"Eastern " Europe next

 Lithuania’s Defense Ministry advised consumers to throw away their Chinese phones and avoid buying new Chinese produced phones because one version of Xiaomi phone has built-in censorship tools whilea Huawei model has security flaws.

Communist China remains angry that Taiwan  missions in Lithuania are called the Taiwanese Representative Office. Here is a link to an earlier blog with related information on Eastern Europe

oct 12

The Czech Communist party, whose support helped PM Babis keep his majority, failed to enter parliament for the first time since WW2.  Babis, also lost to a center-right coalition fronted by Petr Fiala.

Dec 16, 2021

Belarus gets worse. Sergei Tikhanovsky, a one-time presidential hopeful who was arrested several months before last year’s disputed presidential election, was sentenced to 18 years for organizing mass riots, etc. His wife Svetlana ran in his place, and many said she beat the crowned winner Lukashenko. She fled to Lithuania almost immediately after the election.

Dec 27, 2021

This should make things more interesting with Russia. Ukraine will be able to import 8 million cubic meters of gas from the European market daily via Hungary beginning January 2022.

Jan 4, 2022

While Joe Biden and Germany consider bowing down to Putin, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto argued proposals that Russia gave to the United States and NATO in December to ensure that the alliance did not expand eastward or place mid-range nuclear weapons on its border were "in conflict with the European security order" and challenged Finland's sovereignty.

Jan 20, 2022

 US State Department gave the go-ahead to Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia to send American made missiles and other weapons to Ukraine. Are we using the side door instead of getting directly in Putin's face?

Jan 24, 2022

If you're keeping score on the Ukraine situation:

Germany won't allow Estonia to send German made arms to Ukraine

Vice Admiral Kay-Achim Schönbach stepped down as the head of the German Navy after  stating that Crimea was lost to Ukraine, and we should show Putin more respect

 US State Dept told dependents of staffers at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine that they must leave the country but claimed it wasn't an evacuation. That's Biden-speak 101.

Feb 17, 2022

The US Embassy in Bulgaria blamed supply chain disruptions for the delay in the delivery of the new F-16 fighters, and claimed the USA remains committed to the modernization of Bulgaria's armed forces. Something is fishy about the timing of this statement and "supply chain" remains a convenient alibi these days whether it's valid or not.

Feb 18, 2022

I'm trying to get some background on the Ukraine situation and Putin's push to return to one Russia.  Some Ukrainian and Belarusian historians view Rus from the 11th and 12th centuries as no more than a ‘union of monarchs’, a loose collection of warring principalities.

Feb 26, 2022

History: The sack of Kiev in 1169 by the ‘northern’ party was a deeply symbolic act, deliberately designed to undermine the city’s sacred status.

March 12, 2022

I'm trying to catch up on Ukraine, particularly Kiev. The Mongols sacked Kiev in 1240 and remained a force there until the 15th century.  

Most Russians consider the idea of Kiev as the ‘mother of Russian cities’ as central to their understanding of their origins as a nation.

March 19, 2022

Meanwhile, residents of northern Greece travel en masse to Bulgaria for gasoline and groceries, because they can't stand the prices at home.

May 1, 2022

Solzhenitsyn(1918-2008) became Putin's buddy in the 2000s.  He criticized Alexander I for failing to press home Russia’s decisive advantage after the defeat of Napoleon in 1812, and regain Galicia, which is now southeastern Poland and western Ukraine.

June 18, 2022

Russia's war in the Ukraine has leaders exploring eastern Europe for answers. Macron sees little chance of an agreement with Russia to get grain out the Ukrainian port of Odessa, but plans are in the works to regenerate rail routes linking Odessa to the Danube River in Romania as an alternative.

June 23, 2022

Finland did not abolish military conscription for males as many other western nations did after the end of the Cold War and claims it 's prepared to fight Russia. Ain't the first time! They fought two wars in the 1940s against its eastern neighbor, with which it shares an 810-mile border. 

June 26, 2022

 Toblerone can no longer call its chocolate bar Swiss because it's adding a plant in Slovakia, and it will not be exclusively made in Switzerland. It's changing its design to say originated in Switzerland.

July 20, 2022

Belgium has gone through many phases, including periods of neutrality, since 1830 when it declared independence from Netherlands.  USA State Department green-lighted the potential sale of F-16 sustainment and related equipment worth $127 million to Belgium.

July 26, 2022

"The Russian troops who were in Belarus in February under the guise of a so-called 'training exercise' have not left our territory." Max, is a member a network of Belarusian opposition activists in Ukraine, who view their temporary new home as the perfect base to continue the fight against Putin and Lukashenko.

Aug 20, 2022

 USA will give the Czech Republic eight Bell military helicopters for free, and the Czech defense minister said it was recognition of the NATO country's aid to Ukraine. I know the world has changed since my youth during the cold war days, but it's a headline I'd never thought I'd see.

Sept 18, 2022

Poland’s top leaders celebrated the opening yesterday of a new canal that will mean ships no longer must secure Russia’s permission to sail from the Baltic Sea to the ports of the Vistula Lagoon. The canal is not quite finished but should give Poland full sovereignty in the northeastern region and encourage development of a region that borders Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave.

The intersystem gas connection Greece-Bulgaria will begin operation on October 1, and the planned initial capacity of the interconnector is 3 billion cubic meters per year.

Oct 7, 2022

In the recent parliamentary elections in Bulgaria 87,378 voters chose "I do not support anyone".

Nov 17, 2022

Austria and Hungary pledged to help Serbia organize deportations by plane of people who come to the Balkan nation from so-called safe countries of origin and aren't eligible for asylum in the EU or in Serbia. The migrants come into Serbia from North Macedonia and Bulgaria after arriving there from Turkey and Greece. 

Dec 28, 2022

Not surprising but noteworthy: A Minsk court sentenced in absentia former Olympic swimmer Aliaksandra Herasimenia to 12 years in prison for public calls to commit actions aimed at causing harm to the national security of Belarus. And it also ordered the seizure of Herasimenia's apartment, her car, and $48,700 in her bank accounts.

Jan 15, 2023

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Surva, a festival held every January in the village of Kosharevo, Bulgaria, is a mixture of Christian and pagan rituals that can be traced back to Thracian times. Revellers dress in red, some wearing huge masks and belts strung with large copper bells, dance around a fire on the main square to drive away evil spirits and bring in good health and crops for the New Year.  

Jan 30, 2023

After the Soviet-Yugoslavia split in the late 1940s, Albania and Bulgaria were the main conduits the USSR used to funnel funds to the communists in Greece.

Feb 19, 2023

In April 2022 in response to the massacre of civilians by Russian troops in Ukraine, the Lithuanian Art Creators' Association called for an embargo on Russian culture and art in Lithuania until the end of the war in Ukraine. I get the anger but don't see how it's made you safer and rejecting the existence of Russian art doesn't mean it vanishes from the planet.

March 2, 2023

Someone painted the Russian flag on the base of the Little Mermaid sculpture which is displayed on a rock by the waterside at the Langelinie promenade in Copenhagen, Denmark. How did no one witness the vandal at play?

April 3, 2023

In Finland the Conservative National Coalition party emerged victorious with 20.7 percent, In second place the nationalist Finns party with 20.1 percent, and PM Sanna Marin's Social Democrats garnered 19.9 percent. All of this as Finland prepares to join NATO.

April 7, 2023

Azerbaijan expelled four Iranian diplomats this week. Back in January Azerbaijan closed its embassy in Tehran after its head of security was killed in an attack and then last week opened an embassy in Israel.

April 16, 2023

Western Bosnia was called Ottoman Croatia in the 1600s.

April 22, 2023

I missed this story from late 2022. American combat drones are deployed at the air base in the Greek city of Larissa. The base is used for training NATO pilots. 

May 3, 2023

Just a reminder of why Denmark is important: It controls the entrance to the Baltic Sea, and will likely play an important strategic role in a potential military conflict with Russia as a transit point for NATO reinforcements.  Hence, Denmark's intelligence service expects Russia to recruit civilians and use journalists, business executives, etc, to spy on the country as an alternative to Russian diplomats who were expelled last year. Will headlines be borrowing from Shakespeare? "There's something rotten in the state of Denmark."

May 27, 2023

I've been reading a history of Romania book and am shaking my head at this ruling. ECHR ruled Romania must legalize same-sex civil unions. Orthodox religions in Romania survived decades of Communism, let's see how they handle extreme secularists.

 Increasing signs of jihadist groups plotting possible attacks in Europe, including in the Netherlands.  Let's not get too consumed with the Ukraine.

June 15, 2023

UDMR's ethnic Hungarian party is quitting Romania's governing coalition in a row over cabinet posts. It has served as a bridge between the coalition's main two parties, the leftist Social Democrats and the center-right Liberals. Hungarians have a long, sometimes testy history in Romania.

June 29, 2023

Morocco and Turkey are upset that a Swedish court gave an Iraqi refugee permission to burn some pages of the Koran outside Stockholm's central mosque. It's a part of freedom which ain't always pretty.

Sept 19, 2023

Bulgarian Beekeepers are pissed: Ukrainian and Chinese honey are marketed as Bulgarian honey.

Oct 16, 2023

Romania is moving its air defense closer to its Danube border due to Russian drone parts landing there.

Also, the deployment of four additional US F-16 fighter jets and an expanded no-fly zone, are signs of growing concern in Romania that the war in Ukraine could spill over into its territory.

Oct 21, 2023

Germany pushed Bulgaria to declare a token war on the USA and UK in December 1941, and Sofia was bombed by the Allies in January 1944.

Jan 9, 2024

Bulgaria and Romania will enter the Schengen via Air and Sea in 2024 - no additional refugee-related conditions from Syria and Afghanistan.

The goal is to ease travel for citizens and the strengthened internal markets within the Schengen area.

Jan 21, 2024

Shakespeare's comment on rot in Demark resonates a little more while reading about the Vikings: Norway-Demark-England battles.

Sure feels like being King was the main reason for living.

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Ergodan and his Ottoman Empire wishes

 #ergodan is all over the world news  while ignoring his  receding popularity at home in Turkey. He's pushing lasting peace on ethnically divided Cyprus is through the international community’s acceptance of two separate states which the EU opposes. Also, Greek Cypriots object to Turkey's demand for a permanent military presence on the island because it would likely turn the island into Ankara's “protectorate".

Next he expects the USA to meet "conditions" which include financial, logistical, and diplomatic support, so that Turkey can run and guard Kabul's airport while other foreign troops leave Afghanistan.

Other example of Ergodan's behavior over the years can be found here: Ergodan-Orwellian

july 22, 2021

Ergodan inflamed the situation more by taking step to open the ghost town of Varosha in defiance of UN resolutions.

Aug 3, 2021

In an earlier blog I mentioned that convicted Turkish crime boss Sedat Peker accused Soylu, the Turkish IM, of tipping off #Korkmaz  to the criminal investigation against him. Korkmaz, who was tight with Erdogan’s son-in-law Berat Albayrak, is in a Vienna, Austria jail, awaiting his fate in an extradition battle between the U.S. and Turkey which involves allegations of laundering proceeds from a U.S. renewable-energy tax credit fraud.

Aug 12, 2021

While #Ergodan has been busy trying to be a world leader, an internal refugee problem has  grown rapidly. There are 3.7 million Syrian refugees in Turkey, and last night shops and homes of Syrians were smashed in  Ankara. Meanwhile Afghan refugees are arriving in eastern Turkey from Iran.

Aug 13, 2021

Greece continues to raise pressure on aid groups that help asylum seekers, accusing them of involvement in trafficking. Plus, they designated Turkey as a safe country for five nationalities of migrants—Somali, Bangladeshi, Afghan, Pakistani and Syrian—which means that they should seek asylum there and making it nearly impossible for them to qualify for asylum in Greece. #Ergodan can't be happy.

August 27, 2021

And the world gets wackier: The Taliban asked #ergodan for assistance in running Kabul airport claiming , 'We'll ensure security and you can operate it'. But Ergodan has  not made a decision yet.

Sept 20, 2021

Turkey has technicians working at the Kabul airport  alongside a Qatari team and hopes to extend its influence through its ties with Qatar and Pakistan . However, if Turkish population starts seeing the bodies of dead Turkish soldiers, Ergodan's dash to be a world leader may crash. He's at the UN this week and is hoping for a chat with Biden while in the USA.

Oct 5, 2021

Did #Ergodan turn a blind eye? Israel accused Iran of plotting to kill Israelis in Cyprus after police in Nicosia arrested  #Azeria , a 38-year-old who used a Russian passport to cross from Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus.  He had a gun with a silencer in his car.

Oct 15, 2021

USA forces will have access to four additional military bases in Greece under the new expansion of a defense cooperation agreement signed yesterday by the two. Our troops won't be far from Turkey. I'm sure Ergodan sees his dream of being a local super power vanishing.

Oct 23, 2021

FATF,  a global finance watchdog  added Turkey to its list of countries requiring special regulatory oversight for failing to stop money laundering and terrorist financing. Turkey joins a group of 23 countries on the list, including Zimbabwe, Haiti and Syria. The so-called gray-listing of Turkey will likely spur an exodus of money out of the country as the money boys are forced to reassess their exposures.

Nov 12, 2021

It didn't take long for Ergodan to respond to pressure from Putin and the EU. Turkey banned people from Syria, Iraq, and Yemen from flying out of Turkish airports to Belarus because of the migrant crisis at the Belarus/Poland border.

Iraq is organizing repatriation flights for Iraqi nationals from Belarus.

Dec 4, 2021

Ergodan continues to justify his low interest-Lira killing financial mismanagement with Islamic doctrines forbidding usury.

Dec 28, 2021

Shoppers from Bulgaria and Greece flooded into Turkey last week to go on holiday shopping sprees due to the country's declining lira currency. Meanwhile, Turks wait for bread in long lines in the cold. Ergodan refuses to raise interest rate to deal with skyrocketing inflation.

Feb 27, 2022

What is this?  Erdogan, Putin's home boy, called for an immediate halt of Russian attacks and the start of ceasefire negotiations. He has some options, but does he only exert power against journalists who disagree with him in print.

 The 1936 Montreux Convention granted Turkey control over the Dardanelles and Bosphorus straits that connect the Mediterranean and Black seas and could limit the passage of warships during wartime.

However, Russia had the right under Montreux to return ships to its home base.

March 13, 2022

Seven months later and they're still haggling over who's running the Kabul airport. Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu said  talks with the Taliban on operating the  airport were still underway, a day after he met acting Afghan Foreign Minister Muttaqi in southern Turkey.

April 19, 2022

So some folks expect Turkey to play peacemaker in the Russia/Ukraine war? Turkey has conducted numerous cross-border aerial and ground operations against the PKK over the past decades. Their latest offensive focuses on the Kurds in northern Iraq’s Metina, Zap, and Avashin-Basyan regions.

May 18, 2022

Erdogan claims that Turkey will not approve Finland and Sweden in their bids to join NATO, calling Sweden a "hatchery" for terrorist organizations, and adding it had terrorists in its parliament. He's seeking to repatriate people he alleges have links to Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and also followers of Gulen, whom Ankara accuses of orchestrating a 2016 coup attempt.

May 26, 2022

Syria's foreign ministry considers any Turkish military incursions into its territory as "war crimes and crimes against humanity." Erdogan plans on creating safe zones 20 miles beyond its southern borders to combat Kurdish armed groups in northern Syria. I'm sure Putin has no time to deal with this problem between his buddies.

June 17, 2022

Turkey jailed 16 Kurdish journalists over propaganda charges. Ergodan must be in top 5 in clamping down on the press, and he's the one tying up Finland and Sweden's bids to join NATO.

June 22, 2022

Turkey/Saudi Arabia: Restrictions on trade, flights and the screening of TV series, with mutual negative media coverage also halted. That's a chilly comment on media coverage.

July 25, 2022

Militarizing the Greek islands in the eastern Aegean is prohibited under the Treaty of Lausanne agreed to in 1923 and the Treaty of Paris in 1947. Ergodan has been whining about violations. Greek authorities claim that its military is in the area to prevent Turkish ships from approaching the Greek coast. It wouldn't surprise me if Ergodan fancies himself as being a mini-Putin.

Aug 24, 2022

Shortly before Erdogan stated it's mandatory for Russia to return Crimea to Ukraine, Russian FM Sergey Lavrov stated, during a meeting with his Syrian counterpart in Moscow, that any new Turkish operations in Syria are unacceptable. One needs a scorecard to keep track of the Turk/Rusky relationship.

Sept 4, 2022

Semra Guzel, an elected member of the Turkish Parliament, was detained in Istanbul on Friday and a court ruled late on Saturday to jail her pending trial 

Veysi Eski, a lawyer for Guzel, said 

"A person visiting an acquaintance in the organization (PKK) camp does not in and of itself constitute the crime of membership of (a terrorist) organization." A photo of the visit pre-dates her election to office.

Oct 2, 2022

Ergodan is a sensitive leader who has initiated around 200,000 legal proceedings claiming defamation of his character since 2014.  His latest complaint is against Wolfgang Kubicki, vice president of Germany's lower parliamentary chamber, for calling him a sewer rat. Kubicki noted that sewer rats are cute, but also "clever and devious.".

Oct 18, 2022

 "Remember Izmir," Ergodan, the war hawk recently said, referring to the coastal region of Turkey that the Greek army occupied a century ago until the Turks took it over. Many of the remaining Christians fled or were transferred to Greece under the terms of the 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey.

Nov 21, 2022

Turkey launched air strikes in northern Syria and Iraq, hitting Kurdish posts and Syrian army positions, while Iran attacked Kurdish towns in northern Iraq. Is Ergodan getting tighter with mullahs in his pursuit of a new Ottoman Empire? His buddy Putin is kind of busy with Ukraine.

Dec 2, 2022

You just knew this was coming thanks to Ergodan's bombing attacks on the Kurds. The Syrian Democratic Forces, a U.S.-backed group that battles Islamic State jihadists in Syria, has stopped all joint counter-terrorism operations as a result of Turkish bombardment on its area of control.

Dec 20, 2022

 Sweden's Supreme Court blocked the extradition of Bulent Kenes, a Turkish journalist, because it viewed the coup allegations by Turkey as being in part related to a political crime and there was a risk of persecution based on his political views. This could end Sweden's bid to join NATO.

Jan 14, 2023

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu claims that Sweden "cannot escape its responsibilities" by only condemning the hanging in effigy of Ergodan.  Hey Cavusoglu, Sweden isn't a dictatorship like Turkey.

Feb 2, 2023

 Turkey slammed Germany, the Netherlands, and Great Britain for temporarily closing down their consulates in Istanbul over possible retaliatory attacks for Quran-burning incidents in parts of Europe. Turkish authorities claim they haven't found any weapons, ammunition, or signs of a planned violent acts.

Feb 10, 2023

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the head of the main opposition Republican People’s Party, said shoddy construction contributed to the high casualty toll from the earthquakes in Turkey. And access to Twitter in Turkey was temporarily restricted. Ergodan can't stomach anything resembling free speech.

March 9, 2023

Five women protesting on Women's Day were detained in Istanbul for walking down the street with signs. Ergodan is clueless.

April 15, 2023

Ergodan's government on a burnt a copy of the Koran and the Turkish flag in front of the Turkish embassy in Copenhagen."It is unacceptable to allow these vile attacks under the pretext of freedom of expression, despite all our warnings,"  Please look up the definitions of freedom and of sovereignty.

May 15, 2023

 It's likely that Turkey is headed toward a May 28 presidential H2H runoff since Ergodan didn't make it to 50%. Erdogan 49.6% , Kemal Kilicdaroglu 44.7%.

June 9, 2023

Turkish lira plunges as Erdogan starts another presidential term, and the Swedes bow down to him and will send Kurds back to Turkey. Crazy world!

July 14, 2023

Sweden's Supreme Court blocked the extradition of two Turks that Ergodan claims are terrorists, which may put Sweden 's NATO bid on hold again.

Aug 19, 2023

Turks threaten UN peacekeepers in Cyprus.  US Navy Nam vet told me years ago: being sent to Cyprus after serving in Nam was a nightmare- you got it from all sides.

Oct 2, 2023

Turkey bombed suspected PKK terrorists in Bradost region of Iraq yesterday. Ergodan does what he wants!

Oct 5, 2023

US F-16 warplanes shot down a Turkish drone in Syria. Ergodan, the Emperor!

Nov 13, 2023

Turkey sent 3K Afghans back to Kabul in past 20 days. Iran and Pakistan have intensified similar deportation operations.

Dec 10, 2023

 Erdogan made his first visit to Athens in six years last week. Greece be wary!

After a war lasted eight and a half years between 1821 and 1829, the Greeks won their freedom from Turkish rule.

Feb 27, 2024

Turkey will help defend Somalia's long coastline by helping to rebuild Somalian  naval forces and Ethiopia ain't happy. It's been trying to gain access to the Red Sea via formal recognition of Somaliland, a breakaway state.

March 5, 2024

Turkey's Dortyol terminal, a key Mediterranean oil hub, will cease accepting Russian oil imports. Maybe it's the USA sanctions, maybe a bluff?

April 1, 2024

Not fooling! CHP retained Ankara and gained 15 other mayoral seats in cities in Turkey yesterday. Big losses for Ergodan's AKP. Wonder if he blames the Kurds?

July 1, 2024

 Erdogan, a supporter of Hamas,  has banned pride marches in Turkey since 2015, citing security reasons. He did it again yesterday. I wonder if Ivy League schools noticed.

July 4, 2024

Turkey closed its main border crossings in northwest Syria after an exchange between its troops and Syrian protesters. 4 people dead.

July 30, 2024

Ergodan will probably smuggle weapons and transfer money in order to purchase weapons, but will he send Turkish soldiers to invade Israel?  50/50!

Sept 19, 2024

Noticed this headline "Can Turkey mediate in Gaza?" and LOL Ergodan is not the guy for this task.

Oct 10, 2024

Ozgur Ozel, leader of the CHP, dismissed Ergodan's talk on Israel possibly attacking Turkey as a way to deflect Turks from focusing on domestic woes such as unemployment, inflation, etc.

Oct 12, 2024

Ergodan  imposed anti-dumping duties on some steel imports including on his buddy Putin: Duties ranging from 6.10% to 43.31%  will hit China, Russia, India, and Japan. 

October 26, 2024

Gulen(83), the founder of the Hizmet movement, died at home in Pennsylvania on Sunday. Ergodan can relax.😉😉

Nov 13, 2024

 Erdogan says UN and Western values are ‘dying’ in Gaza. Beyond funny this coming from Ergodan.

Tito marches onward in 2020

 Bulgaria blocked  the Republic of North Macedonia’s EU Accession yesterday, in part because it does not recognize their language as Macedonian and suggests it's a dialect of Bulgarian .

 This can be linked back to strong feelings in the area that the Macedonian nation and language was engineered by Yugoslavian communists in the late 1940’s to legitimize Marshal Tito’s claims over the northern Greek province of Macedonia, and to also weaken demands for unification with Bulgaria.

More about  Tito

Nov 8

   American dollars and  the Greek Communists siding with Stalin over Tito were major factors that led to the end of Yugoslavia's support for the Greek communist guerrillas during the Greece civil war in the late 1940s.

Dec 22, 2020

Watch out for #ergodan  who has claimed that all former Ottoman Empire countries, including  Bulgaria, are an area of ​​interest for Turkey.  Borissov, the Bulgarian PM, and  Germany’s Angela Merkel were instrumental in blocking efforts to impose sanctions on Turkey at the  December 10-11 EU summit.

Jan 21, 2021

Five citizens of Egypt, who entered Croatia illegally and without personal documents,  were deported and the EU will pay the bill. I'm stunned.

Feb 2, 2021

RIP #MiraFurlan , Croatian emigre who starred in 'Babylon 5' and 'Lost'.   She was labeled a national traitor when she fled Croatia in the early 1990s. They took her apartment in Zagreb,  and she engaged in a successful 17-year legal battle to re-acquire it.

Feb 16, 2021

Netherlands will pay members of a Dutch UN battalion that failed to prevent the massacres of Bosniaks from Srebrenica in 1995, and is also working on compensation to the relatives of those who had taken refuge at the #Dutchbat base, but were massacred. This is making me dizzy.

March 6, 2021

While reading an editorial on how many folks in Croatia view any connection to Tito's Yugoslavia as a negative, I found  some basketball news that had slipped my mind. Croatian basketball legends Drazen Petrovic, Toni Kukoc, and Dino Radja were groomed in the Yugoslav school of basketball. 

March 19, 2021

As of March 2021 the OECD claims that Slovenian authorities hadn’t penalized any individuals or companies for foreign bribery violations since 1999. That's wild.

April 1, 2021

No fooling: North Macedonia stunned four-time world champions Germany 2-1 in a 2022 World Cup qualifier.  They're second in Group J  with six points, three points behind Armenia and tied with Germany.

April 9, 2021

I missed this news item from two weeks ago:  USA provided 29 new Humvees  to assist in the transition of Albania’s 2nd infantry battalion from a light infantry battle group to a motorized infantry battle group ahead of upcoming military exercises in southeastern Europe.

May 13, 2021

#RadovanKaradzic , the former Bosnian Serb leader convicted of genocide during the conflict in the former Yugoslavia, will be transferred from a detention center in the Netherlands to a British jail to serve the rest of his life sentence.

 Former Bosnian-Serb general Radislav Krstic was stabbed by three Muslim prisoners at Wakefield jail in England in 2010  in apparent retaliation for Srebrenica and moved to a prison in Poland in 2014.

July 28, 2021

 Milorad Dodik, the Serb member of Bosnia's joint presidency,  slammed the decision by UN High Representative to Bosnia ,Valentin Inzko."We will not live in a country where someone can impose a law by simply publishing it on his website."  Pretty scary when a UN Envoy can overrule Parliament and outlaw the denial of the Srebrenica massacre.

This restriction of speech will inflame tensions. Deniers may be incorrect but still have a right to express their opinions

sept 2, 2021

Beaches along Croatia’s Adriatic Sea coastline are swarming with people. What pandemic?

March 15, 2022

And it goes on and on:  Kushtrim Hodaj from the Police Inspectorate in Kosovo said they arrested 48 policemen and two customs officers believed to have taken bribes for allowing illegal goods entering at border crossings with Albania.

April 1, 2022

Just a reminder on NATO and the use of air support. On March 24, 1999 NATO began bombing these targets in Yugoslavia: Belgrade, Pristina in Kosovo, Podgorica in Montenegro. The major reason given was the Serbs ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. 

April 12, 2021

 Kucova, formerly named Stalin City, is being transformed into a modern NATO airbase as a part of Albania's westward shift.

Oct 11, 2022

A reminder from the grave: “I am the leader of one country which has two alphabets, three languages, four religions, five nationalities, six republics, surrounded by seven neighbors, a country in which live eight ethnic minorities.”

― Josip Broz Tito

October 23, 2022

In November 1975 Frank Zappa played a few shows in Tito's Yugoslavia with a five-piece band that included bassist Roy Estrada and drummer Terry Bozzio. 

 Recordings from these shows are not pristine and have been pieced together from obscure Eastern European technology. 

Nov 12, 2022

 In 1920 Mussolini, who was not in power at the time, stated that “When dealing with such a race as Slavic – inferior and barbarian – we must not pursue the carrot, but the stick policy."

  While in exile, Ante Pavelić, a Croatian, formed relationships with Italian fascists, and even went to Germany to meet with Nazi leaders. By 1940, he was a puppet leader for the Italians in parts of Yugoslavia.

Jan 4, 2022

Mussolini's forces overthrew King Zog of Albania in 1939. After WW2, Tito’s right-hand men, Gilas, and Kardelj, stated that their duty was to “get rid of the Italians in any way”.

May 20, 2023

In 1946 the Allies split up village of Miren, 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) south of Gorizia. About 80% to Italy, 20% to Yugoslavia. The border wall went straight through the cemetery, chopping graves in half. In 1975, this goofiness was resolved through minor land swaps. All of Miren cemetery is now within Slovenia.

Sept 2, 2023

Cultivating cannabis for medicinal purposes benefits foreign entrepreneurs, not Albanian citizens. Red tape costs.

Oct 3, 2023

Tito died in 1980. Croats, Bosnians, etc, describe themselves, as "Yugo-nostalgics".

May 14, 2024

Mussolini felt that it was only the personality of King Alexander that was holding Yugoslavia together and preventing Italy from annexing certain regions of Yugoslavia without fear of reprisal from France.

Ustase assassinated him in 1934 and the new government in Yugoslavia moved closer to the Axis powers.

 

Mother Russia, it's a Pussy Riot

An early NYE toast to Alyokhina, 25, and Tolokonnikova, 24,
the two gals  from the band Pussy Riot who upon their release from prison immediately spit venom back at Putin, the grand warden of Russia.

Officially branded hooligans for daring to criticize Putin and trying to perform in a Russian Orthodox Church, they may not always have a consistent message but they got guts.

Rebels cuz they gotta be

link

12/31/13

I disagree with this move

"We're not going to give shows," Alyokhina said. "We're just not interested."      Giving press conferences ain't enough.

1/1/14

Will Putin try to link the girls with the Chechen terrorists?

1/18/14

Putin says gays are welcome at the Socho Olympics but don't get too close to kids. Will the PR gals  have something to stay?

1/24/14

PR is coming to Barclays in Brooklyn for an Amnesty Intl benefit. Wonder if they try to stay?

2/4/14

Putin may have forgotten the girls with Ukraine erupting and the Socho Olympics starting

2/6/14

Putin's plate is full with Sochi debacle & Ukraine protests. Maybe he should put his shirt back on?

2/18/14

Putin's punks detained the PR  girls for  awhile in Sochi yesterday

2/20/14

Putin punks whipping the PR girls in Sochi

2/22/14

Yanu fled Kiev yesterday. Maybe the PR girls should cover "Little runaway"  as a tribute? 

2/24/14

Now Yanu  may be arrested and was apparently detained at the border. Crazy few week in the Ukraine

2/25/14

Most of the world saw the PR girls hassled by the cops. Granted, the girls go out of their way for attention, but this comment from the Russian deputy prime minister Dmitry Kozak  is laughable. 

"They had been searching for it for some time and finally they had this conflict with local inhabitants."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26303859

3/3/14

Yanu isn't well liked by Putin- I wonder how long he survives.

3/15/14

Ok PR girls can you stop  Putin's takeover of Crimea cuz the the USA & Europe can't.

4/16/14

Did the PR girls stay in Brooklyn while Putin remains on the warpath?

5/7/14

The two PR girls  tells members of Congress that Putin resumed abusing prisoners, including using mandatory psychiatric treatment for some

5/19/14

Putin tells his troops to pull back from the eastern Ukraine border for the third time but still no decisive movement. I wonder if he forgeot to run this through channels or he's lying to the world.

5/27/14

Porshenko, an experienced politician,currently unaffiliated to any of the country's political parties, sounds level headed. Can he lead Ukraine out of it's mess.

5/29/14

Hey Putin maybe Snowden can  help the Ukraine?

7/11/14

Russian Parliament gets its own social network. Amusing quote at the article's end  MP 

"That's right, the ruling elite needs to be separated from the impoverished people on the web, too," said Sandy Moustache, a political satire account.

7/13/14

Putin forgave Cuba's debt then signed a series of agreements on nuclear energy in Argentina. And Russia will host the 2018 World Cup

7/3014

Edward Snowden's  term end in Russia on July 31. Will they renew. Linked a German perspective
German view

8/7/14

Russia extends Snowden' s stay for three years.

8/22/14

Iraq, Syria, Ferguson, MO - meanwhile the Putin /Ukraine mess is re-heating

9/3/14

Too bad Snowden can't/won't tell the truth about Putin

9/16/14

Is he a whore?

(Reuters) - Former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden could be granted safe passage in Switzerland if he helped a potential criminal inquiry into U.S. spying there, the Swiss public prosecutor's office said on Monday.

9/17/14

Syria's longtime protector Russia hasn't said much about ISIS. Are they AWOL?  or letting us do all the work again?

10/21/14

I haven't let the Cold War grow. Is a Russian sub stirring the waters off the coast of Sweden? Putin plays ?

11/14/14

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alekhina  landed in London to continue the fight against the Putin propaganda machine. Also, they are  suing Russia in ECHR- good luck collecting

12/11/14

Russia is stepping up interest rates  and  military activity in the Baltic

12/27/14

from BBC:

In a separate development, the world's two largest credit and debit card companies, Visa and Mastercard, said on Friday they could no longer support bank cards being used in Crimea, following fresh US sanctions imposed this month.

1/15/15 

West looks to bulgaria in on-going battle with russia. link

2/2/15

Meanwhile Putin will visit Hungary a day after Merkel. quite an interesting game Hungary plays. link
has this great quote:

Endre Ady, one of Hungary's best modern poets, depicted his motherland in 1905 as a "ferry-country", constantly travelling from East to West, "though preferring the return journey"

2/17/15

These Hungarian protestors  are smart but will their leaders listen. link

 "Putin Nyet (No), Europe Yes".

2/28/15

Putin taking personal control of the investigation so it will go nowhere or frame an innocent person. link

 A leading Russian opposition politician, former Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov, has been shot dead in Moscow, Russian officials say.

3/16/15

Where is Putin? He hasn't been seen in public in a month.

4/10/15

How much is Putin helping Iran? just saying

4/16/15

UK jets intercepted more than 100 Russian aircraft last year, according to the British Defence Ministry.

8/2/15

Did the Cold War end? Russians keep probing NATO airspace.  link

British planes were scrambled after Nato radar picked up incoming Russian fighter jets over the Baltic.

9/3/15

Snowden is traveling virtually.   snowden

Edward Snowden to make virtual return to Hong Kong for top-secret investor conference speech

9/28/15

Putin's 'nice guy" tour begins. He!! he's doing whatever he wants so why not?

10/1/15

Too bad Snowden can't leak any Russian documents today.

1/2/16

 Getting a taste of how brutal parts of the former USSR  are reading Callaghan's A Killing Winter  about fictional inspector Borubaev in Kyrgyzstan.

1/15/16

Haven't heard much from Snowden - how's Russia working for you now?

1/27/16

Russia steps into the Colgne, Germany rape   nightmare after a 13 year-old Russian immigrant girl was allegedly raped by  Mideast immigrants. Putin is everywhere. link

2/23/16

U.S. stationing tanks and artillery in classified Norwegian caves. Are we waking up? Russia shares a 121.6-mile long border with Norway.

3/9/16

Russia looks out for journalists when  it suits them.  Nadia Savchenko denies directing artillery fire at the Russian journalists in June 2014. nadia

3/11/16

Putin's friends  and associates: lesin

 Mikhail Lesin was found dead in a room at the Dupont Circle hotel in Washington DC last 

November

3/15/16

 Russian forces have started leaving Syria after Monday's surprise withdrawal announcement by President Vladimir Putin. Not sure what's up Putin's sleeve?

5/16/16

Call me stunned : Obama is waking up??? 

The US on Thursday activated the estimated $800m missile shield in Deveselu, southern Romania.Nato says the base is aimed at potential threats from the Middle East.

8/15/16

Stalin & Lenin are grinning in their graves at Putin's latest internal move. This is how he fired one of "closest" allies. “I respect your desire to move to another line of work,” Mr. Putin said. The president appointed Mr. #Ivanov a special representative for transport and environmental issues.

10/12/16

Go #borisjohnson who'd  "like to see" a protest of #russia  for its bombings of the Syrian city of Aleppo,

10/30/16

While #Hillary blames her cyber woes on Putin, Russia's neighbors are preparing for  invasion. Last year #Lithuania announced it would re-introduce conscription for men aged 19-26. and has recently updated its civil defense booklet.

12/8/16

Ok  #pussyriot, who has released  some videos filled with dread about a Trump Presidency. Trump will not be allowed to rule like Putin and unleash stormtroopers at will. 

12/14/16

This is going to get uglier. Russia will likely appeal. Dutch court

"An Amsterdam court has ruled that ancient treasures on loan to a Dutch museum should be handed to Ukraine and not the Crimea museums they came from.......As Crimea was not a sovereign state, the court ruled that it was for Ukraine to decide where the collection should go."

3/29/17

I'm not  buying #schumer 's version of Putin's focus on the USA November 2016 election, but it appears that his focus on the Ukraine and  Syria may be affecting him at home. Tens of thousands of Russians took to the streets on Sunday March 27 to protest against government corruption  Don't know if #pussyriot made an appearance.

4/4/17

Sardonic warning: It took a terrorist attack in St Petersburg, Russia  to give Soros'  well paid crew proof that Trump and Putin are working together. White House statement: "Both President #Trump and President #Putin agreed that terrorism must be decisively and quickly defeated," 

5/4/17

Does Turkey, or should I say Ergodan, get along with anybody? Will they kiss and makeup with Russia? #ergodan and #putin are meeting in  #Sochi to discuss Turkish tariffs on Russian products and Russia's protection of #assad in Syria. 

5/6/17

Russia's telecoms watchdog has blocked China's WeChat- wonder what has #putin put out

5/22/17

#Montenegro is joining  #Nato and #Russia is snarling in the same manner it did with #Ukraine a few years a go. From the Russian Foreign Ministry:

 "We reserve the right to take steps aimed at defending our interests and national security."

6/1/17

#Putin thinks that elements of a U.S. anti-missile system being built in Alaska and South Korea are a challenge to Russia? Is the alleged #trump #putin Bromance over?

7/28/17

I can only laugh at a Newsweek report that Russia’s security services are accusing#Ukrainian spies of trying to recruit Crimeans to ruin the tourist season in #Crimea.

9/12/17

Flashing a mirror at #russia and sadly LOL at this: Russia urges U.S. to start finding way to resolve problems......

11/8/17

#catalonia: Does #Russia, everyone's boogeyman, have a point on the #eu who have ignored Madrid's violent actions against voters who took part in the independence referendum but weren't as quiet about Yanukovych's  crackdown in the #Ukraine on the pro-European protests of 2013 and 2014.

12/14/17

#putin thinks the #usa is too tough on #northkorea- then you should work with China and shut down the fatboy.  He blames the USA for the Olympics ban- maybe you should get your jocks to take less dope. 

1/5/18

 In non -dossier news: #Ukraine agreed to release 306 prisoners in exchange for 74 being held by pro-Russian separatists.

2/23/18: Russain blow in Argentina:  860 pounds of cocaine seized at #Russian Embassy in #BuenosAires Argentina

2/28/18  

Upcoming tour promotion or  did #fsb detainn the members of #pussyriot again. Time for a dossier.  #crimea .

3/8/18

Obviously, #Vlodin , Putin's pal and the speaker of the Russian State Duma, didn't care about PR on INtl Women's Day when he told female journalists who report from the legislature to change their jobs if they face sexual harassment from lawmakers.

4/24/18

A #putin like move backfired in #armenia. #Sargsyan 's party made him Prime Minister after his presidential terms ended. Then he had #Pashinian, his opponent, briefly arrested after a televised meeting. Yesterday  Sargsyan quit, but many Armenians are not sure he won't try to keep power behind the scenes.

5/5/18

Catchy slogan "He is not our tsar," by the Russians who have taken to the streets to decry a fourth term by President Putin, but Putin's punks will pummel these folks.

6/21/18

#burgerking apologized for it promise on #Russian social media of a lifetime supply of whoppers to women who get “the best football genes” by getting pregnant from a World Cup player and “ensure the success of the Russian team for generations to come”.  On so many levels, all I can say is wow and chuckle.

7/31/18

The Jailhouse Rockers: Four members of the Russian activist group #PussyRiot ,who disrupted the #WorldCup Final by running onto the pitch dressed as police officers,  were detained again, just as they walked free from prison after serving a 15-day sentence.

8/6/18

Perhaps, I should take this seriously but a chuckle is all I can offer.  #Russia appoints actor #StevenSeagal to deepen ties with the USA.

9/16/18

Let's see how Trudy handles this one : Russian-Canadien activist and #pussyriot producer #PyotrVerzilov has been transferred to a Berlin hospital after becoming ill from a possible poisoning in Moscow.

10/7/18

#Netanyhu chatted on  the phone with  #putin about Israeli air operations over Syria and they may meet. Moscow is ticked because they think Israel in indirectly responsible for shooting down one of their spy planes.

11/14/18

Finland and Norway are claiming Russia may have jammed GPS signal in the Arctic. Despite the Kremin's denial, Sweden and Finland , non- #NATO members, have been cooperating more closely with NATO and their troops  on the Trident Juncture,  a NATO-led military exercise being held in #Norway . 

11/21/18

Maybe this is the real Russian collusion? #Prokopchuk , a senior Russian interior ministry official,  is the likely new President of #interpol. The "red notices" or warrants may increase against #putin 's enemies list.

11/23/18

South Korea’s Kim Jong Yang has been elected in a bit of an upset as Interpol’s president ahead of #Prokopchuk  ,the controversial Russian candidate. 
12/11/18: #Ukraine will not renew Russian friendship treaty in 2019 amid tensions. End it now!

3/3/19: 

 #EKRE party doesn't play well with others since it  opposes civil partnerships for same-sex couples in #Estonia, calls LGBT Pride celebrations a "parade of perverts," and demands major immigration restrictions. It is set to make major gains(from 8.1% to 17%) in the on-going elections, but I'm a leery of its coziness with Russia, and that it hasn't offered  an answer for  the brain drain, the exit of highly skilled workers. 

3/5/19

 The center-right opposition Reform Party won Sunday's election in Estonia displacing  the center-left Center Party, .  #EKRE finished third with 17.8 percent support, nearly doubling its share of the vote, but may not be invited to share power.

3/23/19

What I learned in a  brief conversation  yesterday with a lady from Siberia: Parts of Siberia have a short summer and a mosquito problem. Also, most of those Stalin era prisons in the less inhabitable sections of Siberia have sunk into the earth.

3/29/19

 Saudi Arabia is having a hard time convincing Russia to stay longer than June in an OPEC-led pact cutting oil supply.

4/26/19

 #Poland turned off the taps of Russian crude along the Druzhba oil pipeline through Belarus at its Adamovo hub due to contamination. Maybe #putin needs to spend a little less time with the fatboy from North Korea?

5/16/19

 #Putin warned the USA that Russia was not 'a fire brigade' and could not 'rescue everything' as tension rise between the US and Iran. Sure Vlad, we believe you- sad LOL 

6/1/19

  #Tatprof, a Russian  aluminum producer,is offering bonuses to its female staff for putting on makeup and wearing a dress or skirt to work. Will Trump bring this ides to the USA- just kidding?

7/5/19

  Russian President #Putin meets #PopeFrancis for a third time. I'm going start suspecting collusion if the Russian Orthodox Church extends an invitation for the Pope to visit Russia..

9/7/19

 Call it collusion, blame it on #trump, or accept that it's market driven. #NHL signs multiyear deal with #Yandex to stream all games in Russia.

9/19/19

 In 1689 Peter the Great created a beard tax that allowed Russian men to grow their beard when they please, only with a payment. 

9/26/19

 Same old song and dance: The World Anti-Doping Agency has given #russia three weeks to explain "inconsistencies" in a lab database or risk being excluded from the Olympics and world championships.

12/8/19

 Lotsa luck to Germany in its effort to get help from Putin on  this investigation of an August 23,2019 murder..
Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, a 40-year-old veteran of the second Chechen War against Russia, and a possible associate of Georgian Intelligence, was shot at point-blank range by a cyclist in the Berlin neighborhood of #Moabit.

1/15/20

 Putin wants to give parliament power to choose Russia's PM. What's his angle  this time?

2/13/20

#ViktorSviridov ,  former Russian prison service official,  killed himself in court with a gun after he was sentenced to three years in jail for extortion. And stating the obvious about lax court security.

4/28/20

 I found this old joke while reading a story on Russia  setting  a limit of no more than 10 military medals can be worn on parade uniforms. "What would happen if Brezhnev were eaten by a crocodile? The crocodile would be sh—ing medals for two weeks!"

May 6, 2020

You knew it was coming.  Assad has been moving against  his one time ally Makhlouf's, assets to pay  Russia the $3 billion it has spent  pushing back rebels in Syria. Putin-friendly media has been criticizing Assad as weak, unpopular and unable to tackle corruption has added to the pressure.

June 17, 2020

Since removing statues is all the rage, Russia and Czechoslovakia are in a tit for tat game of expelling diplomats that can be traced back to the removal in March, 2020 of a statue of Russian General Konev ,who helped to liberate Czech Republic from the Nazis in 1945, but also led the Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968. The statue was put in storage and may later be placed in a museum. Maybe the Czechs should give the statue back to Russia, its ruler from 1948-1990.

Aug 29, 2020

I'm laughing at “Putin, have some tea,” , the Russian protesters latest chant, a reference to Alexei Navalny who has been ill since drinking a cup of tea at an airport cafe.

Feb 26, 2021

Since trains and wagons have been forbidden to enter or leave North Korea and most international passenger flights are prohibited,  a group of Russian diplomats and their families  entered Russia on a hand-pushed rail trolley today.

April 13, 2021

Russia tells NATO to not accept Ukraine as a member, and tells the USA to keeps its naval ships out of the Black Sea around Crimea. No response from Biden????

July 6, 2021

Latest from Russia: Putin's gangsters support the Myanmar Junta, passed a law requiring  champagne imports to have "sparkling wine " written on every bottle, and continue to irk LBGT daily.

Sept 14, 2021

 Putin attended war game exercises with Belarus, that included the use in a combat environment of two new robotic fighting vehicles that are equipped with machine guns and grenade launchers, at a training ground in the Nizhny Novgorod region

Hey Sleepy Joe Biden , how about our friends in Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia?

March 6, 2022

Thinking of this line from John Cale's song "Russian Roulette":

The Russian bear is hungry

March 10, 2022

Ok, I'm not an expert on Russia, but wonder if there's some power- hungry boys who can and will assassinate Putin. Internal pressure is bubbling in Russia.

June 28, 2022

Don't forget the weather: The one official crossing between Georgia and Russia on the mountainous  559-mile border between the two countries is closed due to heavy rains. It will re-open after the weather improves and the road has been repaired.

June 30, 2022

I'm learning a great deal about areas near the North Pole since Putin chose to go to war with Europe. I'm wondering if Santa Claus will be allowed to dispense gifts.

Svalbard, midway between Norway's north coast and the North Pole, is part of Norway, but Russia has the right to exploit the archipelago's natural resources under a treaty signed in 1920. However, most of the freight from Russian settlements passes first through a checkpoint into mainland Norway, which is closed to EU sanctioned goods.

Aug 6, 2022

No surprise Pussy Riot trio rockin ‘Free Brittney Griner’ shirt 

July 24, 2024

Read a new "word": Tolokonnikova, the founder of Pussy Riot who fled Russia, lives "geo-anonymously" for safety reasons.