Balkans

Demography may force Moscow to reduce aize of Russian military

Even though Vladimir Putin’s designated successor says few senior officials even know what demography is, changes in the number of 18-year-olds over the next few years will impose severe constraints on the Russian government and may force it to reduce the size of its armed forces.

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Russia’s Muslims begin talking about a ‘Muslim Russia’

Russia’s Muslims are beginning to change the way they talk about the relationship between their religious community and their country, a shift that reflects their own growing self-confidence but one that frightens many ethnic Russians who see it as a threat to their own status.

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Slovenia back on Yugoslav stage over Kosovo

Slovenia, the first country to quit Yugoslavia in 1991, becomes EU president on January 1 and will play a lead role in maybe the last act of the old Balkan federation’s demise when Kosovo secedes from Serbia.

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Russian dissenter put in psych hospital

A Russian opposition activist was committed to a psychiatric hospital before government protests, supporters said Friday – the latest in a series of incidents suggesting a punitive Soviet-era practice is being revived.

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Putin, Go Home!

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Belarus’ leader late Thursday, starting a visit that was closely watched for signs the two ex-Soviet neighbors were advancing toward a merger.

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