Stories about Eastern & Central Europe from April, 2009
Russia: Baymurat (aka Jimmy) Singing Bollywood Song
Videos of a rendition of a Bollywood song by Baymurat (aka Jimmy) – an ethnic Uzbek from Tajikistan, a gastarbeiter in a town near Moscow, and a YouTube celebrity: one of the earlier versions is here, and the performance at Asian Dub Foundation's April 4 gig in St. Petersburg, Russia...
Hungary: The Parliament
Hungarian Spectrum writes about history of the Hungarian parliament building – and the politics taking place inside it.
Russia: New Blog
Siberian Light reviews a new Russia blog: Viewpoint Russia.
Ukraine: More on Chernobyl Photo Exhibit
More pictures from Michael Forster Rothbart‘s Chernobyl photo exhibit in Kyiv
Russia: Union of Repressed Peoples
Window on Eurasia reports that “six of the more than a dozen nations Stalin deported during World War II – the Kalmyks, the Chechens, the Ingush, the Balkars, the Karachays, and the Volga Germans — have formed a Union of Repressed Peoples to demand an apology from Moscow and the...
Russia: CTO in Chechnya's Four Districts
A Step At A Time reports that counter-terrorist operation restrictions have been re-introduced in four districts of Chechnya.
Poland: Banning “Offensive Symbols”?
The beatroot writes about the government's proposal “to make all images that promote dictatorship, communism or fascism illegal from public display.”
Belarus: LiveJournal Blogosphere
Andrei Khrapavitski writes about the Belarusian LiveJournal blogosphere: “Do you know that the Belarusian population of Livejournal is bigger than that of a mid-sized regional town? Oh, yeah, there are MANY of us out there. And we do like to argue. Flipping through my Livejournal friends’ feed is so much...
Kosovo: The Language Issue
The Unforgiving Minute writes about “the language issue” in Kosovo.
Russia: Internet Market
Svetlana Gladkova of Profy writes this about internet market in Russia: “… the most irritating trend here is how clones of various successful US projects turn into market leaders here while the original products ignore the market entirely and only enter it when it is already too late.”
Ukraine: Chernobyl – Michael Forster Rothbart's Photos; Mohamed Makhzangi's Book
The Uncataloged Museum reports on the opening of Michael Forster Rothbart‘s Chernobyl photo exhibit in Kyiv. Bint Battuta in Bahrain reviews Mohamed Makhzangi's Memories of a Meltdown; the book's author, an Egyptian, happened to be on a post-doctoral medical fellowship in the Soviet Union in 1986: “The first section of...
Russia: Counter-Terrorist Operation in Chechnya is Over
A discussion of the end of the counter-terrorist operation in Chechnya – at Sean's Russia Blog.
Russia: Weekly News and New Blogs
Siberian Light re-introduces Russian Weekly News section – and continues to promote blogs that focus on Russia and other former Soviet states: a review of The Russian Store Blog (“The History of Pisanki” is one of the recent posts there) and a roundup of blogs of British ambassadors to Belarus...
Ukraine, U.K.: Kyiv Mayor's Pic in Daily Mirror Pedophiles Story
Ukrainiana reports that a picture of Kyiv mayor Leonid Chernovetsky was used to illustrate a Daily Mirror story on polygraph tests for pedophiles.
Ukraine: Bulgakov Museum's Blog
The Uncataloged Museum links to “one of Kyiv's first museum blogs”: Mikhail Bulgakov Museum (UKR).
Ukraine: Chernobyl Photo Exhibit
The 23rd anniversary of the Chernobyl catastrophe is in two days, and Chernobyl and Eastern Europe Blog posts a press release for Michael Forster Rothbart‘s photo exhibit that opens in Kyiv today – “Inside Chernobyl: life goes on.”
Poland: “Spider-Bart Climbs the Warsaw Marriott”
Polandian posts a picture of the man climbing the Marriott Hotel in Warsaw “a la Alain Robert in 1999 – no ropes, no help”: “Thankfully, Bart did not flop his way down and reached the top safely where he was arrested and taken away.”
Moldova: If Voronin Had A Twitter
If Vladimir Voronin, Moldova's president, had a Twitter account… – by Cezar Maroti: “[…] Change Moldova @Voronin I'm glad u read my tweet. Why don't you see that people don't want you? You should retire now, before you cause more damage! […]”
Kosovo, Ukraine, Russia: Social Media and Politics
Blogging Balkanistan writes that Kosovo’s PM Hashim Thaci is planning to join Facebook and that “several leading opposition party candidates already have accounts.” Petro's Jotter explores the Ukrainian political Twitter-sphere, here and here. Siberian Light explains how to connect with Twitter users interested in Russia. Window on Eurasia believes that...
Russia, Turkey: Circassian Diaspora
Window on Eurasia writes about the Circassian diaspora in Turkey and Russo-Turkish relations.
Russia: Kadyrov's “Victories”
Window on Eurasia comments on the end of counter-terrorism operation in Chechnya and writes that no Chechens will be drafted into the Russian army this year.
About our Eastern & Central Europe coverage
