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DEAR READER,
Before we get to this week’s news, a quick invitation from us. On October 20, New Eastern Europe is co-hosting a virtual discussion with the Foreign Policy Research Institute on Central Europe on the World Stage. Adam Reichardt, our Editor in Chief, will join Mitchell Orenstein and Zsuzsanna Végh to discuss where the Visegrád Four stand today, how politics across the region are changing, and what all of this means for European security and the transatlantic relationship. If that sounds like your kind of conversation, make sure to register! It is free and online.
That aside, this week’s Expert Opinion takes us from present-day politics into a much longer history. It is a story about historical memory, identity and what “returning home” can mean generations later. Check it out!
Enjoy reading this week’s “brief”!
— Giorgi Beroshvili, Editor
TOP STORIES OF THE WEEK
🇺🇦 German Chancellor makes surprise Kyiv visit amid Russian strikes. Friedrich Merz made an unannounced visit to Kyiv on Sunday, joining President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to finalise 15 bilateral agreements worth over €8.5 billion for joint drone interceptor and long-range weapon production. As air raid sirens sounded and a Russian drone struck the capital's Northern Bridge, the leaders toured the recently damaged National Academy of Sciences, prompting Merz to demand an end to Moscow's “barbaric” civilian bombardments. While the €8.5 billion framework focuses on long-term defense procurement, Berlin also announced an immediate €1.3 billion aid package, allocating €1 billion for military support and €350 million to repair vulnerable energy grids ahead of winter. Though facing domestic political pressure regarding foreign expenditure, Merz stressed that Germany remains steadfast in its support, warning that Russia's war machine threatens European security.
🇱🇻 Latvian PM secures historic election victory. Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs is set to retain power after his centrist United List secured 35.3 per cent of the vote in Saturday's parliamentary elections, claiming 42 seats in the country's most decisive electoral mandate since 1991. Kulbergs, who assumed office in May following a coalition collapse over undetected drone incursions, successfully campaigned on maintaining strict anti-Moscow policies and committing five per cent of gross domestic product to defense spending. While the populist Latvia First and the pro-Russian Sovereign Power parties placed second and third respectively amid lowered voter turnout, the prime minister appears positioned to form a governing majority with either nationalist or liberal allies. As Latvia's economy continues to underperform its Baltic neighbors, Kulbergs pledged to cut bureaucratic red tape while completely severing remaining economic ties with Russia to prevent Kremlin exploitation.
🇷🇴 Romanian parliament rejects prime minister nominee. Romania’s parliament on Wednesday rejected the nomination of Member of the European Parliament Siegfried Mureșan to form a government, deepening a political crisis triggered by the collapse of the previous coalition in May. Mureșan secured only 182 of the 233 votes needed for a majority after the Social Democratic Party refused backing, marking the second time lawmakers have voted down a candidate proposed by centrist President Nicușor Dan. The failure constitutionally opens the door to a snap election, though Dan has resisted dissolving parliament over fears it could empower the far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), which currently leads in the polls. Dan announced he would hold further talks to propose a new candidate on Monday, while AUR leader George Simion conditioned any coalition support on the release of detained ultranationalist ally Călin Georgescu.
🇬🇪 German political foundations forced to halt operations in Georgia. All four German political foundations operating in Georgia have been forced to suspend their activities after their applications to continue funding projects under the country's new Law on Grants were rejected. Speaking at a German Unity Day event, German Ambassador Barbara Voss confirmed that the Konrad Adenauer, Friedrich Naumann, Heinrich Böll, and Friedrich Ebert foundations ceased operations, with two closing their Tbilisi offices earlier this week. The ambassador warned that the closures, alongside threats to the Ilia State University, severely strain Georgia-EU relations, while reaffirming Berlin’s ongoing commitment to Georgian civil society and NATO-backed defense cooperation. Voss further accused Russia of seeking to destabilise Europe through disinformation and aggression, stressing that Germany continues to support Georgia's territorial integrity against Moscow's regional dominance.
🇽🇰 Kosovo concludes historic 27-year landmine clearance programme. After nearly three decades of systematic humanitarian operations, the Halo Trust has officially concluded its mine-clearance mission in Kosovo, fulfilling a critical prerequisite for the country's post-war rehabilitation. While returning refugees initially faced a severely contaminated landscape that caused 150 casualties in the first month following the 1998-1999 conflict, the comprehensive removal of explosives has since allowed the nation’s infrastructure and agricultural sectors to safely expand. As the newly cleared territory facilitates broader economic development, long-term demographic indicators have significantly rebounded, with World Bank data showing a current average life expectancy of 78 years. Though the domestic mission is now complete, the technical expertise cultivated during the recovery remains vital globally, as veteran Kosovan demining teams are currently deployed to lead the charity’s complex operations in Syria and Ukraine.
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EXPERT OPINION
From a day of remembrance to the struggle for a historic homeland
For Germans of the post-Soviet space, August 28th is a day of remembrance and mourning. In August 1941, the mass deportation of Soviet Germans began. More than one million people were forcibly removed from the European part of the Soviet Union and deported to Siberia, Kazakhstan and other regions. The Volga German Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was abolished during these events. According to estimates, repression, deportation, famine, forced labour and the harsh conditions of special settlements claimed the lives of up to one third of the Soviet Union's ethnic German population.
Even 85 years later, the consequences of that policy remain visible. German autonomy in the Volga region was never restored, while many German families continue to live in the regions to which their ancestors were deported. Decades of assimilation resulted in the loss of language and parts of their cultural heritage.
Since the 1990s, German legislation on Spätaussiedler has enabled many ethnic Germans from the former Soviet Union to return to Germany — the historic homeland of their ancestors. For many, this was not simply a migration, but an opportunity to preserve their German identity and reconnect with their historical homeland. Yet the process remains unfinished: according to estimates, at least a quarter of a million ethnic Germans still live across the post-Soviet space.
Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine has given this history a new and tragic dimension. The German community in Ukraine has once again faced displacement. Many families have been forced to leave their homes and come to Germany, including large numbers of women and children. For a community that has already experienced deportation, war has created another generation of forced displacement and loss of home.
Against this background, the Landsmannschaft der Deutschen aus der Ukraine e.V. has emerged as a young and active organization working with Germans from Ukraine. Its activities include support for German families, cultural and commemorative initiatives, and the legal protection of their interests. The organization assists families facing difficulties in the resettlement process, identifies recurring problems in practice, and brings them to the attention of the relevant authorities.
Over recent years, the Landsmannschaft has organized more than a dozen public actions and initiatives in Germany and abroad. These have included demonstrations and commemorative events near the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the European Parliament, as well as international initiatives aimed at preserving the memory of the deportation and drawing attention to the concerns of German families. One of the most notable was an international commemorative marathon, which brought together participants from Germany, the United States, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Russia. Its international reach reflects the fact that the history of Soviet Germans remains a shared experience across borders.
The organization's work is centred on the real cases of German families. Recurring difficulties in the resettlement process and in dealing with government authorities are treated not merely as individual cases, but as issues that may point to broader problems in administrative practice. The aim is to ensure that the existing legal pathways for returning to Germany can be implemented in practice, rather than remaining merely formal rights.
On August 28th 2026, this contemporary work came together with historical remembrance. A peaceful commemorative picket was held in Cologne outside the Federal Office of Administration (Bundesverwaltungsamt) to mark the 85th anniversary of the beginning of the deportations. Despite the bad weather, German families travelled from different parts of Germany, alongside representatives of various organizations. The initiative was also supported by representatives of German communities and organizations from Ukraine and the United States.
The event was more than an act of remembrance. Vyacheslav Bodrov, chairman of the Landsmannschaft der Deutschen aus der Ukraine e.V., personally delivered to the Bundesverwaltungsamt an appeal that had previously been addressed to the German chancellor and members of the Bundestag in the form of an open letter. The appeal raises concerns about German families from Ukraine and other crisis regions and calls attention to the practical application of the admission rules for Spätaussiedler under wartime conditions.
Thus, the 85th anniversary of the deportation became not only a day of mourning, but also an opportunity to draw attention to the present-day situation of German families across the post-Soviet space.
Eighty-five years after the deportations began, the descendants of Soviet Germans are once again speaking about return — now not only from the places to which their ancestors were deported, but also, in the face of war, towards their historic homeland. For people born in special settlements and for women with children, this is not simply a matter of security. It is a question of preserving their German identity and historical memory, and of making the right to return a reality.
— Anna Hildebrandt (pseud.), activist working to promote issues surrounding the rights of the German minority in the former Soviet Union
CENTRAL EUROPE ON THE WORLD STAGE
The Visegrád Four (V4) — Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia — stand at a pivotal moment in European geopolitics. Long viewed through the lens of regional integration, the V4 countries are increasingly central to European security architecture, NATO’s Eastern Flank defense, and the future of transatlantic strategy.
As global security dynamics shift, understanding the political trajectories and foreign policy directions of Central Europe is a vital piece of the conversation on transatlantic relations. What is the evolving role of the Visegrád Group in European politics? How will internal political shifts impact regional solidarity? Crucially, what does the future of the V4 mean for United States foreign policy and the broader transatlantic alliance?
Co-hosted with New Eastern Europe, this virtual event brings together leading experts to spotlight this critical region. Our panel will explore the past legacies, present security and political realities, and strategic future of Central Europe, highlighting why the region's geopolitical weight matters more to Washington and Brussels than ever before.
ARTICLES OF THE WEEK
CARTOON OF THE WEEK
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