Eastern Europe
US pushes fabricated claims of Russian hacking of virus research
By Barry Grey, 18 July 2020
The United States is most nakedly pursuing a nationalistic course, aimed at enriching American oligarchs and deploying the vaccine not as a means to save lives, but as a weapon against countries in the crosshairs of US imperialism.
Duda wins Polish presidential election after campaign attacking Jews, LGBTQ rights and Germans
By Clara Weiss, 14 July 2020
The fact that Duda and PiS could carry the day in the most right-wing election campaign in recent Polish history is above all the result of the policies of the liberal opposition.
Anti-Russia war fever spreads on Capitol Hill
By Patrick Martin, 1 July 2020
Without providing a shred of evidence, the corporate media, congressional Democrats and many Republicans are demanding US retaliation against alleged Russian targeting of US soldiers in Afghanistan.
The Salisbury Poisonings: Skripal drama framed as anti-Russian propaganda
By Thomas Scripps, 27 June 2020
The BBC’s three-part The Salisbury Poisonings uses drama as state propaganda and is designed to reignite the Skripal affair that dominated UK politics in 2018.
Beset by crisis, Kremlin holds “victory parade”
By Clara Weiss, 25 June 2020
The parade and the reopening of the economy have been timed to precede by one week the national referendum on constitutional changes proposed by Putin earlier this year.
NATO grants Ukraine enhanced status as US steps up military aid
By Jason Melanovski, 22 June 2020
Amid the most profound economic crisis since the Great Depression, the imperialist powers are responding to the growing class tensions by escalating their drive to war.
Yellow Star, Red Star
Capitalist counterrevolution and the rise of fascism in southeastern Europe since 1989
By Clara Weiss, 20 June 2020
Though fatally flawed by its equation of Stalinism with communism, and the author’s reluctance to discuss the social character of the restoration of capitalism, the book exposes the close relationship between capitalist counterrevolution and the rise of fascist forces.
Coronavirus pandemic in Poland: Silesian miners sacrificed for profit
By Bartosz Wyspianski and Martin Nowak, 16 June 2020
Nearly every day, almost half of the new infections in Poland can be found in Silesia.
Millions of Ukrainian migrant workers forced to search for employment in Europe under unsafe conditions
By Jason Melanovski, 11 June 2020
Despite little health or legal protections, Ukraine’s migrant workers are being forced to search for work in Europe’s farms and factories to avoid unemployment and social destitution.
Russia’s ruling class nervous over spreading global protests
By Andrea Peters, 10 June 2020
The Kremlin’s seeming smugness over the crisis gripping the United States seeks to mask deep-seated fears that similar mass protests could erupt in Russia.
Over 20,000 tons of diesel spilled in Russian Arctic river
By Clara Weiss, 6 June 2020
The catastrophe on the Ambarnaya underlies the dangers bound up with the “new scramble for the Arctic” by the major powers and corporations.
Sweeping attacks on migrant workers in Russia amid COVID-19 pandemic
By Andrea Peters, 3 June 2020
The Russian government is considering the creation of a vast database that contains foreign workers’ biometric information, health histories, legal and “social” status, and criminal records.
Coronavirus cases surpass six million globally
By Bryan Dyne, 30 May 2020
New epicenters in Eastern Europe, South America, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent are rapidly causing massive public health crises.
Russia ends federal COVID-19 shutdown measures as it surges to second place in infections worldwide
By Andrea Peters, 15 May 2020
There are now more coronavirus infections in Russia than anywhere else in the world, with the exception of the United States and Spain.
Russia: Two ministers, one deputy test positive for COVID as workers’ protests grow
By Clara Weiss, 2 May 2020
Just one day after Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin was hospitalized for COVID-19, the minister for construction, housing and communal services and his deputy also tested positive.
Coronavirus sweeps through Russian medical facilities
By Andrea Peters, 25 April 2020
Hospitals and clinics in several cities have been placed under quarantine, as COVID-19 infects staff and patients alike.
Ukrainian capital Kiev engulfed in smog from wildfires near Chernobyl
By Jason Melanovski and Clara Weiss, 18 April 2020
The fires expose the fact that the world’s worst nuclear catastrophe remains unresolved and continues to threaten the health of the population.
Amid war threats, Washington blocks UN resolution demanding end to sanctions
By Bill Van Auken, 4 April 2020
The Trump administration has brushed aside calls for an end to punishing sanctions against Venezuela and Iran, threatening both countries with military aggression.
Russian doctors, nurses protest against horrifying conditions in hospitals
By Clara Weiss, 4 April 2020
Nurses and doctors have walked off their jobs, pleading for medical and personal protective equipment, and renovations of dilapidated hospital buildings.
Ukrainian government uses coronavirus crisis to pass IMF-backed reforms
By Jason Melanovski, 19 March 2020
Ukraine’s ruling class is exploiting the devastating pandemic to escalate its attacks on the working class.
Russia’s coronavirus cases double in two days, as Ukraine reports first death
By Andrea Peters, 14 March 2020
COVID-19 is spreading in Russia and Ukraine, as the governments impose bans on travel and public gatherings.
Poland, Czech Republic close borders, shut down public life due to coronavirus
By Clara Weiss, 14 March 2020
Three decades after the restoration of capitalism and endless austerity, the health care system in Poland and the Czech Republic, as across all of Europe, is in a devastating condition.
Canada “at war” with Russia, high-level Ottawa conference told
By Roger Jordan, 9 March 2020
Canada’s Deputy Defence Minister told the conference that the Liberals’ 2017 National Defence Policy has been superseded by the surge in great-power strategic competition.
Coronavirus spreads to Poland, threatening to upend presidential elections
By Clara Weiss, 7 March 2020
The conservative Rzeczpospolita has warned that “chaos in the health care system could upend Polish politics and impact the outcome of the presidential elections in May.”
Ukraine government reshuffle brings in officials tied to US and ruling oligarchy
By Clara Weiss and Jason Melanovski, 7 March 2020
With the firing of the cabinet, President Zelensky is preparing a massive assault on the living standards of the Ukrainian working class.
War tensions mount in wake of strike on Turkish troops in Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 29 February 2020
Russia has sent two cruise missile warships to the Syrian coast as Moscow and Ankara continue to dispute the facts surrounding a strike that killed three dozen Turkish soldiers.
Slovenian journalist Blaž Zgaga: If Assange is extradited “the same can happen to any of us”
By Oscar Grenfell, 29 February 2020
”If journalists cannot write about war crimes allegedly committed by Western armed forces, what is the legitimacy of these democratic countries?”
Russia seeks to ease tensions with Belarus over energy dispute
By Andrea Peters, 25 February 2020
Russia will compensate Belarus $300 million to offset energy price hikes, as Moscow works to preserve its alliance with Minsk.
Ukrainian President Zelensky reshuffles staff amid political crisis
By Jason Melanovski, 21 February 2020
Underlying the reshuffling of Zelensky’s staff and the crisis of his government are intense conflicts within the Ukrainian oligarchy over domestic and foreign policy and growing class tensions.
Ukraine government plagued by political infighting
By Jason Melanovski and Clara Weiss, 31 January 2020
Sharp divisions are coming to the fore as the government is pressing ahead with mass privatizations and attempts to negotiate a settlement with Russia over the ongoing civil war in eastern Ukraine.
Erdoğan and Putin open TurkStream pipeline after Iran strikes US bases in Iraq
By Ulaş Ateşci, 11 January 2020
The opening of this strategic pipeline comes amid escalating conflicts over energy in the region and an esclalating conflict between the United States and Iran.
Russia, Ukraine reach last minute gas transit deal
By Jason Melanovski, 4 January 2020
The EU pushed for the Ukraine and Russia to accept a deal following the US announcement of sanctions against the Russian-German pipeline Nord Stream 2.
Hungary’s government continues its assault on democratic rights
By Markus Salzmann, 21 December 2019
Last week, the Hungarian parliament, dominated by the right-wing Fidesz party, passed bills that represent a further step towards dictatorial forms of rule.
Vadim Rogovin’s Bolsheviks against Stalinism 1928–1933: Leon Trotsky and the Left Opposition
A magnificent account of Stalin’s opponents in the USSR
By Andrea Peters, 21 December 2019
Stalin’s rise was neither foreordained nor a natural outgrowth of the October Revolution. The Great Russian chauvinist and bureaucrat secured power in ferocious conflict with the proletariat, peasantry and cadre of the revolutionary socialist movement.
Ukraine: Three-year-old boy killed in attempted political assassination by the far right
By Jason Melanovski, 7 December 2019
The killing of a three-year-old demonstrates that far-right forces in Ukraine are being given free rein to carry out targeted political assassinations.
Russia’s Gazprom offers Ukraine short-term gas deal
By Jason Melanovski, 21 November 2019
Disputes over gas and energy are central to the inter-imperialist conflicts over Ukraine and Russia.
Former US Secretary of State Kissinger points to danger of “catastrophic” conflict between US and China
By Nick Beams, 16 November 2019
Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger has warned of an inevitable “conflict” between the US and China that “will be worse than the world wars that ruined European civilisation.”
Russia, Ukraine carry out high-profile prisoner exchange
By Jason Melanovski, 14 September 2019
The prisoner exchange was strongly backed by France and Germany with media reports suggesting that French President Emmanuel Macron, in particular, played a central role.
Former Ukrainian President Poroshenko faces charges over corruption and “high treason”
By Jason Melanovski and Clara Weiss, 24 August 2019
The new Zelensky government is making use of criminal charges to settle accounts within the ruling class—a well-trodden path in the fractional battles within the country’s oligarchy.
Merkel and Orbán: A sordid deal at the expense of refugees and democracy
By Peter Schwarz, 24 August 2019
On the 30th anniversary of the opening up of the Hungarian-Austrian border, Merkel and Orbán sang the praises of “freedom” while agreeing to closer military collaboration.
Questions continue over Russian nuclear accident
By Andrea Peters, 17 August 2019
The dangers associated with the rapidly accelerating global arms race are clear, even as questions remain over the nature of the nuclear explosion that occurred in Russia’s far north last week.
Ukrainian president Zelensky’s new party wins parliamentary elections
By Jason Melanovski, 25 July 2019
The result is a symptom of a deep social and political crisis and mass popular dissatisfaction with the political establishment.
Four men charged with murder based on bogus MH-17 investigation
By Clara Weiss, 24 June 2019
Charges against pro-Moscow separatists were laid based on an “investigation” influenced by the Ukrainian regime, that produced no proof of Russian involvement in downing flight MH-17.
US and Russian warships nearly collide in the Philippine Sea
By Kevin Reed, 8 June 2019
In an encounter coinciding with a visit to Russia by Chinese President Xi Jinping, a US warship nearly collided with a Russian destroyer on Friday in the Philippine Sea.
Ukrainian president seeks support from Western powers
By Jason Melanovski, 7 June 2019
Ukraine’s president met with EU and NATO officials this week, declaring his commitment to seeking membership in both organizations.
In naked sellout, union announces end to strike by 300,000 Polish teachers
By Will Morrow and Clara Weiss, 27 April 2019
The union is covering up the fact that it is ending the strike without meeting any of the teachers’ demands by claiming the strike is being “suspended.”
As union seeks to end walkout
Polish teachers speak out on why they are striking
By Will Morrow, 25 April 2019
The main teachers’ union has called for the suspension of the powerful strike to allow students to complete their exams.
The election of Zelensky in Ukraine and the way forward for the working class
By Clara Weiss, 25 April 2019
Comedian Volodymyr Zelenskyi won the Ukrainian presidential elections Sunday in a massive repudiation of the incumbent president and the imperialist-orchestrated coup that brought him to power.
Unions scramble to contain Polish teachers’ strike as 40,000 social workers prepare to stop work
By Clara Weiss, 24 April 2019
The teachers’ strike, the first nationwide walkout since 1993, is one of the largest strikes since the restoration of capitalism in Poland in 1989.
Landslide victory for Zelensky over Poroshenko in Ukrainian presidential election
By Jason Melanovski, 22 April 2019
The election results reflect the enormous hostility within the Ukrainian working class toward the right-wing nationalist policies of the Poroshenko regime.
National strike by Polish teachers enters fifth day
By Clara Weiss, 12 April 2019
The vast majority of Polish teachers remain on strike as the government refuses to make any concessions.
Polish teachers launch nationwide strike
By Clara Weiss, 9 April 2019
Over 86 percent of the country’s 400,000 teachers have joined the first nationwide strike of teachers in Poland in 25 years.
“Independent” union in Russia facilitates closure of Ford factory
By Clara Weiss, 8 April 2019
The Inter-Regional Trade Union Workers’ Alliance (MPRA) has blocked opposition to the US-based auto giant’s plans to close three factories and exit the passenger car market.
On the eve of the presidential elections
Ukrainian far right mobilized in inter-oligarchic infighting
By Jason Melanovski and Clara Weiss, 21 March 2019
Incumbent president Petro Poroshenko currently occupies third place in polls leading up to the March 31 election.
Anti-Semitic propaganda distributed at Polish parliament as government witch-hunts Holocaust historians
By Clara Weiss, 16 March 2019
The Polish government is engaged in an unprecedented witch-hunt of historians of the Holocaust and promotion of anti-Semitism.
Moldova election heralds political instability
By Andrei Tudora and Tina Zamfir, 6 March 2019
The election signalled the culmination of a protracted process of disintegration of the forces that defined the political establishment in Moldova over the last 20 years.
Greek parliament votes in support of Macedonia name change
By Katerina Selin, 30 January 2019
The Prespa agreement is aimed at paving the way for Macedonia’s rapid integration into NATO and the European Union.
Autoworkers strike in Hungary
By Markus Salzmann, 28 January 2019
Thousands of auto workers began a one-week strike on Thursday at an Audi plant in Györ, western Hungary.
Autoworkers strike in Hungary
By Markus Salzmann, 28 January 2019
Thousands of auto workers began a one-week strike on Thursday at an Audi plant in Györ, western Hungary.
Presidential campaign officially begins in Ukraine
By Jason Melanovski, 28 January 2019
The Ukrainian presidential election is dominated by pro-imperialist, right-wing candidates who are hated and despised by the overwhelming majority of the population.
Further protests against Orbán government in Hungary
By Markus Salzmann, 9 January 2019
On Saturday, in freezing temperatures, about 10,000 people demonstrated again in Budapest against the right-wing government of Prime Minister Victor Orbán.
Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Tymoshenko tours Washington to garner support for presidential bid
By Jason Melanovski and Clara Weiss, 11 December 2018
The ultimate goal of Tymoshenko’s visit to Washington was to promise to continue with the United States’ militarization of the country and the Black Sea.
Ukraine: Poroshenko declares martial law to crack down on political and social opposition
By Jason Melanovski and Clara Weiss, 1 December 2018
The army has been put on high alert and the presence of police has been substantially increased in major cities.
Merkel backs Ukrainian provocations against Russia
By Peter Schwarz, 1 December 2018
Chancellor Angela Merkel has sharply attacked Russia at the German-Ukrainian Economic Forum, declaring that Putin is fully responsible for the present conflict.
Ukraine’s provocation in the Azov Sea
By Clara Weiss and Andre Damon, 29 November 2018
The Ukrainian military, with the support of high-level figures within the US state, has instigated a major international crisis ahead of this week’s G20 summit.
Thousands of Austrian metal workers on strike
By Markus Salzmann, 21 November 2018
Metal workers are striking for higher wages and against the tightening of labour laws by the right-wing government.
Ukrainian politician dies after fascist acid attack
By Jason Melanovski, 12 November 2018
The brutal killing of Handziuk and the ongoing cover-up are a stark exposure of the reactionary nature of the regime brought to power in the US-backed coup in 2014.
Ukraine’s depopulation crisis
By Jason Melanovski, 1 November 2018
More than a quarter-century after the dissolution of the USSR, emigration continues unabated in Ukraine as workers flee poverty and war.
Polish regional elections point to growing political instability
By Clara Weiss, 25 October 2018
The election results in Poland point to growing disillusionment with the right-wing PiS party and hostility toward the main parties of the pro-EU opposition.
Russia: Putin ally Kudrin pushes for rapprochement with the imperialist powers
By Clara Weiss, 13 October 2018
Underlying the push toward improving ties with imperialism are the growing class tensions in Russia itself.
Relations deteriorate between Hungary and Ukraine
By Jason Melanovski, 9 October 2018
Two of eastern Europe’s right-wing governments clash in a dispute over passports, language laws and military exercises.
Kremlin suffers defeats in regional elections
By Andrea Peters, 6 October 2018
The electoral upsets that took place in September come as evidence mounts of growing discontent with Russia’s ruling party.
New documents on Yeltsin-Clinton conversations further expose US “meddling” in Russian politics
By Clara Weiss, 22 September 2018
The Clinton Foundation has released hundreds of pages of documents about conversations between US president Bill Clinton and Russian president Boris Yeltsin.
Manila moves toward major arms purchase from Russia
By Joseph Santolan, 25 August 2018
The Pentagon, which has been systematically escalating military tensions with Russia, has not taken kindly to Washington’s former colony improving relations with Moscow.
Russian Duma presses ahead with pension reform in face of overwhelming popular opposition
By Clara Weiss, 24 August 2018
While 90 percent of the population opposes the reform, the Duma debate was dominated by its proponents.
Russian Duma presses ahead with pension reform in face of overwhelming popular opposition
By Clara Weiss, 23 August 2018
While 90 percent of the population opposes the reform, the Duma debate was dominated by its proponents.
Death toll rises from Greek forest fires
By John Vassilopoulos, 23 August 2018
Fire victims have demonstrated outside parliament to protest inadequate assistance from the Syriza government.
After Helsinki, Democrats incite “deep state” action against Trump
By Bill Van Auken, 17 July 2018
Trump’s appearance alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki unleashed a wave of denunciations from Democrats and the media, with former top intelligence officials calling for his ouster.
As Jeff Bezos’ wealth reaches $150 billion
Unions strangle strike efforts by European Amazon workers on Prime Day
By Will Morrow and Genevieve Leigh, 17 July 2018
Prime Day is treated as a virtual public holiday by the corporate media, akin to Black Friday, but it is synonymous with increased exploitation for Amazon and other shipping workers.
Outrage in Russia over pension reform
By Clara Weiss, 21 June 2018
Ninety-two percent of the population oppose the government’s plan to raise the retirement age.
Russian authorities ordered destruction of documents on Stalin’s terror
By Clara Weiss, 18 June 2018
Archival material about people who were kept in the Soviet forced labor camp system and subsequently released has been systematically destroyed, on the basis of a secret decree from February 2014.
New Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan takes belligerent stand on Nagorno-Karabakh
By Clara Weiss, 17 May 2018
Pashinyan’s reckless moves toward military conflict expose the fraudulent character of the Western media coverage of Armenia’s supposed “democratic revolution.”
Putin begins his fourth term as Russia’s president
By Clara Weiss, 9 May 2018
Putin’s fourth term as president will inevitably be characterized by increasing social struggles in Russia.
Armenian parliament rejects pro-Western opposition leader’s bid to be prime minister
By Clara Weiss, 2 May 2018
The main roots of the political crisis lie in the advanced preparations for imperialist war in the region.
Russian government blocks messaging app Telegram
By Clara Weiss, 17 April 2018
The attack on encrypted communication is part of the international drive by governments to censor the Internet and expand mass surveillance.
Right-wing nationalist Orban wins Hungarian election
By Peter Schwarz, 10 April 2018
Expectations that the Fidesz Party would lose support due to corruption scandals and claims by pollsters that the mood in the country was shifting did not materialise.
Russia: Protests against officials erupt in wake of Kemerovo fire
By Clara Weiss, 28 March 2018
The horrific fire at the Kemerovo “Winter Cherry” shopping mall and entertainment center on March 25 has brought social and political tensions in Russia to a boiling point.
Russia: At least 64 dead, including many children, in horrific shopping mall fire
By Clara Weiss, 27 March 2018
Like the Grenfell fire last summer in London, the fire at the Kemerovo shopping mall on Sunday is a social crime for which the ruling oligarchy bears full responsibility.
London, NATO step up war threats against Russia over Skripal poisoning
By Alex Lantier, 19 March 2018
NATO authorities issued a barrage of political and military threats at Russia, a nuclear-armed power, without providing any evidence for their allegations.
Putin wins Russian presidential elections amid growing international and domestic instability
By Vladimir Volkov and Clara Weiss, 19 March 2018
The Russian presidential elections took place amid unprecedented geopolitical tensions, and a prolonged decline in popular living standards.
Putin’s state of the nation speech highlights crisis of Russian oligarchy
By Clara Weiss, 6 March 2018
Menaced by US imperialism and gripped by economic crisis, the Russian state headed by Putin offers no solution to the historic impasse facing the country.
Polish president signs bill censoring free speech about the Holocaust
By Clara Weiss, 7 February 2018
The action will have a “chilling effect” on all forms of political speech and scientific research opposed by the ultra-right Polish authorities.
European Union skeptic wins Czech presidential election
By Markus Salzmann, 2 February 2018
Acting Czech President Milos Zeman narrowly won the second round of the presidential election last Friday and Saturday.
US media glorifies small protests by right-wing Putin opponent Alexei Navalny
By Clara Weiss, 1 February 2018
Though tens of thousands protested last year against social inequality and corruption, Navalny has been unable to tap into the massive social discontent, largely due to his fascistic politics.
A series of attacks at Russian schools
By Clara Weiss, 31 January 2018
Within one week, three schools witnessed outbreaks of violence, and one school a stabbing. Dozens of children and several teachers were wounded.
Polish government seeks to criminalize mention of Polish crimes during the Holocaust
By Clara Weiss, 30 January 2018
The far-reaching assault on free speech is part of the systematic effort of the right-wing PiS government to strengthen fascist forces and, along with that, falsify the history of Poland.
Romanian prime minister resigns amid rising social tensions
By Andrei Tudora and Tina Zamfir, 17 January 2018
There is an increasing mood of militancy among Romanian workers, with autoworkers at Ford locked in a struggle against management, the union and the government.
Trump authorizes $41.5 million sale of lethal US weaponry to Ukraine
By Niles Niemuth, 23 December 2017
The decision to allow Kiev to purchase “lethal defensive weapons” portends an escalation in the nearly four-year-old war against pro-Russian separatists entrenched in the country’s eastern provinces.
Wildcat strike stops production as workers eject union leaders at Ford Romania
By Eric London, 23 December 2017
The spontaneous walkout took place the day after Ford and the union agreed to a sellout contract with similar terms as those imposed on workers in the US and Canada.
China invests billions in Eastern Europe, heightening tensions with Germany
By Peter Schwarz, 30 November 2017
Chinese investments in Eastern Europe have met with strong criticism from the European Union. Berlin in particular increasingly views China as a rival rather than a partner.
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