In a dispatch from Tashkent, The Beet explores the debates about language, trust, and technology shaping Wikipedia’s development in Central Asia (and beyond) in the age of AI. meduza.io/en/feature/2... @meduza.io

New pub: Central Asian migrants at the US-Mexico border: An exploration of causes Great piece analyzing spike in Central Asian migrants in 2021-2022. journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1...

Lithuania's migration authorities are looking to close their visa center in Dushanbe due to the high number of visa overstays by Tajik citizens www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-e...

An ex-employee of Prigozhin’s “troll factory,” a graduate student who was near the fighting and a soldier from Rostov-on-Don shared their memories of living through the mutiny with MT.

My piece for @carnegieendowment.org on the impact of US and Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear program, including the damage, long-term pathways to reconstitution, internal debates in Iran, and the future of the IAEA carnegieendowment.org/emissary/202...

This is devastating. How much my colleagues and so many others have been fighting to prevent this. #KyrgyzParliament passed the media law in two readings at once, making changes at the very last minute. Last hope has failed www.reuters.com/business/med...

I can’t help but assume this includes programs for studying Central Asian languages

New legislation in Russia will require public schools to share the personal data of all immigrant children with the police This is combined with other legislation that limits access of immigrant children to public education www.currenttime.tv/a/33448907.h...

#Kyrgyzstan: Although 15 years have passed since the deadly ethnic clashes in the south of Kyrgyzstan, wounds still have not healed and new ones added with ongoing demolitions in Osh. I write about it in my oped here: thediplomat.com/2025/06/15-y...

Temirlan Yensebek, who used to run a satirical news channel called Qaznews24 (think of it as Kazakhstan's The Onion), has been designated an extremist in Kazakhstan. He's banned from using banking, owning real estate, or being officially employed orda.kz/jekstremist-...

Kyrgyz authorities are conducting anti-migrant raids across Bishkek today, targeting South Asian workers from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, many of whom work in the textile industry The criminalization of migration is truly global

The Telegram messaging app's infrastructure is controlled by a man whose companies have collaborated with Russian intelligence services, according to a new investigation by the exiled outlet IStories.

The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project reports today that Telegram's technical backbone is managed by a Russian network engineer with significant business ties to the FSB, Russia's counterpart to the FBI.

You can’t stay indifferent when your love is this deep. This isn’t just a story about #mountains — it’s about what lives within them: the forests, waters, glaciers, and the people who protect them. #Kyrgyzstan’s #Ala-Archa National Park Under Siege thediplomat.com/2025/06/dest...

Mashallah! Uzbekistan qualify for the 2026 World Cup! The first Central Asian nation to do so! ⚽ www.goal.com/en-us/lists/...

#Turkmenistan is on the list of countries whose citizens now face restrictions from entering the US, thought not an outright ban www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...

DOGE cancels the Peace Corps program in Kyrgyzstan, the only country in Central Asia to host Peace Corps volunteers. I can only concur with @colleenwood.rocks's words quoted in this article. Peace Corps had a huge impact in Kyrgyzstan and is generally well liked thediplomat.com/2025/05/kyrg...

Ongoing detentions of former and current media workers in Kyrgyzstan Journalism is being demolished in real time www.reuters.com/business/med...

It was an honor to be the guest of the final episode of THE podcast on Central Asia, the Majlis Podcast, hosted by the one&only @pannierb.bsky.social. Together w/ Bakyt Beshimov & @nargiskassenova.bsky.social, we've discussed Central Asia's position in global politics: www.rferl.org/a/majlis-rus...

Tajikistan allegedly has the largest number of its nationals (931) serving in the Russian forces in Ukraine from among Central Asian countries. At least 196 of them have been killed in Ukraine. t.me/hochu_zhyt/3...

As the Taliban tries to attract foreign investment, it's pitching Afghanistan as a regional transit hub. In this analysis for @boursebazaar.bsky.social, Nargiza Umarova looks at the range of road and rail projects being pursued by Afghanistan's neighbors. www.bourseandbazaar.org/articles/202...

Russian authorities are considering forced cuts to federal spending as falling oil prices deplete the reserves needed to fund the war in Ukraine, Bloomberg reported, citing an anonymous source familiar with the preliminary discussions.

Worth a read: Reuters obtained the counterproposal from European and Ukrainian officials in response to the Trump admin’s push to end Russia’s war. The document differs on territory, sanctions, security guarantees & the size of Ukraine’s army. www.reuters.com/world/docume...

Uzbekistan to introduce “golden visas” for foreigners from June 1. The cost of the document will be $200,000 and $100,000 for family members of its holder.The document will be valid for 5 years.

Around 60 #Kyrgyz citizens were reportedly beaten by police in #Moscow, with more than 20 detained. Is Bishkek pushing back on Russians raids targeting Kyrgyz Nationals? Follow the link for more www.reuters.com/world/kyrgyz...

Kyrgyzstan arrests four people in the city of Osh for allegedly recruiting mercenaries to fight for Russia in Ukraine. Among those arrested is a representative of the Russian House in Osh and a member of the mayor’s communications team www.currenttime.tv/a/kyrgyzstan...

This is probably the longest translation I’ve ever done for @meduza.io. And it tackles a question I’ve long wanted to know the answer to: Who funds the Russian opposition — and what’s in it for them? If you’re looking for a weekend read, this is it! meduza.io/en/feature/2...

A gorgeous piece on the ancient tradition of eagle hunting in Kyrgyzstan from @atavist.com magazine.atavist.com/the-eagle-hu...

Andrej Triller, a descendant of Volga Germans deported to Kazakhstan by the Soviets, has been documenting the new tragedy hitting his community.

Fascinating look by @Peter__Leonard on his Havli Substack at how Central Asian governments try to combine “secular authoritarianism with “conservative moral revivalism” havli.substack.com/p/riding-two...

With the date of the next presidential election announced, the course of #Kyrgyz politics for years to come seems to be set. More context, subtext and details about, in my latest for @reuters.com

Journalist Lukpan Akhmedyarov - known for his hard-hitting reporting - detained in case involving dissemination of false information, a favoured charge to lock up journalist in #Kazakhstan which carries a lengthy prison sentence orda.kz/zhurnalista-... orda.kz/zhurnalista-...

✍️ 🚎 🚇 For Novastan, I wrote this review of urban public transport developments in Central Asia: novastan.org/en/context/n...

The head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund has emerged as a key figure in talks with the U.S. So who is he — and why is he suddenly everywhere?

Teahouse Rohat - one of the most iconic buildings and last vestiges of Soviet architecture in Dushanbe, Tajikistan - is now gone. My quick dispatch for @meduza.io on the teardown of the place that meant so much to me personally: meduza.io/en/feature/2...

Central Asia’s “frankly bonkers” March heatwave, which saw temperatures up to 10C above pre-industrial levels, was intensified by climate change, according to new research published as countries around the world suffer exceptional spring weather. www.ft.com/content/164a...

EU announced a 12 billion-euro ($13.2 billion) Gateway Investment Package to increase cooperation in transport, critical raw materials, clean energy and digital connectivity in Centra Asia. apnews.com/article/uzbe...

EU-CA summit in Samarkand yields $13-billion package for #CentralAsia astanatimes.com/2025/04/eu-l...

Very good article about Russian military base in Armenia. Regardless of how much Armenia shifts toward Europe and away from the Kremlin, the 102nd base will likely be the most difficult aspect of the Armenia-Russia relationship to remove.

Concerns grow over waste dumps at Kyrgyzstan's Kumtor mine potentially threatening nearby rivers, though the mining company downplays immediate risks timesca.com/kyrgyzstans-... #Kyrgyzstan #KumtorMine #MiningImpact #EnvironmentalConcerns

HRW comes out with an incredibly detailed report on the rise in anti-migrant violence, arbitrary detention and forced military conscription of migrants in Russia Made a small contribution to this report, but it includes some first-hand testimonies of the horrible situations faced by migrants in RU

@RFERL in #CentralAsia" "a voice for those who, with good reason, are afraid to speak out publicly, or more importantly, for those who did speak out and are punished for that" - commentary by @BrucePannier on devastating impact of imminent closure timesca.com/opinion-what...

Check out this new @hrw.org report: “Living in Fear and Humiliation: Rising Xenophobic Harassment and Violence towards Central Asian Migrants in #Russia” authored by @syinats.bsky.social www.hrw.org/news/2025/03...

Government drafts law banning photography of people without their permission in #Uzbekistan, with a few exceptions such as state officials. What a blow to the profession of photography if it passes, and conceivably a tool to use against journalists kun.uz/ru/news/2025...

President Donald Trump’s moves to dismantle U.S.-funded media outlets RFE/RL and Voice of America are being met with elation in Moscow, Russian officials and diplomats told The Moscow Times. "A dog’s death for a dog,” one former Kremlin official said.

While Putin distracts them with poisoned tea, a window is ominously sneaking up behind them.

Thorough overview of the border deal signed today by #Kyrgyzstan and #Tajikistan and what it means for #CentralAsia (spoiler - this is great news!) - by @ChrisRickleton for @RFERL www.rferl.org/a/kyrgyzstan...

Another year, another women’s march in Bishkek. Kyrgyzstan is the only country in Central Asia that has allowed a sanctioned women’s rights protest this year. Lots of familiar faces, a small window of hope in a country where freedom of expression is under attack

Interesting new addition to the #CentralAsia listening scene, as Turan Tales podcast launches on Substack, with @petergysling.bsky.social as the first guest discussing doing journalism in this often overlooked region turantales.substack.com/p/episode-1-...