I am a Swedish specialist on politics and security in Russia and “Eastern Europe.” I have been dealing with the region on and off since the early 1990s and been around quite a lot.
At Vilhelm Konnander's Weblog I blog about all the thoughts and reflections within my field that I need to get out of my system. No wonder, given the theme of my blog: Politics & Security in Russia, Central & Eastern Europe & Central Asia. On Twitter @vkonnander.
Latest posts by Vilhelm Konnander
Russia: Paving Political Potholes
Say the word "roads" to most Russians, and you are likely to end up with a half-hour discussion. Throughout history, Russia has been infamous for its bad road quality. However, now the city of Yekaterinburg seems to have come up with a solution to the problem, by making bureaucrats get down to work.
Russia, Belarus: Medvedev and the “Belarusian Circus”
A picture says more than a thousand words, the saying goes. An Instagram snapshot that the Russian PM Dmitry Medvedev tweeted as a tacit comment to his visit to Minsk sure does: the "Belarusian Circus."
Latvia: Flagging for Free Speech
Juris Kaža of Free Speech Emergency in Latvia reports that Latvian security police has closed an investigation into an Internet call to desecrate the Latvian flag, which is illegal in the country. The case was closed as there was no evidence of any victim of flag burning.
Ukraine: Parliamentary Corruption
Taras Kuzio of Jamestown Foundation Blog writes about corruption in Ukraine's parliament and alleged preparations for election fraud.
Russia: Realism of Rearmament Plans
Streetwise Professor and Siberian Light critically discuss Russia's ambitious plans, presented by vice-premier Dmitry Rogozin, to build an aircraft carrier and six submarines annually over the coming years.
Russia: Echo of Moscow Under Fire
Streetwise Professor discusses Putin's recent critique against the Russian independent radio station Echo of Moscow.
Russia-US: Reviewing the Jackson-Vanik Act
Edward Lozansky at Russia Blog argues that the US Jackson-Vanik Act – denying Russia Most Favoured Nation trade status – should be aborted in view of Russian accession to the World Trade Organization.
Russia: Mafia State Review
Kelly Hignett of The View East reviews Luke Harding's Russia-critical book Mafia State on his dire experiences as a foreign correspondent in Russia.
Ukraine: Tormenting Trial
LEvko of Foreign Notes criticizes the ongoing trial against former Ukrainian Interior Minister, Yuri Lutsenko, as procedures display an abnormal amount of legal irregularities.
Russia-US: Receiving A New US Ambassador
Eric of The Pipeline summarizes comments on the reception in Moscow of new US Ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul.
Romania: Towards A European Spring?
Gabriela Ionita of Power&Politics World summarizes ongoing anti-government protests in Romania, draws parallels to the Arab spring, and asks if this is the start of a European wave of revolutions.
Russia: Oligarchs Day in Court
John Helmer of Dances With Bears accounts for the legal battle over business interests between Russian business tycoons Boris Berezovsky and Roman Abramovich, which is about to be finalised by the London High Court.
Russia-US: Protest Against the SOPA/PIPA Bills
Windows to Russia writes about the Russian Pirate Party's protest demonstration yesterday against the US SOPA/PIPA-bills outside the US Embassy in Moscow, and how they argue that this might affect Russian Internet freedom.
Russia: Underwater Fire
Dmitry Gorenburg of Russian Military Reform notes yet another fire onboard a Russian submarine, putting naval safety procedures further in question.
Russia: Kremlin Crisis Management
Ania Viver of Foreign Policy Blogs posts an interesting analysis on the Kremlin's attempts at calming down popular protests against the Russian leadership, and tries to explain why they fail in their crisis management.
Russia: Foreign Ministry Critique of Human Rights Violations
Finrosforum argues against a report from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which criticizes neighbouring countries for human rights violations.
Ukraine: Poisonous Politics
LEvko of Foreign Notes addresses how reports about the possible poisoning of jailed opposition politician and ex-PM, Yulia Timoshenko, proliferate and remind people of the scars poison left on former president president Yushchenko.
Ukraine: Trial By Jury Underway
Odessablog's Blog writes about an upcoming government bill on a new criminal procedure code for Ukraine, which would long overdue introduce the constitutionally guaranteed right to trial by jury into the country's legal system.
Hungary: Culture Purge Proceeds
Hungarian Watch reports how yet another figurehead of Hungarian culture, György Szabó, has been ousted by authorities as director of the Trafó House of Contemporary Arts, making him yet another in an increasing row of deposed cultural representatives.
Russia: Moscow Population Cuts
Kyle Keeton of Windows to Russia reports that the Moscow government is planning to reduce the number of people residing in over-crowded central Moscow, hoping for people moving to suburbs and surrounding cities.
Russia: Making A Run For It
Andy Young of Siberian Light reports that opposition politicians Mikhail Prokhorov and Grigory Yavlinsky have now collected the two million signatures needed for running for Russia's presidency in the upcoming 4 March elections, and portrays the complexities of collecting signatures in support of a candidacy.
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