Compiled by Hristo Voynov and Eva Jovanova
1. The international response to the poisoning of Sergei Skripal, former Russian general turned British spy, has grown drastically. While the list of total expulsions will likely grow, so far 151 individuals from 27 countries have been expelled, with the US being responsible for only 60 of those. Those that broke EU ranks and are yet to expel diplomats include Austria, Greece, and Slovenia (the only member of the V4 yet to do so) who claim that they wish to keep diplomatic channels open, as well as Bulgaria who claims its position in the EU presidency means it is obligated to stay neutral. Russia continues to deny its involvement in the affair and is requesting evidence to justify the expulsions, and is planning its response to the coordinated efforts against it.
2. The Balkan states Albania, Macedonia, Croatia and Romania also joined the EU and the US in expelling Russian diplomats over the Sergei Skripal case. Two Russian diplomats were expelled by Albanian Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati. Croatia Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov and the Romanian government each expelled one Russian diplomat as a gesture of solidarity with the UK. Russia protested their decision and warned that there might be consequences.
3. As the ANO party lead Czechian government marks its 100 days in office, it finally has good news regarding a coalition. While nothing has been officially signed, party bosses are making committal statements that suggest this deal will stick. The Czech Social Democratic Party will be the main partners in exchange for their party picking the Interior or Finance minister and the Communist party will give the majority needed to form a ruling coalition. The two are expected to form a left-leaning coalition within the majority to counter ANO’s populist centrist beliefs. This would be the first time that the communists are part of the ruling government in Czechia since the Velvet revolution 30 years ago.
4. Kosovo police arrested and deported Marko Djuric, the head of the Serbian government’s Kosovo office, this Monday, on claims that he had entered the country illegally. Both Kosovo Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister stressed that illegal entry into Kosovo is a breach of the Brussels dialogue and that consequences will follow. The EU feared a further escalation of the situation. After Djuric’s arrest, clashes between the Serb majority in the northern part of Kosovo and the state police followed, with an estimated number of over 30 injured. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic fully supported Djuric and claimed he had notified the Pristina authorities 75 hours prior to his visit. The Kosovo Serb party in Pristina announced this Tuesday that it will leave the government coalition.
5. Poland appears to be caving in to pressure from the EU regarding changes to its legal system. The Polish Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, stated that he believes the country is close to finding common ground with the EU. The Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz has stated that he wants Brussels to withdraw its Article 7 procedure, but it is unclear whether the compromise is enough on both ends. Changes to the new law would make it more difficult to fire judges and strengthening the National Council of the Judiciary, the main regulatory body for Poland’s judiciary system.
6. Macedonia, except for its decisiveness in resolving the name issue and its debate on the constitutionality of signing the language law, made it to the news this week as “the source of fake news”. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg stated in an interview for the New York Times that numerous Macedonian accounts were spreading false news in the USA. He also claimed that most of these accounts were already removed. Macedonia has been popular for its success in spreading fake news worldwide, especially during the US election in 2016. However, this was the first time that the Facebook founder spoke about the issue.
7. Belarus marked its 100th anniversary of the Belarusian People’s Republic, a short-lived independent republic that was quickly absorbed into the USSR. This holiday has a complicated history that spawns from competition between a strong Belarusian ethnic identity and the Russification that has happened over the last century. While it is not recognized as a holiday by the Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka because of the current regime’s pro-Soviet sentiment, the opposition uses it as a day to rally around, and this year was no exception. Opposition figures, including former presidential candidates Mikalay Statkevich and Uladzimir Nyaklyaeu, held a march that was competing with the state-sponsored concert to mark the event. That march led to dozens of arrests, including the two former presidential candidates.
8. Croatia provokes international attention as it tries to amend World War II history by changing the Croatian Wikipedia page about Hitler’s occupation of Poland. The page claimed that Adolf Hitler had attacked Poland due to Polish genocide against German citizens in the city of Gdansk. After sharp media reaction, the page was changed and the amended paragraphs were edited. This is not the only time Croatian Wikipedia has proved to be unreliable and academically inaccurate. The pages on the Ustasa-run concentration camp Jasenovac had to be edited numerous times due to factual fallacies and inaccuracies. The Balkans, and especially Croatia, still show clear signs of lacking a culture of remembrance for the crimes committed in both WWII and in the Yugoslav wars.
9. A fire in the Russian town of Kemerovo has shocked Russia. The fire occurred at a mall which housed a movie theater whose doors were locked when the fire occurred, one of the reasons why the death toll was so high. The official death toll is 64 including many children, though it is rumored to actually be over 300. Russia denies this and has issued an arrest warrant for a Ukrainian blogger it accuses of spreading fake news to spread unrest within the country. Putin has blamed the fire on “criminal negligence” and “slovenliness”, and the opposition seems to agree, with an unsanctioned memorial (competing with the government-sponsored one, both of which were in Moscow) where participants blamed the fire on corruption allowed the building to disregard safety regulations. While it is unclear if this will have political repercussions within Moscow, it is a tragedy that will hopefully be avoided in the future.
10. Bosnian Croat and Bosniak parties in the entity of Republika Srpska announced they will unite behind a so-called pro-Bosnian platform for the October election. Their main intentions are to fight against discrimination of Croats and Bosniaks in the Serb entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina and to increase the number of Croats and Bosniaks in the assembly of the entity. Names of potential candidates, however, remain unknown.
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