Is Putin really afraid of Navalny?
Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny hardly poses a serious threat to President Vladimir Putin, but he certainly is a threat to someone powerful in Russia. Although he has been detained at...
Author: Nikola Mikovic
Nikola Mikovic is a Serbian freelance journalist whose work has been published around the world. He covers Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, and political developments in the Balkans.Previously, Nikola was a reporter at the Politika daily newspaper, the oldest such newspaper still in circulation in the Balkans.
The aftermath of the Nagorno-Karabakh war: Russia increasing its role as a peacemaker
Russia keeps pressuring Armenia – Moscow’s nominal ally – to make significant concessions to its archenemy Azerbaijan, months after the two countries ended a 44-day war for control over the...
Why the Kuril Islands matter
The new American administration is expected to pressure Russia to return the Kuril Islands to Japan. Moscow has already started deploying modern sophisticated weapons to the region, while Washington...
Why is Putin’s Eurasian Union so inefficient?
Leaders of Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan recently agreed to deepen their countries’ integrations into the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). Although the member states of this...
Russia’s influence in the Balkans: myths and facts
Russia’s influence in the Balkans is rather limited, despite media exaggeration of Moscow’s role in the region. The Kremlin effectively controls a small portion of the Serbian energy sector, as...
Are Armenia and Azerbaijan heading for full-scale war?
Turkey-backed Azerbaijan and Russia’s ally Armenia are fighting a proxy war over the control of the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Artsakh. Fierce clashes broke out on September...
Will Kyrgyzstan have another “color revolution”?
Kyrgyzstan – a Central Asian country that is seen as Russia’s most loyal nation in the Commonwealth of Independent States, as well as in the Eurasian Economic Union – will hold very uncertain...
What is the price of Russia’s support of Lukashenko?
The tide is turning in relations between Belarus and Russia, as protests against Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko continue while the authorities threaten to take tough new steps against...
Will Russia remain a major player in a post-Lukashenko Belarus?
Only a miracle can save Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko from being overthrown. Nationwide strikes and mass protests have weakened the 66-year-old leader, who still has a certain legitimacy...
What is Russia’s endgame in Belarus?
Russia and the West – partners and rivals at the same time – seem to have the same short-term policy regarding Belarus. According to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, the Kremlin and...