Editing Eastern Europe (section)

==Definitions==
[[File:Grossgliederung Europas-en.svg|thumb|upright=1.15|Traditional cultural borders of Europe: usage recommendation by the Standing Committee on Geographical Names, Germany.<ref name="Jordan 2005">{{cite journal|access-date=21 January 2019|first=Peter|last=Jordan|journal=Europa Regional|year=2005|title=Großgliederung Europas nach kulturräumlichen Kriterien|trans-title=The large-scale division of Europe according to cultural-spatial criteria|volume=13|issue=4|pages=162–173|publisher=Leibniz-Institut für Länderkunde (IfL)|location=Leipzig|via=Ständiger Ausschuss für geographische Namen (StAGN)|url=http://www.stagn.de/DE/1_Der_StAGN/Publikationen/StAGN_GGEuropa/grosseu_node.html|archive-date=27 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231227012144/http://www.stagn.de/DE/1_Der_StAGN/Publikationen/StAGN_GGEuropa/grosseu_node.html|url-status=live}}</ref>]]
Several definitions of Eastern Europe exist in the early 21st century, but they often lack precision and may be anachronistic. These definitions are debated across cultures and among experts, even [[political scientists]],<ref>''Drake, Miriam A. (2005) Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science'', CRC Press</ref> as the term has a wide range of [[geopolitical]], geographical, cultural, and [[socioeconomic]] connotations. It has also been described as a "fuzzy" term, as the idea itself of Eastern Europe is in constant redefinition.<ref name=Grob>{{Cite web|url=https://www.unibas.ch/en/Research/Uni-Nova/Uni-Nova-126/Uni-Nova-126-The-concept-of-Eastern-Europe-in-past-and-present.html|title=The concept of "Eastern Europe" in past and present|work=UNI NOVA|first=Thomas|last=Grob|date=February 2015|publisher=[[University of Basel]]|access-date=2020-09-04|archive-date=2020-11-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126230122/https://www.unibas.ch/en/Research/Uni-Nova/Uni-Nova-126/Uni-Nova-126-The-concept-of-Eastern-Europe-in-past-and-present.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The solidification of the idea of an "Eastern Europe" dates back chiefly to the (French) [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]].<ref name=Grob />

There are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region".<ref name="TheBalkans"/> A related [[United Nations]] paper adds that "every assessment of spatial identities is essentially a social and [[cultural construct]]".<ref name="JordanEuropaRegional">{{cite web|url=http://141.74.33.52/stagn/JordanEuropaRegional/tabid/71/Default.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140404195751/http://141.74.33.52/stagn/JordanEuropaRegional/tabid/71/Default.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 April 2014|title=Jordan Europa Regional|date=4 April 2014}}</ref>

===Geographical===
[[File:Europe subregion map world factbook.svg|right|thumb|upright=1.15|European regional grouping according to [[The World Factbook|CIA World Factbook]]:<br>{{legend|#FF8080|Eastern Europe here is mainly equivalent to the European part of the former [[Soviet Union]].}}{{legend|#007FFF|Northern Europe}}
{{legend|#00FFFF|Western Europe}}
{{legend|#F0DC82|Central Europe}}
{{legend|#FF0000|Southwest Europe}}
{{legend|#66FF00|Southern Europe}}
{{legend|#D2691E|Southeast Europe}}]]
While the eastern geographical boundaries of Europe are well defined, the boundary between Eastern and [[Western Europe]] is not geographical but historical, religious and cultural, and is harder to designate.

The [[Ural Mountains]], [[Ural River]], and the [[Caucasus Mountains]] are the [[Boundaries between continents|geographical land border]] of the eastern edge of Europe. E.g. [[Kazakhstan]], which is mainly located in [[Central Asia]] with the most western parts of it located west of the [[Ural River]], also shares a part of Eastern Europe.<ref>{{Citation |title=Kazakhstan |work=The World Factbook |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/kazakhstan/locator-map |access-date=2024-08-10 |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |language=en}}</ref>

In the west, however, the historical and [[culture|cultural]] boundaries of "Eastern Europe" are subject to some overlap and, most importantly, have undergone historical fluctuations, which makes a precise definition of the western geographic boundaries of Eastern Europe and the [[geographical midpoint of Europe]] somewhat difficult.

===Religious and cultural influence===
[[File:OrthodoxyInEurope.png|thumb|252x252px|Map of [[Eastern Orthodoxy]], the borderline of which is one cultural boundary in Europe]]

[[File:Expansion of christianity.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|Expansion of Christianity<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rbedrosian.com/Maps/ahgh66b.htm |title=Atlas of the Historical Geography of the Holy Land |publisher=Rbedrosian.com |access-date=23 February 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130610034842/http://rbedrosian.com/Maps/ahgh66b.htm |archive-date=10 June 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://home.comcast.net/~DiazStudents/MiddleAgesChurchMap1.jpg |title=home.comcast.net |access-date=23 February 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130213233630/http://home.comcast.net/~DiazStudents/MiddleAgesChurchMap1.jpg |archive-date=13 February 2013 }}</ref>]]

After the [[East–West Schism]] of 1054, significant parts of Eastern Europe developed cultural unity and resistance to Catholic Western and Central Europe within the framework of the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], [[Church Slavonic]] language and the [[Cyrillic alphabet]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Magocsi |first=Paul Robert |author-link=Paul Robert Magocsi |chapter=Chapter 11 |title=Historical Atlas of Central Europe |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XoxHdcNYhiMC&pg=PP20 |year=2002 |edition=Rev. and expanded |publisher=University of Toronto Press |isbn=978-0-8020-8486-6 |oclc=150672781 |access-date=2023-02-10 |archive-date=2024-03-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240330041418/https://books.google.com/books?id=XoxHdcNYhiMC&pg=PP20#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Greyerz">{{cite book |title=Religion and Culture in Early Modern Europe |author=Kasper von Greyerz |publisher=Oxford University Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SmEpMnfYZ-oC&q=%22all+of+central+Europe%22 |isbn=978-0-19-804384-3 |pages=38– |date=2007 |access-date=2022-01-06 |archive-date=2024-03-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240330041419/https://books.google.com/books?id=SmEpMnfYZ-oC&q=%22all+of+central+Europe%22#v=snippet&q=%22all%20of%20central%20Europe%22&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Sedlar">{{cite book |author=Jean W Sedlar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3o5lrvuwOVwC&q=%22estrangement+to+be+permanent%22 |title=East Central Europe in the Middle Ages, 1000–1500 |publisher=University of Washington Press |year=1994 |isbn=0-295-97291-2 |page=161 |access-date=2022-01-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240330041420/https://books.google.com/books?id=3o5lrvuwOVwC&q=%22estrangement+to+be+permanent%22#v=snippet&q=%22estrangement%20to%20be%20permanent%22&f=false |archive-date=2024-03-30 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="shape of europe">{{cite web
 | url=http://biblio.hiu.cas.cz/documents/161327
 | trans-title=The shape of Europe. The spirit of unity through culture in the eve of Modern Europe
 | title=Uspořádání Evropy – duch kulturní jednoty na prahu vzniku novověké Evropy
 | language=cs
 | url-access=registration
 | last=Dumitran
 | first=Adriana
 | year=2010
 | location=[[Czech Republic]]
 | publisher=Bibliography of the History of the Czech Lands, The Institute of History, [[Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic]]
 | access-date=2022-01-06
 | archive-date=2016-05-18
 | archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20160518094501/http://biblio.hiu.cas.cz/documents/161327
 | url-status=live
 }}</ref>

The earliest concept of Europe as a cultural sphere (instead of simply a geographic term) was formed by [[Alcuin of York]] during the [[Carolingian Renaissance]] of the 9th century, limited to the territories that practised [[Western Christianity]] at the time. "European" as a cultural term did not include many of the territories under the influence of [[Eastern Christianity]] until the early nineteenth century.<ref>{{cite book|author=Sanjay Kumar|title=A Handbook of Political Geography|publisher=K.K. Publications|year=2021|pages=125–127|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iGc9EAAAQBAJ}}</ref>

A large section of ''Eastern Europe'' is formed by countries with dominant Orthodox churches, like [[Belarus]], [[Bulgaria]], [[Cyprus]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], [[Greece]], [[Moldova]], [[Montenegro]], [[North Macedonia]], [[Romania]], [[Russia]], [[Serbia]], and [[Ukraine]], for instance, as well as [[Armenia]], which is predominantly [[Armenian Apostolic Church|Armenian Apostolic]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pewforum.org/2017/05/10/religious-belief-and-national-belonging-in-central-and-eastern-europe/|title=Religious Belief and National Belonging in Central and Eastern Europe|work=Pew Research Center|date=May 10, 2017|access-date=January 30, 2020|archive-date=September 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180918142547/http://www.pewforum.org/2017/05/10/religious-belief-and-national-belonging-in-central-and-eastern-europe/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.atlantaserbs.com/learnmore/history/gruzija-church.htm|title=The History of Georgian Orthodox Church|website=www.atlantaserbs.com|access-date=2021-02-07|archive-date=2021-03-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304215419/https://www.atlantaserbs.com/learnmore/history/gruzija-church.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Moreover, followers of Eastern Orthodoxy form considerable portions of the populations of predominantly Muslim [[Albania]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Kazakhstan]], and [[Kosovo]], both historically and presently. The [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] has played a prominent role in the history and culture of Eastern and [[Southeastern Europe]].<ref>{{Citation |last=Ware |first=Bishop Kallistos (Timothy) |title=The Orthodox Church |date=29 April 1993 |edition=new |place=New York |publisher=Penguin Books |isbn=978-0-14-014656-1 |author-link1=Kallistos Ware |page=8}}</ref> To a lesser degree, forms of [[Eastern Protestant Christianity|Eastern Protestantism]] and [[Eastern Catholic Churches|Eastern Catholicism]] have also been influential in Eastern Europe. Countries where Eastern Protestantism or Eastern Catholicism hold historical significance include Belarus, [[Croatia]], Greece, [[Hungary]], [[Lithuania]], [[Poland]], Romania, Russia, [[Slovakia]], [[Slovenia]] and Ukraine.<ref name=":2"/><ref>Fernández Rodríguez, José Manuel (28 November 2016). "Eastern Protestant and Reformed Churches "a historical and ecumenical look"". ''Theologica Xaveriana''. 66 (182): 345–366. [[Doi (identifier)|doi]]:10.11144/javeriana.tx66-182.ioproh.</ref><ref>Milovanović, Aleksandra Djurić; Radić, Radmila (2017-10-11). "Parts I, II, III". ''Orthodox Christian Renewal Movements in Eastern Europe''. Springer. {{ISBN|978-3-319-63354-1}}.</ref>

The schism refers to the historical break of communion and [[theology]] between the Eastern (Orthodox) and Western (Catholic) churches. Later developments meant that the divide was no longer solely between Catholic and Orthodox churches. From the 16th century, both Western and Eastern forms of Protestantism began to emerge in Europe.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Parushev |first1=Parush |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/9780470999196 |title=The Blackwell Companion to Protestantism |last2=Apollo |first2=Toivo |date=2004 |publisher=Blackwell Publishing Ltd |isbn=978-0-631-23278-0 |editor-last=McGrath |editor-first=Alister E. |edition= |pages=155–160 |language= |doi=10.1002/9780470999196 |editor-last2=Marks |editor-first2=Darren C. |access-date=2024-02-28 |archive-date=2024-02-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240228180113/https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/9780470999196 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Nichols |first=Aidan |title=Rome and the Eastern Churches: A Study in Schism |date=2010 |publisher=Ignatius Press |isbn=9781586172824 |edition=2nd |pages=13–19}}</ref> Additionally, Eastern Catholic Churches began to spread in Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries, following the establishment of the [[Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church]] in 1596.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Galadza |first=Peter |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/9780470690208 |title=The Blackwell Companion to Eastern Christianity |date=2007-07-04 |publisher=Blackwell Publishing Ltd |isbn=978-0-631-23423-4 |editor-last=Parry |editor-first=Ken |edition= |pages=291–309 |language=en |doi=10.1002/9780470690208 |access-date=2024-02-28 |archive-date=2024-02-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240228180115/https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/9780470690208 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Union of Brest-Litovsk {{!}} Polish-Soviet, Treaty, 1918 {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/event/Union-of-Brest-Litovsk |access-date=2024-02-28 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en |archive-date=2023-06-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629070216/https://www.britannica.com/event/Union-of-Brest-Litovsk |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Eastern rite church {{!}} History, Beliefs & Practices {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Eastern-rite-church |access-date=2024-02-28 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en |archive-date=2024-01-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240119183658/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Eastern-rite-church |url-status=live }}</ref> However, the concept of Eastern Catholicism itself predates this.<ref name=":2" />

Since the Great Schism of 1054, Europe has been divided between [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] (and later additionally [[Protestant]]) churches in the West, and the [[Eastern Orthodox Christian]] (often incorrectly labelled "Greek Orthodox") churches in the east. The religious cleavage causes Eastern Orthodox countries to be often associated with Eastern Europe. A cleavage of this sort is, however, often problematic; for example, [[Greece]] is overwhelmingly Orthodox but is very rarely included in "Eastern Europe" for a variety of reasons, the most prominent being that Greece's history, for the most part, was more influenced by Mediterranean cultures and dynamics.<ref>Peter John, Local Governance in Western Europe, University of Manchester, 2001, {{ISBN|9780761956372}}</ref>

===Cold War (1947–1991)===
{{main|Warsaw Pact|Eastern Bloc}}
[[File:Europe subregion map UN geoscheme.svg|thumb|upright=1.15|Regions used for statistical processing purposes by the [[United Nations Statistics Division]]:<br>{{legend|#FF8080|Eastern Europe<ref name="UN"/><ref name="un.org"/>}}{{legend|#4080FF|Northern Europe}}
{{legend|#00FF00|Southern Europe}}
{{legend|#00FFFF|Western Europe}}]]
The [[revolutions of 1989|fall of the Iron Curtain]] brought the end of the Cold War east–west division in Europe,<ref>V. Martynov, The End of East-West Division But Not the End of History, UN Chronicle, 2000 ([https://archive.today/20120713093118/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1309/is_2_37/ai_66579827/pg_1?tag=artBody;col1 available online])</ref> but this geopolitical concept is sometimes still used for quick reference by the media.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6957171.stm | work=BBC News | title=Migrant workers: What we know | date=21 August 2007 | access-date=27 January 2009 | archive-date=14 November 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201114001236/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6957171.stm | url-status=live }}</ref> Another definition was used during the 40 years of [[Cold War]] between 1947 and 1989, and was more or less synonymous with the terms ''[[Eastern Bloc]]'' and ''[[Warsaw Pact]]''. A similar definition names the formerly [[communist]] European [[State (polity)|states]] outside the Soviet Union as Eastern Europe.<ref name="EasternEuropeHandbook"/>

Historians and social scientists generally view such definitions as outdated or relegated.<ref name="economist.com"/><ref name="TheBalkans"/><ref name="CEreview"/><ref name="Aarebrot2014"/><ref name="EuroVoc"/><ref name="UN"/><ref name="un.org"/>

===EuroVoc===
[[File:European_Regions_EuroVoc_(Denmark_in_Northern_Europe).png|thumb|upright=1.15|European sub-regions according to [[EuroVoc]]:<br>{{legend|#FF0000|[[Central and Eastern Europe]]}}{{legend|#67E863|Western Europe}}
{{legend|#F6D600|Southern Europe}}
{{legend|#0076D3|Northern Europe}}]]
[[Eurovoc|EuroVoc]], a multilingual [[thesaurus]] maintained by the [[Publications Office of the European Union]], classifies Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia, plus the candidate countries Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia as [[Central and Eastern Europe]]an.<ref>{{cite web |title=Concept: 914 Central and Eastern Europe |url=https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/concept/-/resource?uri=http://eurovoc.europa.eu/914 |access-date=16 July 2023 |work=EuroVoc |publisher=Publications Office of the EU |archive-date=27 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231027034435/https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/concept/-/resource?uri=http://eurovoc.europa.eu/914 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Contemporary developments===

In broadest definition, there are 28 countries that constitute the region of Eastern Europe: [[Albania]], [[Armenia]], [[Azerbaijan]], [[Belarus]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Bulgaria]], [[Croatia]], [[Cyprus]], the [[Czech Republic]], [[Estonia]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], [[Greece]], [[Hungary]], [[Kazakhstan]], [[Kosovo]], [[Latvia]], [[Lithuania]], [[Moldova]], [[Montenegro]], [[North Macedonia]], [[Poland]], [[Romania]], [[Russia]], [[Serbia]], [[Slovakia]], [[Slovenia]], [[Turkey]] ([[East Thrace]]), and [[Ukraine]], all of which can be classified into any of the 6 categories below.

====Baltic states====
{{Main|Baltic states}}
[[UNESCO]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://unstats.un.org/unsd/methodology/m49/|title=UNSD — Methodology|first=United Nations Statistics|last=Division|website=unstats.un.org|access-date=2017-08-04|archive-date=2017-08-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830170949/https://unstats.un.org/unsd/methodology/m49/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[EuroVoc]], [[National Geographic Society]], [[Committee for International Cooperation in National Research in Demography]], and the STW Thesaurus for Economics place the Baltic states in [[Northern Europe]], whereas the CIA World Factbook places the region in Eastern Europe with a strong assimilation to [[Northern Europe]]. Lithuania may alternatively be included in definitions of [[Central Europe]] because of its historical ties to [[Poland]] and the [[Catholic Church]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Columbia encyclopedia |date=2000 |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=978-0-7876-5015-5 |editor-last=Lagassé |editor-first=Paul |edition=6th |location=New York, NY |editor-last2=Columbia University}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Central Europe {{!}} Institute of International Relations Prague - Expertise to impact |url=https://www.iir.cz/en/central-europe |access-date=2025-02-08 |website=www.iir.cz |language=en}}</ref> Occasionally, Estonia and Latvia are also included. However, these countries are members of the [[Nordic-Baltic Eight]] regional cooperation forum whereas Central European countries formed their own alliance called the [[Visegrád Group]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.visegradgroup.eu/about |title=About the Visegrad Group |website=Visgradgroup.eu |date=15 August 2006 |access-date=30 July 2021 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110925164958/http://www.visegradgroup.eu:80/about |archive-date=2011-09-25 }}</ref> The [[Northern Future Forum]], the [[Nordic Investment Bank]], the [[Nordic Battlegroup]], the [[Nordic-Baltic Eight]] and the [[New Hanseatic League]] are other examples of [[Northern Europe]]an cooperation that includes the three countries collectively referred to as the Baltic states.
* [[Estonia]]
* [[Latvia]]
* [[Lithuania]]

====Caucasus states====
{{Main|Caucasus}}
The [[South Caucasus]] nations of [[Armenia]], [[Azerbaijan]], and [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.un.org/dgacm/|title=Department for General Assembly and Conference Management &#124;|website=www.un.org|access-date=2021-04-25|archive-date=2021-04-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419164537/https://www.un.org/dgacm/|url-status=live}}</ref> are included in [[Boundaries between continents|definitions]] or histories of Eastern Europe. They are located in the transition zone of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. They participate in the [[European Union]]'s [[Eastern Partnership]] program, the [[Euronest Parliamentary Assembly]], and are members of the [[Council of Europe]], which specifies that all three have political and cultural connections to Europe. In January 2002, the [[European Parliament]] noted that Armenia and Georgia may enter the EU in the future.<ref>{{Citation | url = http://www.libertas-institut.com/de/PDF/Armenia%20ante%20portas.pdf | title = How Armenia Could Approach the European Union | access-date = 27 February 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080428045333/http://www.libertas-institut.com/de/PDF/Armenia%20ante%20portas.pdf | archive-date = 28 April 2008 | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref>{{Citation | url = https://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+REPORT+A5-2002-0028+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN&language=EN | title = European Parliament on the European Union's relations with the South Caucasus | access-date = 2020-07-02 | archive-date = 2020-07-02 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200702131223/https://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-%2F%2FEP%2F%2FTEXT+REPORT+A5-2002-0028+0+DOC+XML+V0%2F%2FEN&language=EN | url-status = live }}</ref> Georgia and Armenia are seeking EU membership, with Georgia also seeking NATO membership alongside.
 
* [[Armenia]] 
* [[Azerbaijan]]
* [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]]

There are two de facto [[List of states with limited recognition|republics with limited recognition]] in the South Caucasus region that exist under the presence of Russian military. Both states participate in the [[Community for Democracy and Rights of Nations]]: 
* [[Abkhazia]]
* [[South Ossetia]]

Former republics with limited recognition:
* [[Chechen Republic of Ichkeria]] (1991–2000) – existed in former Soviet territory until it was driven into exile during the [[Second Chechen War]]
* [[Republic of Artsakh]] (1991–2023) – breakaway state from Azerbaijan that ceased to exist by 1 January 2024<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sauer |first1=Pjotr |title=Nagorno-Karabakh's breakaway government says it will dissolve itself |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/28/nagorno-karabakh-separatist-government-says-dissolve-azerbaijan-armenia |work=The Guardian |date=28 September 2023 |access-date=28 September 2023 |archive-date=15 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231115231542/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/28/nagorno-karabakh-separatist-government-says-dissolve-azerbaijan-armenia |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Post-Soviet states====
{{main|Post-Soviet States}}
Some [[Post-Soviet states#Country comparison|European republics]] of the former [[Soviet Union]] are considered a part of Eastern Europe:
* [[Belarus]]
* [[Moldova]] (sometimes considered a part of the [[Balkans]] or [[Southeast Europe]])<ref>{{cite journal|last=Simic|first=Predrag|title=Do the Balkans Exist? Visions of the Future of Southeastern Europe: Perspectives from the Region|journal=Medzinárodné otázky|publisher=Research Center of the Slovak Foreign Policy Association|pages=19–39|volume=10|number=1|date=2001|jstor=44963345}}</ref>
* [[Russia]] 
* [[Ukraine]]

[[List of states with limited recognition|Unrecognized states]]:
* [[Transnistria]]

====Central Europe====
{{main|Central Europe}}
The term "Central Europe" is often used by historians to designate states formerly belonging to the [[Holy Roman Empire]], the [[Habsburg monarchy|Habsburg Empire]], and the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]].

In some media, "Central Europe" can thus partially overlap with "Eastern Europe" of the Cold War Era. The following countries are labelled Central European by some commentators, though others still consider them to be Eastern European.<ref name=wallace>Wallace, W. ''The Transformation of Western Europe'' London, Pinter, 1990</ref><ref name=huntington>Huntington, Samuel ''The Clash of Civilizations'' Simon & Schuster, 1996</ref><ref>Johnson, Lonnie ''Central Europe: Enemies, Neighbours, Friends'' Oxford University Press, US, 2001</ref>
* [[Czech Republic]]
* [[Croatia]] (can variously be included in [[Southeast Europe|Southeastern]]<ref name="cia.gov">{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/croatia/|title=Croatia |website=The World Factbook |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |date=18 January 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240219055717/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/croatia/ |archive-date= Feb 19, 2024 }}</ref> or [[Central Europe]])<ref name="ReferenceA">Lonnie Johnson, [https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780195100716 ''Central Europe: Enemies, Neighbors, Friends''], Oxford University Press</ref>
* [[Hungary]] (most often placed in [[Central Europe]] but sometimes in [[Southeast Europe|Southeastern Europe]])<ref>{{Cite web |date=2003 |title=Southeast European Cooperative Initiative (SECI) |url=https://unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/trans/old_new_tir/seci/documents/GEReport0307-final.pdf |website=United Nations Economic Commission for Europe |access-date=2023-10-10 |archive-date=2023-10-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231021173058/https://unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/trans/old_new_tir/seci/documents/GEReport0307-final.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Lithuania]] (can variously be included in [[Northeastern Europe|Northeastern]] or [[Central Europe]])
* [[Poland]]
* [[Romania]] (can be included in [[Southeast Europe|Southeastern Europe]]<ref name="eia.doe.gov">{{Cite web|url=https://www.eia.gov/emeu/cabs/SE_Europe/Background.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090205212441/http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/SE_Europe/Background.html|url-status=dead|title=U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)|archivedate=February 5, 2009|website=www.eia.gov}}</ref> or partially in [[Central Europe]])<ref name="7 Invitees - Romania">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nato.int/invitees2004/romania/glance.htm|title=7 Invitees - Romania|website=www.nato.int|access-date=2021-04-25|archive-date=2023-10-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029052253/https://www.nato.int/invitees2004/romania/glance.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Serbia]] (most often placed in [[Southeast Europe|Southeastern Europe]] but sometimes partially included in [[Central Europe]])<ref name="Purdue University Press">{{cite book |author1=Steven Tötösy de Zepetnek |author2=Louise Olga Vasvári |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pFCzty0P4UcC&q=central+europe+serbia+culture&pg=PA24 |title=Comparative Hungarian Cultural Studies |publisher=Purdue University Press |isbn=9781557535931 |year=2011 |access-date=2020-11-10 |archive-date=2024-03-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240330041420/https://books.google.com/books?id=pFCzty0P4UcC&q=central+europe+serbia+culture&pg=PA24#v=snippet&q=central%20europe%20serbia%20culture&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Slovakia]]
* [[Slovenia]] (most often placed in [[Central Europe]] but sometimes in [[Southeast Europe|Southeastern Europe]])<ref name="Armstrong2007">{{cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FWA3ppuOgK4C&pg=PA165 |title=Geopolitics of European Union Enlargement: The Fortress Empire |page=165 |chapter=Borders in Central Europe: From Conflict to Cooperation |publisher=Routledge |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-134-30132-4 |author1=Armstrong, Werwick |author2=Anderson, James |access-date=2016-03-10 |archive-date=2024-03-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240330041921/https://books.google.com/books?id=FWA3ppuOgK4C&pg=PA165#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Southeastern Europe/ Balkan states====
{{Main|Southeast Europe|Balkans}}
Some countries in [[Southeast Europe]] can be considered part of Eastern Europe. Some of them can sometimes, albeit rarely, be characterized as belonging to [[Southern Europe]],<ref name="UN"/> and some may also be included in [[Central Europe]].

In some media, "Southeast Europe" can thus partially overlap with "Eastern Europe" of the Cold War Era. The following countries are labelled Southeast European by some commentators, though others still consider them to be Eastern European.<ref>Bideleux and Jeffries (1998) ''A History of Eastern Europe: Crisis and Change''</ref>

The following eleven countries are generally considered to be part of the Balkans by most definitions:
* [[Albania]] 
* [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]] 
* [[Bulgaria]] 
* [[Croatia]] (can variously be included in Southeastern<ref name="cia.gov"/> or Central Europe)<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
* [[Greece]] (Sometimes grouped in Southern Europe with countries like [[Italy]], [[Spain]] and [[Portugal]])
* [[Montenegro]]
* [[North Macedonia]] 
* [[Romania]] (can variously be included in Southeastern<ref name="eia.doe.gov"/> or Central Europe)<ref name="7 Invitees - Romania"/>
* [[Serbia]] (mostly placed in Southeastern but sometimes in Central Europe)<ref name="Purdue University Press"/>
* [[Slovenia]] (most often placed in Central Europe but sometimes in Southeastern Europe)<ref name="Armstrong2007" /><ref name=":0">[https://www.pccseesecretariat.si/index.php?item=9&page=static#:~:text=The%20PCC%20SEE%20is%20a,threat%20analysis%2C%20liaison%20officers%2C%20hot "Police Cooperation Convention for Southeast Europe (PCC SEE)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124191128/https://www.pccseesecretariat.si/index.php?item=9&page=static#:~:text=The%20PCC%20SEE%20is%20a,threat%20analysis%2C%20liaison%20officers%2C%20hot|date=2024-01-24}}. ''PCC SEE Secretariat''. Retrieved 20 December 2023.</ref>
* [[Turkey]] ([[East Thrace]], the portion west of the [[Turkish Straits]])

Additionally, although they have no territory on the Balkan Peninsula, the following countries are sometimes incorporated in the Balkans region, or Southeastern Europe, for cultural and historical affiliations:<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Todorova |first=Maria |title=Imagining the Balkans |date=1997 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-508750-5 |location=New York |page=15}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kolstø |first=Pål |date=2016-08-08 |title='Western Balkans' as the New Balkans: Regional Names as Tools for Stigmatisation and Exclusion |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09668136.2016.1219979 |journal=Europe-Asia Studies |language=en |volume=68 |issue=7 |pages=1245–1263 |doi=10.1080/09668136.2016.1219979 |issn=0966-8136}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=BUB0028 - Evidence on Beyond Brexit: the UK and the Balkans |url=https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/81047/html/ |access-date=2025-02-08 |website=committees.parliament.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Djurdjevic |first=Maria |title=The Balkans: Past and Present of Cultural Pluralism |url=https://www.iemed.org/publication/the-balkans-past-and-present-of-cultural-pluralism/ |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=European Institute of the Mediterranean}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Detrez |first=Raymond |date=2001 |title=Colonialism in the Balkans |url=https://www.kakanien-revisited.at/beitr/theorie/RDetrez1.pdf |pages=1–2 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Juhász |first=József |date=2015 |title=Hungary and the Balkans in the 20th Century — From the Hungarian Perspective |url=http://cejsh.icm.edu.pl/cejsh/element/bwmeta1.element.desklight-4acf4d74-0230-4935-89ff-5cd70c155701 |journal=Prague Papers on the History of International Relations |language= |issue= 1|pages=114–119 |quote=After 1918, with the massive reduction of Hungary’s territory and influence, many Western observers held Hungary to be one of the nations of the Balkans. |via=CEJSH}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=2024-08-11 |title=Balkans |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Balkans |access-date=2024-08-22 |website=Encyclopaedia Britannica |language=en |quote=Moldova—although located north of the Danube River, which is frequently cited as the region’s northeastern geographic dividing line—is included in the Balkans under some definitions by virtue of its long-standing historical and cultural connections with Romania.}}</ref><ref name=":0" />
* [[Cyprus]] (geographically in [[West Asia]], though most often considered a part of Southeastern Europe)
* [[Hungary]] (most often placed in Central Europe, sometimes considered part of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans)<ref>Hötte, Hans; Mihalik, Béla (2016). ''Atlas of Southeast Europe''. Boston: Brill.</ref><ref name=":3" />
* [[Moldova]] (usually grouped with the non-Baltic post-Soviet states, sometimes considered part of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans)<ref name="thoughtco.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.thoughtco.com/where-are-the-balkan-states-4070249|title=A List of Countries That Make up the Balkan Peninsula|website=www.ThoughtCo.com|access-date=2020-01-14|archive-date=2017-10-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014111414/https://www.thoughtco.com/where-are-the-balkan-states-4070249|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":4" />

[[List of states with limited recognition|Partially recognized states]]:
* [[Kosovo]]

====Kazakhstan====
Despite being frequently classified as a [[Central Asia]]n country, about 4% of [[Kazakhstan]]'s territory, situated west of the [[Ural (river)|Ural River]], geographically lies in Eastern Europe, thus technically making it a [[List of transcontinental countries|transcontinental country]].<ref>{{cite book|first1=Malcolm|last1=Porter|first2=Keith|last2=Lye|title=Asia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nXn6qEGYv0QC&q=area+of+kazakhstan+in+europe+sq+km&pg=PA14|publisher=Cherrytree Books|date=2008|isbn=978-1-84234-461-3|page=14|access-date=11 October 2021|archive-date=12 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220112032648/https://books.google.com/books?id=nXn6qEGYv0QC&q=area+of+kazakhstan+in+europe+sq+km&pg=PA14|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Factbook-Ural">{{Cite book | title=World Factbook | date=29 September 2021 | url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/kazakhstan/ | location=Washington, D.C. | publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]] | access-date=23 January 2021 | archive-date=9 January 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109132304/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/kazakhstan | url-status=live }} Kazakhstan: Geography</ref>