Features
Democracy 18: Azerbaijan's rising left-wing political movement
Ahmad Mammadli thinks post-war Azerbaijan is fertile ground for new, radical political movements. However, he also fears his arrest might be a harbinger of a new wave of political repression.
CENUSA: Moldova chooses lesser evil and restores energy dependence on Russia-controlled Transnistria
The current energy crisis has been the biggest challenge for Moldova since the beginning of the Russian aggression against Ukraine. It has had to swallow bitter medicine and make itself once more dependent on Russian power shared with Transnistria.
China has won water dispute with Kazakhstan
Astana accepts that it cannot force China to use less water upstream. But the BRI may help it reduce its own water waste, a new paper argues.
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bneGREEN: Vertical farms to feed the cities of the future
Indoor vertical farms in Emerging European cities are replacing costly and polluting air imports to supply leafy vegetables for the region’s urban populations.
PM’s attempt to quell Mongolia’s ‘coal mafia’ protests drowned out by livid crowds
Amid the demonstrations on Ulaanbaatar’s streets, Mongolians young and old tell bne IntelliNews of their disillusionment and economic hardship.
Turkmenistan: A shining city in a book of records
Russia is proposing a major reconfiguration of the Central Asian gas market. Eurasianet’s weekly Turkmenistan briefing.
Is Russia putting additional pressure on Belarus to join the war?
Lukashenko's and Shoigu's latest meeting in Minsk has spurred new fears that Russia may be putting increased pressure on Belarus to join the war by putting boots on the ground.
Can Russia sneak gas into the EU via a Turkish gas hub?
Russia has been eagerly pushing for the further development of Turkey as a “gas hub” for its gas supplies to Europe. Analysts are asking if this simply a ruse to dodge sanctions and surreptitiously continue to export gas to EU members.
Roddy Scott Foundation providing education to the children of war-torn Pankisi Gorge
Twenty years ago the young freelance photojournalist Roddy Scott was killed by Russian forces in the Pankisi gorge in Georgia, a refuge for terrorists and a transit point into neighbouring Chechnya during the war there.
Mongolians attempt to storm Government Palace as protests over coal profits scandal swell
Majority strived to keep the youth-led demonstrations peaceful, but the bitterness now held towards top officials runs deep and was clear for all to see.
Belarus Corruption Watch: living the high life with Dimitry and Anna Lukashenko
The Lukashenko family members hold very favourable positions in Belarus’ SOEs. The family often invite their business partners on expensive trips, the costs for which wildly exceed the family members’ official earnings.
New START missile treaty suspended as tensions escalate between Russia and US
Russia has called off what were supposed to be routine talks on implementing the new START missile treaty, signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden in the first week after he took office in 2021.
The legendary Silk Road city of Samarkand gets a tourism upgrade
“Samarkand is as old as time” but the Uzbek government has invested heavily in the hospitality infrastructure to improve the appeal of this legendary Silk Road city to the international traveller.
How well will the EU’s oil embargo on Russia’s seaborne exports work?
The EU’s oil embargo, contained in the sixth and eighth packages of sanctions, comes into effect on December 5 and is likely to severely disrupt Russia’s oil trade but not stop it.
Foreign investment has transformed Eastern Europe, says wiiw report
Foreign investment will continue to have a vital role to play in the region’s development, particularly now that international companies are rethinking their supply chains.
Will Croatia’s latest shot at World Cup glory ease economic slowdown?
Croatia’s spectacular performance in the 2018 World Cup was accompanied by a consumer spending boom.
Belarus’ government to expand political-economic control at the expense of economic growth
Belarus continues to service its foreign debt in Belarusian rubles and its new budget will focus on assuring political-economic control in the country. Meanwhile, growth and real income is decreasing across the country.
Sino-Russian ties continue to deepen as Western sanctions drive their economies together
Widely seen as a marriage of convenience, economic ties between Russia and China are rapidly deepening as the two countries are driven together by pressure from the West.
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War and wine: how rattled economies in Ukraine and Russia are pushing Georgian winemakers to pivot to new markets
Traditional export markets for Georgian wine are reeling due to the war in Ukraine, deepening ongoing trends of market diversification among winemakers in the South Caucasian country.
INTERVIEW: Son of sanctioned Vladimir Yakunin goes on trial in Norway for illegally flying drones
Andrey Yakunin, son of the former head of Russian Railways Vladimir Yakunin, who is sanctioned as a "Kremlin insider", went on trial in Norway on November 29 having been accused of illegally flying drones in Norway.
