The UK Newspaper The Guardian has launched a new online media iniative bringing together a network of correspondents writing about the states of the former Soviet Union. The project, which is titled New East, will feature political and economic analysis from Russia, Central Asia, the Baltics, and Eastern Europe, examining how the past experience with communism and totalitarianism continues to inform upon present developments.

According to the introduction of New East, the recent experience with Ukraine serves as a point of illustration: “In Ukraine, tensions between those wanting closer ties with Europe and those whose loyalties lay with Moscow erupted into violence recently, culminating in Moscow’s annexation of Crimea in March 2014. As the stand-off continues, the old east vs west debate has been reignited, and the fallout can be felt throughout the region. At this crucial time in its evolution the Guardian has teamed up with a wide range of regional experts to establish the New East, a network dedicated to covering the latest news and analysis from the post-Soviet world.”

Read more here.