Abkhazia leader meets Putin hoping for Russian bailout As coronavirus cripples the territory’s tourism season and Russia has stopped sending aid, Abkhazia faces a 10 percent GDP decline this year. Joshua Kucera Jun 25, 2020
Moscow’s delayed Victory Day in photos Most foreign leaders stayed away, but Putin’s Central Asian crew is a dependable lot. Jun 24, 2020
Pashinyan, Aliyev bow out of Moscow parade The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan cited the coronavirus for missing the big event, but the real reasons appear to be crises at home. Joshua Kucera Jun 24, 2020
Armenia seeks security forces reorganization Behind the unexplained recent firings is a push to put the security services under greater civilian control. Ani Mejlumyan Jun 22, 2020
Kazakhstan grapples uneasily with its second coronavirus wave The country is experiencing a turnaround after apparent early successes. Almaz Kumenov Jun 18, 2020
Kazakhstan: Nazarbayev diagnosed with coronavirus His spokesman said the former president is still working remotely. Jun 18, 2020
Hundreds of Azerbaijanis languish on Russian border The labor migrants are trying to return home after losing their jobs in the coronavirus pandemic. Tensions are rising, and a protest on the border has been violently broken up by Russian police. Jun 16, 2020
Kazakhstan changes methodology, lowers COVID count The government has altered how it tallies infections and deaths to favor rosier statistics. Zholdas Orisbayev Jun 12, 2020
Kazakhstan: New study uses COVID-19 lockdown to isolate causes of air pollution Pollution fell along with traffic during quarantine, but airborne levels of several toxic chemicals rose far above WHO limits. Aliya Uteuova Jun 11, 2020
Despite stimulus efforts, many Armenian workers fall through the cracks In several cases, the employers themselves have been the ones thwarting their workers from getting stimulus money. Ani Mejlumyan Jun 11, 2020
Armenia quickly adding hospital capacity for growing COVID-19 outbreak Some patients have died because of a lack of hospital capacity, but the country has added several hundred more beds. Ani Mejlumyan Jun 9, 2020
Uzbekistan: Heartbreak and despair for expat laborers trapped by COVID Tens of thousands of Uzbek workers are trying to get home. In Uzbekistan itself, however, not everybody is eager to see them. Jun 5, 2020
Chinese business briefing: Working overtime Many Chinese workers have been stuck in Central Asia during the coronavirus lockdown, forced to work overtime to meet production quotas. Niva Yau Jun 4, 2020
Armenia continues to suffer skyrocketing COVID cases – including the prime minister Pashinyan’s diagnosis highlights the country’s increasingly unsuccessful battle against the disease. Ani Mejlumyan Jun 2, 2020
Kyrgyzstan: President pleads for sovereign debt restructuring Debt has risen to $4.6 billion this year. Ayzirek Imanaliyeva May 29, 2020