Eurasianet

As the president celebrates, the economic crisis deepened by a coronavirus outbreak he has refused to acknowledge has left his people in a state of Dickensian misery.

Electricity exports; crowd control outside food shops; and despite denials, COVID strikes. This and more in our weekly Turkmenistan briefing.

The mood in Baku is triumphal but it’s heavy and vengeful rather than joyous.

An unacknowledged second wave, secret police at funerals, and congratulations from the Taliban. This and more in our weekly Turkmenistan briefing.

Trials for a domestically developed QazCovid-in vaccine are not expected to be completed until March.

But there is no papering over the festering disillusionment.

Only the best medicine for the leader. For everyone else, bread shortages.

The government is eager to stress that the loan is all but interest free.

Travel bans, dams and Russian fans. This and more in our weekly Turkmenistan briefing.

The government will help outlets that publish its propaganda.

Numbers of coronavirus cases has seen a sharp surge recently.

Ecological conservation is a matter of pride in Turkmenistan. But a disconnect between rhetoric and reality is a hallmark of the Berdymukhamedov era.

The healthcare sector has been embroiled in corruption scandals for years.

In state media, Turkmenistan is a roaring success story. The data paint a more worrisome picture.

A facile and naïve plan being discussed in Washington risks backfiring on Iran’s minority Christians.