An open letter from Aleksey Matsuka

Last Sunday, unknown arsonists attempted to torch the apartment of oD author and investigative journalist Aleksey Matsuka in Donetsk, Eastern Ukraine. Despite the seriousness of the crime, the reaction from the police and investigating authorities has been woefully inadequate.

Georgia: no pictures - no democracy!

The recent arrest and detention of a group of photojournalists on apparently trumped-up charges continues to be a subject of heated discussion and protest in Georgia. The evidence and the so-called confessions contain a mass of contradictions and are a cause for serious concern about the real motivation for the arrests, explains Nino Tsagareishvili

Unwritten loyalties: journalism in the Russian regions

Self-censorship was an important feature of Soviet life, but old habits, it seems, die hard. Mikhail Loginov reports on the return of “unwritten rules” to the Russian regional press

Russian provincial media: what price freedom?

The degree of press freedom in Russia has fluctuated violently over the 20 years since the fall of communism. The situation in the Orenburg region, as everywhere, is a balancing act between principles and funding. And it’s always more difficult to rebuild what has been lost, laments Elena Strelnikova.

News of the World: the Russian parallel?

After months of slow-burn, the British phone "hacking" scandal (where the News of the World was shown to have gained illegal access to celebrity voicemails) has taken a dramatic turn. Rupert Murdoch's tabloid has finally admitted its guilt, and with that revealed a web of cover up and cronyism involving the police and Prime Ministers. Could it be, asks Anthony Barnett, that British democracy is beginning to follow Putin's sultanistic model of friends and favour?

Kevlar Kuchma and the bullet of justice

Georgii Gongadze, inconvenient Ukrainian journalist, died in horrible circumstance nearly 11 years ago. His murderers may be behind bars, but who gave the order for his killing? Ordinary Ukrainians know – it was (then) President Leonid Kuchma. Despite a new case being opened against him, Valery Kalnysh explains why he will never be brought to justice.

Mightiest for the mightiest: “The Net Delusion”

In “The Net Delusion”, Evgeny Morozov vents frustration at what he calls “cyber utopianism” in Western foreign policy. Far from being a tool to free the weak, Morozov argues, oppressive regimes are now the expert manipulators of Web 2.0. He’s certainly got a point, says John Lloyd, but he is also wrong to assume no one in the State Department shares his concerns.

The people’s web: Russia’s citizen bloggers

After a decade in the wilderness, Russian civil society is finding a powerful voice online. Alexey Sidorenko and Oliver Carroll profile seven citizen bloggers who are leading this charge. A co-publication with Global Voices

Belarus: a most peculiar election (2)

On Sunday, Belarus goes to the polls, ending an election cycle that saw all the usual assumptions turned on their heads. In this, the second of a two part analysis, David R. Marples and Uladzimir Padhol look at the candidates and ask if a Lukashenka victory is anything other than a foregone conclusion.

"I'm no hero, but it's time to call a spade a spade" — Parfyonov

On Thursday evening, prominent TV journalist Leonid Parfyonov broke with the etiquette of live award ceremonies, and made an unannounced and sensational attack on the state of Russian journalism. Russian TV bosses have become slaves to government bureaucrats, he said, and in so doing are complicit in the recent wave of violence against journalists. Here we publish a transcript of his speech.

Parallel worlds: how connected Russians now live without the state

Russia’s summer of the wildfires brought about a change in society, says Andrei Loshak. Previously the only possible options for those disenchanted with the system were to take the streets or pack our bags and leave. Now we have another: self-help and self- organisation, much in the spirit of the Anarchist Prince, Peter Kropotkin

An accusation too far

Last Thursday, Pavel Stroilov presented a piece that alleged I had been paid to publish articles in the Independent, and that I published on the instructions of its owner. Nothing could be further from the truth, writes Mary Dejevsky.

Freedom of expression in Ukraine: a disappearing commodity?

Subsidised articles and broadcasts spin the official line and the erosion of media freedom is gathering speed in Ukraine. President Yanukovych may ‘order his ministers to look into’ the situation, but they’re all hand in glove, laments Iryna Kolodiychyk

Lies and Innuendos: What happens when you take on the Russian far right

Researching the Russian nationalistic right is a game of high stakes. Last year, I found out the hard way, writes Andreas Umland.

Beyond the gastarbeiter: post-Soviet migration

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