Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

Russia’s March 15-17 election is set to keep President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin for six more years. Given that certainty, does the election matter? And what might Putin’s fifth term mean for Russia, Ukraine, and the world? Russian historian and analyst Sergei Medvedev joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss.

Karakalpak activists are experiencing problems in Kazakhstan and in Europe. Trouble started after Uzbek security forces brutally suppressed a peaceful protest over the region’s sovereignty within Uzbekistan in Nukus, capital of the Karakalpakstan Sovereign Republic, in July 2022. This year, a Karakalpak activists died in Kazakhstan while another is currently detained there. Two more activists in Europe face possible deportation. Joining host Bruce Pannier are Arzu, a pseudonym for a Karakalpak activist now living outside Uzbekistan; Catherine Putz, managing editor at The Diplomat magazine; Leila Seiitbek, chairwoman of the NGO Freedom For Eurasia; and noted human rights lawyer Steve Swerdlow. (Note: Arzu’s comments have been voiced over to protect family and friends in Karakalpakstan.)

Russian forces are seeking further advances after capturing Avdiyivka, and the $60 million U.S. aid package is still stuck in Congress. Dara Massicot, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, joins the host to discuss a crucial juncture in Moscow’s war against Ukraine.

Jan Matti Dollbaum -- research group leader at LMU Munich and co-author of the book Navalny: Putin's Nemesis, Russia's Future? – joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss the life, death, and legacy of Aleksei Navalny.

A court in Kyrgyzstan ordered the closure of Kloop Media on February 9. The court’s ruling came after a series of state-selected “experts” testified on court that Kloop’s reporting was having a negative psychological effect on Kyrgyzstan’s people. The ruling against Kloop sends a chilling message to independent outlets and journalists, who were already bracing for the possible adoption of two draft laws—one on media, the other on NGOs—that would give Kyrgyz authorities even greater latitude to limit independent journalism. Joining host Bruce Pannier to discuss the court’s decision against Kloop and what it means for media freedom in Kyrgyzstan are guests Gulnoza Said, the Europe and Central Asia coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists and Muzaffar Suleymanov, program officer in the Eurasia Department at the Swedish-based organization Civil Rights Defenders.

Ian Garner, an expert on Russian war propaganda and author of the book Z Generation: Russia's Fascist Youth, discusses the Kremlin's messaging about its war against Ukraine, the campaign for the noncompetitive election, and takeaways from Tucker Carlson's interview with President Vladimir Putin.

The fate of Ukraine’s commander in chief is in doubt. So is the fate of future U.S. military aid. Christopher Miller, Ukraine correspondent for the Financial Times and the author of the book The War Came To Us: Life And Death In Ukraine, joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss what may happen and what it could mean as Russia’s full-scale invasion approaches the two-year mark.

On January 29-30, Brussels hosted an Investors Forum for European Union-Central Asia Transport Connectivity. At the forum, EU officials announced that European and international investors would commit 10 billion euros ($10.8 billion) in support and investments toward transport connectivity between Europe and Central Asia, as part of the EU’s Global Gateway trade network. The money will go toward a wide assortment of projects -- from roads and railways to renewable energy resources. Joining host Bruce Pannier to discuss what is in this 10-billion-euro package are guests Samuel Doveri Vesterbye, director of the European Neighborhood Council, and Kestutis Jankauskas, the European Union’s ambassador to Kazakhstan.

Author and analyst Mark Galeotti joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss the mysterious Russian military plane crash that Moscow claims killed 65 Ukrainian POWs, the verdict against nationalist Putin critic Igor Girkin, and the would-be presidential candidacy of Boris Nadezhdin.

A slowing economy poses what's perhaps the greatest challenge to Chinese leader Xi Jinping's power since he became leader and there's an unlikely factor behind it: China's complicated relationship with the Soviet Union.

While Russia’s war on Ukraine may not end in 2024, this could be a make-or-break year for Kyiv’s defense against the invasion. Will the European Union come through with sufficient support? Marie Dumoulin, Director of the Wider Europe program at the European Council on Foreign Relations, joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss.

While Kyrgyzstan's independent media scene has been slowly deteriorating for two years, January 15 marked a turning point with raids by law enforcement officers at media outlets and homes of journalists. At least 11 people were detained and ordered into police custody for two months. Kyrgyzstan’s parliament is again considering a restrictive draft media law compared to legislation used by Russia to shut down media outlets there. Joining host Bruce Pannier to look at the crackdown on Kyrgyzstan’s independent media and what might be coming if the draft media law is approved are guests Tattuububu Ergeshbaeva, director of the Tandem - Lawyers' Community and Syinat Sultanalieva, Central Asia researcher for Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan at Human Rights Watch.

Could Russia end up winning its war against Ukraine? If it doesn't, could Ukraine and the West still lose? Ruth Deyermond, senior lecturer in the Department of War Studies at King's College London, joins host Steve Gutterman to take stock as Russia's full-scale invasion nears its third year.

Kyrgyzstan has changed its national flag. It was clear from the time the idea of altering the flag was first proposed in September 2023 that the country’s president, Sadyr Japarov, wanted the change. There was strong opposition from many of the country’s citizens, but that met with a very aggressive response from authorities and very quickly the idea became a reality. The process by which Kyrgyzstan’s flag was changed is especially interesting because it illustrates more broadly how the country has been governed since President Japarov came to power. Joining host Bruce Pannier to discuss Kyrgyzstan’s new flag and what it says about the current Kyrgyz government’s methods are guests Leila Seiitbek, chairwoman of the NGO Freedom for Eurasia, and Admir Kurman, who is from Kyrgyzstan, but currently works in London as an innovation strategist.

It has been more than 30 years since the five Central Asian states became independent, yet the term “Russia’s backyard” is often still used by some people, including Western media, when reporting on the region. Understandably, many in Central Asia find this way of describing their region offensive. Yet Russia remains a neighbor and a country with unique influence in Central Asia. How far has Central Asia come in being independent from Russia and what are some of the ties that still bind the region to its former colonizer? Joining host Bruce Pannier to discuss the ebb and flow of Central Asia’s relations with Russia in the last two years are guests Johan Engvall, an analyst at the Stockholm Center for Eastern European Studies; Navbahor Imamova, veteran correspondent for the Uzbek Service at Voice of America, and Temur Umarov, a fellow at the Carnegie Russia-Eurasia Center in Berlin.

Central Asia has never enjoyed so much international attention as it has since Russia launched its full-scale war on Ukraine. The search for new, non-Russian trade routes and energy resources to replace Russian oil and gas supplies is leading many countries to strengthen their ties with the Central Asian states. One sign of this is the world tour the Central Asian leaders (as members of the C5 group of states) have been on in 2023, traveling to meet with heads of state in China, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Germany, and other countries. This new popularity has changed the fortunes of the Central Asian countries, but also the manner in which the leaders govern their countries. Joining host Bruce Pannier to discuss all this are guests Catherine Putz, managing editor at The Diplomat magazine, Nargis Kassenova, senior fellow and director of the program on Central Asia at Harvard Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, and Luca Anceschi, professor of Central Asian studies at Glasgow University.

Vladimir Putin vows to achieve his goals in the war on Ukraine as he heads toward another Kremlin term, while uncertainty looms over the future of Western support for Kyiv’s defense against the Russian invasion. What’s in store for Russia and Ukraine in 2024? Analyst and author Mark Galeotti joins host Steve Gutterman to discuss.

Since Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev came to power in late 2016, he has often exhorted journalists to draw attention to corruption and other problems in the country. Mirziyoev has promised he would “stand behind” journalists and media outlets. However, the Uzbek president has been nowhere in sight recently as bloggers in the country have been arrested and given long prison sentences -- in some cases longer sentences than people in Uzbekistan convicted for violent crimes receive. Joining host Bruce Pannier to discuss are guests Umida Niyazova, director at the Germany-based Uzbek Forum for Human Rights, and Steve Swerdlow, a rights lawyer with many years of experience in Central Asia who is currently an associate professor of the practice of human rights at the University of Southern California.

The government's announcement of a new tax regime for local bazaars and markets sparked an unexpected backlash, with protests erupting in towns and cities across Kyrgyzstan. President Sadyr Japarov's government has made it difficult for people to gather and criticize the authorities' actions; the merchants' protests ended a long period without any large demonstrations. What was behind this public display of dissatisfaction, and what does it say about the culture of protest in Kyrgyzstan, a country that has seen three presidents chased from power as a result of street demonstrations? Joining host Bruce Pannier to discuss the issue are Asel Doolotkeldieva, nonresident fellow at George Washington University; and Medet Tiulegenov, senior research fellow at the University of Central Asia in Bishkek.

Making Europe get tough on China has been a hallmark of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s term in office, but what’s behind her hardening line toward Beijing?