Women pay for the president’s conservative obsessions; Turkmenistan’s paranoia undermines its wish to be a transport hub; and the EU offers the methane polluter a chance to green its image. Our weekly briefing.
Putin hijacked a summit in Kazakhstan to spread a conspiracy theory, undermining his host’s efforts to get the world to take a grouping of Asian leaders seriously.
In the first episode of our new podcast, we discuss a watershed moment in Central Asia's independent history, as Putin's war pushed the countries into China's arms. Plus, the worst violence yet between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. And more.