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Defense reform in Ukraine: The leadership challengeThe Russian military buildup along the Ukrainian border in March–May 2021 was another reminder of Ukraine’s urgent need to reform its defense and security sector. And yet, despite the continued... -
Good old Soviet tradition of coerced public confessions springs up in BelarusHis voice shaky and all tight like a string, bags under his eyes as large and deep as soup bowls, his wrists evince recent scars. On June 3, state-own Belarusian... -
Protasevich’s “confession”: KGB Chairman Andropov’s specialtyProtasevich is in hell, and there is no escape. The Belarussian KGB are faithful heirs to Yuri Andropov, and they will play with him as long as they wish. Robert... -
Four setbacks to Western credibility in Ukraine (Part 2)* * * To read Part 1 of the analysis, please click here * * *Along with United States President Joseph Biden greenlighting Gazprom’s Nord Stream 2 project, and... -
Ukraine’s Germanic woes, money laundering in National Bank, Zelenskyy’s “futuristic” university | Week in reviewIn this week in review, Kyiv not Kiev dissects Ukraine's hopes for arms from Germany and ongoing Nordstream woes, allegations that the National Bank governor laundered 1 billion UAH, repercussions... -
How to be a Finn if you’re a Soviet spy: KGB’s illustrated tips from the 1970sDo you know how to butter your bread like a Finn? The KGB sure did, thanks to the album "Life, morals and customs of the population of Finland," created and... -
Exploring the ancient graffiti of St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv (photo report)On May 28, 2021, St. Sophia Cathedral hosted the presentation of a multi-volume scholarly publication - Corpus of Graffiti of St. Sophia of Kyiv, the tenth part, and..."" -
Four setbacks to Western credibility in Ukraine (Part 1)Within the last three weeks, a series of decisions by leading Western powers seem to indicate a downgrading of Ukraine on the scale of Western policy priorities. Taken partly in... -
Do this to hit Lukashenka’s regime, say Belarusian activists (spoiler: it’s not banning flights)The wave of flight bans with which the EU and Ukraine have retaliated against Belarusian dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka kidnapping an opposition journalist in mid-air is but "flightwashing," warn Belarusian activists.... -
How a free-spirited country girl from Ukraine became an intrepid adventuress & 1930s travel blogger“In my travels, from land to land, I never encountered the paradise I had hoped for. But sometimes, at least, I captured a few glimpses of earthly happiness..."" -
Russia’s Tatarstan to have a Muslim holiday in memory of those who fell fighting Ivan the Terrible in 1552During Russian Imperial and Soviet times, Tatarstan's capital of Kazan marked the anniversary of the occupation of Kazan by the forces of tsar Ivan the Terrible in various ways, including... -
Ukraine’s new naval doctrine: a revision of the mosquito fleet strategy or bureaucratic inconsistency?For Ukraine, which lost more than 70 percent of its naval assets after Russia’s forcible annexation of Crimea, the ability to effectively deter and adequately respond to further aggressive Russian... -
Russian propaganda denigrating Belarusian dissident Pratasevich kidnapped by LukashenkaThe pro-Kremlin ecosystem has established its talking points on Lukashenka’s act of, in the words of the CEO of Ryanair, “state-sponsored piracy”. All the Kremlin-controlled media outlets repeat the same... -
Moscow moves from justifying GULAG to glorifying itNow that Russian officials are proposing to use prison labor for economic projects, a Novosti journalist has countered charges that this constitutes the restoration of Stalin’s GULAG by arguing that... -
Belarus kidnapping: what international law says about capture of dissident journalist Roman ProtasevichHere’s what we know: the Ryanair aircraft carrying dissident Belarusian journalist Roman Protasevich was scheduled to fly from Athens in Greece to Vilnius in Lithuania on May 23. While in... -
Discover Belarus, “the country of nine million hostages,” with Belarusian writer Andrei KhadanovichWhat is Belarus? What is the Belarusian language and culture? What is the centrepoint in Belarusian history? Why did President Alyaksandr Lukashenka come to power? How do the Belarusian... -
State support for grassroots projects triggers tectonic changes in Ukrainian cultureAfter long years of Soviet oppression and neglect by various governments, tectonic changes are underway in Ukrainian culture. Grassroots cultural initiatives are starting to receive state support -- and the... -
Medvedchuk tapes, Gaza return, Belarus plane hijacking, Eurovision: Ukraine’s week in reviewKYIV NOT KIEV reviews what happened in Ukraine last week: new intercepts allegedly proving the criminal intentions of pro-Russian politician Medvdechuk to sell off a Ukrainian pipeline, the return of... -
Ukraine’s European heritage is in its language’s DNAThroughout centuries, the history of the Ukrainian language was as turbulent as the history of Ukraine itself. Captured in the words of modern-day Ukrainian are not only memories of the... -
Belarus crisis may not work out as Putin hopes, Shelin saysMany in Moscow are suggesting that the Belarus crisis will work in Vladimir Putin’s favor, leaving the isolated Alyaksandr Lukashenka to agree to any unification plans the Kremlin leader cares...
