to 15 days in prison after being arrested on the Square or during the March 25th demonstrations, are being forced to declare publicly that their legal participation in peaceful protests against election...
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