Opinion: The Russian Cancer in Eastern Europe and the Country That Got Away

Author: Ioana Podarita

December 23, 2025

Almost four years ago, Russia began its violent and unprovoked attack in Ukraine, and the rest of the world got a rare glimpse into its vengeful and hegemonic temper. I grew up in post-communist Romania, and until I moved to the US, I hadn’t fully realized the extent to which Russian influences permeated into every corner of my country. Romania, much like the rest of the former Eastern Bloc countries, never fully recovered after the fall of the USSR (Soviet Union). Every time one of these countries tries to detach itself from its Russian past, Russia strikes back. Russian interference abroad can range from election fraud and cyber attacks to the most extreme, deadly invasions, like the ones Ukraine suffered in 2014 and 2022. Any time one of these countries tries to elect clean democratic leaders, peacefully protest their pro-Russian governments, or move a Soviet monument, Russia tightens its grasp on their necks. But one country seems to have been able to escape this fate.

I reluctantly moved to Prague for a job a few months ago, after swearing my entire life that I would never live in a post-communist country again. But what I was met with here did not resemble anything familiar to home. I encountered a vibrant immigrant community, Western economic opportunities, openly gay couples, a tempered religiosity, and a general open-mindedness unheard of in the rest of Eastern European countries. I couldn’t believe it at first, but after some looking into it, the numbers reflected it as well: 

1. Czechia (formerly the Czech Republic) was the first former Eastern Bloc country to obtain the status of a developed economy. 

2. Its Human Development indices are similar to those of the most developed countries in the world, while the other former Soviet countries are clustered together behind (see Graph 1). 

3. Gender Inequality scores show a similar pattern (see Graph 2). 

4. While gay rights remain a struggle in all Eastern European countries, Czechia has the highest Equality Index amongst them (see Graph 3). 

Graph 1

Graph 2

[Note: the lower GII values represent a better performance regarding gender inequality.]

Graph 3

[Equality Index, 2025]

Curiosity, but mostly jealousy, overcame me. How could this tiny country make it out, and we’re still stuck behind? Part of it is geography. While Romania is physically closer to Russia and its poor victims in Ukraine and Moldova, Czechia benefits from German and Austrian Western influences. Czechia had also already been a heavily industrialized state pre-communism, so the base upon which to build its economy was already there. But the bulk of the difference lies in how each of these two countries handled the first critical years after their Revolutions. Romania and Czechia both ended communism in 1989, only one month apart from each other. Czechia’s peaceful Velvet Revolution started in November, while Romania’s tumultuous and deadly overthrow of its dictator started in December. Czechia moved fast and with discipline toward consolidating a liberal democracy, establishing a free market, and electing “clean” leaders. Romania, however, was a country in free-fall, protesting fights that were already over, and electing the same communist politicians who were only calling themselves democrats now. As recently as 2025, Romania almost elected a far-right, Kremlin-adjacent president, spewing out anti-Western propaganda and promising the return to “traditional” values. My country proved once again that, as much as it loves complaining about its fate, it loves its Russian fetish more. 

International influences also played a big part in post-communist democratization. Czechia joined NATO in 1999 and the EU in 2004, while Romania became a member in 2004 and 2007, respectively. Prague has several American and other international satellite college campuses, and even more pre-university international schools. English is spoken in every bar, restaurant, or movie theater, and people from all over the world congregate in these places. Romania has none of this, only a visceral Russian-induced fear of the West and of the feminism and queerness that might come with it. 

While these post-Soviet countries love to self-destruct, the international community cannot give up on them. Including them in the global economy, opening up international businesses, and creating student exchanges are how mentalities change. There is a general fatigue toward helping Eastern Europe, and especially Ukraine, growing stronger with each passing second of the war. More and more citizens, and even world leaders, oppose sending aid to Ukraine, and even encourage Zelenskyy to give Putin whatever he wants to end the war. But no matter how much Russia gets, it will always want more, and a world in which Russia seizes power in the East again is not a safe world for any of us. 

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Glossary

• Eastern Bloc - the group of Eastern European countries that were aligned with the Soviet Union during the Cold War, usually under communist governments.

• Fatigue - extreme tiredness, exhaustion, or reduced ability due to mental or physical strain.

• Hegemonic - dominance by one country, group, or ideology over others.

• Permeated - spread throughout; infused or passed through every part of something.

• Tumultuous - full of disorder, chaos, or upheaval; noisy and turbulent.

• USSR - the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, a socialist state that existed from 1922 to 1991, made up of Russia and several other republics. It was a major global superpower during the Cold War.

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References

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13. United Nations Development Programme. (2025). Country insights. Human Development Reports.

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