Soft Power: cats, branding and the Ukrainian far right
Michael Cole on how hard-right figures have used cats to soften their image. Continue reading Soft Power: cats, branding and the Ukrainian far right
Category: Eastern Europe
What’s up Ukraine? President Zelenskyy to meet with Putin, and movie depicting the Holodomor premiers
– On October 1st, news broke that representatives from Ukraine, Russia, the separatist territories of Luhansk and Donetsk, and the OSCE had signed the Steinmeier Formula, a slimmer, simplified version of the Minsk Agreement, put forward in 2016 by then-Foreign … Continue reading What’s up Ukraine? President Zelenskyy to meet with Putin, and movie depicting the Holodomor premiers
Russia-Ukraine Prisoner Swap, and Kharkiv’s First Pride March
– On 1 September, Ukraine’s Ivan Bohun Kyiv Military Lyceum marked its first day of studies, welcoming female cadets for the first time since it was founded. The school now accepts girls from the age of 13 to pursue military education … Continue reading Russia-Ukraine Prisoner Swap, and Kharkiv’s First Pride March
The EU Election Outcome: the Rise of Eastern-style Christian Democracy
The European election results seem messy. A colourful mosaic, with no clear pattern at first sight. But in all the disarray, Europe’s narrow Christian-democratic victory shows an outline, an ideological curtain dividing the continent into two halves. Why did Christianity-inspired … Continue reading The EU Election Outcome: the Rise of Eastern-style Christian Democracy
New president sworn in and marine tribunal rules on captured sailors
– On May 15th, Ukraine responded to Moscow’s ban on the sale and transportation of Ukrainian produce by introducing economic sanctions on certain Russian goods. The list of sanctioned goods includes Russian cement, plywood, mineral fertilizers, vehicles, and some other … Continue reading New president sworn in and marine tribunal rules on captured sailors
Estonia: A Paradox of Actions on Energy
Estonia is consistently ranked as one of the least religious countries in the world, with low rates of worship attendance and affiliation with a religious institution. Yet, all Estonians seem to have an intensely spiritual relationship with Mother Nature. From … Continue reading Estonia: A Paradox of Actions on Energy
“People have a lot of respect for this Prime Minister”
– On May 13th, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán sat down with US President Donald Trump for talks on security and trade. The meeting allegedly took 45 minutes in total, with private discussions between the two presidents amounting to less … Continue reading “People have a lot of respect for this Prime Minister”
Ukraine’s sixth president and new language law
– On April 7th, governor of Kherson Oblast Andriy Hordeyev resigned following allegations that he had been involved in the murder of anti-corruption activist Kateryna Handziuk. Handziuk’s family, friends, and fellow activists are accusing Hordeyev of having links to organisers … Continue reading Ukraine’s sixth president and new language law
State defence graft scandal, and presidential election finalists
– Andriy Kobolyev, the CEO of Ukraine’s oil monopoly Naftogaz, announced on March 1st that the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague had ordered Russia to compensate the company for the assets Naftogaz lost following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in … Continue reading State defence graft scandal, and presidential election finalists
Voices on the street: young Ukrainians on the 2019 election
The last time Ukrainians went to the polls, in 2014, the incumbent president Viktor Yanukovych had fled to Russia and Kiev was recovering from months of public protest. Oligarch Petro Poroshenko won the presidency on the fumes of the Euromaidan … Continue reading Voices on the street: young Ukrainians on the 2019 election