The return of Sechin: An apparent compromise in a government rivalry places Putin’s key ally back in the picture

Igor Sechin file photo

(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Anna Arutunyan – October 15, 2012) President Vladimir Putin has reportedly okayed a plan by the state-owned Rosneft oil company to buy BP’s 50 percent stake in TNKBP ­ and this may be part of a larger compromise with Putin’s key ally, Igor Sechin, who controls Rosneft. That compromise, analysts said, could affect everything from […]

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JRL Table of Contents :: Johnson’s Russia List 2012-#182 – 16 October 2012

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Johnson’s Russia List 2012-#182 16 October 2012 davidjohnson@starpower.net A World Security Institute Project www.worldsecurityinstitute.org JRL homepage: www.russialist.org JRL on Facebook: www.facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: www.russialist.org/funding.php Your source for news and analysis since 1996 In this issue POLITICS 1. Reuters: Russia launches anti-smoking crackdown. 2. Moscow News: Getting tough on drunk driving. 3. Bloomberg: Russian Middle Class to […]

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NEWSBLOG: Russian Journalist Reports on Putin’s Meeting with Iraq’s Al-Maliki; Wing-span of 4.5 Billion Dollars — Meeting between Russian President and Iraqi Prime Minister Opened Deal to Supply Aircraft

Map of Iraq

“Russian Journalist Reports on Putin’s Meeting with Iraq’s Al-Maliki” – “Wing-span of 4.5 Billion Dollars — Meeting between Russian President and Iraqi Prime Minister Opened Deal to Supply Aircraft” – Kommersant – Andrey Kolesnikov – October 11, 2012 – no link available to English-language version Andrey Kolesnikov writes about a dinner meeting between Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Kamil Mohammed Hasan […]

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NEWSLINK: Commemorating the Cuban Missile Crisis: Eugene Ivanov writes a personal reflection on how he learned about the Cuban Missile Crisis as a child and how his son studied it in an American high school

Map of Ranges of Soviet Missiles on Cuba

Commemorating the Cuban Missile Crisis: Eugene Ivanov writes a personal reflection on how he learned about the Cuban Missile Crisis as a child and how his son studied it in an American high school – Russia Beyond the Headlines – Eugene Ivanov – Eugene Ivanov is a Massachusetts-based political commentator who blogs at The Ivanov Report – October 12, 2012 […]

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NEWSLINK: Church’s Muscle Helped Propel President’s Rivals to Victory in Georgia

Tblisi, Georgia, file photo

Church’s Muscle Helped Propel President’s Rivals to Victory in Georgia – New York Times – Ellen Barry – October 14, 2012 – http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/14/world/europe/churchs-muscle-aided-win-of-presidents-rivals-in-georgia.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Ellen Barry writes on the Eastern Orthodox church in Georgia and its views of politics and recent elections: “As sharply contested parliamentary voting approached in Georgia last week, the country’s Orthodox patriarch implemented his own peculiar pre-election […]

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NEWSLINK: How Will History Judge Putin?

Vladimir Putin file photo

“How Will History Judge Putin?” – US-Russia.org – October 15, 2012 – http://us-russia.org/392-how-will-history-judge-putin.html Following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s 60th birthday, US-Russia.org holds a discussion about the current state of Putin’s historical legacy, with a panel featuring Vlad Sobell, Sergei Roy, William Dunkerley, Anatoly Karlin, Patrick Armtrong, Alexei Pankin, Richard Sakwa, Alexander Rahr, and Martin Seiff.  Click here for the full […]

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NEWSLINK: The voters do not show interest in the gubernatorial elections

Map of Russia

(“The voters do not show interest in the gubernatorial elections “- ITAR-TASS – RUSSIAN PRESS REVIEW – October 15, 2012 –http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c142/546081.html) ITAR-TASS reports on recent regional elections in Russia, termed “dirtier” than the December election and characterized by allegedly low official turnout: On Sunday, the Single Voting Day was held in Russia. The elections and referenda at various levels were […]

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NEWSLINK: Russian elections preserve Putin’s dominance, opponents cry foul

Arm and Torso of Person in Brown Sweater Placing Paper Ballot into Ballot Box

Russian elections preserve Putin’s dominance, opponents cry foul – Reuters – Gabriela Baczynska and Maria Tsvetkova – October 14, 2012 – http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/14/us-russia-elections-idUSBRE89D0GC20121014 Reuters covers Russia’s recent regional elections.  Vladimir Putin-backed ruling party United Russia came out on top, but amidst widespread allegations of voting violations: The first big elections since Putin began a new six-year term in May will do […]

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Russian Politicians, Experts, Rights Activists Puzzled By EU’s Nobel Prize

EU Map

(RIA Novosti – October 12, 2012) Russian politicians, experts and human rights activists have shown rare unity in their opinion of the Nobel Committee’s decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize to the European Union. Some of them believe that the award was intended to show political support to the organization, which is going through difficult times, others think it […]

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Capital Outflow From Russia Will Save Economy From Overheat – Moiseyev

File Photo of Cash, Coins, Line Graph

TOKYO. Oct 12 (Interfax) – The capital outflow to which Russia has fallen victim over the last several months will protect the country’s economy from a possible overheat, Russian Deputy Finance Minister Alexei Moiseyev said in conversation with the press on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank in Tokyo. “My […]

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A good death

Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Natalia Antonova – October 15, 2012) For terminally ill patients in Russia, dying with dignity is often not an option, as many doctors still reject the notion that improving the quality of life of a dying patient must be prioritized. Yet more and more people, despairing at seeing loved ones suffer needlessly, have called for […]

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Utilities Russia’s Worst Nightmare – Poll

File Photo of Electrical Yard with Fence and Warning Sign

MOSCOW, October 15 (RIA Novosti) – The critical situation in the housing and utilities sector is Russia’s most pressing problem with inflation only coming second, a pollster said on Monday. Over 55 percent of respondents in a survey conducted by the All-Russia Center for the Study of Public Opinion on Social and Economic Issues said housing and utilities tariffs were […]

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Global Economic Situation Remains Uncertain, IMF Says

File Photo of Cash, Coins, Line Graph

TOKYO. Oct 15 (Interfax) – The ongoing uncertainty in the economic policies of developed nations is restraining investment in these countries and slowing global growth, while a decline in activity in emerging markets is making it more difficult to achieve balance in the global economy, the IMF said in a communique following a meeting of its International Monetary and Finance […]

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The Far East: Bridging the gap

Siberian Natural Scenery, with River, Trees, Hills

(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Yulia Ponomareva – October 15, 2012) The recent APEC summit hosted in Vladivostok once again brought to the fore the need to develop Russia’s Far East, a region that accounts for a third of the country’s territory but only 4 percent of its population, and which is challenged by the bustling economy of its southern […]

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One Russia Did Well In Regional Polls But Must Not Rest On Laurels – Medvedev

Dmitry Medvedev file photo

(Interfax – Moscow, 14 October) Russian Prime Minister and One Russia (United Russia) (ruling party) leader Dmitriy Medvedev has said that, judging by preliminary results, the party did better in the (regional) elections held on Sunday (14 October) than in the election to the Russian State Duma (in December 2011). “Regarding elections results in the regions where vote count has […]

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Putin Loyalists Assert Control in Russian Regional Elections

Arm and Torso of Person in Brown Sweater Placing Paper Ballot into Ballot Box

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Ilya Arkhipov – October 15, 2012) Russian President Vladimir Putin’s allies dominated Russia’s first gubernatorial elections in eight years that opposition parties said were marred by abuses. The ruling United Russia party’s candidates won all five races for governor and six local legislative contests, according to preliminary results announced today by officials from local election commissions […]

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JRL Table of Contents :: Johnson’s Russia List 2012-#181 – 15 October 2012

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Johnson’s Russia List 2012-#181 15 October 2012 davidjohnson@starpower.net A World Security Institute Project www.worldsecurityinstitute.org JRL homepage: www.russialist.org JRL on Facebook: www.facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: www.russialist.org/funding.php Your source for news and analysis since 1996 In this issue POLITICS 1. Bloomberg: Putin Loyalists Assert Control in Russian Regional Elections. 2. Reuters: Russian elections preserve Putin’s dominance, opponents cry foul. […]

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JRL Table of Contents :: Johnson’s Russia List 2012-#180 – 12 October 2012

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Johnson’s Russia List 2012-#180 12 October 2012 davidjohnson@starpower.net A World Security Institute Project www.worldsecurityinstitute.org JRL homepage: www.russialist.org JRL on Facebook: www.facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: www.russialist.org/funding.php Your source for news and analysis since 1996 In this issue POLITICS 1. Interfax: Poll Shows Increase In Support For Russian Leaders. 2. Reuters: Russia local elections seen extending Putin’s power in […]

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Human rights activist Lokshina, who received SMS threats, leaves Russia

Tatyana Lokshina file photo

(Interfax – October 12, 2012) The deputy director of the Human Rights Watch (HRW) organization’s Moscow office, Tatyana Lokshina, who has been receiving threats via SMS messages, has left Russia. “My departure has nothing to do with these threats directly,” Lokshina said on her Facebook page. “A couple of days ago I flew to France from Moscow, as I had […]

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Q&A: Navalny’s Fundraiser Sees the Power of the Crowd

Alexei Navalny file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Howard Amos – October 12, 2012) Vladimir Ashurkov Education 1989-1993 ­ Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology 1994-1996 ­ Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania Work Experience 1993-1994 ­ PepsiCo Holding, financial analyst 1997-1999 ­ Renaissance Capital, investment banking department 1999-2001 ­ Saint Petersburg Sea Port, financial director 2001-2003 ­National Container Co., president 2003-2004 ­TransCare logistics […]

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Russia Polls Revolve Around Moscow Suburb Vote

Arm and Torso of Person in Brown Sweater Placing Paper Ballot into Ballot Box

MOSCOW, October 12 (Marc Bennetts, RIA Novosti) – Russians vote in regional elections on Sunday from the Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad to the Pacific coast, but with the focus firmly on the heated battle for ballots in a small Moscow satellite city. The nationwide polls are the most important in Russia since Vladimir Putin was elected to a third presidential […]

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Poll Shows Increase In Support For Russian Leaders

File Photo of Dmitry Medvedev and Vladimir Putin with Heads Bowed Over Microphone

(Interfax –  Moscow, 11 October) Sociologists have recorded an increase in confidence ratings of (President) Vladimir Putin and (Prime Minister) Dmitriy Medvedev in early October. Currently, 44 per cent of respondents say that they trust President Vladimir Putin, while a week ago the figure was 42 per cent, and two weeks ago – 41 per cent, according to a survey […]

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Putin Braces for First Russian Election Since Kremlin Return

File Photo of Vladimir Putin at Desk

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Ilya Arkhipov and Anton Doroshev – October 12, 2012) Russia’s regional elections, including the first gubernatorial polls in eight years, are testing President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to reassert control after the largest protests in more than a decade. Contenders backed by the ruling United Russia party may suffer setbacks in at least 10 mayoral and local […]

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Prokhorov Says He Will Focus on Politics

Mikhail Prokohrov file photo

YAROSLAVL. Oct 11 (Interfax) – Businessman Mikhail Prokhorov has confirmed his plans to focus on politics and stop his business activities. “I have virtually stopped my business activities and am going to focus solely on politics. Being a businessman and a politician is wrong, as it leads to a conflict of interests,” Prokhorov told a press conference on Tuesday in […]

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Moscow Helsinki Group chairman regrets that Nobel Peace Prize went to EU

EU Map

(Interfax – October 12, 2012) Lyudmila Alekseyeva, the head of the Moscow Helsinki Group, believes that the decision to award the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize to the European Union was wrong. “If it were awarded to political prisoners in Iran, it would be clearer to me. I wonder how they will photograph the EU as the Nobel Prize winner and […]

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Curing Homosexuality in Russia and Ukraine

Map of Russia and European Region of Former Soviet Union or Commonwealth of Independent States

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Leonid Bershidsky – Leonid Bershidsky, an editor and novelist, is Moscow and Kiev correspondent for World View – October 10, 2012) Forget gay marriage. In Russia and Ukraine, politicians are treating homosexuality like a curable addiction — and even a crime. Last week, acting on a widespread popular belief that sexual orientation is a matter of […]

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SUMMARY: Gazprom’s Gas Pipeline Lineup

MOSCOW. Oct 9 (Interfax) – Gazprom (RTS: GAZP) is ever more aggressively pushing itself onto the European market. Upon launching Line 2 of the Nord Stream gas pipeline on Monday, the Russian gas giant announced that additional capacity should be built in this direction. The new project could tentatively be called Nord Stream-2, although its potential participants and markets are […]

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Nuclear Dismantlement Program’s End Draws Near

File Photo of Russian Nuclear Missile on Mobile Launcher Near Woods

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Nikolaus von Twickel – October 12, 2012) News that Moscow wants to end a multibillion-dollar program with Washington to dismantle nuclear and chemical weapons triggered fears Thursday that the Kremlin is embarking on an increasingly isolationist foreign policy course. The Foreign Ministry said late Wednesday that the United States wants to prolong the so-called Nunn-Lugar […]

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[Re: Romney’s stand on Russia as Foe Number 1] Comment on John Arquilla JRL #179

Mit Romney file photo

From: Jake Kipp <jacobkipp@cs.com> Date: Thu, 11 Oct 2012 Subject: Comment on John Arquilla JRL #179 [DJ: Adjunct Professor of History at the University of Kansas, former Deputy Director, School of Advanced Military Studies, Fort Leavenworth] I just read John Arquilla’s piece applauding Romney’s stand on Russia as Foe Number 1. Although I am a great admirer of his work […]

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Smartphone App Lets Russians Call Out Bribes

File Photo of Two Persons Shaking Hands and Exchanging Cash

RFE/RL – Tom Balmforth – October 11, 2012 MOSCOW — Ever wanted to see an interactive map of all the bribes that change hands in Russia? Well, soon you may be able to, thanks to a new smartphone application released for free download by a group of entrepreneur activists. “Bribr,” a smartphone app designed by a team of 20 volunteer […]

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Putin’s Jubilee Finds Him Clueless, Isolated and Ridiculed

Vladimir Putin file photo

Jamestown Foundation – jamestown.org – Eurasia Daily Monitor, Volume 9 Issue 184 – Pavel K. Baev – October 10, 2012 President Vladimir Putin quietly celebrated his 60th birthday on October 7 behind the high walls of one of his residences. But his minions, viceroys and oligarchs across the country are trying to outdo one another with gifts and other manifestations […]

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Medvedev Pledges Education Spending to Match Defense

Moscow State University

MOSCOW, October 11 (RIA Novosti)-Russia will spend almost a trillion US dollars by 2020 to improve its educational standards and promote the country’s innovation-based development, matching what it will spend on defense, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday. “Russia’s planned consolidated budget spending on education will be about 8 trillion rubles [$258 billion] by 2015, and the spending forecast […]

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Russian Protest Leader Quizzed Over Coup Claims

Sergei Udaltsov file photo

MOSCOW, October 11 (Marc Bennetts, RIA Novosti)-Russian protest leader Sergei Udaltsov was questioned by investigators on Thursday in connection with allegations aired on federal TV that he had conspired to launch a violent revolution. State-run NTV broadcast last week what it said was secretly-filmed footage of Left Front leader Udaltsov meeting Georgian politician Givi Targamadze to discuss plans to seize […]

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Samutsevich was freed because she didn’t have time to shout in church – judge

File Photo of Pussy Riot Members in Courtroom Enclosure, With Man Showing Papers to One While Female Guard Looks On

MOSCOW. Oct 11 (Interfax) – The Moscow City Court has evaluated the degree of every Pussy Riot member’s participation in the stunt in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The court found that Yekaterina Samutsevich did not shout in the cathedral and she was freed. “Samutsevich, like the others, put on a cap, took out her guitar, got into a […]

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JRL Table of Contents :: Johnson’s Russia List 2012-#179 – 11 October 2012

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Johnson’s Russia List 2012-#179 11 October 2012 davidjohnson@starpower.net A World Security Institute Project www.worldsecurityinstitute.org JRL homepage: www.russialist.org JRL on Facebook: www.facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: www.russialist.org/funding.php Your source for news and analysis since 1996 In this issue POLITICS 1. RIA Novosti: Medvedev Pledges Education Spending to Match Defense. 2. Christian Science Monitor: Fred Weir, Vladimir Putin 2.0: A […]

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JRL Table of Contents :: Johnson’s Russia List 2012-#178 – 10 October 2012

Map of Russia

Johnson’s Russia List 2012-#178 10 October 2012 davidjohnson@starpower.net A World Security Institute Project www.worldsecurityinstitute.org JRL homepage: www.russialist.org JRL on Facebook: www.facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: www.russialist.org/funding.php Your source for news and analysis since 1996 In this issue POLITICS 1. Interfax: Health Ministry: Life expectancy in Russia reaches 70.3 years. 2. AP: Moscow appeals court frees 1 of jailed […]

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JRL Table of Contents :: Johnson’s Russia List 2012-#177 – 9 October 2012

Johnson’s Russia List 2012-#177 davidjohnson@starpower.net A World Security Institute Project www.worldsecurityinstitute.org JRL homepage: www.russialist.org JRL on Facebook: www.facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: www.russialist.org/funding.php Your source for news and analysis since 1996 In this issue POLITICS 1. October 7 NTV program on Putin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_g4XsaZ7XY&feature=player_embedded 2. Interfax: Poll: Russians like Putin epoch more than perestroika, Yeltsin’s rule. 3. Moscow Times: […]

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JRL Table of Contents :: Johnson’s Russia List 2012-#176 – 8 October 2012

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Johnson’s Russia List 2012-#176 8 October 2012 davidjohnson@starpower.net A World Security Institute Project www.worldsecurityinstitute.org JRL homepage: www.russialist.org JRL on Facebook: www.facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: www.russialist.org/funding.php Your source for news and analysis since 1996 In this issue POLITICS 1. Bloomberg: Putin at 60 Has Rule Rated Positive by Majority, Poll Shows. 2. ITAR-TASS: RUSSIAN PRESS REVIEW. Vladimir Putin […]

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JRL Table of Contents :: Johnson’s Russia List 2012-#175 – 4 October 2012

Map of Russia

Johnson’s Russia List 2012-#175 5 October 2012 davidjohnson@starpower.net A World Security Institute Project www.worldsecurityinstitute.org JRL homepage: www.russialist.org JRL on Facebook: www.facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: www.russialist.org/funding.php Your source for news and analysis since 1996 In this issue POLITICS 1. Russia Beyond the Headlines/Moskovskiye Novosti: Russian students don’t mind the president’s firm hand. Researchers have created an image of […]

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NEWSLINK: Russia expects tax reforms to boost oil output

Oil Well file photo

Russia expects tax reforms to boost oil output – Reuters – October 9, 2012 – click here for original article: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/09/russia-energy-idUSL6E8L9PU620121009 Reuters covers Russian aspirations to expand oil output through tax breaks: Russia aims to bring on line 1.4 million to 2 million barrels of oil equivalent per day with new tax reforms designed to reduce the levy on future […]

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Russia Walks Out of Nunn-Lugar Agreement ­- Paper

File Photo of Russian Nuclear Missile on Mobile Launcher Near Woods

MOSCOW, October 10 (RIA Novosti) – Moscow is to abandon participation in a decades-old program with the United States aimed at dismantling weapons of mass destruction, Russian daily Kommersant reported Wednesday. The paper reported sources in the US State Department as saying Russia is no longer interested in the Nunn-Lugar program ­ also known as the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program […]

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October Marks 50th Anniversary of Cuban Missile Crisis

Map of Ranges of Soviet Missiles on Cuba

(Andre de Nesnera – Voice of America – October 9, 2012) This month marks the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis, a confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war.  Historians say there were several key events that led to the decision by Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev to […]

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Putin: Land market in Russia permeated with corruption

File Photo of Man Placing Stack of Large Bills into Inside Pocket of Suitcoat

(Interfax – October 9, 2012) The development of land relations in Russia is being obstructed by corrupt officials, Russian President Vladimir Putin said. “Arbitrariness and corruption of officials is hampering and obstructing proper development of land relations in Russia, and, as a result, this slows down the country’s progress on the whole,” Putin said at a session of the Russian […]

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A Long Painful Death: Why Russia Is A Bad Place to be Terminally Ill

Map of Russia

Natalia Antonova is the deputy editor of The Moscow News. (RIA Novosti – Natalia Antonova – October 8, 2012) When the tragic details of the final days of Russian bard Ada Yakusheva emerged on Facebook ­ I was stunned. I had heard that Yakusheva was battling cancer, but what I hadn’t realized is that her doctors had denied her pain […]

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Anatoly Karlin JRL #176 [re Georgia]

Map of Georgia

Date: Tue, 9 Oct 2012 From: Sergei Roy <SergeiRoy@yandex.ru> Subject: Anatoly Karlin JRL #176 [re Georgia] Re Anatoly Karlin JRL #176, 8 October 2012 By Sergei Roy I must congratulate Mr. Karlin  on his excellent analysis of the politics involved in the recent parliamentary election in Georgia, its causes and consequences.  A few comments are due, though. Politics and politicking, […]

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NEWSLINK: ‘No flexibility’ with Putin on missile defense: Romney

Missile Defense Control Room file photo

‘No flexibility’ with Putin on missile defense: Romney – AFP – October 8, 2012 – click here for original article AFP covers Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s assertive backing of U.S. and NATO missile defense in the face of Russian opposition, most recently articulated in Romney’s recent foreign policy address at the Virginia Military Institute: Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney […]

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Lavrov Pushes Hard on Start of Visa-Free Regime with Europe

Truck at Russian Border Crossing

(Irina Filatova – Moscow  Times – themoscowtimes.com – October 9, 2012) The European Union might be dragging out the possible cancellation of the visa regime with Russia, since the main reason this goal can’t be reached could be of a political nature, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday. “We have a feeling that … the reasons on the side of […]

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Romney Keeps Playing Russian Card in Presidential Bid

Mit Romney file photo

WASHINGTON, October 9 (RIA Novosti) – Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has reaffirmed his plans to review “questionable” cuts to US defense budget and to maintain a hard stance on missile defense in talks with Russia in a key foreign policy speech during the current election campaign. “I’ll roll back President Obama’s deep and arbitrary cuts to our national defense […]

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[TRANSCRIPT: Putin] Video address marking the inauguration of the second section of the Nord Stream gas pipeline

Vladimir Putin file photo

(Kremlin.ru –  October 8, 2012)  In his video address, Vladimir Putin congratulated the project participants on completing the second section and bringing it to design capacity. The official ceremony marking the pipeline’s completion took place at Portovaya Bay in Leningrad Region. The pipeline crosses the Baltic Sea, passing through the territorial waters of five countries, and links up to the […]

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Georgian tycoon expects NATO entry after poll victory

Tblisi, Georgia, file photo

Georgian tycoon expects NATO entry after poll victory – Reuters – Margarita Antidze – October 9, 2012 click here to read original article: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/09/us-georgia-election-idUSBRE8980S220121009 Reuters covers predictions by Georgia’s next likely prime minister, Bidzina Ivanishvili, that Georgia will soon join NATO, rather than come under Russian influence.  Ivanishvili’s party won recent parliamentary elections. “We are striving towards Europe and Georgia […]

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