Novaya Vkladka Archives
Yesterday's (un)forgotten co-existence Subscribe to NEE
The consequences of Russia's invasion are visible not only in Ukraine. The Kremlin has set off or exploited a series of crises that face most European countries. Subscribe to NEE
New thinking is needed in policies towards Russia, in whatever form it will take after the war. Subscribe to NEE
Ukraine's suffering goes well beyond the front line. Subscribe to NEE
With Russia's invasion of Ukraine we now see our western values under siege, whether we consciously recognise it or not. Subscribe to NEE
The invasion by Russian forces of Ukraine from the north, south and east – with the initial aim to take the capital Kyiv – has changed our region, and indeed our world, forever. Subscribe to NEE
The situation with Russian threats towards Ukraine once again illustrates the high level of instability in our region. Subscribe to NEE
Only a year ago we witnessed the second Nagorno-Karabakh war between Armenia and Azerbaijan. It took at least 5,000 lives and significantly shifted the geopolitics in the South Caucuses. Subscribe to NEE
This special issue aims to honour the plight of Belarusians whose democratic choice made in August 2020 was shamelessly snubbed by Alyaksandr Lukashenka. Subscribe to NEE
From the social, economic and political points of view, a lot of work still remains for this country. And this is why Ukraine's story is incomplete. Subscribe to NEE
30 years after the fall of the Soviet Union Subscribe to NEE
And what lies ahead for our region... Subscribe to NEE
Our societies are more polarised than ever before, which makes them more susceptible to disinformation, untruth and conspiracy theories. Subscribe to NEE
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed limitations and weaknesses in nearly all countries around the world. Subscribe to NEE
The case of Georgia Subscribe to NEE
Its costs, challenges and the commitment to peace. Subscribe to NEE
Uncertainty, volatility and the relationship between Russia and the West. Subscribe to NEE
A true makeover or cosmetic change? Subscribe to NEE
The Black Sea region is quickly becoming a geopolitical battleground which is gaining the interest of major powers, regional players and smaller countries – and the stakes are only getting higher. Subscribe to NEE
This issue is dedicated to the 10 year anniversary of the European Union's Eastern Partnership as well as the 30 years since the 1989 revolutions in Central Europe. Subscribe to NEE
The consequences of the emerging multipolar world. Subscribe to NEE
This issue takes a special look at the role and responsibility of the public intellectual in Central and Eastern Europe today. Subscribe to NEE
In the eastern parts of the European continent, 1918 is remembered not only as the end of the First World War, but also saw the emergence of newly-independent states and the rise of geopolitical struggles which are felt until this day. Subscribe to NEE
It often seems, at least from the outside, that Belarus remains isolated from the West and very static in its transformation. Yet, despite its relative isolation, Belarus is indeed changing. Subscribe to NEE
The Summer 2018 issue of New Eastern Europe tackles the complexity of para-states in the post-Soviet space. Subscribe to NEE
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Novaya Gazeta Europe
7 hours ago
- Novaya Gazeta Europe
Paying it forward. Why pronatalism is on the rise in Russia and around the world — Novaya Gazeta Europe
In some parts of Russia, schoolgirls who become pregnant are being paid more than 100,000 rubles (nearly €1,100) for giving birth and raising their babies. This new measure, introduced in the past few months across 10 regions, is part of Russia's new demographic strategy, widening the policy adopted in March 2025 which only applied to adult women. It is designed to address the dramatic decline in the country's birth rate. Jennifer Mathers Senior Lecturer in International Politics, Aberystwyth University In 2023 the number of births in Russia per woman was 1.41, substantially below 2.05, which is the level required to maintain a population at its current size. Paying teenage girls to have babies while they are still in school is controversial in Russia. According to a recent survey by the Russian Public Opinion Research Centre, 43% of Russians approve of the policy, while 40% are opposed to it. But it indicates the high priority that the state places on increasing the number of children being born. His efforts to increase the physical size of Russia by attacking Ukraine and illegally annexing its territory have also been disastrous in terms of shrinking Russia's population. Vladimir Putin regards a large population as one of the markers of a flourishing great power, along with control over a vast — and growing — territory and a powerful military. Paradoxically, though, his efforts to increase the physical size of Russia by attacking Ukraine and illegally annexing its territory have also been disastrous in terms of shrinking Russia's population. The number of Russian soldiers killed in the war has reached 250,000 by some estimates, while the war sparked an exodus of hundreds of thousands of some of the most highly educated Russians. Many of them are young men fleeing military service who could have been fathers to the next generation of Russian citizens. A girl holds a Russian flag at an anti-abortion rally in Moscow, Russia, 14 September 2017. Photo: EPA/YURY KOCHETKOV But while Russia's demographic situation is extreme, declining birth rates are now a global trend. It is estimated that by 2050 more than three quarters of the world's countries will have such low fertility rates that they will not be able to sustain their populations. Putin is not the only world leader to introduce policies designed to encourage women to have more babies. Viktor Orbán's government in Hungary is offering a range of incentives, such as generous tax breaks and subsidised mortgages, to those who have three or more children. Reversing demographic trends is complex, because the reasons that individuals and couples have for becoming parents are also complex. Poland makes a monthly payment of 500 złoty (€120) per child to families with two or more children. But there's some evidence this has not prompted higher-income Polish women to have more children, as they might have to sacrifice higher earnings and career advancement to have another child. In the United States, Donald Trump is proposing to pay women US$5,000 (€4,300) to have a baby, tied to a wider MAGA movement push, supported by Elon Musk and others, to encourage women to have larger families. Reversing demographic trends is complex, because the reasons that individuals and couples have for becoming parents are also complex. Personal preferences and aspirations, beliefs about their ability to provide for children, as well as societal norms and cultural and religious values all play a part in these decisions. As a result, the impact of 'pronatalist' policies has been mixed. No country has found an easy way to reverse declining birth rates. One country seeking to address population decline with policies, other than encouraging women to have more babies, is Spain, which now allows an easier pathway to citizenship for migrants, including those who entered the country illegally. Madrid's embrace of immigrants is being credited for its current economic boom. The US is seeing a pronatalist movement become more vocal. But governments that adopt pronatalist policies tend to be concerned not simply with increasing the total number of people living and working in their countries, but with encouraging certain kinds of people to reproduce. In other words, there is often an ideological dimension to these practices. The success or failure of governments and societies that promote pronatalism hinges on their ability to persuade people — and especially women — to embrace parenthood. Incentives for pregnancy, childbirth and large families are typically targeted at those whom the state regards as its most desirable citizens. These people may be desirable citizens due to their race, ethnicity, language, religion, sexual orientation or some other identity or combination of identities. For instance, the Spanish bid to increase the population by increasing immigration offers mostly Spanish speakers from Catholic countries in Latin America jobs while opportunities to remain in, or move to, the country does appear to be extended to migrants from Africa. Meanwhile, Hungary's incentives to families are only available to heterosexual couples who earn high incomes. People march at the Day of Love, Family and Fidelity celebrations in Moscow, Russia, 8 July 2025. Photo: EPA/YURI KOCHETKOV The emphasis on increasing the proportion of the most desirable citizens is why the Trump administration sees no contradiction in calling for more babies to be born in the US, while ordering the arrest and deportation of hundreds of alleged illegal migrants, attempting to reverse the constitutional guarantee of US citizenship for anyone born in the country and even attempting to withdraw citizenship from some Americans. The success or failure of governments and societies that promote pronatalism hinges on their ability to persuade people — and especially women — to embrace parenthood. Along with financial incentives and other tangible rewards for having babies, some states offer praise and recognition for the mothers of large families. Russia's parliament passed a law in 2024 to ban the promotion of childlessness. Putin's reintroduction of the Stalin-era motherhood medal for women with 10 or more children is one example. Sometimes the recognition comes from society, such as the current American fascination with 'trad wives' — women who become social media influencers by turning their backs on careers in favour of raising large numbers of children and living socially conservative lifestyles. The mirror image of this celebration of motherhood is the implicit or explicit criticism of women who delay childbirth or reject it altogether. Russia's parliament passed a law in 2024 to ban the promotion of childlessness, or 'child-free propaganda'. This legislation joins other measures such as restrictions on abortions in private clinics, together with public condemnation of women who choose to study at university and pursue careers rather than prioritise marriage and child-rearing. The world's most prosperous states would be embracing immigration if pronatalist policies were driven solely by the need to ensure a sufficient workforce to support the economy and society. Instead, these attempts are often bound up with efforts to restrict or dictate the choices that citizens — and especially women — make about their personal lives, and to create a population dominated by the types of people they favour. This article was first published by The Conversation. Views expressed in opinion pieces do not necessarily reflect the position of Novaya Gazeta Europe.
Novaya Gazeta Europe
12 hours ago
- Novaya Gazeta Europe
Poland scrambles jets as Russian attacks reach western Ukraine — Novaya Gazeta Europe
The aftermath of the attack on Lviv. Photo: Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi At least two people were killed in a fresh barrage of Russian drones and missiles on Ukraine, with Poland scrambling fighter jets as a drone attack was recorded on the western city of Lviv in the early hours of Saturday. The Polish Operational Command stated on X that it had scrambled a standby pair of fighter jets to respond to the potential threat, adding that it was 'monitoring the current situation' with its forces remaining 'in full readiness for immediate response'. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram that Russia had used 26 missiles and 597 drones in the overnight attack, targeting several Ukrainian regions at once, including the Kharkiv and Sumy regions in the east and Chernivtsi and Lviv regions in the west. Two people were killed in Chernivtsi, Zelensky said, and around 20 people were injured across Ukraine. The pace of Russian attacks on Ukraine requires 'quick decisions', Zelensky added, urging the international community to introduce additional sanctions against Russia, including 'tough secondary sanctions against anyone who helps the Russians produce drones and make money from oil'. 'The war can only be stopped by force,' Zelensky wrote 'We expect not just signals from our partners, but actions that will save lives.' Russia has ramped up its aerial assaults on Ukraine in recent months, with barrages of several hundred drones becoming increasingly common. On Wednesday, Russia launched its largest single airstrike of the war so far, attacking Ukraine with 728 drones, seven cruise missiles and six Kinzhal ballistic missiles.
Novaya Gazeta Europe
2 days ago
- Novaya Gazeta Europe
Three British men found guilty of Wagner-linked arson attack in London — Novaya Gazeta Europe
Three British men have been found guilty of committing an arson attack on behalf of the Russian Wagner Group on a warehouse in London being used to supply humanitarian aid and satellite to Ukraine, BBC News reported on Tuesday. Jakeem Rose, 23, Ugnius Asmena, 20, and Nii Mensah, 23, were all found guilty on Tuesday at the Old Bailey court in London of aggravated arson with intent to endanger life. The attack, which caused around £1 million (€860,000) in damages in March 2024, was orchestrated by two other men, Dylan Earl, 20, and Jake Reeves, 23, who had already admitted to committing aggravated arson on behalf of the Wagner Group of Russian mercenaries. The men are the first to be convicted under the UK's National Security Act 2023 for such foreign-directed hostile activity. According to The Guardian, the court heard that Earl had told a Wagner Group operative he met on Telegram he wanted to carry out further 'missions' for the mercenaries following the warehouse fire. Further plots, the BBC reported, involved additional arson attacks on a west London restaurant and wine shop owned by Yevgeny Chichvarkin, a multi-millionaire and Russian dissident who was named a 'foreign agent' by Russia's Justice Ministry in June 2022, and a plot to abduct him. 'This case is a clear example of an organisation linked to the Russian state using 'proxies', in this case British men, to carry out very serious criminal activity in this country on their behalf,' Commander Dominic Murphy, head of London's Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command, said on Tuesday. 'Seemingly motivated by the promise of money, they were prepared to commit criminal acts on behalf of Russia,' he said. 'I hope these convictions send a strong warning of the very serious consequences of committing offences on behalf of a foreign country.' In late May, The Financial Times reported that British security officials were looking into whether Russia was behind three arson attacks on properties linked to UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer perpetrated by two Ukrainian men and a Romanian national. In early June, Schemes, the investigative unit of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Ukrainian-language service, discovered that one of the men, Roman Lavrynovych, had posted in a job recruitment chat on Telegram that he was seeking employment. Such group chats are reportedly commonly used by Russian intelligence agencies to hire proxies, RFE/RL reported. In the last year, Moscow has been accused of carrying out numerous acts of sabotage and arson attacks on public buildings, transport networks and other infrastructure in several European countries, including Poland and Lithuania, as part of what experts believe is a hybrid warfare strategy designed to destabilise the West.
