Eurasianet

South Ossetia has opened up a bit. Residents on the de facto boundary with Georgia hope it lasts.

Echoes of war drowned out talk of peace.

The 21-year-old Napoli breakout has become a rare source of national unity. The inevitable result: political attempts to ruin Georgians’ good vibes.

Closing an exit route. Plus: solicitous Russians and electricity exports. Our weekly Turkmenistan briefing.

The Ukraine war has upended the Russian-language dubbing of Western blockbusters. Kazakh cinemas are turning to domestic features.

Authorities appear happy to chase the former first family’s money, but are squeamish about accusing them of mutiny.

Javakheti, a region once notorious for neglect and separatist tendencies, is steadily building ties with the rest of Georgia.

The shortages have been fueled by a Russian export ban.

The 20-year-old informant for Russia’s security services was sent to Tbilisi to report on the many exiles here. Now, he says, he’s come clean.

The announcement seems to be tied to a deranged post on the former Russian president’s social media.

The country’s pro-Europe elite sees a millennia-old history of belonging to Europe. Will it matter for Georgia’s EU aspirations?

Statistics on drug use in Kazakhstan are hard to come by, and the government is more comfortable prosecuting addicts than overseeing their rehabilitation.

The annual focus on Pride parades makes queerness a geopolitical issue. And that does not help Georgia’s LGBTQ community, which faces violence and economic marginalization.

Is graft becoming more common, or is the uptick in arrests due to greater political will to clean up?

The Chinese leader downplayed repression in the region, while hyping economic possibilities.