RFE/RL Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova Report
10/23/2009 4:08:36 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
Jailed Belarus Opposition Figure Starts Hunger Strike
Jailed Belarusian opposition activist Alyaksandr Bandarenka began an indefinite hunger strike on October 19, demanding that his case be reconsidered, RFE/RL's Belarus Service reports. More
Romany Man's Death Sentence Stirs Debate In Belarus The case of a 30-year-old Romany man who faces execution for murder has sparked an emotional debate over the death penalty in Belarus, the only country in Europe and the former Soviet Union that still executes prisoners. Many Belarusians believe the condemned man deserves to die, but European officials have reiterated calls for an immediate suspension of capital punishment in Belarus. More
Moldova
For Central Europe, A Call To Look Eastward
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, speaking in Romania, has called on the countries of Central and Eastern Europe that broke free of communism 20 years ago to help guide other fledgling democracies toward stability. More
For Central Europe, A Call To Look Eastward U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, speaking in Romania, has called on the countries of Central and Eastern Europe that broke free of communism 20 years ago to help guide other fledgling democracies toward stability. More
Where Does Russia Want To Take The CIS? The main intrigue surrounding the CIS summit last week was whether Russia's president would attend. The question intensified speculation that even the Kremlin has come to the conclusion that the CIS is a still-born organization. More
Herta Mueller -- Split Between Two Worlds Last week, Romanian-born author Herta Mueller won the 2009 Nobel prize for literature. In 1999, Mueller spoke to RFE/RL about growing up under Ceausescu, her encounters with the secret police, and how her background has shaped her work. More
Ukraine
Hopefuls Line Up For Ukraine's Presidential Poll
Five people have applied to be registered as candidates in Ukraine's January 2010 presidential election, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reports. More
Hopefuls Line Up For Ukraine's Presidential Poll
Five people have applied to be registered as candidates in Ukraine's January 2010 presidential election, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reports. More
Havel Expects Biden To Reassure Region As U.S. Vice President Joe Biden begins his travels through Central Europe, arguably the region's loudest voice for strong trans-Atlantic ties, former Czech President Vaclav Havel, is up-front with RFE/RL about what he expects to hear: a clear vision of American policy for the region. More
Ukrainian Politicians 'Sold' To Highest Bidders "Politicians for sale! Get your politician here!" These are the slogans a youth organization in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv used at an auction of dolls depicting some of the country's leading politicians, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reports. More
Western Region Could Decide Presidential Vote Ukraine's three-month election campaign has begun, after what is widely seen as five years of missed opportunities under incumbent President Viktor Yushchenko. Past presidential elections have been a contest for control of the "swing" region of central Ukraine. For the first time, western Ukraine will play a strategic role in deciding the winner. More
The Rise And Fall (And Rise?) Of Arseniy Yatsenyuk Arseniy Yatsenyuk, the leader of the newly created Front for Change, brought a breath of fresh air to Ukraine’s political scene, dominated by the infighting of the main personalities. But his rapid rise stopped suddenly as his pro-Russian and isolationist strategy fell flat with the Ukrainian public. More
Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact Still Divides Europe Seventy years after the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, the role the accord played in triggering World War II and dividing Europe remains the subject of intense debate. Opinion is split even among academics and politicians who agree throwing light on Soviet crimes is an essential part of healing Europe's historical wounds. More
Russia Facing Resistance On CIS's Southern Flank Representatives of the CIS are holding a summit in the Moldovan capital today, but most of the Central Asian presidents won't be in attendance. The presidents of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan instead sent lower-level delegations. Focusing on the three Central Asian states that make up the CIS's southern frontier, we examine how, by skipping the summit, they might be exhibiting their discontent with Russia. More
EBRD's Chief Economist Assesses Conditions In Central, Eastern Europe
Erik Berglof, the chief economist of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, joined other officials from international financial institutions at meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund this week in Istanbul, where one of the central topics was the global financial crisis. In an exclusive interview with RFE/RL, he discusses how Central and Eastern European countries are faring amid the crisis. Berglof also discusses the conditions that the IMF is attaching to loans that it is giving to governments in the region. More
Erik Berglof, the chief economist of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, joined other officials from international financial institutions at meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund this week in Istanbul, where one of the central topics was the global financial crisis. In an exclusive interview with RFE/RL, he discusses how Central and Eastern European countries are faring amid the crisis. Berglof also discusses the conditions that the IMF is attaching to loans that it is giving to governments in the region. More
