Eastern European countries adopting authoritarian measures in face of Covid

Analysis reveals widespread violations of international democratic freedoms in response to pandemic

Europe's political approach to the coronavirus pandemic has divided down stark east-west lines, a Guardian analysis has found.

Five of 18 eastern European countries have registered major violations of international democratic freedoms since March 2020, according to research conducted by the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute, compared with none of 12 western European countries.