January 6: Russia

Russia agrees to forgive $10 billion of Mongolian debt, which was accumulated during the 70 years Mongolia was a Soviet satellite state. Mongolia will repay $300 million, which will be raised through state bonds. Mongolia’s debt to Russia and China was slowing the country’s economic development.

January 8: Russia

During his Orthodox Christmas tour throughout monasteries and churches near the ancient city of Zvenigorod, Russian President Vladimir Putin says that Russian Orthodoxy is an integral part of Russia’s national culture and it is not necessary to separate that culture from the state. He adds that while legally church and state are separate, Russian history and souls are closely linked to the Russian faith.

January 12: Russia

A Russian court sentences two residents of the southern republic of Karachayevo-Cherkessia, near Chechnya, Yusuf Krymshamkhalov and Adam Dekkushev, to life in prison for participation in a series of apartment building bombings in Moscow and Volgodonsk in 1999. Critics say that the attacks were carried out by the Russian security services in order to justify a military operation in Chechnya. The trial was closed to the public.

January 13: Kazakhstan

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev signs a law that abolishes the death penalty. The President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Peter Schieder, says the death penalty moratorium allows for an agreement between the PACE and Kazakhstan on developing political dialogue to promote parliamentary democracy, the rule of law, and respect for human rights.

January 17: Ukraine

The Progressive Socialist Party and the Russian Bloc organize a 1,000-strong rally in Ukraine’s capital, Kiev, to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the Treaty of Pereyaslav, when the Ukrainian Cossacks joined Moscow against Poland. The activists call for the unification of the three Slavic countries: Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus.

January 20: Georgia

Failure at the main power station in Georgia causes a blackout in most of the country, affecting thousands of commuters. Georgia faces chronic power shortages caused by under-investment following the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.

January 20: Russia

A new group of liberals, “2008: Free Choice”, under the leadership of chess champion Gary Kasparov, says its goal is to ensure that President Vladimir Putin does not stay in power after 2008. The group members, that include Boris Nemtsov, Soviet-era dissident Vladimir Bukovsky, and TV political satirist Viktor Shenderovich, accuse Putin of taking control over parliament and the media and falsifying the last elections.

January 20: Russia

Russia and India sign a $1.6 billion deal on a refurbished aircraft carrier and 12 warplanes from Russia. Russia is the largest supplier of military equipment to India and military cooperation is a key part of the relations between the two countries.

January 25: Georgia

The new president-elect of Georgia, Mikhail Saakashvili, takes the oath of office at a ceremony outside the parliament in the capital, Tbilisi, after a landslide victory in the presidential election, in which he obtained 96 percent of the votes. The election was sparked by November’s “rose revolution,” which ousted the former president, Eduard Shevardnadze. Saakashvili states his goal is to rebuild Georgia into a strong and unified state, which is integrated in Europe.

February 2: Latvia

Latvia’s parliament approves a controversial amendment to the country’s education law requiring 60 percent of the subjects in the minority schools to be taught in the Latvian language beginning September 1. About 5,000 people, many of them ethnic Russians, protest the new law outside the parliament building. The reform touches a sensitive issue affecting relations with Russia, as Latvia’s 2.3 million inhabitants are ethnic Russians.

February 6: Russia

A powerful bomb explosion in the Moscow underground railway rips through a subway car, killing 39 people and wounding more than 100. Russian President Vladimir Putin blames Chechen rebels and condemns the attack. Chechen rebel leaders issue a statement denouncing the bombing.

February 13: Russia

Russian presidential candidate Ivan Rybkin, who was missing for five days, reappears in Ukraine where, he says, he was lured, drugged, and kidnapped by unknown assailants. Linked to an exiled tycoon, Boris Berezovsky, Rybkin is a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin. Concerned for his safety, he decides to run his campaign from London and come back to Moscow only after the elections.

February 18: Russia

A Russian ballistic missile fails to launch for the second time during the largest post-Soviet military maneuvers. The incident is highly embarrassing for President Putin, who attended the display.

February 20: Latvia

After the collapse of Einars Repse’s government, Latvian President Vaira-Vike Freiberga chooses the deputy head of the smaller Green and Farmers Union, Indulis Emsis, as a compromise candidate to form a new government. Two larger parties, the People’s Party and the First Party, declare they will join a coalition. Emsis is Europe’s first Green prime minister.

February 23: Russia

The European Union warns it will impose sanctions on Russia if it refuses to extend an existing trade and political agreement to the 10 countries joining the EU in May, including three Baltic states that used to be a part of the Soviet Union. Russia refuses to extend these agreements until it gains more trade concessions and visa-free travel for Russian citizens. It also wants guarantees for the status of ethnic Russian minorities.

March 1: Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin names Mikhail Fradkov, a little-known political figure, as his new prime minister. He served twice as a foreign trade minister during the Soviet era and recently served as an envoy to the European Union.

March 9: Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin forms a new cabinet after dismissing the previous one in order to get rid of Yeltsin-era Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov. He lowers the number of ministerial appointments from 30 to 17 and reappoints some of the previous reformers, such as Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin and Economic Development Minister German Gref.

March 14: Russia

Vladimir Putin wins Russia’s presidential election, securing 71.2 percent of the vote. His nearest rival, communist candidate Nikolai Kharitonov, wins 13.7 percent. International observers criticize the election as failing to meet democratic standards. The chief observer, Julian Peel Yates, says the election lacked vibrant political discourse and meaningful pluralism, and the candidates did not have access to the state media.

March 29: Europe

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) celebrates the inclusion of seven new members, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia. The enlargement brings the number of NATO members to 26 and extends the alliance into the territory of the former Soviet Union and to the border with Russia.

March 29: Georgia

Early results of Georgia’s legislative elections show a landslide victory for President Mikhail Saakashvili’s National Movement-Democratic Front party, which wins 78.6 percent of the vote and takes all the seats in parliament. The result creates fears that Georgia could become a one-party state.

April 6: Uzbekistan

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) withdraws aid from Uzbekistan because of the country’s slow progress in reforms and poor record in human rights. The bank will continue cooperation with the private sector and certain projects in the public sector.

April 6: Lithuania

The Lithuanian parliament narrowly votes to impeach President Rolandas Paksas for leaking classified materials and giving a Russian businessman citizenship for financial support. The parliamentary chairman, Arturas Paulauskas, becomes acting president until a new president is elected.

April 6: Russia

Ingush President Murat Zyazikov is slightly injured in an assassination attempt when a vehicle filled with explosives explodes next to his armored limousine in the city of Nazran, Ingushetia’s administrative center. Zyazikov, a former Federal Security Service (FSB) general, is a staunch supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin and was elected president of Ingushetia in 2002 with considerable Moscow support.

April 20: Russia/Ukraine

The Ukrainian parliament ratifies a treaty on the country’s border with Russia and endorses an accord on the joint use of the Azov Sea and the Kerch Strait, stipulating that they are internal waters of both Ukraine and Russia. The Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc, the Socialist Party, and Our Ukraine refuse to vote.

April 23: Baltic states/Russia

Latvia’s government expels a Russian diplomat for an attempt to access the NATO military infrastructure. It is the third time this year that a Russian diplomat is expelled from the Baltic states. Previously, three Russian diplomats were expelled from Lithuania for trying to buy documents related to NATO and the EU. Also, Estonia expelled two Russian diplomats for spying. The Baltic states joined NATO in March and are due to join the EU in May.

May 6: Georgia

After a month-long confrontation between Georgia and its autonomous region of Ajaria and two nights of protests by hundreds of Ajaria’s residents, the region’s leader, Aslan Abashidze, steps down and flies into exile in Russia. Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili announces that a new leader of the region will be chosen in elections next month.

May 9: Russia

Chechen rebels assassinate the Moscow-backed president of Chechnya, Akhmad Kadyrov, by planting a bomb under his seat in a VIP area of the crowded Dynamo stadium during celebrations marking Russia’s victory in World War II. Kadyrov’s death is seen as a setback to Russia’s attempts at bringing stability into the Chechen republic. Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, vows to bring 1,000 additional troops to Chechnya.

May 18: Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan and China sign an agreement to build a 770-mile-long oil pipeline from Kazakhstan to the Chinese border. Kazakhstan is looking for new markets to expand production of its vast oil reserves and China needs new energy sources. China is also interested in developing economic ties with the other countries of Central Asia.

May 27: Russia

The United States and Russia sign an agreement aimed at reducing the possibility of terrorists acquiring nuclear materials. The U.S. will pay more than $100 million to recover highly enriched uranium from 24 research reactors in the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, and southeastern Asia and transport it back to Russia for storage. The U.S. has been concerned about the research reactors because of poor maintenance and inadequate security.

June 18: Belarus/Kazakhstan/Kyrgyzstan/Russia/Tajikistan

The leaders of the member-states of the Eurasian Economic Community (EEC) meet in Astana, Kazakhstan, to discuss closer economic integration. They sign a treaty on legislative harmonization and an agreement for cooperation on securities markets. Russian President Vladimir Putin calls the EEC the driving force of integration in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The EEC consists of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan.

June 21: Russia

About 200 Chechen rebels clash with Russian authorities in Chechnya’s neighbor, the Russian Republic of Ingushetia, killing at least 47 people, including regional Interior Minister Abukar Kostoyev. The rebels seize and burn down the interior ministry building in the city of Nazran. They also attack border guards in Nazran, Karabulak, and Sleptsovskaya. Thousands of Russian troops are searching for the rebels.

June 27: Lithuania

Former Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus wins a second term in an election called to replace impeached President Rolandas Paksas. Adamkus was Lithuania’s president from 1998 to 2003, when Paksas unexpectedly defeated him.

June 30: Russia

A Qatari judge sentences two Russian secret agents to life in prison for killing former Chechen leader Zelimkhan Yanderbiyev in Qatar’s capital, Doha, earlier this year. He also accuses Russia of sponsoring the killing.

July 1: Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyz officials report to the parliament that there are several radical Islamic groups active on the territory of Kyrgyzstan, which are trying to unite into a new clandestine organization, the Islamic Movement of Central Asia. The Hizb ut-Tahrir group alone recruited 1,800 new members over the last year. They also warn that al-Qaeda attempts to use Kyrgyz militants against Western diplomatic missions and military sites of the antiterrorism coalition in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.

July 14: Uzbekistan

The United States freezes aid to Uzbekistan, saying Uzbekistan has not made enough progress toward democracy. Since 2001, Uzbekistan has received tens of millions of dollars in U.S. aid as a reward for letting the U.S. use its air base near Afghanistan.

July 15: Russia/Georgia

Two-day talks between Russia, Georgia, and Georgia’s breakaway region of South Ossetia result in signing a protocol, which states that all sides will refrain from using force in resolving the territorial conflict. However, the agreement fails to provide any long-term solution. Georgia is trying to bring South Ossetia back under its control, but the region wants to be a part of Russia.

July 30: Moldova

Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin threatens the breakaway Trans-dniester region with a blockade after its officials close several schools, which use Romanian, Moldova’s official language. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe condemns shutting down the schools and accuses the Trans-dniester region of linguistic cleansing.

August 17: Georgia

Heavy fighting breaks out in Georgia’s breakaway region of South Ossetia between Georgian soldiers and South Ossetian separatists. Renewed clashes break the cease-fire deal, which envisages an additional buffer zone between the two sides patrolled by Russian peacekeepers and monitored by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Many South Ossetians want to join North Ossetia, which is a part of Russia.

August 30: Russia

The electoral commission announces that the Moscow-backed candidate for Chechnya’s president, Alu Alkhanov, wins 74 percent of the vote, with a turnout exceeding 85 percent. The election was held to replace pro-Moscow leader Akhmad Kadyrov, who was killed in a bomb attack in May. Opponents question the outcome of the election, saying polling stations were empty. Also, the U.S. and U.K. say that the election did not meet international standards for a democratic election.

September 2: Russia

A Russian court issues a new order that will freeze bank accounts of the Russian oil giant, Yukos, which could push it into bankruptcy. The Russian government demands that Yukos pay billions of dollars in back taxes. The new court order halts payments for workers and prevents the company from settling accounts.

September 3: Russia

Russian troops storm the Beslan school in North Ossetia where hundreds of children and adults have been held hostage for the third day. At least 326 people are killed and 727 injured. Russian officials say that the hostage takers were Chechen rebels backed by foreign Muslim militants. The Russian government also offers $10 million for information leading to the arrest of Chechen rebel leaders Shamil Basayev and Aslan Maskhadov.

September 13: Russia

In response to recent deadly attacks on civilians in Russia, President Vladimir Putin orders drastic reforms to strengthen the central government. His plan includes changing voting rules for parliament, nomination of regional governors by the head of state rather than by popular election, the formation of a new federal commission to study the troubled North Caucasus region, international cooperation of security services, and harsher punishments for corrupt officials who help terrorists.

September 19: Kazakhstan

The Kazakh electoral commission announces that President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s Otan party wins the parliamentary elections, obtaining 60 percent of the votes. The Asar Party led by Nazarbayev’s daughter, comes in second. The largest opposition party, the Ak Zhol Party, attracts about 17 percent of the vote. International observers condemn the country’s media for severe bias in favor of the president and lack of transparency. The election is seen as a test of democracy in Kazakhstan.

September 24: Russia

The Chechen rebel leader, Aslan Maskhadov, condemns Shamil Basayev, another Chechen rebel leader and his former comrade, for organizing the Beslan school siege, and says Basayev should be put on trial in an independent Chechnya. He also insists that Chechen forces under his control were not involved in this attack. Maskhadov’s fighters were, however, behind the recent bombings of two Russian airliners and the Moscow underground.

October 18: Belarus

A controversial referendum approves changing the constitution to allow Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to stay in office for a third term. International observers confirm widespread irregularities. Reports show marked paper ballots before the election. More than 1,000 opposition demonstrators march through the capital, Minsk, and clash with police.

November 5: Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin signs the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, which clears the way for the treaty to come into effect as of next year. In order for the treaty to work, it needed participation of developed countries, which produce 55 percent of the world’s greenhouse gases, blamed for global warming. So far, more than 100 countries have joined the pact. The United States pulled out of the treaty in 2001.

November 13: Georgia/Russia

Russia accuses the opposition in Georgia’s breakaway province of Abkhazia of attempts to overthrow the Russian-backed government and pledges to intervene if the post-election crisis persists. In response, Georgia calls for the international community to protect its independence, referring to Russia’s statements as unacceptable.

November 27: Ukraine

During an emergency session, Ukraine’s parliament declares the presidential election results invalid amid massive weeklong protests in Kiev and other major cities in Ukraine. Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski and the EU’s foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, take part in mediation between Ukraine’s government and the opposition to solve the post-election crisis. Supporters of Viktor Yanukovych threaten that if Yushchenko becomes president, eastern Ukraine will seek autonomy.

December 3: Ukraine

Ukraine’s Supreme Court upholds the opposition’s claim that the presidential election was rigged, annuls the second round of the election, and rules that a new runoff vote must be held on December 26.

December 19: Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan announces that almost 77 percent of eligible voters participated in parliamentary elections, choosing 50 members from among candidates who all belong to President Saparmurat Niyazov’s Democratic Party. Foreign observers were not allowed to attend the election.

December 26: Ukraine

Ukraine’s opposition leader, Viktor Yushchenko, wins the third round of the contested presidential election, which was monitored by 12,000 international observers. Yushchenko’s rival, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, contests the result by claiming multiple irregularities and says he will not step down from his post.

December 27: Uzbekistan

The observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe say the parliamentary elections in Uzbekistan did not meet international standards, adding that they were neither competitive nor transparent. All five parties taking part in the election supported President Islam Karimov and almost two-thirds of potential candidates were not allowed to compete.