Russian troops fleeing Kherson last November took 2,000 of the region’s prisoners with them. Many are still stuck in Russia, reports Igor Burdyga. #Kherson opendemocracy.net/en/odr/ukraini…

When Russia retreated from Kherson last year, they stole a number of prized items: paintings, World War Two memorabilia, monuments to 18th-century military commanders – and 2,000 Ukrainian prisoners. 🔎 Read more oDR 👇 opendemocracy.net/en/odr/ukraini…

Anti-war protester + artist Sasha Skochilenko has been sentenced to 7 years in prison. Смирнов described how the fabricated case against the St Petersburg artist was built here: opendemocracy.net/en/odr/sasha-s…

The Buzkyi Gard national park in southern Ukraine is under threat from a planned power plant. Protecting it is more vital than ever, writes Darya (Дарця) Tsymbalyuk. opendemocracy.net/en/odr/buzkyi-…

How are Belarusians who chose to remain in the country surviving an era of unprecedented repression? Igor Ilyash speaks to people on their daily routine under Lukashenka. opendemocracy.net/en/odr/belarus…

29 years ago today, the Budapest Memorandum was signed, and in parallel - Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons. katia farbar spoke to Ukraine's key disarmament negotiator about how it all went down. opendemocracy.net/en/odr/ukraine…

Journalist Kamila Eshalieva has won a UNDP competition for her coverage of AIDS/HIV in Kyrgyzstan for oDR - specifically the government's attempts to curtail international funding for prevention + treatment programmes. opendemocracy.net/en/odr/kyrgyzs…

Life under the patchwork governance 'systems' in Russian-occupied Ukraine: Ivan said his “soul was crushed” when he drove to the area where he grew up this summer, and found entire streets had disappeared. “People had left and sold their houses for construction material.”

A peek into life under Russian occupation, told by those who manage to leave after months of isolation and fear, to Isobel Koshiw (whose pieces for oDR are just excellent) opendemocracy.net/en/odr/ukraine…

We congratulate Kamila on this recognition of her craft! You can read more of her brilliant journalism here: opendemocracy.net/en/author/kami…

It's unclear what Cameron means—mechanically and legally—when he talks about using frozen Russian assets as a "downpayment" for reparations to Ukraine. I recently did a deep-dive into this issue for oDR (Spoiler alert: it's not simple): opendemocracy.net/en/odr/ukraine…

Belarus' preparations for elections next year reveal how Lukashenka is trying to consolidate his power beyond challenge - but also balance new forces in the security apparatus, writes Igor Ilyash. opendemocracy.net/en/odr/belarus…

opendemocracy.net/en/odr/uzbekis… "In the meantime, Sevara and Aziz’s stories are a stark reminder that decades of forced labour do not just vanish, but live on in those people who had to endure them." Check out my feature for openDemocracy on child cotton slavery in Uzbekistan

With men either called up or hiding from the draft, women in Kharkiv region are left to juggle work and care under threat of Russian shelling, reports katia farbar. opendemocracy.net/en/odr/frontli…

Announcement: we will close this month due to fundraising difficulties. To our readers: thank you for being the best readers we could have ever hoped for!

A sad day for journalism focusing on a region that very few manage to understand and explain with humility and rigor.

One of our final texts: Igor Burdyga digs into the thousands of Ukrainian civilians who have gone missing in Russian detention - and why it is so hard to get them exchanged. opendemocracy.net/en/odr/ukraine…

Our last text at oDR: Igor Burdyga reports how Ukrainian prosecutors and courts have dealt with the killings of Ukrainian protesters during Euromaidan. opendemocracy.net/en/odr/euromai…