 RFE/RL Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova Report 9/8/2009 2:26:57 PM A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova. For more stories on Eastern Europe, please visit and bookmark our Eastern Europe page . |
| Belarus  Is This Really The Diary Of A KGB Mole? The Belarusian opposition is reeling from the publication of an online diary in which an activist admits infiltrating the opposition for the KGB secret service. The confession, which contains damaging accusations against opposition leaders, has raised questions both about its authenticity and its author's motives. More  Relatives Of Missing Belarusians Protest Trip Relatives of three prominent missing people in Belarus have expressed their concerns regarding a planned visit by Belarus President Alyaksandr Lukashenka to Lithuania later this month, RFE/RL's Belarus Service reports. More Valer Rybchanka told RFE/RL from detention that he and Svyatlana Mikhalchanka had not been given any specific reason for their detention. More  'Mysteries of The Oval Office' Belarus Style The head of Belarus's newly formed morality watchdog once wrote a steamy novel about the Clinton White House. More  CSTO Military Exercises Off To Discouraging Start A military exercise in Russia marks the first official test of the new Collective Operational Reaction Forces, created within the framework of the Collective Security Treaty Organization. But the exercises have been overshadowed by profound divisions within the CSTO concerning the new force. More  Record Migrant Remittances 'To Fall 5-8 Percent' Despite the global economic crisis, migrants sent a record amount of cash home last year, according to a new UN report. But the report also says that after growing for nearly eight years, migrant remittances are now falling, and that they could drop 5-8 percent this year. More  Fears Rise U.S.-Russia Reset May Run Aground In Former Soviet Bloc U.S. President Barack Obama has made improving ties with Russia one of his foreign-policy priorities. But there are serious concerns in Eastern and Central Europe that Washington will sacrifice support for its allies who were once part of the Soviet bloc. More  Moldova President To Step Down, As Gridlock Continues Moldova's longtime leader, Vladimir Voronin, has announced that he intends to step down as acting president. It's the latest development in a months-long power struggle between Voronin's Communist Party and the country's Western-oriented opposition. More  Voronin To Resign As Acting Moldovan President Moldova's President Vladimir Voronin has announced his resignation after eight years in power, RFE/RL's Moldova Service reports. More  The Elusive Common Language In Moldova, politicians have shown that they are adept at political maneuvering. But former OSCE envoy Louis O'Neill warns that there's a freight train of economic disaster barreling down on the country. More  Romania's Last King Recalls Role In World War II RFE/RL interviews the abdicated king of Romania, King Michael, about his involvement in World War II, the future of Romania, and the problem with Moldova. More  Democracy For 1.20 Euros Yesterday I was sitting with some French friends in a pleasant Paris café. My friends were all cursing the government. To hear them tell it, President Nicolas Sarkozy does nothing but flex his muscles for young women passing by. And the prime minister is an idiot. And parliament hasn’t done anything sensible in ages and all of them are just drains on the country’s budget. More  What Did Medvedev Tell Voronin? Communist Party leader and acting Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin met last week in Sochi with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. How was the meeting – which was announced at the last moment without any agenda being offered – arranged? Why wasn’t anything more than a cursory announcement presented to the media? Was it Voronin who pushed for the talks? If so, he must have had some extraordinarily compelling arguments. More  European Split On Russia Threatens U.S. Policy U.S. President Barack Obama wants to change the nature of Washington's relations with Moscow. But analysts say that won't be possible without strong support from European countries that are among Russia's biggest trade partners. Getting it will be no easy task. In the last of a three-part series on U.S.-Russia relations, RFE/RL reports on obstacles facing a unified European policy toward Russia. More  Zero-Sum Gamble Barack Obama took office promising to try to mend U.S. ties with Russia, part of his strategy to overhaul foreign policy. His pledge has caused concern in Eastern Europe that Washington would weaken its support in favor of better relations with Moscow, while also raising doubts the policy will get the support it needs in Western Europe, where opinion on Russia is divided. More  Ukrainian Former Head Of Court To Start Hunger Strike The jailed former chief of the Court of Appeals in the Ukrainian city of Lviv says he will start a hunger strike on September 4, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reports. More  Ukraine's Sugar High These days any self-respecting Ukrainian matriarch is up to her ears in canning, pickling, jam, and conserve making. This is the height of the harvest and all its bounty must be preserved in brine, sugar, alcohol, and what not for the winter. All of this requires copious quantities of sugar. More  Putin TV -- Russia's New Reality The Russian journalists who broadcast yesterday's honest political reporting still work for the same TV channels. But those channels are now exclusively propagandistic. More  Did Ukrainian Troops Fight In Russia-Georgia War? Ukraine has denied a Russian claim that Ukrainian soldiers fought alongside Georgian troops in last year's war with Russia. More  Church And State Patriarch Kirill's visit to Ukraine earlier this summer showed that he has become an important weapon in Russia's foreign policy arsenal. Next stop: Georgia. More |
