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Category: Magazine

Issue 5/2025: On shaky ground

How NGOs in the region survive against the odds

September 27, 2025 - New Eastern Europe

Resistance, resilience, recovery: Ukraine’s civil society in wartime

Since gaining independence in 1991, Ukraine’s civil society has grown into one of the most vibrant and resilient in the region, playing a central role in shaping the country’s democratic path and pro-European identity. Throughout this time, citizens have mobilized in defence of human rights, sovereignty and political accountability. This civic strength became essential in responding to Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 and this is still true today.

September 27, 2025 - Liza Bezvershenko

Georgian civil society forced into survival mode

After decades of striving for independence and democratic reform, Georgia is now facing a reversal towards authoritarianism. The ruling Georgian Dream party, mimicking the Kremlin, initiated controversial laws in an accelerated manner to legalize its repressions over independent voices of society. The elimination of independent media outlets, grassroots movements, non-governmental organizations, professional unions, and activists has now become the priority for the Russian-backed government.

September 27, 2025 - Nino Lezhava

Can Belarusian civil society survive and even pose a threat to the dictatorship?

Since August 2020, Belarusian civil society has been experiencing a crackdown from the Alyaksandr Lukashenka regime that has been unprecedented in the 21st century. After widespread peaceful protests, the authorities launched a systematic extermination of all civil initiatives and NGOs without taking into consideration their political involvement. However, this did not prevent Belarusian civil society from not only existing, but developing in various forms, sometimes in ways completely surprising.

September 27, 2025 - Zmicier Mickievič

Democracy in Moldova: can civil society deliver?

Moldova is still navigating a complex path towards democratization, shaped by political instability, economic hardship, and institutional fragility. In this process, the Moldovan civil society plays a significant role, though its influence has often been limited by a combination of internal barriers, such as corruption, weak democratic institutions, overdependence on international funding, and fragility to external threats.

September 27, 2025 - Alexandru Fordea

Strengthening the civil society’s resilience in Serbia

Despite growing authoritarianism and a shrinking civic space in Serbia, civil society has demonstrated remarkable resilience through grassroots environmental movements, student protests, and citizens’ assemblies. These forms of activism have expanded locally and transnationally, mobilizing citizens, especially the youth, to demand accountability and democratic reforms.

September 27, 2025 - Sofija Popović

Civil society in Armenia: from peak to decline in advocacy

Faced with rising populism, polarization, socio-economic challenges, and mounting geopolitical pressure, Armenia’s civil society remains one of the key pillars of the country’s democratic resilience. Having evolved from fragmented local initiatives into a relatively mature and thematically diverse institutional sector, NGOs are entitled to play a significant role in shaping public discourse, monitoring state reforms, protecting vulnerable groups, and developing expert capacity. At the same time, the sector faces serious and growing challenges.

September 27, 2025 - Arshaluis Mgdesyan

Silenced by law: how Azerbaijan uses legislation to crush dissent

Despite early efforts towards civil society formation following independence, serious setbacks have been observed in Azerbaijan in recent decades. Restrictive legislation on the activities of NGOs, strict limitations on foreign donors to operate within the country, the de facto restriction of freedom of assembly, and pressure on independent media have all had a negative impact on organized and independent civic activism in the country.

September 27, 2025 - Zumrud Pashayeva

Russia’s long game in Africa and Latin America

It began with bananas and Soviet-era weapons. In early 2024, Ecuador tried to offload its ageing Russian arms stockpile to the United States, which intended to pass it on to Ukraine. Moscow responded with a trade war, partially banning Ecuadorian banana imports and sending shockwaves through the country’s economy. Within weeks, Quito backed off from the deal, caught between western alliances and dependence on Russian trade.

September 27, 2025 - Alice Volfson

Russian cultural diplomacy in Germany: between promoting Russia and undermining Ukraine

A number of facts testify to Russia’s destructive influence abroad through disinformation or direct interference in the domestic politics of countries, alongside the financing of political forces. Yet, there is another less obvious (and therefore even more dangerous) Russian Trojan horse – the institutions of cultural diplomacy, which under the cover of culture promote the Kremlin's agenda and anti-Ukrainian narratives. Despite the war, Germany still remains one of the most affected EU countries by Russian soft influence.

September 27, 2025 - Maria Protsiuk

Italy and Russia: a never-ending love story

In Italy, public scepticism about Russia’s war in Ukraine has grown, with recent polls showing declining support for Kyiv and rising neutrality. Some political figures, from both the right and the left, have tapped into this sentiment, highlighting its broad appeal across the spectrum. Understanding this trend requires looking at Italy’s unique political history, including the enduring legacy of its communist party during the Cold War.

September 27, 2025 - Aleksej Tilman

Europe’s heavy cost of dependency

While the European Union is developing plans to finally and completely cut itself off from Russian oil and gas supplies, the solutions it has found are less than ideal. This illustrates the challenge that Europe faces in overcoming its dependency on Russia, while at the same time not giving in to massive fossil fuel development. To make matters worse, Europe cannot escape the geopolitical dimension of fossil fuels.

September 27, 2025 - Raze Baziani

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