September 19: Russia

Russia seizes a ship belonging to Greenpeace and arrests 30 Greenpeace activists in the Pechora Sea in the Arctic on charges of piracy. The activists, who protested Russia’s Arctic oil drilling, say the protests were peaceful. Russia, for which the Arctic oil deposits constitute national security concerns, claims the activists broke the law by trying to seize the oil platform. The arrested Greenpeace activists represent 18 different countries.

September 27: Central Asia

While addressing the United Nations General Assembly, Uzbekistan’s foreign minister, Abdulaziz Kamilov, and Kazakhstan’s foreign minister, Erlan Idrissov, warn of serious threats to regional and global security from terrorism, Islamic militancy, and drug trafficking after the U.S. withdraws its troops from Afghanistan in 2014. For several years, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) and other groups, such as Pakistani and Afghan Taliban, Pakistani Punjabi group, Lashkar-e-Toiba, and the Islamic Jihad Union, have been trying to establish new bases in northern Afghanistan by borders with Central Asia. The most vulnerable countries in Central Asia are Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, which share over 1,200 miles of borders with northern Afghanistan.

October 1: Russia/Tajikistan

Tajikistan and Russia ratify a treaty that extends Russia’s bases and troops in Tajikistan for the next 30 years. Russia already has 6,000 troops stationed in Tajikistan protecting the country’s border with Afghanistan.

October 9: Azerbaijan

Azeri President Ilham Aliyev wins reelection for a third five-year term with over 80 percent of votes against a history professor Camil Hasanli of the National Council of Democrat Forces, a candidate put forward by the two main opposition parties. The opposition alleges widespread fraud and campaign manipulations, such as restrictions to the media. Election observers from the Council of Europe declare the election “free, fair and transparent”; the OSCE, however, reports such practices as intimidation and ballot-stuffing. Aliyev took over in 2003 from his father Heydar, who in turn had ruled since 1993.

October 27: Georgia

Giorgi Margvelashvili wins presidential elections in Georgia by a wide margin, defeating President Mikhail Saakashvili’s protégé and ally David Bakradze. Margvelashvili is a member of the country’s Dream party, which last year won parliamentary elections.

November 28: Ukraine

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych pulls out of signing an association agreement with the European Union, which would open borders for trade and ease travel restrictions. He says that Ukraine cannot afford to sacrifice trade with Russia, which opposes the deal. Yanukovych’s move sparks massive pro-EU street protests. The European Union criticizes Russia for putting pressure on Ukraine, which wants Ukraine to join its own customs union with former Soviet republics.

December 9: Russia

Russia President Vladimir Putin closes the country’s state new agency RIA Novosti and Voice of Russia radio station known for their balanced reporting and covering stories uncomfortable for the government. The two are to be replaced buy a new news agency Russia Today, which will be headed by Dmitry Kisielev known for his anti-Western and homophobic views.

December 17: Ukraine/Russia

Russia and Ukraine announce a deal in which Russia agrees to buy $15 billion of Ukrainian government bonds and slash the price of gas supplied to Ukraine by a third. The Ukrainian government says that Russia’s offer helps it to avoid defaulting on its debt. Anti-government protests continue with tens of thousands of demonstrators occupying the Kiev’s main Independence Square.

December 20: Russia

Former Russian oil tycoon and once Russia’s richest man Mikhail Khodorkovsky arrives in Germany freed by President Vladimir Putin as part of a wider amnesty for 20,000 political prisoners, which included members of Pussy Riot, a political protest pop group. Khodorkovsky spent 10 years in a Siberian prison for tax evasion and fraud. Many believe, however, that his sentence was politically motivated as he used his wealth to fund the political opposition to Putin.

December 30: Russia

Two suicide attacks within 24 hours shake Russia’s southern city of Volgograd: one on the train station killing 16 people and another on a city bus killing 14 passengers. Many are injured. The suspects are Islamist militants from the north Caucasian region who have vowed to ramp up violence to disrupt the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi located near the Caucasus.