Life

Kazak president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. © Akorda.kz

Kazakstan: Tokayev’s Ascent to True Power

The career diplomat’s slow, hierarchical advancement has finally lead to real authority.

14 Jan 22

Ukrainian soldiers walk past destroyed buildings on the front line on December 8, 2021 in Marinka, Ukraine. A build-up of Russian troops along the border with Ukraine has heightened worries that Russia intends to invade the Donbas region © Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images

Ukrainians Fatalistic Amid Fears of Russian Invasion

“Where could we flee? We have nothing to lose.”

12 Jan 22

Kamil Bashatov, 51, arrived in eastern Ukraine in 1989 from Uzbekistan. He wishes his children could move to Turkey, but if the security situation allows it, he would rather remain in Ukraine. His house bears the scars of heavy artillery from the 2014 fighting between the Ukrainian army and Russia-backed armed forces for the control of Sloviansk. © Ismayil Fataliyev

Meskhetian Turks Hope to Leave Ukraine’s Frontline for Turkey

As fears of Russian invasion mount, many see their future in a potential resettlement scheme.

6 Jan 22

A pressure guage stands on a pipe at the Dashava natural gas facility in Dashava, Ukraine. © Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Ukraine Faces Winter Energy Crisis

Analysts fear that Russia may become the country’s only possible electricity supplier.

3 Dec 21

Melik Khachatryan, 61, shares a room with Yeghoyan and is waiting for the chance to be vaccinated. © Armine Avetisyan

Armenia: Homeless Amid the Pandemic

It’s hard to protect yourself from the virus without proper facilities.

30 Nov 21

A military cemetery in Yerevan where Armenian soldier's are buried. © Armine Avetisyan

Armenia: Mothers Bereaved by War Offered IVF

Amid trauma of defeat, there has been little discussion of the ethical implications of state-sponsored programme.

15 Nov 21

Stills from TikTok’s Labour Cinema.

How TikTok is Giving Turkey’s Working Class a Voice

“I want to give the social message that everyone is equal, that’s the goal of my videos.”

10 Nov 21

A school in the Gali region of Abkhazia, where the de-facto government recently made the decision to ban Georgian as the language of instruction, meaning that Georgian students there will now have to learn their native tongue as a foreign language. © IWPR

Abkhazia: Georgian Now Only Taught as a Foreign Language

All students have to learn in Russian, in a move condemned as “an obvious manifestation of racial discrimination”.

3 Nov 21

The Kamaz lorries were given to Sokhumi through a Russian-financed programme. Sokhumi is 80 km away from Gali. © Lana Kokaia

Georgia: Landfill Overwhelms Gali Village

Ethnic Georgians say that the de facto Abkhazia government is using their land as a dumping ground.

8 Oct 21

The The Bokeria Tbilisi Referral Hospital where the mental health ward was closed down. where the mental health ward was closed down.

Georgia: Mental Health Care Under Strain

Scarcity of in-patient care means that many struggle to access help.

4 Oct 21

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