The Afghan Taliban took credit for Sunday’s siege on the Afghan parliament in Kabul. The attack was perpetrated by seven Taliban, one suicide bomber and six gunmen, and culminated in the death of the seven attackers and two civilian bystanders. No members of the military were killed during the especially brazen attack on the Wolesi…
Russia announced that it will boost its arsenal of nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) by 40 as part of a large-scale modernization of the Russian military. While the modernization has been ongoing for quite some time, the latest announcement seems to come as a direct counter to NATO’s own announcement that it would place forces…
A close adviser to Tajik President Emomali Rahmon has been arrested on charges of graft and corruption, according to Tajik media. Hasan Rajabov, one of the president’s advisers on “personal” affairs, now faces a lengthy prison term for “bribery and embezzlement,” among other crimes. The arrest marks the latest in a series of high profile…
Ukraine has threatened to issue a debt moratorium and cease making payments to creditors if terms favorable to the government are not reached by the end of June. This latest piece of news comes as the Ukrainian government continues debt restructuring negotiations with the International Monetary Fund, although with a deadline fixed at the end…
The G-7 has again begun to mull tougher sanctions on Russia. The catalyst for the discussions is an alleged outbreak of Russia-fueled violence in eastern Ukraine. There has been increasing amounts of coverage of certain areas of eastern Ukraine in which a perceived buildup of Russian military equipment has been able to reach separatists in the…
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development announced that it will lend $1 billion to Kazakhstan in 2015. The $1 billion lent constitutes the largest amount the EBRD has ever allocated to Kazakhstan, something it attributes to a growing and diversifying economy. Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev in part based his campaign for reelection on the…
Despite some encouraging signs related to Ukraine’s economy, the International Monetary Fund issued a statement yesterday saying that the Ukrainian economy has declined sharply as a result of the conflict, and that it may continue to do so should sporadic instances of fighting in eastern Ukraine continue. IMF Mission Chief Nikolay Gueorguiev has spoken in…
The head of the International Monetary Fund is in Kiev to gauge the impact of the IMF’s $17.5 billion stimulus on the Ukrainian economy. Thus far, indications have been positive, according to Nikolay Gueorguiev, who has stated specifically that the project has been well implemented and that “stability is taking hold.” The second, $2.5 billion tranche…
In a speech last week, Iranian Ayatollah Ali Khamanei publicly ruled out the possibility of IAEA inspections at Iranian military sights, and stated that Iranian nuclear scientists would similarly be unavailable to IAEA personnel. Since then, Iran has softened its position to allow for “managed access” to its facilities. However, these statements reportedly contrast with…
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law legislation granting the Russian government the authority to shut down NGOs that it deems “undesirable.” The new law extends mainly to foreign NGOs and affords the government the leeway to fine and restrict their activities if it views them as illicit or in violation of the new law.…
STEPPE DISPATCHES 