Kremlin rejects bill on amnesty for economic crimes; Why the Kremlin is not rushing to pardon 100,000 businessmen.

Russian Jail File Photo Showing Outer Wall, Windows, Barbed Wire

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Viktor Kuzmin, RBTH – June 3, 2013) Vladimir Putin has rejected a “draft” of the parliamentary bill on amnesty for economic offenses. Authorities fear that genuine crooks and thieves might get out of jail under the pretext of improving the investment climate. When he reassumed the role of president one year ago, one […]

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News conference following the Russia-EU Summit [Putin statements]

Vladimir Putin file photo

(Kremlin.ru – Yekaterinburg – June 4, 2013)  PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA VLADIMIR PUTIN: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, The talks held at the 31st Russia-EU Summit were constructive and meaningful. We examined in detail the current issues of cooperation in trade, the economy and humanitarian sphere, as well as the improvement of the legal framework for our relations. Russia and the […]

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Russia-EU Values Gap on Display at Summit

EU Map

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Ivan Nechepurenko – June 5, 2013) Despite declarations of strategic partnership and cooperation at Tuesday’s Russia-EU summit in Yekaterinburg, leaders of the two sides demonstrated an apparently growing rift on a wide array of issues, including civil liberties and ways to resolve the bloody civil war in Syria. One of the main expected achievements of […]

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Tensions to linger in Russia-EU relations in foreseeable future – Russian experts

EU Map

(Interfax – MOSCOW, June 4, 2013) “Serious progress” in Russia-EU political rapprochement will hardly be made in the near future, experts stated in a report, “Russia-EU. Partnership Possibilities”, published on Monday. “We see no real reasons for serious progress in Russia-EU political rapprochement in the short-term prospect,” says the report written under the aegis of the Russian International Affairs Council […]

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PM Says Russia Ready For Cooperation With U.S., As Long As It Is ‘Peaceful’

File Photo of Barack Hussein Obama and Dmitry Medvedev with Flags, Shaking Hands

(RIA Novosti – Kirkenes, Norway, June 4, 2013) Russia is ready to cooperate with the USA in a variety of spheres; the key is for them to be peaceful, Russian Prime Minister Dmitriy Medvedev has said. “We are prepared for various forms of cooperation. The only thing is that – which is very important – it has to be peaceful […]

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Moscow Security Conference Declares Death of CFE Treaty

File Photo of Russian Tanks in Military Parade

(Eurasia Daily Monitor: Volume 10, Issue 105 – Roger McDermott – Jamestown Foundation – jamestown.org – June 4, 2013) The Moscow European Security Conference on May 23­-24 offered an opportunity for a wide range of defense officials and experts from member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to exchange views on the future of Euro-Atlantic security with their Russian […]

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Deployment of ABM in Asia-Pacific region may polarize forces – Russian official

Missile Defense Launch File Photo

(Interfax – June 1, 2013) Unilateral deployment of strategic missile defence elements may lead to the polarization of forces in the Asia-Pacific region, Russian Deputy Defence Minister Anatoliy Antonov has said, privately-owned Interfax news agency reported on 1 June. “The strategic situation in the Asia-Pacific region is burdened by the missile defence factor. We are concerned by the unilateral deployment […]

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Armenia Looks West, Tries To Loosen Moscow’s Grip

Map of Armenia and Environs

(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Robert Coalson – June 3, 2013) It seemed like a small event, but it got a lot of tongues wagging. Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian decided not to attend an “informal summit” of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) on May 28. Sarkisian’s office cited Armenia’s Republic Day holiday that day and a visit to Yerevan […]

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Yanukovych has highest presidential electoral rating – poll

Russian Naval Vessel in Ukrainian Port

(Interfax – KYIV, June 1, 2013) Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych currently has the highest electoral rating among the possible presidential candidates, as is evident from a public opinion survey conducted in May by the Razumkov Center sociological service jointly with the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation. The respondents were offered two alternative lists of possible candidates who could theoretically run […]

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Afghanistan Focus For Better Ties with U.S. – Moscow

Allied Troops on High Ground Overlooking Afghan Valley

(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, June 3, 2013) Russia-US relations could be improved through collaboration in Afghanistan, despite having suffered a difficult phase recently, a senior Russian MP and foreign affairs spokesman said on Monday. Mikhail Margelov, head of the international affairs committee at the Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian parliament, made his comments after a meeting with […]

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Will U.S. and Russia increase anti-terror cooperation before Sochi 2014?

File Photo of Sochi Olympics Banner Near Highway in Warm Weather with Vehicle and Cyclicsts Nearby

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Pavel Koshkin, RBTH – June 3, 2013) U.S. congressmen and the Russian Federal Security Services hope to boost joint collaboration against global jihad and Islamism in time for the Sochi Winter Olympics. During a recent visit to Russia by U.S. congressmen, Moscow and Washington seemed to find an agreement over the need for […]

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Chance for Rapprochement Seen Ahead of Russia-EU Summit

EU Map

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Ivan Nechepurenko – June 3, 2013) Ahead of a Russia-EU summit set for Monday and Tuesday in Yekaterinburg, Russia’s permanent representative to the EU said the ongoing financial crunch had provided a unique chance for the two sides to grow closer. “There are many factors that make Russia and the EU complement each other. Russia […]

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Audit Chamber believes govt economic forecasts for 2014-2016 too optimistic

File Photo of Cash, Coins, Line Graph

(Interfax – MOSCOW, June 3, 2013) Experts at the Audit Chamber and economists it recruited who work at government, corporate and research institutions are questioning the Russian government’s social and economic scenarios and forecasts for 2014-2016. The social and economic development forecast that the government considered on May 16 was discussed on May 29 at a meeting at the Audit […]

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The New Moscow: Old Style Civilization

Aerial View of Moscow From Beyond Stadium, file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Chloe Schmitt – June 3, 2013) New Moscow Population:  250,000 residents in the added territory Main industries: In the past, the city of Troitsk was well known for its textile industry. But today there are no major industries in new Moscow. One of the major businesses today is real estate, with the construction of many […]

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Russia’s new science president Fortov faces uphill battle

Adaptions of Image from Livermore.gov of Element 118 Atoms

(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Kristen Blyth – June 3, 2013) There’s a new president in town, and his name is Vladimir Fortov. President of the Russian Academy of Sciences, that is. Fortov, a prominent Russian physicist and head of Moscow’s Joint Institute for High Temperatures, won 58 percent of the vote in a secret-ballot election among academy members last […]

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Russian economy minister dismayed by economist Guriev’s resignation, departure

Sergei Guriev file photo

(Interfax – MOSCOW, May 31, 2013) Russian Economic Development Minister Andrei Belousov is dismayed by prominent Russian economist Sergei Guriev’s decision to resign as head of the New Economic School (NES) and not return to Russia from abroad for the time being. “This is very disappointing for me. I’ve known Sergei for a very long time. We have had significant […]

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Economist [Guriev] questioned in Yukos case re-elected to Sberbank board

Sergei Guriev file photo

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Tim Wall, RBTH – June 3, 2013) Sergei Guriev received the most votes after the bank said it was ‘too late’ to take his name off the list of candidates. Sergei Guriyev, a top economist who fled Russia after being questioned by investigators over a critical report he co-authored on the 2010 trial […]

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Russian Soldiers Still Unfit – Shoigu

File Photo of Russian Military Conscripts Boarding Train with Gear

(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, June 3, 2013) ­ The physical fitness of Russia’s soldiers remains inadequate due to the poor state of recruits and shoddy training, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Monday. The Defense Ministry has tried recently to improve physical training in the Russian army and navy, with more time allocated to physical exercise, Shoigu said at a […]

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Russian orphans trapped in poverty

Russian Orphanage file photo

(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Julia Reed in Moscow – June 3, 2013) Much has been said about the miserable plight of Russian orphans, especially following the recent ban on all American adoption in Russia in retribution for Congress’ so-called “Magnitsky Act”, which penalizes some Russian officials on human rights grounds. After decades of inaction, suddenly the issue has […]

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Why Georgia Still Matters; re: 2013-#98-Johnson’s Russia List/Adomanis

Map of Georgia

From: “Hamilton, Robert E COL USARMY (US)” <robert.e.hamilton.mil@mail.mil> Subject: RE: 2013-#98-Johnson’s Russia List/Adomanis Date: Thu, 30 May 2013 I’m attaching a short piece I wrote recently on the political transition underway in Georgia.  It is scheduled to go up on the website of the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies (GFSIS) in the near future.  I decided to send […]

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Interfax: Top Russian judge says U.S. drone operators ‘legitimate’ targets in war on terror

Russian Constitutional Court file photo

(Interfax – St. Petersburg, May 30, 2013) UAV operators are a legitimate enemy target in wartime, Russian Constitutional Court Chairman Valeriy Zorkin believes. “A drone operator should have no illusions about his own security and impunity while controlling a UAV from a suburb of the US capital via satellite. He is a legitimate enemy target according to the legal views […]

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Larry King (predictably) slated for joining RT

Larry King file photo

(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Ben Aris – May 31, 2013) And so it starts. The articles slating US talk show icon Larry King for agreeing to do a series of shows for the Kremlin-sponsored RT (nee Russia Today) have begun to flow, full of the predictable bile and vitriol. Hey, Larry King: Have You Ever Watched Russia Today? […]

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Syrian conundrum: Running in circles in search of a solution

File Photo of Bashar al-Assad and Sergei Lavrov

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Andrei Ilyashenko, special to RBTH – May 31, 2013) Some Russian pundits believe that the upcoming international conference on Syria indicates that the U.S. and EU want to distance themselves from the Syrian conflict, because it is clearly becoming a burden to them. The opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are clearly not […]

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The Eurasian Union – Fending Off European Ailments

Map of Western CIS/FSU and European Environs

(RIA Novosti – Fyodor Lukyanov – May 30, 2013 – Fyodor Lukyanov is Editor-in-Chief of the Russia in Global Affairs journal, an authoritative source of expertise on Russian foreign policy and global developments)  Astana recently hosted a Customs Union summit. The integration project is taking shape on the fly, so each summit evokes a great deal of interest. What if […]

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Moscow believes Gulf countries backed by West hindering Syria conference – newspaper

Middle East Map

(Interfax – MOSCOW, May 29, 2013) Moscow believes that some Persian Gulf countries supported by the United States and other Western countries are hampering the convention of a new international conference on Syria, Kommersant reported in its Wednesday issue. “The position and provocations (by Persian Gulf countries) are possibly the main factor complicating the convention of the conference,” Kommersant cited […]

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Russia Climbs to 42nd Place in Competitiveness Rating

World Map Showing Continents, Greens, Browns, Ice

(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, May 30, 2013) Russia has climbed six positions to 42nd place in the 2013 World Competitiveness Rankings published by the Institute of Management Development (IMD) on Thursday. The IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook published annually by the IMD, a top-ranked global business school based in Switzerland, covers 60 countries and compares their competitiveness based on such key […]

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Fresh US-Russian Translation Examines TV Attitudes

File Photo of Russian Television Studio

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Alexander Bratersky – May 30, 2013) Russian television has often been labeled a Kremlin propaganda tool by its critics, with the intelligence of many who take it at face value being disdained by its opponents, unlike those who rely on the internet. But an American professor, whose book on Russian TV influence was recently translated […]

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New Academy of Science President Pledges Reforms

Artist's Conception of Nanotechnology Components

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – May 30, 2013) A nuclear physicist with ties to the business community is promising reforms after being elected as Russia’s second post-Soviet president to the Academy of Science. Vladimir Fortov, 67, whose research has been used in the defense industry, received the majority of the votes cast by academics in Wednesday’s election, beating rival and […]

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Chinese parliamentarians interested in Russian experience on NGO law – State Duma Deputy Speaker

China Map

(Interfax – HARBIN, China, May 29, 2013) China as well as Russia is concerned with the issue of non-governmental organizations (NGO) receiving foreign financing and trying to influence the interior policy of the country, Russia’s State Duma First Deputy Speaker Ivan Melnikov, representing the Russian Communist Party faction, said about the results of the visit of Russian parliamentarians to China. […]

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Second Russian NGO fined under ‘foreign agent’ law

Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Interfax – May 29, 2013) A group based 300 km northeast of Moscow has become the second Russian non-governmental organization to be fined under a controversial new law that obliges NGOs to register as “foreign agents” if they receive funding from abroad and are deemed to be involved in “political activities”, the privately-owned Russian news agency Interfax reported on 29 […]

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Levada Center to Reject Foreign Grants

Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – May 30, 2013) Independent pollster Levada Center will not accept any more foreign grants while its status hangs in the balance, Interfax reported Thursday. In mid-May prosecutors issued a warning to the polling agency citing a breach of legislation passed in November which requires politically engaged NGOs that receive foreign funding to register as “foreign […]

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Market experts: Guriev situation already priced into ‘Russian risk’

Sergei Guriev file photo

(Interfax – MOSCOW, May 28, 2013) Russian financial market experts differed in their assessments of the impact of the situation surrounding Sergei Guriev, the rector of the New Economic School, which came to light on Tuesday evening. They agreed that the episode could negatively affect Russia’s investment appeal, but did not think it signaled a shift in the fundamental investment […]

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Adoption of Russian children by foreign families down 70 percent in five years – Astakhov

Russian Orphanage file photo

(Interfax – May 30, 2013) The number of Russian orphans adopted by foreign families has dipped by 70 percent in the past five years, Russian Children’s Rights Ombudsman Pavel Astakhov said. “The number of children adopted by foreign families has declined; the decline has been rather significant. Even before January 1, 2013 [when the Dima Yakovlev law entered into force] […]

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Medvedev appreciates Guriev’s contribution to expert council work – Abyzov

Sergei Guriev file photo

(Interfax – MOSCOW, May 29, 2013) Minister for Open Government Mikhail Abyzov expects to continue cooperating with economist Sergei Guriev who reportedly resigned from the post of rector of the New Economic School. “I am confident that our cooperation with Sergei Guriev will continue despite the decision, whether he formally remains a member of the expert council and government commission […]

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Government Advisors Protest ‘Foreign Agent’ Law

Kremlin and St. Basil's

(RIA Novosti, MOSCOW, May 30, 2013) ­ A group of leading Russian economists has called on the government to reconsider a controversial new law that obliges some NGOs to register as “foreign agents,” saying it threatens to destroy the cooperation between independent experts and the authorities. The letter written by the economists, many of whom were involved in devising a […]

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In Search of Russia’s Middle Class

Moscow Protest file photo

(Institute of Modern Russia – imrussia.org – Donald N. Jensen – May 29, 2013) The 2011-2012 pro-democracy rallies in Russia pointed to a growing political awareness and political muscle of the country’s middle class. Donald N. Jensen, Resident Fellow at the Center for Transatlantic Relations at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, discusses the Russian middle class, its […]

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May poll puts Russian president’s job approval rating at 64 percent

Kremlin and Moscow Environs Aerial View

(Interfax – May 30, 2013) The job approval ratings of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev remain high in May, with Putin’s rating standing at 64 percent and Medvedev’s rising to 54 percent from 52 percent in April, sociologists of the Levada Center told Interfax following a May 23-27 public opinion survey. Putin enjoys trust among 36 […]

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