January 3: Ukraine/Turkmenistan

Ukraine agrees to pay 30 percent more for natural gas from Turkmenistan after Turkmenistan cuts off its supplies to Ukraine, threatening its economy and forcing it to end the price dispute. Turkmenistan, which is the second-largest natural-gas producer in the world, supplies 45 percent of Ukraine’s gas imports.

January 12: Georgia

The Central Election Commission in Abkhazia, Georgia’s breakaway republic, announces that Sergei Bagapsh has won the January 12th repeat presidential election, defeating his sole competitor, Yakub Lakoba. Lakoba calls the election “a circus” and complains that hundreds of thousands of voters were disenfranchised and candidates were not granted equal access to the media.

January 26: Russia/Ukraine

Russian officials say they will pursue a criminal case against Yulia Tymoshenko, the Ukrainian parliamentarian and recently nominated prime minister in the newly elected Yushchenko government. Tymoshenko is accused of attempting to bribe Russian officials in Russia’s defense ministry in 1996 when she ran a Ukrainian gas trading company.

February 3: Russia

Two Chechen separatist leaders, the former elected president of Chechnya, Aslan Maskhadov, and warlord Shamil Basayev, order a cease-fire for the month of February as a display of goodwill. Some analysts say the cease-fire is an attempt to secure the release of Maskhadov’s abducted relatives; others claim the cease-fire is the rebels’ attempt to unite their forces.

February 11: Russia

Russia rejects U.S. claims that its planned arms deal with Venezuela breaks international law and poses a danger for the arms to end up in Colombian rebel hands. Russia says Venezuela is just modernizing its armaments. The shipment consists of 100,000 automatic rifles and a number of helicopters. Venezuela also considers purchasing Russian MiG-29 fighter jets.

February 12: Russia

Hundreds of thousands of people across Russia demonstrate against the government’s controversial welfare reforms, simultaneously demanding President Vladimir Putin’s resignation. The welfare reforms replace Soviet-era social benefits with cash handouts. The reforms have spawned an unprecedented wave of protests since Putin came to power in 2000.

February 27: Russia

Russia signs a deal with Iran to supply fuel for Iran’s new nuclear reactor in Bushehr. The agreement includes a clause obligating Iran to return spent nuclear fuel rods from the reactor. The clause is designed to address concerns about Iran using the rods to build nuclear weapons.

February 28: Tajikistan

The party of Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rakhmonov, the People’s Democratic Party, wins 80 percent of the votes in the country’s parliamentary election. The remaining votes go to the Islamic Party and the Communist Party. The results mean that the president’s party will hold almost all seats in parliament. International observers say the election did not meet acceptable standards.

March 6: Uzbekistan

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf pays an official visit to Uzbekistan, where he meets with President Islam Karimov and signs a number of bilateral trade agreements. Pakistan is interested in gaining access to Central Asian markets through Uzbek trade routes while landlocked Uzbekistan wants access to the ports on the Indian Ocean. Both presidents also pledge to join forces to fight terrorism.

March 10: Georgia/Russia

The Georgian parliament passes legislation outlawing Russia’s military presence in Georgia unless Moscow withdraws its soldiers by January 1, 2006. If Russia does not meet the deadline, its bases will be declared illegal and the Georgian government will not issue visas to Russian troops. Although Russia agreed in 1999 to close its Soviet-era military bases, it has found excuses not to do so.

March 14: Russia

The biggest merger in Russian history, between gas giant Gazprom and state-owned oil company Rosneft, is expected to be completed by June. The merger will increase the government’s share from 38 percent to 51 percent, giving the state partial control of Gazprom.

March 24: Kyrgyzstan

Anti-government protesters in Kyrgyzstan, who demand President Askar Akayev’s resignation, overrun the presidential palace and state TV in the capital, Bishkek, announcing that the government has fallen. The government officials, including the president, flee the palace, which is also the seat of government.

March 25: Kyrgyzstan/Russia

Kyrgyzstan’s opposition leader, Kurmanbek Bakiev, becomes acting president and promises new elections in June. Russian President Vladimir Putin condemns the overthrow of power and offers asylum to deposed President Askar Akayev.

April 5: Ukraine

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko pays his first official visit to the United States, where he meets with his U.S. counterpart, George W. Bush. President Bush promises to support Ukraine’s bid for membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the end of trade sanctions. He also promises economic aid to help Ukraine implement reforms and end corruption. However, Bush says Ukraine has yet to meet NATO’s membership requirements. He dismisses suggestions that he is disappointed with Ukraine’s withdrawal from Iraq.

April 8: Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan’s President Saparmurat Niyazov, who was declared president for life, announces that presidential elections will be held in 2009. Niyazov may want to deflect criticism of his unaccountable government, or he may be actually considering retirement.

April 11: Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan’s parliament accepts the official resignation of President Askar Akayev, ousted by popular protest in March. The parliament also sets new presidential elections for July 10. This peaceful coup is a novel development among the Central Asian countries, all ruled by long-standing autocrats.

April 21: Russia

A Russia-NATO Council session in Vilnius, Lithuania, ends with agreements on joint military exercises in the Kaliningrad region and military troop transit through one another’s territory. NATO ministers also agree to help Ukraine prepare for possible membership in the alliance, contingent on its military and democratic reforms.

May 25: Azerbaijan/Georgia

In the Azeri capital of Baku, international business and government leaders attend the inauguration of a 1,000-mile-long oil pipeline that leads from the Caspian Sea across Azerbaijan and Georgia to a Turkish port of Ceyhan. For oil-consuming nations, the pipeline is an important link to a non-Russian, non-Middle Eastern source of oil.

June 2: Latvia

The Latvian parliament overwhelmingly approves the European constitution, becoming the tenth EU member to ratify the document. Latvian Prime Minister Artis Pabriks says that despite the rejection by France and the Netherlands, all the remaining EU members should hold a vote on the constitution because it is important to know the views of all member states. He also repeated his support for the treaty by saying that it is the best compromise the members could agree to.

June 3: Russia

Gazprom, one of Russia’s biggest oil companies, announces it has bought Izvestia, one of Russia’s most internationally well-known newspapers. This announcement comes just after news that the Russian government will soon acquire a controlling share in Gazprom. Some observers fear this is part of a Moscow plan to bring independent media under government control.

June 10: Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan discontinues its policy of collecting a $50,000 fee from any foreigner wishing to marry Turkmen citizens. However, before marrying Turkmens, foreigners must reside in Turkmenistan for at least a year and wait through a mandatory three-month engagement period. According to President Niyazov, this law protects women from entering abusive relationships.

June 16: Russia

Nurdi Nukhazhiyev, a member of the Russian-backed administration in Chechnya, says that human rights abuses during the Chechen wars have been unimaginable. He says that since 1999 tens of thousands of civilians have disappeared and more than 50 mass graves have been identified. The Chechen administration set up a database with information on the victims.

June 27: Russia/Estonia

Russia withdraws from a border treaty with Estonia signed just last month. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Estonia’s parliament put unacceptable references to Soviet occupation in the treaty text. Both Estonia’s and Latvia’s borders with Russia remain disputed.

July 10: Kyrgyzstan

Kurmanbek Bakiev wins the Kyrgyzstan presidential election with 89 percent of the vote. Bakiev has served as interim president since ousted President Askar Akayev fled into exile in March. An election monitoring team from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe reports that Kyrgyzstan is making real progress in democratic standards.

July 28: Belarus

Tensions grow between Belarus and Poland, as the two nations expel each other’s diplomats. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko accuses Poland of interfering in the country’s domestic affairs, and the Polish minority in Belarus of plotting his overthrow. Poland claims that Belarus is persecuting the Polish community. There are approximately 400,000 ethnic Poles living in Belarus.

July 30: Georgia/Russia

Russia begins its troop withdrawal from Georgia, marking the end of a 200-year military presence in the country. Troops leave the Russian base in Batumi, one of two sites Russia has agreed to shut down. Despite recent tensions between Georgia and Russia, local Georgians see the soldiers off with glad tidings, champagne, and flowers.

August 18: Russia

Russia and China engage in their first joint military exercises entitled Peace Mission 2005. The exercises involve amphibious and paratroop landing practice. The U.S. and Taiwan are monitoring the exercises, despite assurances from Russia and China that the exercises are not meant to intimidate. China views the island of Taiwan as a renegade province.

August 23: Turkmenistan

President Saparmurat Niyazov bans recorded music at all public events. One of several efforts to minimize foreign influence, the ban follows the outlawing of ballet and opera, car radios, and long hair on young men. Niyazov has been in power since 1991, and in 1999 was designated president for life.

August 26: Commonwealth of Independent States

The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) meets in Kazan, the capital of Russia’s Republic of Tatarstan. CIS leaders agree that the organization is outdated and needs reform, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The countries sign declarations on battling extremism and illegal migration, as well as cooperating on humanitarian projects.

August 26: Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan’s Senate backs the government’s eviction of U.S. forces from the Karshi-Khanabad airbase. The United States uses the base for operations in Afghanistan. Relations between the two countries have been tense since Washington criticized Uzbekistan’s violent crackdown on an Andijan protest in May. Details of the crackdown are disputed, although human rights groups say hundreds of civilians were killed.

September 5: Ukraine/Chernobyl Forum

The Chernobyl Forum reports that the cumulative death toll from the effects of the 1986 explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear plant located in Ukraine is estimated at 4,000. The previous estimates pointed to hundreds of thousands. The report also states that there is no convincing evidence that the accident has caused the rise in cancer. The Chernobyl Forum, which was established by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the World Health Organization (WHO), UN agencies, and the governments of Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine, traces the impact of the Chernobyl accident.

September 8: Russia

Germany and Russia finalize a pipeline deal to transport gas under the Baltic Sea from the Russian port of Wyborg to the German town of Greifswald. Russia supplies a quarter of Western Europe’s gas needs, and Germany, with limited natural resources, relies on Russia’s oil and gas. Warsaw criticizes the pipeline and fears that it could be used to divert energy away from Poland for political reasons.

September 8: Ukraine

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko fires his government after only half a year in power. The coalition government came to power under the Orange Revolution, but recently fell apart due to in-fighting and allegations of corruption. Economist and regional governor Yuri Yekhanurov replaces Yulia Tymoshenko as prime minister.

September 20: Georgia

Mortar shells strike Tskhinvali, the capital of Georgia’s breakaway region of South Ossetia, during celebrations commemorating the fifteenth anniversary of the province’s declaration of independence. The South Ossetian separatist government blames the attack on a nearby Georgian village. The assault comes a day after South Ossetia signs a cooperation treaty with Georgia’s other separatist republic, Abkhazia. Georgia does not recognize the independence of either region.

October 13: Russia

Chechen rebels attack the city of Nalchik in the Russian republic of Kabardino-Balkaria in the northern Caucasus, targeting police and military installations. Over one hundred people, including civilians, are killed as Russian forces exchange fire with militants. Russian President Vladimir Putin orders the city sealed off as the search for rebels is carried out. Islamic militant Shamil Basayev from nearby Chechnya, who orchestrated last year’s violent siege on a school in Beslan, claims responsibility for this attack.

October 19: Georgia

Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli dismisses Foreign Minister Salome Zourabichvili after the parliament accused her of poor management, nepotism, and insubordination. The French-born daughter of Georgian émigrés, Zourabichvili had been serving as France’s ambassador to Tbilisi when President Mikheil Saakashvili convinced his French counterpart Jacques Chirac to let her join his government last year.

November 13: Azerbaijan

In the Azeri capital of Baku, about 20,000 people protest the results of last week’s parliamentary election, in which the ruling New Azerbaijan Party won more than half the seats. Arguing that the election was rigged, protesters try to instigate a movement similar to last year’s Orange Revolution, which brought Ukraine’s opposition party to power. Western election monitors report that the election did not meet international standards. The government has said it will not allow a Ukrainian-style revolution in Azerbaijan.

November 27: Russia

The Russian republic of Chechnya completes its first parliamentary elections since Moscow sent troops there to quell rebellions in 1999. The pro-Kremlin party, United Russia, wins the majority of the seats. Moscow says the election is the final step in a plan that gives Chechnya more autonomy while preserving it as a part of Russia. Separatists and human rights groups dismiss the vote as a sham because violence is still prevalent in the region.

November 29: Russia

A parliamentary commission report issued by the Russian republic of North Ossetia finds that Russian forces were partly to blame for the Beslan school hostage crisis in 2004, in which 331 people died, most of them children. The report argues that failings in law enforcement allowed armed rebels to gain access to the Beslan infrastructure. The commission also finds that Russian forces used flamethrowers when storming the school, although Russian officials denied their use for weeks after the siege.

November 28: Armenia

Council of Europe election monitors report abuses during Armenia’s referendum on constitutional changes. The observers believe the government’s figures showing a 65 percent voter turnout are inflated, citing extremely low voting activity. In the capital city, Yerevan, about five thousand people hold an opposition protest, accusing the government of rigging the election. The constitutional amendments include a transfer of some presidential powers to parliament and government.

December 1: Ukraine

The European Union announces that Ukraine has made significant progress in reforms and grants it the status of a market-economy country. The move is expected to boost Ukraine’s trade relations with the EU. It is also a political victory for Ukraine’s President Viktor Yushchenko as a proof that the country is on the right track toward a future membership in the EU.

December 4: Kazakhstan

Incumbent Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev officially receives 91 percent of the vote in the presidential election. However, according to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) observers, the election was marked by irregularities such as multiple voting, ballot tampering, intimidation, and media bias. Nazarbayev has been in power since 1989.

December 2: Belarus

In advance of the 2006 presidential elections, Belarus’ parliament passes a law that makes mass protests illegal and punishable by a three-year jail term. The administration states that the law is designed to stop any demonstrations similar to those in Ukraine that sparked the Orange Revolution.

December 11: Moldova

Residents of the breakaway Trans-Dniester region in Moldova are voting in parliamentary elections. About 180 candidates compete for 43 seats. No international observers monitor the polls as no country recognizes the Trans-Dniester Republic, which proclaimed its independence from Moldova in 1990 and maintains close ties to Russia.

December 15: Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan and China open a 620-mile long oil pipeline, which will provide China’s booming economy with oil from the Caspian Sea. The pipeline is the first one to surpass the Russian territory, which will give Kazakhstan significant leverage in negotiating future deals and marks Kazakhstan’s new phase as an oil exporter.