Kotleba: A Slovak Extremist Who Made Far Right Fashionable
By Miroslava German Sirotnikova — Widely seen as a neo-Nazi, Marian Kotleba has not been shy about spouting anti-Semitic, racist or xenophobic views in public. Who is the man who has made hatred so electable? Read more.
Around the Bloc – 2 March
Headlines from around the region: opposition party wins Slovak elections; predictable polls in Tajikistan; the Ukrainian PM quitting or not; Seto people divided by Estonian-Russia border; and Kadyrov’s daughter is the talk of Paris. Read more.
A Different Kind of Community Organizer
By Jeremy Druker — An expert on civic participation explains the rise of Slovak far-right extremist Marian Kotleba and what can be done to counter his appeal. Read more.
Georgia’s Youth Protesters Lead 2020’s Political Showdown
By Shota Kincha — Tbilisi braces itself for renewed anti-government protests next month. Read more.
Around the Bloc – 28 February
Headlines from around the region: Chechen blogger attacked in Poland; widow of Enver Hoxha dies; remembering Boris Nemtsov; fun facts about Putin; and a lone protestor in Kazakhstan. Read more.
Softening Borders in the Accursed Mountains
By Droni.al— A three-country initiative to boost tourism in one of the most isolated parts of the Balkans moves ahead despite physical and administrative barriers. Read more.
A Georgian Doorway
By Sopho Khutsishvili and Agunik Ayvazyan — Five years after the EU free trade pact took effect, many Georgian farmers are still stuck on the threshold. Read more.
Around the Bloc – 27 February
Headlines from around the region: Kocner goes to jail; headway between Serbia and Kosovo; Karimova wants to get out of jail; Skripal suspect indicted in Bulgaria; and a unique Estonian community. Read more.
Literary Recognition Prompts Ig-Nobel Culture War
By Martin Ehl — With two Polish writers scooping a Nobel Prize for literature and a Netflix series, respectively, Poland should be enjoying its laurels – but is instead engaged in culture war. Read more.
The Czech Republic’s Forgotten Prisoners
By Lachlan Hyatt — Commemorations of the fall of the communist regime in 1989 came and went last year, but some felt that society gave short shrift to the sacrifices of thousands of political prisoners. Read more.
Around the Bloc – 26 February
Headlines from around the region: effective protests in Kyrgyzstan; intolerance in Poland; innovation in Estonia; WWII ceremonies pose RSVP conundrum; and Borissov’s castle in Spain. Read more.
Groundbreaking Film on Russia’s HIV Epidemic Goes Viral
By Filip Noubel— Nearly 13 million Russians have now watched Yury Dud’s new YouTube documentary. Read more.