This Week’s Highlights

• "That is my hope and expectation. We're working on it," U.S. President Joe Biden said in response to the proposed summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Europe in mid-June. Switzerland, Finland and Austria have offered up their premier cities as potential venues for the meeting.
• NATO on May 6 began its “Defender Europe 21” military exercises involving 28,000 troops, including a strong U.S. contingent, close to Russia’s western border. According to a NATO spokesman, Russia didn’t submit an application to send observers to the drills, TASS reports.
• Maj. Gen. DeAnna Burt of the U.S. Space Command says it may be time for the U.S. to establish a "deconfliction channel" with Russia and China to ensure the safety of operations in space. Meanwhile, an assessment conducted for the U.S. Congress accused Russian troops of violating "deconfliction processes" established by U.S. and Russian militaries in Syria.
• Nearly half (44 percent) of respondents to a survey carried out by the Latana polling company between February and April in 53 countries said they were concerned that the U.S. threatens democracy in their country; fear of Chinese influence is by contrast 38 percent and fear of Russian influence is lowest at 28 percent.
• U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken paid a one-day visit to Ukraine on May 6, the first visit by a senior U.S. official in the Biden administration. During the visit, he called on Russia to cease its "reckless and aggressive actions" against Ukraine and said the Pentagon is considering additional military assistance to Kyiv. Blinken also delivered a rebuke by pointedly meeting with anti-corruption activists. Blinken said Ukraine is facing "corruption from oligarchs.”
• Russia has withdrawn only a few thousand troops from the border with Ukraine, senior Biden administration officials said. Senior Defense Department officials said that close to 80,000 Russian troops remained near various strips of the country’s border with Ukraine. "Russia has the capacity on pretty short notice to take further aggressive action, so we're being very vigilant about that...and also making sure that we're helping Ukraine have the means to defend itself," Blinken said.
• Investigative journalist Christo Grozev said suspected GRU agents Anatoly Chepiga and Alexander Mishkin have been “promoted” to work for the Kremlin. Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to the claim, saying he is unaware of Mishkin’s and Chepiga’s new jobs.

 

I. U.S. and Russian priorities for the bilateral agenda

Nuclear security and safety:

• Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has reportedly approved a plan to power a far eastern copper mining venture by building as many as five floating nuclear power plants. (Bellona, 05.04.21)

North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs:

• No significant developments.

Iran and its nuclear program:

• Iran held a fourth round of high-level talks with world powers on May 7 aimed at returning the U.S. to the JCPOA. Following the May 7 talks, Iranian state television quoted the country’s top negotiator as saying Washington had expressed its readiness to lift many of its sanctions, but Tehran is demanding more. Russian delegate Mikhail Ulyanov tweeted that the delegations “agreed on the need to intensify the process” and “seem to be ready to stay in Vienna as long as necessary to achieve the goal.” (RFE/RL, 05.07.21)
• Senior officials from the countries that negotiated the JCPOA also met earlier for talks focused on bringing the U.S. back into the deal and afterward Russia and European powers gave contrasting accounts of the tasks ahead. Officials from China, Germany, France, Russia and Britain met May 1 in Vienna. “We have much work, and little time, left. Against that background, we would have hoped for more progress this week," senior diplomats from the so-called E3—France, Britain and Germany—said in a statement. (RFE/RL, 05.01.21)

Great Power rivalry/New Cold War/NATO-Russia relations:

• NATO on May 6 began its “Defender Europe 21” military exercises involving 28,000 troops, including a strong U.S. contingent, close to Russia’s western border. That will be followed by the “Steadfast Defender 21” military exercises next month in Romania, Portugal, Bulgaria and Hungary that will train the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF). Russia has not sent a request to NATO to send its observers to the alliance’s military exercises dubbed Steadfast Defender 21, Lt. Gen. Brice Houdet told a briefing in Brussels May 6. (The New York Times, 05.05.21, bne IntelliNews, 05.07.21, TASS, 05.06.21)
• The EU has approved the participation of NATO members the United States, Canada and Norway in a project aimed at speeding up the movement of troops and military equipment around Europe. The May 6 decision marks the first time the EU has opened up an initiative from its Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) pact. (RFE/RL, 05.06.21)
• The United States does not recognize "spheres of influence," seeing it as an idea "that should have been retired after World War II," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. In remarks in response to a question on the U.S. reaction to a recent warning by Putin that the West should not cross Moscow's "red lines," Blinken also said that sticking to this concept was "a recipe not for cooperation, but for conflict." (RFE/RL, 05.06.21, RFE/RL, 05.07.21)
• The Group of Seven (G7) advanced democracies has wrapped up its first in-person meeting in more than two years with a pledge to bolster collective efforts to counter Russia's "irresponsible and destabilizing" behavior, but offered little concrete action aside from expressing support for Ukraine. "If Russia chooses to act recklessly or aggressively, we'll respond," Blinken said May 3 at a meeting in London of top diplomats from the G7. "But we're not looking to escalate." (Wall Street Journal, 05.05.21, RFE/RL, 05.05.21)
• U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken took a veiled swipe at Russia and China May 7 during a U.N. Security Council meeting on multilateralism chaired by his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, warning that the actions of some big powers portrays impunity to others. At the same meeting, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attacked a U.S. proposal to hold a "Summit for Democracy," saying such a gathering would only deepen fissures on the international stage. (Reuters, 05.07.21, The Moscow Times, 05.07.21)
• Laura Cooper, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia, said that the Kremlin has been very good “at touting minor [military] deployments” and investments it has made in Mediterranean nations. Cooper said that, in its maneuverings, Russia “is looking at the next deal it can roll off the line,” like the sales of S-400 and S-300 air defense missile systems to Turkey. (USNI,  04.30.21)
• A top commander at U.S. Space Command says it may be time to establish a "deconfliction channel" between the U.S. and adversary countries, such as Russia and China, to ensure the safety of operations in space. The Pentagon and international partners are developing guidelines for operating in space. Maj. Gen. DeAnna Burt, the commander of SPACECOM's Combined Force Space Component Command, said those protocols should include being transparent and predictable with countries such as Russia and China. (Military News, 05.04.21)
• In early 2020, members of a Taliban-linked criminal network in Afghanistan detained in raids told interrogators that they had heard that Russians were offering money to reward killings of American and coalition troops. Ultimately, newly declassified information shows, CIA analysts discovered a significant reason to believe the claim was accurate: Other members of the same Taliban-linked network had been working closely with operatives from Unit 29155 of the GRU known for assassination operations. Nikolai Patrushev, the chairman of Russia’s Security Council, asaid it was false that Russia had covertly offered bounties for killing American troops in Afghanistan. (The New York Times, 05.07.21)
• The Kremlin said May 6 it is unaware of its alleged employment of the suspected Russian agents wanted over the 2018 Skripal poisonings in Britain and fatal 2014 arms depot blasts in the Czech Republic. Investigative journalist Christo Grozev said April 30 that the duo identified as GRU military intelligence agents Anatoly Chepiga and Alexander Mishkin have been “promoted” to work for the Kremlin. Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to the claims after they were republished by Czech media, saying he is unaware of Mishkin’s and Chepiga’s new jobs. (The Moscow Times, 05.06.21)                       

China-Russia: Allied or Aligned?

• Trade between Russia and China in the first four months of 2021 grew by 19.8 percent year-on-year to $40.207 billion, the General Customs Administration of China announced May 7. In comparison, trade between China and the U.S. in the first four months of 2021 grew 61.8 percent year-on-year to $221.65 billion. (TASS, 05.07.21)
• There is "still a lot of room" for further cooperation between China and Russia which could "cause shocks," according to an editorial in the Global Times newspaper aligned with the Chinese Communist Party. "The two countries have just begun in moving closer to each other militarily, if necessary, there could be a lot of cooperation that can cause shocks ... the China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination may continue to deepen so that the two countries will become ‘real allies’ in confronting U.S. hegemony,” the editorial said. (Newsweek, 05.07.21, Russia Matters, 05.07.21) 
• Russian daily Kommersant’s account of a U.N. Security Council event organized by Russia to commemorate the 2014 clashes in Odessa says that a representative of China was among those who spoke in support of Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty at the event. (Russia Matters, 05.05.21)

Missile defense:

• No significant developments.

Arms control:

• The Russian government has approved a proposal to denounce the Treaty on Open Skies and resolved to submit it to Putin, according to the document posted on the government’s legal information web portal. (TASS, 05.06.21)

Counter-terrorism:

• No significant developments.

Conflict in Syria:

• An assessment to U.S. Congress about the international campaign against ISIS, Operation Inherent Resolve, accused Russian troops of violating "deconfliction processes" established in the northeast of Syria. The analysis, covering the first quarter of 2021, said that Russian violations included "the addition of an extra vehicle to pre-arranged patrols," as well as "not providing proper notification of military transport and fighter aircraft moving from Russia to Syria. (Newsweek, 05.06.21)
• On April 30, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that its forces and their Turkish counterparts carried out a joint patrol for over 100 kilometers in northeastern Syria, into the al-Qamishli district of al-Hasakah. Commander of the Russian forces convoy Andrei Titov said, “The uniqueness of this patrol is the long distance of the route, as it included a large number of towns.” (Aawsat, 05.02.21)
• Moscow is ready to send observers to the Syrian presidential election, scheduled for May 26, based on Damascus’ request, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. (TASS, 04.30.21)

Cyber issues:

• Cybersecurity defenses will take top priority in the spending of $1 billion in tech modernization funding passed by Congress earlier this year, according to plans shared first with The Cybersecurity 202. The Office of Management and Budget and General Services Administration will also prioritize projects addressing critical IT modernization, public-facing services and cross-agency programs. (The Washington Post, 05.04.21)
• It was one of the most sophisticated digital fraud operations in the history of the Internet, by some accounts scamming between $10 million and $30 million over the roughly four years it existed. This week in a U.S. federal court in New York City, the Russian man accused by U.S. authorities of being a ringleader of the group, Alexander Zhukov, went on trial for wire fraud, money laundering and other charges. (RFE/RL, 05.06.21)
• Russia has filed protocols against Facebook and Google for what Roskomnadzor, the country's communications regulator, says is the social-media networks' failure to remove banned content. The TASS news agency on May 5 quoted a court source as saying five protocols against both Google and Facebook were received by the court, with potential fines amounting to 200 million rubles ($267,000) each. (RFE/RL, 05.05.21)

Election interference:

• A federal judge in Washington accused the Justice Department under Attorney General William Barr of misleading her and Congress about advice he had received from top department officials on whether U.S. President Donald Trump should have been charged with obstructing the Russia investigation. Judge Amy Berman Jackson said in a ruling late May 3 that the Justice Department’s obfuscation appeared to be part of a pattern in which top officials like Barr were untruthful to Congress and the public about the investigation. She ordered that a related memo be released. (The New York Times, 05.05.21)
• The Washington Post and other news outlets have retracted a claim that the FBI warned Rudy Giuliani that he was likely being targeted as part of a Russian disinformation campaign in 2019. In an editor's note, the Post on May 1 said it was retracting a claim that the FBI had warned both Giuliani and right-wing news network OANN about Russian efforts to use them to spread falsehoods. (Business Insider, 05.02.21)

Energy exports from CIS:

• No significant developments.

U.S.-Russian economic ties:

• No significant developments.

U.S.-Russian relations in general:

• U.S. President Joe Biden says he hopes to hold his proposed summit with Putin during his planned trip to Europe in June. "That is my hope and expectation. We're working on it," he said. In separate remarks Biden told reporters May 7 that he wanted to meet Putin despite Russia's build up of military forces near Ukraine. "It does not impact my desire to have a one-on-one meeting and you'll notice he had more troops before. He's withdrawn troops," he said. Russia’s Kommersant daily earlier reported that the White House would propose to the Kremlin that the summit be held on June 15-16. Biden and his advisers would like to add a summit with Putin in a third country while the U.S. president is in Europe in mid-June for a G7 meeting in Britain and talks with NATO allies in Brussels. Switzerland, Finland and Austria have offered up their premier cities as potential venues, according to media reports. Among the possibilities are Reykjavik, Ljubljana and maybe Baku. (Reuters, 05.07.21, Politico, 05.05.21, Russia Matters, 05.05.21, RFE/RL, 05.04.21, The Washington Post, 05.04.21)
• Blinken says Washington wants a stable relationship with Moscow but that will depend on Kremlin policies and how aggressively it decides to act. Speaking on May 3 after meeting with his British counterpart in London, Blinken repeated past statements that the U.S. did not want to escalate tensions with Russia. "President Biden's been very clear for a long time, including before he was president, that if Russia chooses to act recklessly or aggressively, we'll respond," he said. "But we're not looking to escalate: We would prefer to have a more stable, more predictable relationship," he said. "And if Russia moves in that direction, so will we." (RFE/RL, 05.03.21)
• In an interview with RFE/RL, Blinken vowed to stand up “for the right of journalists to do their jobs.” His comments came as RFE/RL finds itself under increasing pressure in Russia, where authorities demand that it identify itself as a “foreign agent” in accordance with legislation that critics say is designed to crack down on independent media and NGOs. (RFE/RL, 05.07.21)
• Putin on May 6 said he supported the idea of a waiver on patent protections for coronavirus vaccines. A campaign to lift patent protections on COVID-19 vaccines picked up steam on May 6, with French, German and EU leadership saying they were ready to discuss a proposal by Biden, before Putin added his support. (AFP, 05.07.21)
• The second round of U.S. sanctions, specifically related to Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny—under rules against the use of chemical weapons—is due early June and could include new penalties against Russian bonds. There are already rumors that the next expansion could bar U.S. financial institutions from the secondary market for ruble-denominated bonds. (The Moscow Times, 04.27.21)
• Russia is already in the process of minimizing any potential damage in the case of being disconnected from international financial instruments, but still regards the risk it may be denied access to the system of interbank payments SWIFT as hypothetical, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. (TASS, 05.03.21)
• Nearly half (44 percent) of respondents of the survey that was carried out by the Latana polling company between February and April in 53 countries said they were concerned that the U.S. threatens democracy in their country; fear of Chinese influence is by contrast 38 percent and fear of Russian influence is lowest at 28 percent. (The Guardian, 05.07.21)

 

II. Russia’s domestic policies

Domestic politics, economy and energy:

• Russia on May 7 confirmed 8,386 new coronavirus cases and 376 deaths, compared with 7,639 new coronavirus cases on May 6, including 2,114 in Moscow. (The Moscow Times, 05.07.21, Reuters, 05.06.21) Here’s a link to RFE/RL’s interactive map of the virus’ spread around the world, including in Russia and the rest of post-Soviet Eurasia. For a comparison of the number and rate of change in new cases in the U.S. and Russia, visit this Russia Matters resource.                    
• Russia recorded more than 460,000 excess deaths during the first 12 months of the coronavirus pandemic, according to analysis of official statistics published by the Rosstat federal statistics agency. In its latest report published April 30, Rosstat data showed 38,000 more people died in March 2021 compared to the same month in 2020—the last time the country reported numbers of deaths close to what would be expected. (The Moscow Times, 05.03.21)
• Russian regulators on May 6 approved Sputnik Light, a single-dose version of the country's Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus. Sputnik Light will be exported “to our international partners to help increase the rate of vaccinations in a number of countries," said Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund. (RFE/RL, 05.07.21)
• The makers of Russia’s third coronavirus vaccine, CoviVak, said their tests of a live polio vaccine for preventing COVID-19 have proven effective. (The Moscow Times, 05.06.21)                       
• Russian scientists and Putin raised objections May 6 after an annual vaccine conference named U.S. pharmaceutical giant Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine the best in the world, edging out competitors including Pfizer-BioNTech and Russia’s Sputnik V. (The Moscow Times, 05.07.21)
• Russia’s central bank on May 4 warned that another wave of coronavirus could “substantially affect” the country’s economic recovery, state media reported. There was a “serious risk” of a continued spread of COVID-19, and the emergence of new mutations resistant to treatment methods, the Bank of Russia said in a report quoted by TASS. (Financial Times, 05.05.21)
• The headline seasonally adjusted IHS Markit Russia Manufacturing PMI registered 50.4 in April, down slightly from 51.1 in March, to signal the slowest improvement in operating conditions across the Russian manufacturing sector in the current four-month sequence of expansion. (bne IntelliNews, 05.04.21)
• Putin has signed into law fines for publishing information and reports from “foreign agent” media without identifying the outlet’s status amid what observers call tightening restrictions on dissent ahead of key elections. (The Moscow Times, 05.03.21)
• Russian lawmakers have proposed banning people linked to terrorist or extremist organizations from running for office ahead of a landmark ruling to outlaw Navalny’s political and activist groups. (The Moscow Times, 05.05.21)
• Amnesty International has re-designated Navalny as a “prisoner of conscience” May 7, months after its controversial move to strip him of the label over his past nationalist and anti-immigrant rhetoric. (The Moscow Times, 05.07.21)                   
• Lawyers of the Team 29 (Komanda 29) judicial group have appealed a decision to restrict the activities of Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK). (RFE/RL, 05.06.21)
• In Russia, only 33 percent think their country is democratic, according to a survey carried out by the Latana polling company between February and April. (The Guardian, 05.07.21)

Defense and aerospace:

• Russia will carry out three tests of Sarmat, its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), this year. Sources from the Russian Defense Ministry and defense industry revealed that the test launches would be performed from a silo at the Plesetsk space center in northwestern Russia. A field at the Kura testing range on Kamchatka will be the target for the first test. One of the three missiles is expected to be fired at its maximum range. (The Guardian, 05.06.21)
• Servicemen of Mongolia's Armed Forces will participate in a military parade in Ulan-Ude in Russia's Trans-Baikal Territory on the occasion of the 76th anniversary of the victory in World War II, the press service of the Russian Eastern Military District said, adding that it will be the first such engagement of Mongolian servicemen. (Interfax, 05.07.21)
• Victory Day is the most important holiday in the country according to 69 percent of Russians. Almost a third of Russian residents will participate in the holiday festivities--parades, wreath-laying ceremonies, processions--on this day, according to the results of a survey conducted by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center published May 7. (TASS, 05.07.21)

Security, law-enforcement and justice:

• Four Russian billionaires and the country’s state-owned energy giant have filed lawsuits against HarperCollins over a book it published last year about the rise of Putin. The legal assault on the book, “Putin’s People,” has come in a flurry of cases brought in the London courts, all within a few weeks of each other, including by Mikhail Fridman, the banking, retail and telecoms tycoon, and Roman Abramovich, the owner of Chelsea football club. (Financial Times, 05.01.21)
• A Moscow court has agreed to hear a libel lawsuit filed by Navalny against Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov over comments he made linking U.S. spies with the jailed opposition politician. (RFE/RL, 05.05.21)

 

III. Russia’s relations with other countries

Russia’s general foreign policy and relations with “far abroad” countries:

• German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said last week that he is opposed to new sanctions on Russia and that they would not help Navalny. (bne IntelliNews, 05.07.21)
• Putin has spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the phone at the initiative of the Israeli side, the Kremlin press service said May 7. The conversation "addressed a number of issues on the global agenda, with emphasis on the Syrian settlement process," it said. Netanyahu "provided information about the contacts held by the Israeli side with representatives of Kyiv," the press service said. It was agreed to continue the dialogue between the security councils, as well as the defense, foreign and economy ministries. (Interfax, 05.07.21)
• Turkey granted emergency use approval on April 30 to Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine as the country entered an 18-day lockdown to contain the country’s worst surge of the pandemic. (The New York Times, 04.30.21)

Ukraine:

• Blinken paid a one-day visit to Ukraine on May 6:
  • Blinken, who is on the first visit to Kyiv by a senior U.S. official from the Biden administration, has called on Russia to cease its "reckless and aggressive actions" against Ukraine. He "strongly" reaffirmed Washington's commitment to "the partnership between our countries, our commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence." (RFE/RL, 05.06.21)
  • Blinken said the Pentagon is "looking at what additional assistance—beyond the very significant assistance that we've already provided, including equipment—would be helpful to Ukraine right now. That’s a very active consideration." (RFE/RL, 05.06.21)
  • The White House has increased its military support to Ukraine, earmarking $440 million this year, slightly less than double what it provided last year. The United States has provided nearly $5 billion in financial, humanitarian and military aid—including lethal, anti-tank weapons—to Ukraine since 2014. (AFP, 05.06.21, RFE/RL, 05.06.21, bne IntelliNews, 05.07.21)
  • Blinken said he had had a "very good, open, direct" conversation with Ukrainian leaders about reforms, but delivered a rebuke by pointedly meeting with anti-corruption activists. Blinken said that Ukraine is "facing aggression from without and from within" Russia as well as "corruption from oligarchs" and vested interests. Blinken went on to implicitly criticize the government for dragging its heels with privatization as well. (bne IntelliNews, 05.07.21)
  • Blinken traveled to Kyiv with Victoria Nuland, Biden’s undersecretary of state for political affairs, who was confirmed by the Senate just a week before the trip, and Philip Reeker, the acting top State Department envoy for European and Eurasian affairs. The Biden administration is committed to ensuring that a country like Ukraine can work to meet those standards required to join NATO, Reeker has said. (Foreign Policy, 05.07.21, Interfax, 05.01.21) 
• Russia has withdrawn only a few thousand troops from the border with Ukraine, senior Biden administration officials said. Senior Defense Department officials said that close to 80,000 Russian troops remained near various strips of the country’s border with Ukraine. Administration officials said they were taking the sustained troop presence at the Ukrainian border as a message from Putin that he could match—and, in fact, dwarf—the number of troops taking part in American and NATO exercises in Europe. (The New York Times, 05.05.21)
  • Russia has withdrawn some of the troops and equipment, but much still remains, posing a serious and immediate threat to Ukraine, Blinken said. "Russia has the capacity on pretty short notice to take further aggressive action, so we're being very vigilant about that...and also making sure that we're helping Ukraine have the means to defend itself," Blinken said. (RFE/RL, 05.06.21)
  • In Brussels, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that "tens of thousands" of Russian troops remained and that they had left heavy weaponry despite some reductions. (AFP, 05.06.21)
  • Zelensky said that Russia had only removed 3,000 to 3,500 troops from Crimea. (AFP, 05.06.21)
• On May 6, two servicemen of the armed forces of Ukraine were killed, and one soldier was seriously wounded in Donbass. A militiaman of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic was killed on May 6. (Interfax, 05.07.21, TASS, 05.05.21)
• Zelensky, at a summit with the presidents of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, said about the importance of supporting Ukraine by European countries in the conditions of the occupation of Crimea and the war in Donbass, since "this is a war in Europe." (Interfax, 05.03.21)
• Russia's Interior Ministry says more than 527,000 people in parts of eastern Ukraine where Moscow-backed separatists are waging a war against Kyiv have been granted Russian citizenship over the past two years. (RFE/RL, 05.02.21) 
• U.S. prosecutors want to scrutinize Rudy Giuliani's communications with Ukrainian officials about the ouster of U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch. (The New York Times, 04.30.21)
• Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba conceded that the Trump years were a “difficult time” for Ukraine. He said Giuliani, who led the charge to fire Yovanovitch, “was definitely playing politics, and he put the situation at risk for Ukraine and for the country’s relationship with Washington.” (Foreign Policy, 05.07.21)
• Ukraine has successfully completed a $1.25 billion Eurobond placement at 6.875 percent maturing in 2029, the Ministry of Finance announced April 30. Reflecting high demand for Ukrainian assets among global investors, the offering attracted over $3.3 billion from 223 investors. (Ukraine Business News, 05.03.21)

Russia's other post-Soviet neighbors:

• Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have completed the withdrawal of their military units from border areas as part of an agreed pullback following a series of deadly clashes last week. (RFE/RL, 05.03.21)
  • Tajik authorities say 19 people were killed and 87 injured in clashes along a disputed segment of the border with Kyrgyzstan last week, in their first official data on the violence. Kyrgyz authorities have said that 36 Kyrgyz citizens died in the skirmishes, while 189 people were injured and 58,000 were evacuated. (RFE/RL, 05.06.21)
• Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmon will discuss issues of strengthening the strategic partnership considering the republic’s chairmanship of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) during talks in Moscow on May 8, the Kremlin press service reported on Friday. (TASS, 05.07.21)
• Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov has signed into law a bill on constitutional amendments approved by a nationwide referendum last month that has been criticized by his opponents as a move to concentrate more powers in his hands. The new constitution reduces the size of parliament by 25 percent to 90 seats and gives the president the power to appoint judges and heads of law enforcement agencies. (RFE/RL, 05.05.21)
• A court in Belarus has sentenced 14 people to prison terms for taking part in "mass disorder" amid nationwide protests against the disputed results of last year’s election. On April 30, a court in the western city of Brest sentenced the defendants to between 5 ½ and 6 ½ years in prison in a widely watched case over their participation in rallies in the city of Pinsk. Most of those sentenced in the Pinsk case were accused of throwing objects at police and destroying property. The Vyasna human rights monitor categorizes the 14 as political prisoners. (RFE/RL, 05.01.21)
• Lawyers have filed a criminal complaint in Germany on behalf of 10 Belarusians alleging that President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has committed crimes against humanity. (RFE/RL, 05.05.21)
• Four associates of Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms for organizing protests against Lukashenko in the southeastern city of Homel. (RFE/RL, 05.04.21)
• Tsikhanouskaya has called for a high-level international conference on resolving the crisis in her country. (RFE/RL, 05.07.21)
• Lukashenko has issued an order to deprive more than 80 former servicemen and law enforcement officers of their ranks accusing them of actions that are “incompatible” with their status, amid an ongoing crackdown on dissent following a disputed election last year. (RFE/RL, 05.04.21)
• SIPRI estimates that from 2011 to 2020 Russia was the largest exporter of major arms to both Armenia and Azerbaijan. It supplied nearly all of Armenia’s major arms during the period and almost two-thirds of Azerbaijan’s. Israel, Belarus and Turkey were, respectively, the second, third and fourth largest suppliers of major arms to Azerbaijan in 2011–20. (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, 04.30.21)
• Latvia has recognized the massacre of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire during World War I as genocide, drawing an angry response from Turkey.  (RFE/RL, 05.07.21)

 

IV. Quoteworthy

• No significant developments.