Life

The photo of a fallen 19-year-old soldier from Fuzuli, in south-western Azerbaijan, hangs on the walls outside a former student dormitory, which has housed dozens of internally displaced persons from Nagorny Karabakh since the 1990s. © Ulkar Natiqqizi

Displaced Azerbaijanis Eye Return to Nagorny Karabakh

Following the mass exodus of Armenians, Baku plans to resettle some 40,000 people in the region over the next three years.

17 Oct 23

Largely populated by ethnic Tajiks, Gelon sits at 2,336 metres, surrounded by the Hisar range, part of the Pamir-Alay mountain system. It can take up to three hours to cover the 70 kilometres from Uzbkistan’s southern city of Shakhrisabz to reach this high-altitude village. © Abdulhak Turgunov

The Tajik Community on Uzbekistan’s Highlands

Surrounded by the Pamir mountain range, a remote village keeps customs alive.

17 Oct 23

Kyrgyz activist Altyn Kapalova won a three year-long battle to give her three children her name instead of their father's, breaking rooted patriarchal norms in the country. The Constitutional Court's ruling in her favour sparked a heated debate in society. © Altyn Kapalova

Fight Over Matronymics Sparks Political Battle in Kyrgyzstan

President proposes revision of Constitutional Court decision after ruling allows mother to give her name to her children.

4 Sep 23

Aleksandr Kablov moved to the settlement in 2017. A shift worker at Kazakstan’s oil and gas fields of Tengiz and Karachganak, the 40-year-old lives there when he is on holiday. © Talgat Umarov

Kazakstan’s Eco-settlers: Turning Barren Land Into Forest

A group seeking an alternative way of life started planting trees; two decades on, they have created an oasis.

18 Aug 23

Adverts seeking surrogate mothers abound in Georgia, one of the few countries where commercial surrogacy is legal. The government is working on a law that would ban the fee-based practice and limit it only to prospective parents from Georgia.

Georgia Set to Ban Commercial Surrogacy

A draft law will strictly regulate the sector, prohibiting foreign couples from accessing services.

8 Aug 23

In recent months, Central Asian migrants have increasingly suffered at the hands of the Russian state. © Carsten Koall/Getty Images

Pressure on Central Asian Migrants in Russia Grows

Reports suggest that authorities are forcing workers to choose between deportation or fighting in Ukraine.

26 Jul 23

Well drilling in the outskirts of Bishkek. The water supply system in Kyrgyzstan's capital is considered obsolete and experts note that substantial renovation is needed to avoid water losses. © IWPR Central Asia

Bishkek Water Shortages Highlight Poor Management

Obsolete infrastructure and bad planning mean issues already aggravated by climate change have got more serious.

13 Jul 23

Father Konstantin, 30, is Kazakstan’s only priest of the Old Believers. Also called Old Ritualists, they are Eastern Orthodox Christians who maintain the practices of the Russian Orthodox Church as they were before the reform introduced by Patriarch Nikon of Moscow in the 17th century. © Talgat Umarov

Kazakstan’s Shrinking Community of Old Believers

A young priest keeps ancient rituals alive in his tiny parish.

11 Jul 23

In 2022, Karin Grigoryan and her husband opened Zove, a guest house in Karashamb, a village in Armenia's central region of Kotayk. Born and raised in the capital Yerevan, Grigoryan dreamed of moving to the countryside. The migration from large cities to rural areas has increased as people seek a slower pace of life and lower cost of living. © Gayane Markosyan

Armenia’s Rural Population Grows

Experts attribute migration to the impact of the 2020 Nagorny Karabakh war and rising rental prices in Yerevan.

30 Jun 23

Ani's 19-year-old son was killed in 2020 during the Second Karabakh War and the 48-year-old has been dreaming of having another boy. In 2022 Armenia registered a high sex imbalance; experts maintain that the war and the country's fragile security situation may have triggered an increase of sex selection at birth. © Armine Avetisyan

Post-War Trauma Prompts Armenia’s Sex Imbalance

Experts note that the conflict and still-volatile security may be behind the rise of a skewed ratio between boys and girls.

22 Jun 23

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