Labor migrants are attempting to leave Russia as their jobs have been hit by sanctions. But they can’t cross the border into Azerbaijan, which has remained closed since the beginning of the pandemic.
The president has doubled down on his claims that terrorists with foreign backing are behind the protests, which began this week over fuel prices then snowballed.
The Russia-led security bloc will be sending peacekeeping forces, the first time in its history that its collective security provision has been exercised.
While clumsy on COVID-19, Turkmenistan is being more sure-footed, or consistent at least, on the Afghanistan front. Plus, unsustainable agriculture. Our weekly briefing.
The government signals it is taking COVID a bit more seriously, without admitting the virus is running rampant. And Ashgabat gets down to business with the Taliban. This and more in our weekly briefing.