Gazprom's European Web
This occasional report by Roman Kupchinsky examines Russia's state-owned gas monopoly Gazprom, exposing the threat this organization poses to European energy security.
Russian LNG - The Future Geopolitical Battleground
This occasional report addresses the historical shift in the global natural gas industry away from overland pipeline deliveries and toward liquefied natural gas, as well as Russia's move toward becoming a leader in the emerging LNG market.
Beyond the Afghan Trauma: Russia's Return to Afghanistan
As Russia grapples with the Afghan question and its security implications, this report takes a closer look at Russia's re-entry to the region after a twenty-year absence.
Breaking News:
FSB Accuses Georgia of Aiding al-Qaeda in the North Caucasus
February 5, 2010 12:12 PM
Insurgent violence has continued unabated in the North Caucasus this week, with five federal servicemen dying in a shootout with insurgents in Chechnya yesterday (February 4) and Russia’s security services again accusing Georgia of aiding militants in the North Caucasus.A source in Chechnya’s security apparatus told Kavkazsky Uzel today (February 5) that five federal troops were killed yesterday during a firefight with insurgents in Chechnya’s Urus-Martan district. The source said the battle bet...
Russian Orthodox Church Prioritizes “Integration” With Kazakhstan
February 8, 2010On January 16, the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) Kirill Frolov arrived in Astana for a two-day visit. He attempted to lend a purely religious character to his journey to Kazakhstan, a predominantly Muslim...
Rights Organizations Recall Mass Killings in Chechnya’s Aldy
February 8, 2010On February 5, the head of Makhachkala’s police force, Ahkmed Magomedov, was gunned down in the center of Dagestan’s capital. Magomedov’s driver and two his bodyguards also died in the attack. According to the investigators, the...
Medvedev Approves New Russian Military Doctrine
February 8, 2010On February 5, the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev finally signed the long-awaited new military doctrine, intended to guide defense policy over the next decade. In the presence of the senior civilian leadership of the...
Russia Finds Itself Passed its Security Prime
February 8, 2010At the annual Munich security conference last weekend, Russia received as little attention as it had attracted at the Davos World Economic Forum in the previous week. The star presenter this year was the Chinese Foreign Minister...
TURKEY
Breaking News:
Kazakhstan Offers to Hold Joint Military Exercises With Turkey
February 2, 2010 03:13 PM
On January 20, the Turkish Ambassador to Kazakhstan, Atilla Gunay, met the Kazakh Defense Minister Adilbek Zhaksybekov in Astana as part of a series of recent meetings to foster bilateral dialogue. Centered on military cooperation, it came three months after Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev visited Ankara to sign a strategic partnership agreement that emphasized closer military collaboration between the two countries. The meeting culminated in an offer to Turkey to hold joint military...
UKRAINE
Breaking News:
Russia Backs Yanukovych in Ukraine’s 2010 Elections
January 29, 2010 03:39 PMRussian media coverage of the 2010 Ukrainian elections from the outset portrayed it as a two-horse race between Viktor Yanukovych and Yulia Tymoshenko. In the first phase of the election campaign (October-November 2009), the Russian media did not express a preference, but since the first vote the media and ruling Unified Russia party had endorsed Yanukovych (Rossiya 1, NTV, October 19, 24, 27, November 12, 16, 22).A recent poll by the Russian Public Opinion Foundation found that 53 percent of Ru...
KYRGYZSTAN
Breaking News:
Kyrgyzstan Relaxes Control Over Drug Trafficking
February 4, 2010 03:59 PM
Last October, the Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev disbanded the Drug Control Agency (DCA) responsible for intercepting illicit drugs transiting through Kyrgyzstan from Afghanistan and destined to reach Russia and Europe. Instead, the president assigned the interior ministry to control drug trafficking in the country (www.government.gov.kg, October 26, 2009). Since Bakiyev’s decision, little is known about how effectively Kyrgyzstan is now combating drug trafficking.Bakiyev’s disregard for the...
BELARUS
Breaking News:
Belarusian Opposition Prepares for Local and Presidential Elections
February 3, 2010 04:22 PM
On January 28, Ales Mikhalevich, the former Deputy Chairman of the Belarusian Popular Front, announced that he will run for the Belarusian presidency in the election anticipated next year (Belapan, January 28). He is the second oppositionist anticipated to participate, as Alyaksandr Milinkevich, the leader of the Movement for Freedom, announced last November that he would likely run for the second time (Belapan, November 15). Mikhalevich’s announcement reflects the diverse positions of the Belar...
GEORGIA
Breaking News:
Georgia’s Arduous Attempt to Challenge Moscow’s Broadcasting Monopoly
February 5, 2010 12:56 PM
On January 4, the Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) inaugurated its first Russian language television channel: Pervyi Kavkazsky (First Caucasus) or 1-K. It initially operated as a cable television channel available within Georgia with simultaneous live broadcasting on the internet to reach a wider online audience. On January 15, First Caucasus further widened its range of coverage by becoming available on the French-operated satellite provider Eutelsat, reaching a broader Russian speaking audien...
RUSSIA
Breaking News:
Russian Orthodox Church Prioritizes “Integration” With Kazakhstan
February 8, 2010 08:08 AMOn January 16, the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) Kirill Frolov arrived in Astana for a two-day visit. He attempted to lend a purely religious character to his journey to Kazakhstan, a predominantly Muslim country, and originally planned to visit Almaty. However, thick fog prevented his plane landing at Almaty airport. Whether it was the deliberate intention of Patriarch Kirill, the visit assumed a clearly political connotation and culminated in extensive talks with President Nur...
Vladimir Socor is a senior fellow of The Jamestown Foundation and regular writer for Eurasia Daily Monitor.
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Eurasia Daily Monitor
Global Terrorism Analysis
China Brief
North Caucasus Analysis
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Breaking News:
The Changing Face of Islamist Militancy in North Africa
March 17, 2009 01:26 PM
The Changing Face of Islamist Militancy in North Africa contains the proceedings of a panel from Jamestown's December 2008 conference entitled "The Expanding Geography of Militant Jihad."