Peter Leonard
peterleonard1.bsky.social
Peter Leonard
@peterleonard1.bsky.social
Journalist, my writing can currently be found at havli.substack.com
Me applying salt to the water in which my pasta is to be cooked
June 26, 2025 at 9:01 PM
When the body of abducted Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna was returned by Russia, it bore signs of torture, severe emaciation. Examiners noted the absence of her brain and eyes, while her hyoid bone was broken, an indicator of strangulation istories.media/stories/2025...
Призраки
Журналисты шести стран объединились, чтобы выяснить, как погибла украинская журналистка Виктория Рощина. Летом 2023 года она поехала на оккупированные территории, чтобы найти места, где держат похищен...
istories.media
April 29, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Russia keeps up its charm campaign in Central Asia: Visiting foreign minister complains that war memorial does not have signage in Russia repost.uz/kak-anglicha... (1/4)
Лавров удивился отсутствию надписи на русском языке у мемориала «Скорбящая мать» в Самарканде
Во время визита в Самарканд министр иностранных дел России Сергей Лавров обратил внимание на оформление мемориала «Скорбящая мать». Об этом сообщают РИА Новости.
repost.uz
April 23, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Reposted by Peter Leonard
Update: from @peterleonard1.bsky.social
I learn Tajikistan has banned idgardak, 'a cheerful end-of-Ramadan tradition where children wander door-to-door collecting sweets from neighbours.' substack.com/home/post/p-...
Riding two horses: Central Asia’s struggle to control faith and morality
Governments try to suppress grassroots Islam while promoting state-approved “traditional values.” But in trying to ride both horses, they reveal the limits of their control.
substack.com
April 11, 2025 at 6:53 PM
My admittedly rather grumpy dispatch from the EU-Central Asia summit in Samarkand (hashtag, i haz jokes)

havli.substack.com/p/eus-samark...
EU's Samarkand charm offensive lacks wow factor
Central Asia wants firm deals on critical minerals, and soon. The Europeans believe they have a tempting proposition.
havli.substack.com
April 5, 2025 at 9:44 AM
Prominent figures of the old elite in Kazakhstan are under pressure. But this is more about enforcing loyalty than cultivating accountability

havli.substack.com/p/the-nigmat...
The Nigmatulin saga: Old Kazakhstan suffers fresh blows
But government critics worry that major corruption cases are more about enforcing loyalty than cultivating elite accountability.
havli.substack.com
March 24, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Reposted by Peter Leonard
A colourful summary of the day’s excitement as Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan sign a border deal that should put an end to decades of disputes and a couple of deady conflicts on their border, from @peterleonard1.bsky.social reporting from the ground on Havli Substack havli.substack.com/p/kyrgyzstan...
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan bury Soviet-era border legacy with landmark treaty
This agreement has set the stage for a major surge in trade and the promise of a new era of Central Asian unity. The treaty is not without its critics, however.
havli.substack.com
March 13, 2025 at 2:00 PM