Russia’s migrants and ethnic minorities shiver at new Putin terror crackdown – POLITICO

Maladaeva said people have been receiving threats online, urging them to “go back to [their] place.” Some Russians of Asian origin, along with indigenous Russians, are now considering migrating to Central Asia, according to messages that Indigenous of Russia Foundation has received from its subscribers. Two-faced Putin Putin — as always — has distanced himself … Read more

Why Russia might be warming to China’s belt and road plans in Central Asia

Addressing the Boao Forum for Asia in the Chinese island province of Hainan, Russian deputy prime minister Alexey Overchuk said the Kremlin and Beijing had discussed the possibility of “improving connectivity” between the initiative and the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), a Russian-led effort to create an EU-like common market. China-Russia ties set to deepen with … Read more

Melting glaciers, drying sea highlight Central Asia’s water woes

WASHINGTON —  Climate change and water scarcity are harsh realities facing Central Asia. Glaciers in the east, in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, are rapidly melting, while in the west, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, the Aral Sea has turned into a desert. According to the World Bank, almost a third of the region’s 80 million … Read more

Putin the autocrat comes of age – POLITICO

But it also resulted in him suffering “delusional beliefs” about the state of affairs in his country, as underlings feared sharing any information that could be seen as negative, Umarov said.  He added that although there are clear parallels between the autocracies in Central Asian countries and Russia today, there is also an important difference. … Read more

Samarkand International Airport Welcomes Millionth Passenger as Traffic Doubles In a Year

SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan, Dec. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Air Marakanda, the management company operating Samarkand International Airport, today announced a doubling of passenger traffic for the year, compared with 495,000 passengers in 2022, and welcomed its one millionth passenger. The milestone not only represents the booming tourism appeal of Uzbekistan’s second city, but also highlights the … Read more