VIDEO REPORTS
The Daily Vertical: The Temperature In Sweden
If you want a barometer of how the security debate in Europe has changed over the past few years, look no further than traditionally neutral Sweden. A poll released this week shows that a plurality of Swedes – 41%, now favor joining NATO.
Kyrgyz Currency Continues Downward Slide
Kyrgyzstan's national currency, the som, fell further against the dollar amidst regional financial troubles driven by the falling ruble and low energy prices.
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
Why Russian Propaganda Links Chechen Militants, IS, And Assad
Two weeks before reports broke about Russia’s growing military presence in Syria, the Russian website Life News, believed to have links to the security services, carried a story warning of the threat posed by the militant group Islamic State (IS) group in Latakia, and portraying the "war on terror" in Latakia as an extension of Russia's own struggle against Islamic militancy in the North Caucasus.
Azerbaijan Suspends Participation In "EuroNest"
Fending off criticism and measures proposed by EU bodies to protest Azerbaijan’s human rights record, the Azeri parliament adopted a harsh resolution terminating its participation in a European inter-parliamentary forum, and threatening retaliation if sanctions are brought against Azeri officials. (In Russian)
Poroshenko Postpones The Mobilization Campaign
The Ukrainian president said the decision was made in response to the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine, and also announced plans to increase the country’s professional army. (In Russian)
Ukrainian Firm To Pay $30 Million In Landmark U.S. Securities Case
Jaspen Capital Partners Ltd and CEO Andriy Supranonok agreed to pay $30 million to settle a $100 million lawsuit over "ill-gotten gains" allegedly accrued from 2010 to 2015 in trades they made using information stolen through a computer hacking network based in Ukraine.
Tatar Activist Get Three Years In Jail For Stance On Crimea
A court in Russia's Republic of Tatarstan found Rafis Kashapov, chairman of the Tatar Public Center, guilty of separatism and inciting ethnic hatred, and sentenced him to three years in prison on September 14. Kashapov had published articles on the Internet last year harshly criticizing Russia's annexation of Crimea and Moscow's involvement in eastern Ukraine.
Exiled Belarusian Opposition Activist Returns Home
Belarusian opposition activist Vyachaslau Siuchyk, who took up exile in Ukraine following Belarus’s 2010 presidential elections, has returned home in advance of the country’s October 11 polls and in response to “the new political situation caused by Russia's aggression against Ukraine."