Yan Matusevich
@ymatusik.bsky.social
Journalist writing about politics, culture, migration and society in Central Asia and Eurasia more broadly | PhD candidate in Anthropology at CUNY GC | en-ru-fr-de | кыргызча сүйлөйм Words in @economist.com, @foreignpolicy.com, @eurasianet.bsky.social
Hard not to feel despondent about the upcoming regional elections in Sachsen-Anhalt, where the AfD is polling at 40%. A lot of mistakes have been made to appease the far-right, but at this point a large portion of the electorate is driven purely by spite and an emotional desire for destruction.
Austria is experiencing another record-breaking heatwave, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius in parts of the country. But thankfully, the Chancellor is aware of a much more important issue at the moment: immigration, return hubs, and the prohibition of sharia law.
Claus Pándi@cpandi.bsky.social · 4h ago41 Grad, aber die Kicklphrase hält
What a story from @fabricedeprez.bsky.social. Not only are they being reburied far from where they fell, they are being reburied where their evacuated families now live, often far from their Russian- occupied or soon to be occupied hometowns. www.ft.com/content/1d75...
Even Ukraine’s dead must flee the Russian advance
Fallen Ukrainian fighters are being reburied hundreds of miles from where they died
ft.com
Everything there is to say about Ceuta has already been said—and it’s sickening to see how it’s being instrumentalized for bigoted anti-migrant hysteria. I wish it were possible to push back against the downtrodden victim/dangerous invader dichotomy that permeates the discourse.
And lest anyone think this is just fringe voice, Al-Jazeera ran a column linking Israel to Moroccan migrants into Ceuta - citing no evidence of any Israeli involvement. www.aljazeera.com/opinions/202... This is not a good way to be! This is an epistemic collapse on the left.
Is Spain being punished?
In the months leading up to the crisis in Ceuta, pro-Israel voices conspicuously raised the issue of the enclave
aljazeera.com
Not very flattering video of the presidents of Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan demonstrating their golf swings at the opening of a new golf course on Lake Issyk Kul
Meanwhile, if folks could not idealize the PRC
Foreign Affairs@foreignaffairs.com · 6d agoChina’s new ethnic unity law codifies, “under the guise of civic inclusion,” a requirement that Mongols, Tibetans, and Uyghurs “become part of a single, party-defined Chinese identity,” write James Leibold and Tenzin Dorjee.
Two of my least favorite things—dictators and golf courses—ruining one of the most beautiful places on earth: Lake Issyk Kul
FOGOLF, FOLLOW GOLF@fogolf.bsky.social · 6d agoPresidents of Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan Attend Inauguration of Cholpon-Ata Golf Club https://www.fogolf.com/1339933/presidents-of-azerbaijan-kyrgyzstan-uzbekistan-tajikistan-attend-inauguration-of-cholpon-ata-golf-club/ Presidents of Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, …
This is really giving off Soviet police cracking down on hippy gatherings in the Baltics vibes
Hanna Liubakova@hannaliubakova.bsky.social · 5d agoPolice in #Belarus boast they've crushed an "unauthorized mass event." Translation: they raided people camping by a lake, detained the organizers, and launched cases against participants. There were around 300 people. Fun got arrested and outdoor recreation suppressed.
I recently wrote a profile of a West African kid who tried to storm Cueta, right before the last big massacre of migrants there. As I observed, much of this could be prevented (and has been before) with a return to pre-2000s visa policies www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...
Along the trans-Saharan path, African migrants weigh the risks and rewards of heading to Europe
The Globe joins West Africans along the desert route that carries hundreds of thousands through deadly perils and ignites political crises in Europe
theglobeandmail.com
Roundups targeting men of conscription age are continuing in the Penza region, now carried out by plainclothes individuals connected to local authorities. meduza.io/en/news/2026...
Residents of Russia’s Penza region say people in plainclothes are trying to abduct men and force them into military service — Meduza
Roundups targeting men of conscription age are continuing in the Penza region, now carried out by plainclothes individuals connected to local authorities, the independent Russian investigative outlet…
meduza.io
It's been a slow process, but Russia now has most of the mechanisms in place to prevent another mass exodus of draft evaders should another round of mobilization take place. Mobilization never actually stopped, of course, it has just avoided targeting certain privileged populations.
Kyrgyzstan's next presidential elections are set to take place on 27 January 2027. Sadyr Japarov is all but guaranteed to easily secure a second term, now that his best friend turned arch-enemy Tashiev is out of the picture. 24.kg/vlast/383453...
Следующие выборы президента пройдут 27 января 2027 года - | 24.KG
Президент Садыр Жапаров подписал поправки в конституционный Закон «О выборах президента и депутатов Жогорку Кенеша Кыргызской Республики»».
24.kg
Still wild reading Soviet justifications for Russian colonial expansion into Central Asia. This one is from a 1963 book by Soviet-Kyrgyz historian Begimaaly Jamgyrchinov.
It’s unsettling how electronic travel authorizations have quietly become the norm for international travel, granting countries the ability to keep unwanted people before they even board a plane
Yan Matusevich@ymatusik.bsky.social · 2w agoFor anyone traveling to Kazakhstan after August 24, you’ll now be required to get an electronic travel authorization 72 hours prior to arrival through an app called QazETA
My only insight into local AfD support in Saxony are the WhatsApp status updates of random neighbors and contacts on my phone (plumber, guy I bought a couch from etc). honestly it’s just a bunch of AI slop, lame memes & misinformation (e.g. Ukrainians can retire in Germany and get full benefits)
For anyone traveling to Kazakhstan after August 24, you’ll now be required to get an electronic travel authorization 72 hours prior to arrival through an app called QazETA
The editor in chief of The Economist referring here to the AfD’s leader as a “perfectly thoughtful person“ instead of what she truly is - a driver and enabler of German fascism - is a huge part of the problem.
Matt Novak@paleofuture.bsky.social · 2w agoAt one point she notes that AfD, the German political party that Musk supports, has "real neo-Nazis." Musk literally just shrugs.
Pro-tip: if you need to send a package (or anything really) within the EU, use Ukrainian Nova Poshta instead of DHL. Incredible service, more affordable prices. They’ve got offices in most major European cities at this point.
Russia just passed legislation that will allow authorities to significantly limit the rights of Russians exiled abroad. Under the law, they will not be able to renew their passports, access their Russian bank accounts, get married or sell real estate istories.media/news/2026/07...
Госдума в срочном порядке приняла закон об ограничениях для политэмигрантов
Они не смогут получать загранпаспорта, пользоваться приложениями российских банков и распоряжаться имуществом в России
istories.media
Russia’s mobilization never stopped, but is slowly picking up pace in terms of sending out digital draft notices. Most of these aren’t actual draft notices, but requests to come in person for an “personal data update.” Failure to show up may result in a travel ban.
Kanye West will perform in Almaty and Bishkek this year—and I’m already seeing so many tasteless antisemitic jokes on Kazakh and Kyrgyz social media. The guy is unwell, but his antics sadly find fertile ground in the region
You know what's worse than competitive authoritarianism? Plain old authoritarianism
"From the outside, the linguistic situation is sometimes portrayed as a competition between Kyrgyz and Russian. In reality, it is far more nuanced... Spend a day in Bishkek, and you will quickly notice that conversations move effortlessly between Kyrgyz and Russian."
A Conversation With Mahabat Sadyrbek About the Kyrgyz Language
“When a language becomes accessible, it becomes visible. And when it becomes visible, it becomes part of international scholarship and global dialogue.”
buff.ly
Fun fact: While Jews made up less than 1% of the population of Argentina, they comprised up to 12% of those disappeared during the Dirty War, due to the antisemitism of the right-wing junta and the association of Jews with leftism. More Jews were killed in the Argentine Dirty War than on 10/7/2023.
Joel S.@joelhs.bsky.social · 2w agoYes, Argentina, that country that has famously never dabbled in antisemitism, unlike Spain. Just don't ask the people in Javier Milei's government where all of their ancestors came from and why.
One of the biggest misunderstandings of politics in our time is that the Left has become all about identity politics. The opposite is the case. The Left has (nearly everywhere) completely given up on shaping, representing, and mobilizing identities. Instead, the far right has successfully done it.
Tim Bale@timbale.bsky.social · 3w ago"The right rarely starts with ideology. It starts with identity. It starts with the feeling that somebody understands your frustrations. Agreement comes later. The right isn’t just building audiences. It’s building participants. It isn’t trying to persuade. It’s trying to join them."
The ruins of Engilcheck, a Soviet-era mining boomtown in the Tien Shan mountains, are still home to a small but thriving community.
Far More Than Ruins: Life in Engilcheck, Kyrgyzstan
The ruins of Engilcheck, a Soviet-era mining boomtown in the Tien Shan mountains, are still home to a small but thriving community.
buff.ly
