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Tony Wesolowsky

Tony Wesolowsky is a senior correspondent for RFE/RL in Prague, covering Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, and Central Europe, as well as energy issues. His work has also appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Christian Science Monitor, and the Bulletin Of The Atomic Scientists.

WesolowskyA@rferl.org

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Also by Tony Wesolowsky

September 09, 2023
Belarus's Lukashenka Sets Passport Trap To Lure Opponents Back Home

Belarusians living abroad will have to come home to renew or receive passports, according to a new edict by Alyaksandr Lukashenka. Opponents say it's just the latest attempt by the country's de facto ruler to round up some of the tens of thousands of critics who have fled the country since 2020.
August 03, 2023
A Brutal Knife Attack Might Finally Be Changing Minds On Domestic Violence In Bulgaria

A man in Bulgaria who took to social media to downplay a recent knife attack on a young woman that shocked the country was suspended by the company where he worked. It was an unusual step in traditionally conservative Bulgaria, where activists say too little has been done to protect women's rights.
July 25, 2023
Russian Drone Strike On Ukrainian Port Of Reni 'An Indirect Attack On Romania, Moldova'

The Russian drone strike on the Ukrainian port of Reni was only 200 meters from Romania.
June 17, 2023
Flipping The Channels: Moldova Faces A Huge Challenge Countering Pro-Kremlin Propaganda

Soon after Russia unleashed its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, salvos of disinformation and propaganda were targeted at a global audience as the Kremlin faced outrage and condemnation. Now, Moldova is fighting back to counter what the country's president says is "the most dangerous weapon."
June 04, 2023
Did The Bulgarian Mobster Gunned Down In South Africa Know Too Much?

A top Bulgarian mobster has been shot dead in South Africa. The death of Krasmir Kamenov, or Kuro, has sparked speculation as to why the low-lying kingpin was killed now. Some say he knew too much about the ties between organized crime and elites in Bulgaria and was about to speak out.
May 03, 2023
Instead Of Protecting Investigative Journalists, The Bulgarian Authorities Are Going After Them

"Normally, the findings of...investigative reporting should trigger legal actions, but in Bulgaria they more often trigger institutional retaliations against the journalists and their sources," one reporter told RFE/RL.
April 05, 2023
By Helping War-Torn Ukraine Get Its Grain To Market, The EU Is Accused Of Abandoning Its Own

Despite Russia's invasion, Ukrainian grain is still finding a market, partly thanks to the European Union waiving customs duties and import quotas and the setting up of a humanitarian corridor in the Black Sea. But many farmers in the bloc are unhappy.
March 29, 2023
Ex-Cons And Extremists Turn Media Debates Into 'Circus' Ahead Of Yet More Bulgarian Elections

Under changes to election laws, extremists and other fringe candidates dominate the debates ahead of a snap poll on April 2, and the head of Bulgarian TV has even apologized to viewers for being forced to listen to "outright nonsense."
March 23, 2023
Bulgaria's Pro-Kremlin Leader Refuses To Send Soviet-Era Fighter Jets And Tanks To Ukraine

Bulgaria is refusing to dip into its stockpile of Soviet-era tanks and fighter jets to help Ukraine in its war against Russia despite an enticing offer from Washington that would allow Sofia to modernize its own military force.
March 03, 2023
Vulnerable, Volatile Moldova Could Be The Kremlin's Next Target. It Could Also Be Just Another Distraction.

From fresh anti-government protests to alleged coup plots, Moldova is on edge, as Russia wages war on its neighbor, Ukraine. The pro-Western president of Europe's poorest country, Maia Sandu, says the Kremlin is trying to destabilize the country or even planning to invade.
February 18, 2023
Will Russian And Belarusian Athletes Compete In The Paris 2024 Olympics?

With the Olympic Games in Paris less than 18 months away, calls are growing to bar Russian and Belarusian athletes for Vladimir Putin's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The International Olympic Committee is now softening its stance amid claims such a ban would be discriminatory.
January 19, 2023
Russia Gets Its Oil Into The EU Through Bulgaria. Perhaps Not For Long.

As the EU is stopping imports of Russian oil, Bulgaria continues to refine it. With growing pressure on the Russian oil giant LUKoil, that won't last forever.
December 26, 2022
A New Marshall Plan? How Ukraine Will Be Rebuilt

Eventually Ukraine must be rebuilt and that will cost billions. Depending on the outcome of the war, there are demands that Russia foot the bill. To many that might sound like a good plan, but is it practical, or even legal?
December 22, 2022
Blocking Of Key Nagorno-Karabakh Artery Triggers Fresh Tensions Between Armenia And Azerbaijan

The blocking of a key road has become the latest hot spot in the decades-long dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh, sparking concerns of a humanitarian crisis and fears of renewed armed conflict.
December 18, 2022
'We Have A Common Enemy': Georgian Soldier Says Ukraine's Fight Against Russia Is His Country's, Too

Vadim Chkhetiani is recovering from a wound suffered on the battlefield in Ukraine fighting against invading Russian forces as a member of the Ukrainian armed forces. He's one of the lucky ones. Many Georgians have suffered losses recently around Bakhmut, which has been pummeled by Russian fire.
November 22, 2022
To Keep The Trauma At Bay, Ukrainian Refugee Children Are Given More Time To Play

Months after arriving in the Czech Republic after Russia's invasion of their homeland, children from Ukraine are trying to make the best of their new lives in Prague. A small recreation center in the Czech capital is helping them cope, simply by letting them play.
November 03, 2022
Ilan Shor: The Kremlin's New Man In Moldova

Ilan Shor is a shady businessman, convicted of fraud in connection with the biggest bank heist ever in Moldova. Now, Russia's Federal Security Service is allegedly bankrolling the Israeli-based oligarch to destabilize the former Soviet republic.
October 03, 2022
Interview: Do Bulgaria's Snap Elections Signal A Shift Away From The West And Toward The Kremlin?

Bulgarians went to the polls on October 2 for the fourth time in 18 months in a bid to end political instability in the Balkan nation. Dimitar Bechev, a visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe and lecturer at Oxford University, analyzes the results.
October 01, 2022
Revival On The Rise: Ahead Of Elections, Far-Right Party Is Tapping Into Bulgarian Public Anger

As Bulgaria finds itself mired in political instability and with the fourth parliamentary elections in two years, Bulgaria's far-right Revival party is making gains.
September 07, 2022
Wanted In Ukraine, Welcomed In Georgia? Pro-Russian Separatist Supporter Trades Crypto In Tbilisi

Daniil Deev is wanted in Ukraine for backing pro-Russian separatists but for the past month has been living in Tbilisi, apparently helping Russians trade cryptocurrency. While Georgia has looked the other way, some Kremlin critics have found the authorities to be less accommodating.

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