Life

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

Ukrainian children who fled the conflict play in a shelter organised in an exhibition centre, on March 13, 2022 in Chisinau, Moldova. Among the neighbouring countries, Moldova is the one that has received the most refugees in proportion to its population. This is a major challenge for this nation among the poorest in Europe. © Andreea Campeanu/Getty Images

Moldova’s Ukrainian Refugees Find Stability, But Long for Home

Chișinău has granted Ukrainians temporary protection status, with automatic rights to housing, healthcare, education and work.

20 Jun 23

The press conference of the participants to the 2023 Eurovision song contest. The event is held in Liverpool, UK, on behalf of Ukraine, which won the 2022 edition but could not host the event due to the ongoing Russian invasion. © Maria Romanenko

The Blue-And-Yellow Eurovision

Song contest provides highly symbolic moment of national unity for Ukrainians both at home and abroad.

12 May 23

Designer Kateryna Uvarova transforms used cartridges into art objects. Based in Lviv, western Ukraine, Uvarova is originally from Makiivka, in Donetsk region; she fled to Kharkiv in 2014 and then again had to relocate when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. © Courtesy of Kateryna Uvarova

Turning Shell Casings into Patriotic Souvenirs

Entrepreneurs and volunteers launch schemes to help support war efforts.

2 May 23

Apartment blocks under construction in Yerevan, Armenia's capital. The construction sector employs a large number of Indians and Iranian workers who have been increasingly seeking job opportunities in the South Caucasus nation. © A. Avetisyan

Armenia: Indians and Iranians Fuel Labour Market

Numbers have increased in recent years, but migrants often face exploitation.

25 Apr 23

Paramedics and ambulance drivers took it to the streets in January 2023 to protest deteriorating working conditions and inadequate pay. It was the latest in a series of demonstration held since May 2022. © Medicine Union

Georgia: Medical Workers Struggle to Make Ends Meet

Health care employees call for higher wages and better working conditions amid rising cost of living.

23 Apr 23

Belarus: How Political Persecution Extends to Families

The authorities routinely harass and arrest relatives of activists as a tactic of intimidation.

13 Apr 23

Women dance to mark Navruz in Baysun, a village in Uzbekistan’s south-eastern region of Surkhandarya. The village is known for its festival, the Baysun Bahori, meaning Spring of Baysun. © Abdulkhak Turgunov

Celebrating Navruz, the Spring Jubilee

Communities gather to prepare sweetmeats, spring clean their neighbourhoods and play equestrian games.

5 Apr 23

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