Odesa Faces Grave Threats From Air and Sea

Although Russia’s plans to swiftly take the region failed, the coast remains highly vulnerable.

Vasyl leaves the battlefield after being wounded. He lost his son, a soldier, in early March. © Anatoliy Stepanov

Photo Essay

Ukraine: The Fight for the “Dead Cities”

In eastern Ukraine, Zelensky calls for long-range weapons to contain the Russian advantage in artillery and airpower.

Infographic on Belarusian media and extremism 1/9.

Belarus’ Crackdown on Media Continues

Regime uses accusations of extremism to silence dissenting voices – and intimidate news consumers.

Workers of the Borjomi water's two bottling factories in Georgia have been on strike for weeks over wages and uncertainty after the iconic Georgian brand was caught into the sanctions against Russia in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine. © Maradia Tsaava

Georgia Nationalises Iconic Mineral Water Due to Russian Sanctions

The instantly-recognisable brand has become a collateral victim of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Russian troops control the entry and exit to Energodar, a city in southern Ukraine, which is home to the country's largest nuclear power plant. The city, with a pre-war population of 53,000 people, was occupied in the early days of the Russian invasion. The sign reads "Energodar. Russia, forever." © IWPR

First Person

Occupied Energodar, as Quiet as a Graveyard

The city, home to Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, fell into Russian hands on March 4, and it is now impossible to leave.

Businesses have been hit hard by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Finca Coffee, a coffee roasting company, managed to relocate its operation from Hostomel, outside Kyiv, to Rivne, in western Urkaine as part of a ministry of economy's programme, which supports entrepreneurs to equipment and workers to safer areas. Smaller businesses, however, have to fend for themselves. © Vitaliy Koval Facebook page

Ukraine: Businesses Relocate to Safer West

With government help, hundreds of strategic enterprises have moved to the safer west of the country. Smaller businesses, however, have to fend for themselves.

Ukrainian tank crew trains with infantry nearby on May 09, 2022 near Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine. © John Moore/Getty Images

Ukraine War Diary by A. Borden

Analysis: Intelligence Report Warns of “Absolute Inequality” on the Battlefield

“By not providing missile defence systems in sufficient quantities, the West will make a historic mistake that will cost hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian lives.”

https://iwpr.net/global-voices/ukraine-teenage-orphan-heading-his-family © Photo courtesy of Viacheslav Yalov

First Person

Ukraine: The Teenage Orphan Heading His Family

Eighteen-year-old looks after his four siblings after their mother was killed in a bombing.

Karlygash Muratova, 90, casts her ballot in Kazakhstan's eastern city of Karaganda. On June 5, Kazakhs overwhelmingly voted in favour of constitutional amendments that de-centralise the decision-making in the oil-and-gas rich Central Asian nation. © IWPR

Kazakstan’s Referendum Unlikely to Bring Change

Citizens said yes to the proposed constitutional amendments, but few believe the state’s hold on power will ease.

Global Voices: Europe/Eurasia

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THIS WEEK ON CABAR.ASIA

Highlights from IWPR’s Central Asia network of analysis and investigations.

The construction of the Qosh Tepa canal in Afghanistan is causing water shortages in southern Uzbekistan, while in Kyrgyzstan the government is considering the construction of a nuclear power plant. In Kazakstan, conservation activists are working to save the Central Asian tortoise from extinction.

Elsewhere, CABAR delves into the efforts by Central Asian authorities to detect, reduce and prevent statelessness across the region.