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 Post-Soviet Press Group sent out during Terms 1 and 2. If you would like to pitch a story for the Brief, please see instructions on how to do so.
Archive
- Armenia
- The War in Nagorno-Karabakh and the Politics of Armenia and Azerbaijan
As the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh continues, what role has domestic politics played?
- Azerbaijan
- Political Repression in Azerbaijan
What explains the latest political repressions in Azerbaijan?
- Belarus
Belarus has parliamentary elections on 17 November 2019. What can we expect to see?
Belarus and Russia at the border
As top officials in Russia and Belarus meet to discuss drug trafficking, cracks are clear in the effort to construct a “common migration policy” for the Union State.
Belarus goes nuclear: Is the country’s turn eastwards now irreversible?Amidst continued political turmoil how does the Astravets plant affect the Belarusian international outlook?
- Estonia
- Moscow’s financial grip on Estonia
The problem of money laundering in Estonia won't go away. We need to focus on Russia in order to understand why.
- Georgia
An impartial Georgian constitution at last?
After heated debate, Georgia has finally passed controversial constitutional amendments. What are the details, and what will be the likely effects?
- Kazakhstan
- Kazakhstan: The Times They Aren't a-Changin'
Who really rules Kazakhstan, Nazarbayev or Tokayev?
Kyrgyzstan-Kazakhstan RowTensions with neighbouring Kazakhstan did not disappear after presidential election results were published in Kyrgyzstan. What does this mean for the region and for Russia’s interests in Central Asia?
- Kyrgyzstan
- Challenging the cancellation of repeat parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan
The Kyrgyz Supreme Court’s Constitutional Chamber agrees to hear appeal challenging the cancellation of parliamentary elections.
Divided KyrgyzstanKyrgyzstan’s regional rivalries often lead to civil unrest, rioting, and regime change. What implications does this have for Central Asia’s "only democracy”?
#metoo in KyrgyzstanMusic 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: How to Win an Election (Despite Coming Third)
Moldova held parliamentary elections on 24 February 2019. How did political parties do at the ballot box?
- Russia
- Norwegian government blames Russia for cyber attack
The Norwegian government has accused Russia of hacking into the email system of the Norwegian parliament
What a Biden presidency means for Russia-US relations
As a divisive US election draws to a close, what does a Biden presidency mean for the future of Russia-US relations – and what legacy will Trump’s isolationism leave?Putin’s Pursuit of the Baby Boom – The Next ChapterHow should we make sense of measures announced by Vladimir Putin to tackle Russia’s ongoing “demographic crisis”?
omb Hoaxes Continue to Plague Russia into the New DecadeWho is responsible for bomb hoaxes being made by anonymous telephone calls in Russia?
Russia’s Shrinking NavyMilitary drills in the Black Sea and the harassment of a US Navy destroyer mask a worrying outlook for the Russian Navy.
What Russia’s Latest Internet Laws Mean for the Country’s Online FutureThe start of a new decade heralds the first steps of Russia’s most stringent internet laws to date.
Beneath the Surface: Russia in the ArcticThe security challenge of Russia’s concentration of its economic resources in the Arctic leaves the West struggling to respond.
Putin’s Address to the Federal AssemblyWhat did Putin say in his 2019 annual Address to the Federal Assembly and how should we make sense of it?
Russia-Africa Summit showcases increasing Russian influence on the continentThe opening of the inaugural Russia-Africa Economic Forum and Summit in Sochi, Russia, has brought Russia’s search for influence in the region to the interest of the world’s media.
What is it about Greta?There are few figures capable of uniting Russia’s pro-Kremlin and opposition camps, but Greta Thunberg has more than succeeded.
US to pull out of INF treatyPresident 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: Just a Pipe Dream?Nord Stream 2 will most likely be constructed for three key reasons, but delays in finishing the project are plausible.
Little Green Men 2.0"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?"
Pre-electoral "thaw" in Russia?
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.
Russia has once again been accused of interfering in other countries’ politics – 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.
Russia's Invisible Soldiers in Syria
President Putin recently announced Russia’s military withdrawal from Syria, but the continued presence of military contractors means that Russia’s military footprint will not be diminished in Syria for the foreseeable future.
Regulating the Runet: Russia’s internet and the disconnect between legislation and implementationHow effective are internet restrictions in Russia – and what is their wider significance?
Vaccines as resources: The rise of Sputnik V as a new tool for RussiaResources to stop the pandemic are precious and powerful. If Russia has found one, what will its effect on international relations be?
Worlds collide as sanctions again hit Nord Stream 2What do US sanctions mean for the future of Nord Stream 2– and do they represent a litmus test for Western relations with Russia?
- Serbia
- Kosovo and Russia-Serbia relations
Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić’s 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
- The "anti-Kolomoisky" bill and oligarch influence in Ukraine
What does the passage of the "anti-Kolomoisky" bill tell us about the oligarch's influence in Ukrainian politics?
Zelensky leads in the pollsComedian Volodymyr Zelensky is leading in the Ukrainian presidential election polls.
Happy Christmas, UkraineOn 7 January 2019, Ukrainians celebrated a double-holiday: Orthodox Christmas and the independence of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
Why Unite Ukraine’s Orthodox Church Eight Months Before the Presidential Election?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.
Poroshenko Seeks ReelectionUkraine is already in election year. Both the president and parliament chosen in the tumultuous year of 2014 are due to be reelected in 2019.
Kyiv's New SquadThe sudden emergence of ‘national militias’, bent on ‘restoring Ukrainian order’ on the streets of Kyiv, has been met with a mixed public response and raises uncomfortable questions for Ukrainian law enforcement.
Poroshenko's Anticorruption WaltzDespite 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.
Kyiv's education bill irks EU capitalsA 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?
Ukraine’s Sweet Counter-Revolution
The fundamental question that keeps on being asked: can Ukraine really reform? This summer, Ukrainian NGOs have raised the alarm, talking of a ‘sweet counter-revolution’.
- Uzbekistan
More news stories coming soon
- Other
- COVID-19 vaccination in Eastern Partnership countries off to bumpy start
States in Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus face difficulty vaccinating their citizens against COVID-19 – and the EU is not offering much help.