Vladimir Rozanskij

Six months after the earthquake in the devastated Syrian areas there is great concern about the future in a starving territory. The appeal to "not politicise" the management of the humanitarian emergency has fallen on deaf ears. The knot of Idlib, the last stronghold in the hands of the rebel militias opposing Bashar al-Assad.

The 'grain war' is also having heavy repercussions within the country. Moscow needs to obtain hard currency and therefore favours exports, causing the prices of quality flour for the domestic market to skyrocket. The logistical effects of international sanctions are also making it difficult to maintain production levels.

The denunciation of 200 activists from the five countries of the region gathered in Almaty thirty years after the independence of the ex-Soviet republics. In the face of the heavy economic crisis resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the social consequences of climate change, repression against any critical voice of governments is growing.

Fewer than 100,000 children were born in 2022, which has not happened since 1940. The Ministry of Health now wants to introduce controls on abortion drugs. Moscow has one of the most liberal abortion legislations in the world. The Orthodox Church is pushing to change it.

In perfect Soviet style, by amending the Constitution, the president has rescinded his two previous terms and now - re-elected in an almost plebiscite-like manner - will be able to remain at the helm of the country until 2037. The only real change is his attitude towards Uzbeks who have emigrated abroad for work, no longer despised. He now calls them the 'new heroes', but prefers to see them in London rather than Moscow.

In Tukaev province, construction work has begun on a huge logistic-commercial complex named after Den Xiaoping. The first step towards a 'special economic zone' that looks to the oil chemical industry in the region, where Hikvision, a Chinese company blacklisted for forced labour in Xinjiang, is already very active.

The Petropavlovsk region bears even in its name the memory of Russian tsarist rule, and many indicators, not only political, but also social and economic, confirm the separatist moods of a large part of its population.

In Šakhritus - in the border region between Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan - a large scientific station of Lanzhou University has been inaugurated for the study of the environment and climate in the countries of the Belt and Road Initiative. A hub of the wider LiDar network. Suspicions about the possible use of these facilities for espionage activities.

In a verdict that represents an important step forward for human rights, four officers were given sentences ranging from two to seven years in prison. They were accused of torturing two prisoners, one of whom died as a result of the harassment.

One year after the elections, questions are being asked about the real possibility of alliances between the various groups and movements opposing the government. But the distances remain marked and difficult to overcome. There is concern that the repercussions of what is happening in Ukraine may also excessively condition life in Georgia.

5 people including "Eldik Keneš" party leader Rosa Nurmatova, known as a pro-Russian activist arrested. Accusers denounce a "hybrid" action by the Kremlin, which fears Kyrgyzstan's excessive openness to cooperation with Westerners. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov: "worrying news that we are following closely."

In the border region between Russia and Western Kazakhstan, celebrations resume after pandemic under the banner of St George the Victorious and war symbolism. The pilgrimage commemorates the rebirth of Russia after the Tatar-Mongolian yoke and the integration of European and Asian Russians.