Stories about Eastern & Central Europe from December, 2011
Russia: December 10 Opposition Rally in St. Petersburg
Russia hasn’t seen such a mass political rally in almost twenty years. On Dec. 10, thousands of Russians all over the country hit the bricks to participate in peaceful demonstrations. Maria Lelyuk reports from St. Petersburg.
Slovakia: The Most Expensive Apple Computers
University of Economics in Bratislava (EUBA) has recently signed a contract to acquire electronics and software for its Faculty of National Economy for a total price of over 1.8 million euro. Many of the items are overpriced. Tibor Blazko reports.
Hungary: Public Media Trade Union Leaders on Hunger Strike
Redjade, a Hungary-based activist, published a video interview [en] with Balázs Nagy-Navarro, the leader of the public media trade union. Nagy-Navarro went on hunger strike with two of his colleagues...
Russia: Post-Election Protest in Vladivostok on December 10
Prior to the national protests that took place on December 10 in various Russian cities, Vladivostok internet community has been actively discussing the necessity to protest. Masha Egupova reported the events and discussion.
Ukraine: Grand Theft Auto
LEvko of foreign notes discusses reports that Ukraine's Minister of Justice, Oleksandr Lavrynovych, owns a Mercedes luxury car which was reported stolen in Germany nearly two years ago.
Brazil/Russia: The Struggle for Democracy in the Aftermath of Elections
Brazilian professor in political sciences Maurício Santoro, has written an analysis [pt] about of recent Russian elections. He comments on the allegedly rigged results and the struggle for democracy in...
Russia: Gregory Shvedov on Braving the Putin Regime Online
The wave of popular, peaceful and nationwide protests in Russia has spread hopes of piecemeal reform. Gregory Shvedov, who heads the online news agency Caucasian Knot, is optimistic—but state pressure on his organization is far from easing.
Ukraine: Football Fans Consulates
Odessablog's Blog argues against a recent idea by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry to have fans organize their own consular services for the upcoming Euro 2012 soccer championships in Ukraine.
Russia: A Critical Eye on Protests
Der Unbequeme turns a critical eye on [ger] the ongoing protests in Moscow against the results of parliamentary elections, arguing that protesters are few, divided, and that an actual OSCE-assessment...
Estonia: Language and History
Giustino of Ithing for Eestimaa discusses Estonians’ obsession with language – and especially their own as opposed to Russian – against the backdrop of a recent interview with the country's...
Belarus-Poland: Ex Presidential Candidate Arrested in Warzaw
According to LJ user artem_ablozhei [ru], former Belarus presidential candidate Ales Michalevic earlier today was arrested at Warzaw airport by Polish police acting on an extradition request by Belarus authorities.
Russia: Holy Relic Visits Nation Emerging From State-Sponsored Atheism
People from across Russia traveled great distances and endured hardships in order to view the Virgin Mary's belt - a relic believed to promote fertility. In the decades since the fall of the USSR, religion has been reinventing itself in Russia.
Poland: Netizens Debate Proposal to Re-Introduce Death Penalty
The leader of Poland's largest opposition party has announced his support for re-introduction of the death penalty for "the gravest crimes." Although this announcement may be treated as a way to win over some voters, a huge debate on the subject has started nevertheless. Anna Gotowska reports.
Russia: 13 Protest Tweets, 6 Photos “Storified” (Updated)
“Tens of thousands protest Russian election” – 13 tweets, 6 photos from the Dec. 10 rally in Moscow, “storified” on Storify.com by Colleen Kelly. (Update: A Storify compilation by GV's...
China: Why Didn't Putin Come Pick Up His Confucius Peace Prize?
A renegade operation by Chinese leftists aimed at winning China some soft power points has backfired: Not only has the Chinese government tried to shut them down, but now a second recipient of their annual "Confucius Peace Prize" has declined to accept the award.
Russia: “Why Are Russians Protesting Now?”
On Saturday, the world watched the biggest show of political activism seen in Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union. This is hardly the first time Putin's Russia has been accused of undemocratic policies, so the question is, "Why are Russians protesting now?"
Russia: An “Ethical Revolution”
Photographer Oleg Klimov posts photos from the Dec. 10 rally in Moscow and describes it [ru] as an “ethical revolution”: “The issue at stake wasn't that of social justice, but...
Russia: Interview With an “Overseas Filipino Worker”
English Dad in Moscow interviews a woman from the Philippines who works as a cleaner and babysitter in Moscow: “I wanted to know how hard is to move here as...
Russia: Ukrainian Blogger's Photos From the Moscow Rally
Kyiv-based blogger Oleksandr Arhat (LJ user olarhat) posts a photo report [uk] from the Dec. 10 post-election rally in Moscow, which reminded him of the 2004 post-election protests in Kyiv:...
Russia: English-Language Tweets From the Moscow Rally
@MiriamElder, @ioffeinmoscow, @shaunwalker7, @A_Osborn, @oflynnkevin, @agent_Alka, @courtneymoscow, @PeterGOliver_RT, @mschwirtz, @markmackinnon, @tonyhalpin, @Amiefr_Reuters, @RolandOliphant, @niktwick are tweeting live in English from the big protest rally that is taking place at Bolotnaya...
Russia: Anglophone Bloggers’ In-Depth Analyses of Dec. 4 Elections
In-depth Anglophone blog commentary on the results of the Dec. 4 parliamentary elections in Russia: OpenDemocracy.net – here and here; Sean Guillory of Sean's Russia Blog on Al Jazeera –...
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