January 1: Russia

Russian authorities arrest more than 120 protesters in Moscow and St. Petersburg, including an opposition leader, Boris Nemtsov during rallies that call for more political freedoms. They also demand the resignation of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and the release of former businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky from prison who openly criticized the government. The rallies are held monthly to stress the freedom of assembly.

January 31: Belarus

In response to the last month’s fraudulent presidential election and the crackdown on the opposition in Belarus, the European Union and the United States toughen and widen sanctions on the country’s president, Alexander Lukashenko, and other senior officials. The sanctions include freezing assets, stricter financial controls, and a travel ban.

February 8: Russia

Chechen warlord and head of the Islamic militants in the North Caucasus Doku Umarov says that he ordered the suicide attack at Domodedovo international airport in Russia’s capital, Moscow, last month, which killed 36 people and wounded 180 others.

April 4: Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev wins another term in presidential elections with 95.5 percent of the vote. International observes say the election fell short of democratic standards, but Nazarbayev claims the result gives him a mandate to continue national reforms. The opposition is weak and disunited. Nazarbayev has been a president since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

June 20: Russia/Belarus

Russia agrees to grant Belarus a $3 billion bailout over its currency crisis. The loan is conditional on privatization reforms, which are supposed to take place within the next three years.

August 24: Ukraine

Thousands of demonstrators in Ukraine come out into the streets to protest the trial and detention of Yulia Tymoshenko, former Prime Minister and one of the leaders of the Orange Revolution. Tymoshenko is accused of abuse of office by making an illegal deal with a Russian gas company while in office. Her supporters, however, say the charges are politically motivated.

September 24: Russia

Russian Prime Minister and former President Vladimir Putin announces that he will run again for the post of president in March 2012. According to the new constitutional amendments, the presidential term has been extended to six years, so if elected, Putin could stay in power until 2024.

October 4 — Former Soviet Union

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin calls on former Soviet republics to create a Eurasian Union. He says that it is not an attempt to restore the Soviet Union, but rather create a body similar to the European Union. He also says that Russia, Kazakhstan, and Belarus are already taking steps toward economic integration.

October 31: Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan votes for Prime Minister and wealthy businessman, Almazbek Atambayev, to become the country’s new president. Promising to bring prosperity to Kyrgyzstan, Atambayev receives 63 percent of the vote.

November 3: Georgia/Russia

Georgia and Russia sign a Swiss-brokered agreement, which ends Georgia’s opposition to Russia’s membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO). Georgia has been blocking Russia’s entry into the trade organization since the two countries went into a brief war in 2008. Russia is the only major economy outside the WTO.

November 8: Russia

The controversial Nord Stream pipeline project is officially opened during a ceremony in Germany. The natural gas pipeline, which will carry natural gas from the Russian region of Siberia to Europe under the Baltic Sea, bypasses Ukraine and Poland, and has been a politically sensitive issue.

December 5: Russia

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party suffers a setback in parliamentary elections. Garnishing less than 50 percent of the votes, it loses its two thirds majority, which would allow the unilateral changing of the constitution, but will still keep its simple majority. The vote is seen as a referendum on Putin’s popularity who will run in the March presidential elections. International election observers report many irregularities and violations, including stuffing of ballot boxes. Tens of thousands of people come out into the streets in the biggest anti-government protests since the fall of the Soviet Union, demanding new elections.