Stories about Eastern & Central Europe from March, 2015
Russia's Internet Ombudsman Advocates for Storing User Data Abroad
Internet Ombudsman Dmitry Marinichev has proposed allowing foreign Internet companies to store Russians’ personal data abroad with the permission of the owners.
Leaked Wiretaps Appear to Confirm Election Fraud Suspicions in Macedonia
As Macedonia's wiretapping scandal develops into a full political saga, newly leaked conversations among government officials have revived allegations of fraud during the 2014 election.
Russian Imperialism's Internet Triumph
Packed full of twirling, burning, zooming images, the video is an uncompromising defense of Russian imperialism, and boasts impressive production value, as well as subtitles in ten languages.
Russian Journalist Crowdfunding New Media Project on Kickstarter
The project's description on Yakovlev's Kickstarter page claims the goal is to create a media outlet to counteract the Russian "state propaganda machine" and help “turn zombies back into people.”
Roscomnadzor Threatens Complete Block of RuNet Encyclopedia
Russian telecom watchdog Roscomnadzor wants to block pages about "drugs and child porn" on RuNet culture encyclopedia Lurkmore.ru, but will instead block the entire website, because it uses https encryption.
Mapping Geolocated Tweets About Putin and Poroshenko
North America, Western Europe, and parts of Eastern Europe have the largest share of geolocated content in our dataset of tweets about the presidents of Russia and Ukraine.
Epic Car Chase in Moscow's Red Square Caught on Video
A towing truck chased by police drove through the Red Square in the heart of Moscow—and went viral on the RuNet.
Nemtsov's Son Studies at a University Where the Vice Dean Welcomed His Murder
A vicious reaction on VKontakte to Boris Nemtsov's murder has cost the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology's vice dean his job.
Macedonia’s Massive Illegal Wiretapping Operation Allegedly Monitored Journalists and Diplomats
As a four-year-long wiretapping scandal unravels in Macedonia, online users draw attention to the lack of media coverage and the history of the characters behind the story.
Blogger Law Violations Go Unpunished in Russia
Since the infamous 'blogger law' came into power in Russia seven months ago, Roscomnadzor documented 67 violations, but not a single blogger has been punished for swearing or religious offenses.
Fact Checking the Conflict in Eastern Ukraine
The citizen activists fact checking the conflict in eastern Ukraine believe their approaches are more honest and revealing than the narratives spun by either the Ukrainian or Russian state-controlled media.
Macedonian NGO Develops First Ever Android and iOS App to Battle Hate Speech
Macedonian Metamorphosis Foundation has developed a first among mobile applications – an app against hate speech, aiming to bring information from this area to the fingertips of mobile phone users and help...
Hearing Out Russia's Patriotic Bloggers on Nemtsov's Murder
As it grows increasingly popular outside Russia to dismiss Russians’ political attitudes as “Kremlin brainwashing,” it becomes more important than ever to stop and listen.
Duma Deputies Challenge Food Import Ban, and President Putin
In a challenge to the power of the Russian presidency, five State Duma deputies recently proposed legislation aimed at rolling back Russia's ban on Western food imports.
About our Eastern & Central Europe coverage
