Close
Post-Soviet Brief
The Post-Soviet Brief is the analysis blog of the SSEES Post-Soviet Press Group. The goal of the Post-Soviet Brief ("the Brief", for short) is to provide short, engaging analyses from SSEES academics and students on interesting developments across the region. This analysis is aimed at a range of audiences, including policymakers, journalists, and academics. Topics range from informal politics and corrupt practices to Crimea, from elections in Central Asia to law and courts in Russia.
New content will be posted on a rolling basis, but notices of new stories will be included in the weekly email from the听Post-Soviet Press Group sent out during Terms 1 and 2. If you would like to pitch a story for the Brief, please see
础谤肠丑颈惫别听
听
- Armenia
As the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh continues, what role has domestic politics played?
- Azerbaijan
What explains the latest political repressions in Azerbaijan?
- Belarus
Belarus has parliamentary elections on 17 November 2019. What can we expect to see?
As top officials in Russia and Belarus meet to discuss drug trafficking, cracks are clear in the effort to construct a 鈥渃ommon migration policy鈥� for the Union State.
Amidst continued political turmoil how does the Astravets plant affect the Belarusian international outlook?
- Estonia
The problem of money laundering in Estonia won't go away. We need to focus on Russia in order to understand why.
- Georgia
After heated debate, Georgia has finally passed controversial constitutional amendments. What are the details, and what will be the likely effects?听
- Kazakhstan
Who really rules Kazakhstan, Nazarbayev or Tokayev?
Tensions with neighbouring Kazakhstan did not disappear after presidential election results were published in Kyrgyzstan. What does this mean for the region and for Russia鈥檚 interests in Central Asia?
- Kyrgyzstan
The Kyrgyz Supreme Court鈥檚 Constitutional Chamber agrees to hear appeal challenging the cancellation of parliamentary elections.
Kyrgyzstan鈥檚 regional rivalries often lead to civil unrest, rioting, and regime change. What implications does this have for Central Asia鈥檚 "only democracy鈥�?
Music video by Zere Asylbek continues debate about women's dress in Kyrgyzstan.
- Latvia
More news stories coming soon
- Lithuania
More news stories coming soon
- Moldova
Moldova held parliamentary elections on 24 February 2019. How did political parties do at the ballot box?
- Russia
The Norwegian government has accused Russia of hacking into the email system of the Norwegian parliament
听
听
听
听
As a divisive US election draws to a close, what does a Biden presidency mean for the future of Russia-US relations 鈥� and what legacy will Trump鈥檚 isolationism leave?
How should we make sense of measures announced by Vladimir Putin to tackle Russia鈥檚 ongoing 鈥渄emographic crisis鈥�?
Who is responsible for bomb hoaxes being made by anonymous telephone calls in Russia?
Military drills in the Black Sea and the harassment of a US Navy destroyer mask a worrying outlook for the Russian Navy.
听
The start of a new decade heralds the first steps of Russia鈥檚 most stringent internet laws to date.
The security challenge of Russia鈥檚 concentration of its economic resources in the Arctic leaves the West struggling to respond.
What did Putin say in his 2019 annual Address to the Federal Assembly and how should we make sense of it?
The opening of the inaugural Russia-Africa Economic Forum and Summit in Sochi, Russia, has brought Russia鈥檚 search for influence in the region to the interest of the world鈥檚 media.
There are few figures capable of uniting Russia鈥檚 pro-Kremlin and opposition camps, but Greta Thunberg has more than succeeded.
President Donald Trump announced on Saturday 20 October that the US will unilaterally pull out of the landmark Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty with Russia. What does this mean for US-Russia relations?
Nord Stream 2 will most likely be constructed for three key reasons, but delays in finishing the project are plausible.
听
"Russia's "little green men" played a pivotal role in the annexation of Crimea. Is the Kremlin continuing to use similar actors in other places?"
Recent appointments at both regional and federal levels in Russia seem to favour a softer line, with signs of a technocratic agenda in anticipation of the spring 2018 presidential elections.听听
Russia has once again been accused of interfering in other countries鈥� politics 鈥� this time in the controversial vote on Catalan independence on 1 October. The fact that its repertoire of dirty tricks is now fairly standard is doubly distressing.
The Russian Government has prepared its draft of the federal state budget for 2018-20. Spending battles between ministries will, however, likely continue for the next few months.听
President Putin recently announced Russia鈥檚 military withdrawal from Syria, but the continued presence of military contractors means that Russia鈥檚 military footprint will not be diminished in Syria for the foreseeable future.听
How effective are internet restrictions in Russia 鈥� and what is their wider significance?
听
听
听
Resources to stop the pandemic are precious and powerful. If Russia has found one, what will its effect on international relations be?
听
听
听
What do US sanctions mean for the future of Nord Stream 2鈥� and do they represent a litmus test for Western relations with Russia?
- Serbia
Serbian president Aleksandar Vu膷i膰鈥檚 determination to resolve the conflict in Kosovo may result in the worsening of Russia-Serbia relations.
- Tajikistan
More news stories coming soon
- Turkmenistan
More news stories coming soon
- Ukraine
What does the passage of the "anti-Kolomoisky" bill tell us about the oligarch's influence in Ukrainian politics?
Comedian Volodymyr Zelensky is leading in the Ukrainian presidential election polls.
On 7 January 2019, Ukrainians celebrated a double-holiday: Orthodox Christmas and the independence of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
With candidates rallying up for the 2019 presidential election, a united, independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church could prove a well-timed boon in winning the hearts and minds of voters.
Ukraine is already in election year. Both the president and parliament chosen in the tumultuous year of 2014 are due to be reelected in 2019.
The sudden emergence of 鈥榥ational militias鈥�, bent on 鈥榬estoring Ukrainian order鈥� on the streets of Kyiv, has been met with a mixed public response and raises uncomfortable questions for Ukrainian law enforcement.
Despite growing impatience in the West, President Petro Poroshenko continues to wage an undeclared war on the anticorruption sector through rogue legislation and, more recently, fake news.
A recently passed Ukrainian education bill promised to bring Ukraine's education system in line with international standards. But a contentious clause seen as disadvantaging language minorities has sparked a backlash abroad.
On the edges of the Donbas, the current peace-monitors (the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission) do their limited job. What are the chances for a real peace-keeping mission?
听The fundamental question that keeps on being asked: can Ukraine really reform? This summer, Ukrainian NGOs have raised the alarm, talking of a 鈥榮weet counter-revolution鈥�.听
- Uzbekistan
More news stories coming soon
- 听
- Other
States in Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus face difficulty vaccinating their citizens against COVID-19 鈥� and the EU is not offering much help.
