Russia

In recent weeks, Alexander Lukashenko’s regime in Belarus has ordered the mass closure of NGOs, calling them “bandits and foreign agents”. One year to the day since the disputed 9 August 2020 presidential elections, for commonspace.eu, Maryia Ditchkowska looks at some of the organisations targeted, why it is unlikely to seriously impact support for the pro-democractic movement, and what has prompted this particular crackdown.

Azerbaijan has issued a diplomatic demarche to Russia following an outburst of criticism by Russian maverick politician, Vladimir Zhirinovski. The Russian Charge' d'affairs in Baku was summoned to the foreign ministry on Sunday morning and handed a protest note following comments made on air by Zhirinovski during an interview on July 30 on Komsomolskaya Pravda radio station.

President Vladimir Putin reviewed the Russian Navy on Sunday (25 July) at the annual naval parade which this year was held in St Petersburg. The naval parade marked the 325th anniversary of the Russian Navy. Over 50 ships, boats, and submarines participated, and the aerial part of the parade included more than 40 aircraft and helicopters.

The president of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, arrived in Moscow today (20 July) on the invitation of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. This is Aliyev’s second working visit to Russia this year – the first, on 11 January with the Armenian prime minister – and comes amidst clashes on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

Moldovan President Maya Sandu's PAS party won a resounding victory in Sunday's parliamentary elections on a platform of fighting corruption and carrying out reforms. After the counting of 99.63% of ballots, only three political forces will be represented in the new chamber, the data showed. PAS had 52.60% of the vote, while its main rival, Igor Dodon's Socialists and Communists bloc, had 27.32%.

The Armenian prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Wednesday (7 July). This was the third face-to face meeting of the two leaders in six months. The two men also speak on the phone often. “Putin’s peace” between Armenia and Azerbaijan has so far held, yet the Kremlin must be under no illusion that it will be plain sailing going forward. There is still a lot of work to be done before Armenia and Azerbaijan commence the journey for peace and reconciliation, and the Russian’s may even have their own reasons for not wanting that process to move too swiftly. The alternative is tight management of the current arrangements, and that may mean many more Putin-Pashinyan meetings to come.