A NOTE: Our Russia-Ukraine Resources are updated weekly - if you're accessing the page three or more weeks past the below date, pieces mentioned in this post may have been removed to make room for up-to-date resources.
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Updated Resources - June 20, 2024
Georgia: A photo from the 2024 protests against the 'foreign agents' legislation enacted by the Georgia Dream Party - deemed the 'Russian Law' by opponents for its parallels to Russian laws passed in 2024. (Zlad!, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons)
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
Kyiv Independent: Newsfeed
Novaya Gazeta Europe: Newsfeed
The Insider: Newsfeed
The Telegraph via Apple Podcasts - Ukraine: The Latest
A Russian peacekeepers checkpoint near the village of Vəng (Vank, Dadivank) in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region in the South Caucasus. (Mil.ru, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
WHAT'S ON OUR MIND
In addition to our weekly resource update, today we also offer an updated collection of pieces on the Israeli-Hamas war.
In discourse surrounding the Ukraine war, renewed interest in neighboring conflicts and ongoing debate over the relevance of spheres of influence flourish. Today’s resources examine the current climate in the former Soviet sphere, including the evolving conflict in the Caucasus and the War’s tertiary effects throughout the former Soviet states.
Where Russia meets the South Caucasus, Foreign Affairs considers the undulations of Azerbaijani territorial ambitions, Armenian realignment, and recent developments in Georgian ‘foreign influence’ legislation within the greater context of the Kremlin’s regional motives. Western diplomatic approaches to the Azerbaijan-Armenian conflict and their impact on Russian influence are examined in The National Interest. The Moscow Times delves deeper into Armenia’s alignment amid the country’s anticipated exit from the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), shedding light on what the departure would mean for Russian regional influence. In Meduza, we learn how the recent ceding of Armenian territories to Azerbaijan has spurred unrest along political and geographical fault lines.
Georgian response to the recent passage of legislation mimicking Russia’s 2012 crackdown on ‘foreign agents’ - the latter of which decimated Russian independent media and undermined civil society - is covered in Novaya Gazeta Europe. One piece from Civil Georgia reports on a recent interview given by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin who discusses Georgian territorial integrity in the shadow of the Russo-Georgian war, in another Galuzin alleges Western ‘divide and conquer’ motives in Georgia.
Novaya Gazeta Europe reports on accusations of Russian interference ahead of Moldova’s presidential election and referendum on EU membership made by the US, UK, and Canada. A piece from The Conversation posits that recent events in Transnistria, the pro-Russian breakaway region on Moldova’s eastern border, suggest the limitations of the ‘Domino Theory’ in international affairs. On the other side of the ideological coin, Novaya Gazeta Europe draws on historical precedence to argue for bolder NATO action now to avoid future Russian aggression in Poland and the Baltics.
Desk Russie explores Carpathian solidarity, revealing this unity’s impact on displaced Ukrainians, as well as outlining the traditions and opportunities for regional collaboration that could bear fruit in the current era.
A brief from the Quincy Institute offers a nuanced view of US-Belarus relations and a reimagining of Western foreign policy that seeks to prevent further integration between the former Soviet state and Russia. Carnegie Endowment for Peace offers a paper urging the EU to bolster ties with Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, and Serbia in pursuit of European stability. The former think tank also puts forth an argument that the Ukraine War signals the demise of the ‘near abroad’ idea - a notion which suggests that Russia enjoys a ‘special status’ in the former Soviet sphere. Finally, the Wilson Center takes a historical perspective on Putinism and Russian-Ukrainian relations, drawing parallels between Stalin and Putin’s understandings of history.
In the Overview, a data journalist and sociologist discusses methods for extracting reliable information from Russia under the current conditions. Find also a piece that draws on past bitter conflicts to explore what may await Russia and Ukraine on the path to reconciliation once the fighting stops.
In videos, experts - including John Mearsheimer - discuss the outcomes of the weekend’s Ukrainian Peace Summit in Switzerland, as well as a conversation with Track Two network member Hanna Notte on the burgeoning collaboration between Russia and Iran. Find also a lecture on ‘New Drama’ (Новая драма) - an artistic movement that uses theater to elevate social problems - within the context of contemporary Russian theater. In the arts, Kyiv’s Book Arsenal festival mirrors wartime Ukraine, and a Warsaw stage is shared by Russian and Ukrainian musical artists.
Find coverage of these topics - and many more - in today’s Russia-Ukraine resource update. Visit our blog for news and perspectives on the Israel-Hamas War, including a recent interview with Track Two network member and Israeli peace activist Yoav Peck.
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