Features
Hazara Mongols fearing extinction in Afghanistan dream of return to ancient homeland
Repressed ethnic minority dread renewed persecution under second Taliban regime. Academics in Mongolia wonder if legends about “how we will go and bring our people back” could come true.
Unpacking Eurasia’s role in the Afghanistan evacuation
Most of the countries Eurasianet covers were involved in the airlift. Some even contributed troops during the 20-year war.
INTERVIEW: Metinvest reports record results, but expects the market to cool from here
Ukraine’s biggest company, the iron and steel producer Metinvest, just reported its best results in 13 years, but Metinvest’s CEO Yuriy Ryzhenkov says he is focused on building a robust business for the long haul.
The crushing weight of China’s debt burden on Eurasia
Emerging European economies were already facing heavy debt burdens before the pandemic. Now it’s worse. Several countries in Eurasia and Emerging Europe are struggling to pay off huge loans they took from China.
bneGreen: Emerging Europe’s perfect storm for illegal logging
High demand for wood for the booming global furniture market, poverty, persistent corruption and huge areas of sparsely populated forest land combine to create the conditions for illegal logging in Emerging Europe.
European Medical Centre, 32 years of caring for Muscovites
Any expat that has lived in Moscow for an extended period knows the European Medical Centre. Set up in 1989 before the fall of the Soviet Union to cater to the diplomatic community, the EMC is now a largely Russian business and recently IPO'd.
Only tough options for Afghans looking to escape north or west
The UNHCR has estimated half a million could attempt to flee Taliban rule by year-end, but Central Asia, Iran and Turkey will prove far from welcoming.
Russia’s ruling United Russia Party faces prospect of losing its majority in the upcoming elections
As its poll numbers drop to new lows, Putin-supporting United Russia Party faces the prospect of losing its absolute hold on power in September’s elections as its popularity falls to about 35%.
Nord Stream 2 fails to get exemption from EU gas market rules
A court in Germany has ruled that Russia’s controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline should not be exempt from EU gas market rules, creating new headaches for the project’s state-owned operator Gazprom, which may be unable to use half the capacity.
Kyiv residential real estate booms as high demand causes price surge
Demand for residential real estate in Kyiv is outstripping supply. As a result, Kyiv has a lack of available apartments and prices are surging, following trends seen earlier this year.
Ukraine shows off its old and new military hardware in 30th anniversary of Independence Day parade
New military technology joins ranks of Soviet-era weaponry at Ukraine’s Independence Day
Uzbekistan: Afghan troubles keep border city on edge
Termez is normally a sleepy place, but the Taliban's ascendancy has caused creeping anxiety.
Zasag Chandmani mining dispute is a litmus test for Mongolia
The younger half-brother of Britain's prime minister, Maximilian Johnson, has run into trouble in Mongolia. He works for a Hong Kong-based fund GRF2 that invested $19mn in a mine, but the owner has run off with the money.
Ukraine to receive $2.7bn worth of IMF SDR allocation
The International Monetary Fund is due to grant Ukraine a $2.7bn gift on August 23 as part of its $650bn Special Drawing Rights giveaway to help poorer countries recover from the coronacrisis more quickly.
15% of Russian industrial companies are zombies
The share of zombie companies in Russian industry is 10-15%, according to the Centre for Business Studies of the National Research University Higher School of Economics.
The borscht index: The number of portions Russians can afford to cook has been falling
The purchasing power of Russians in the first half of this year fell in 64 of Russia’s 85 regions, according to the “borscht index”, a sort of Russian version of the well-known “Big Mac index”.
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Armenia criminalises insulting public figures
Using foul language or “hurting the dignity” of public figures could lead to up to three months in jail.
Can China tap Afghanistan’s lithium treasure?
Afghanistan has hundreds of millions of dollars of hard-to-find lithium deposits in dusty ground. Following the Taliban sweeping to an effortless victory in the country, it is China that is best positioned to exploit the resource.
Food prices in Armenia hit generational high
Inflation is further stifling weak demand, putting the central bank in a bind.
Ukraine’s law enforcement clashes with far right Azov movement
Violent clashes after Ukrainian law enforcers attempted to crack down on the criminal schemes the movement uses to make money.
