Sofya Orlosky

The unprecedented and indiscriminate coronavirus crisis is exposing some of the most hardened authoritarian governments of Eurasia—Belarus, Russia, and Azerbaijan— incapable of providing public-health protections. Amid this vacuum, civic groups are stepping up to identify needs and mobilize resources in areas that are normally the domain of government agencies, including public education, social protections, and public safety. Read Full Article »

Sofya Orlosky on how in the absence of effective state responses, civic groups in Belarus, Russia, and Azerbaijan are tackling the COVID-19 pandemic The unprecedented and indiscriminate coronavirus crisis is exposing some of the most hardened authoritarian governments of Eurasia—Belarus, Russia, and Azerbaijan— incapable of providing public-health protections.

Once again, Russia is in the news this summer: Peaceful protests in Moscow and now other cities are swelling up, met with unprecedented brutality by the Russian security services. And yet, bearing witness to the unfolding events makes it easy to fall into the trap of our own misunderstandings about the country.