Month: February 2016
NEWSLINK: “Despite Weathering Sanction Storm, Russia’s ‘Dutch Disease’ Gets Worse” – Forbes/Kenneth Rapoza
RBTH: Two options for Syria: Federalization or balkanization?
Analyst examines two possible divergent futures for the country. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – VLADIMIR MIKHEEV, SPECIAL TO RBTH – February 26, 2016) Today, the talk of the town – namely in Damascus, Homs, Hama, Aleppo and other Syrian cities and hamlets – is focused on renewed rumors concerning the possible next step in the resolution of the […]
» Read moreRUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents :: JRL 2016-41 :: Monday, 29 February 2016
Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2016-#41 Monday, 29 February 2016 A project sponsored through the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs The contents do not necessarily represent the views of IERES or the George Washington University. JRL homepage: russialist.org – JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist – JRL on Twitter: @JohnsonRussiaLi Support for JRL is provided in part […]
» Read moreThe Presidential Candidates’ Views on Russia
Subject: The Presidential Candidates’ Views on Russia Date: Fri, 26 Feb 2016 18:56:45 +0000 From: Melinda Wuellner <mwuellner@cfr.org> Council on Foreign Relations CFR has developed a tool that compares the U.S. presidential candidates’ positions on eleven different issues (immigration, trade, ISIS, Iran, and much more). Our team of journalists continuously updates this guide with an aim to offer independent, nonpartisan […]
» Read moreMoscow Times: Russian Middle Class Has Not Felt Impact of Economic Crisis
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – February 29, 2016) Russia’s middle class has not yet felt the impact of the economic crisis, the Kommersant newspaper reported Monday citing a report by the Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Most middle class Russians have retained their jobs and income levels, and many have even reduced their debt burden under […]
» Read moreRussians’ Values ‘Normal but Weak’ not ‘Strong but Abnormal,’ Sociologist Says
(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, February 28, 2016) Many are inclined to believe that Russians strongly hold “abnormal” values; but in fact, sociologist Ella Paneyakh says, the values they hold are quite normal but they are only weakly attached to them. As a result, there often occur sudden and otherwise apparently inexplicable changes in the goals and […]
» Read moreNEWSWATCH TASS: “Kremlin comments on Chechen leader’s plans to step down”
Russian-controlled TASS reported on Kremlin statements about Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov’s announced plans to step down. The Kremlin will be guided by results of Ramzan Kadyrov’s work rather than his statements, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters …. ‘We should wait for the time [when Chechen leader’s term expires and the president’s decision],’ he said …. Kadyrov, 39, who […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK: “Obama’s Ukraine policy in shambles. Distracted by ISIL, frustrated by infighting in Kyiv, the administration makes little progress against Putin in Europe.” – Politico/Michael Crowley
NEWSLINK: “Tensions Simmer Between Chechen Leader and Anti-Kremlin Opposition. Thousands gathered in Moscow to mark one year since the murder of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov.” – Wall Street Journal
NEWSLINK: “America Needs Russian Cooperation in Syria. Washington should be clear-eyed about what Moscow can bring to the table.” – The National Interest/Adriel Kasonta
NEWSLINK RBTH/RBC: “Over 50% of Russians approve of Orthodox Church role in state politics. Approval of the public actions and statements of the Russian Orthodox Church has increased to record levels in Russia, according to a new survey.”
NEWSLINK TASS: “Moscow expects no warming in relations with US after presidential elections – diplomat”
NEWSLINK: “ONLY CONNECT: RUSSIA BETWEEN INDIVIDUALISM AND COLLECTIVISM. As Russian communities grapple with historical baggage, they are on their way to creating a real national identity.” – The Wilson Quarterly/Anna Arutunyan
NEWSLINK: “He Killed for the Maidan. Here’s why my news organization decided to shed some light on a dark moment in Ukraine’s revolution.” –
NEWSLINK: “Russia’s democratic opposition faces increasing threats” – Washington Post/Ellen Bork, David J. Kramer
NEWSLINK: “Russian Industry Workers Squeezed but Scared of Speaking Out” – AP
NEWSLINK: “Russia’s Birth Rate Is Decreasing, Or Is It?” – Forbes/Mark Adomanis
NEWSLINK: “Russian Unemployment Increased By About 5% In 2015” – Forbes/Mark Adomanis
NEWSWATCH: “Trump being advised by ex-U.S. Lieutenant General who favors closer Russia ties [Lieutenant General Michael Flynn]” – Reuters
Donald Trump is receiving foreign policy advice from a former U.S. military intelligence chief who wants the United States to work more closely with Russia to resolve global security issues … three sources … former foreign policy officials in past administrations, said retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, who was chief of the Defense Intelligence Agency under … Obama … 2012-2014, […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK Carnegie Council for Ethic in International Affairs: “Update on Ukraine” [interview with Nicolai N. Petro]
Why did Kadyrov publish ‘revelatory’ report about himself?
The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov has chosen to make public himself a report that accuses him of creating a quasi-Islamic state within Russia and not obeying Russian laws. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – YEKATERINA SINELSCHIKOVA, RBTH – February 26, 2016) The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, has chosen to publish a report called “A National Security Threat” […]
» Read moreA year on, what do we know about Boris Nemtsov’s murder?
Russia’s powerful Investigative Committee has announced that it has solved the murder of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov after a probe lasting almost a year. But who killed Nemtsov and why is the investigation seen as inconclusive? RBTH looks back at the most headline-grabbing murder of 2015. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – YEKATERINA SINELSCHIKOVA, RBTH – February 26, 2016) […]
» Read moreTRANSCRIPT: [Putin at] Meeting of the Federal Security Service board
(Kremlin.ru – February 26, 2016) Vladimir Putin took part in a meeting of the Federal Security Service (FSB) board to review the results of the Service’s work in 2015 and set its priority tasks for 2016. President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, We are here today to review the results of the Federal Security Service’s work in 2015 and […]
» Read moreShuvalov: economic situation in Russia is difficult, there is no influx of guest workers to Russia
MOSCOW. Feb 26 (Interfax) – Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov said there is no big influx of foreign labor migrants to Russia amid the economic problems. “We need to understand that the economic situation in the country is very difficult. Migrants are not so active now as they were when our national currency was rather strong,” Shuvalov said […]
» Read more‘Putin’s Children’ – Life, Crime, Terror on the Edge of Russia
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Oliver Carroll – February 26, 2016) The driver’s voice teeters between depression and aggression. “What kinduva life do yoo call this?!” he shouts. “Weerrall peepul … peeeeepul, for sheeettin sake! … Fook, Ruussia, yoo make me want to cry!” We veer from side to side of the snow-covered track. Outside, the mercury pushes twenty under, […]
» Read moreRussia Seen Dodging Political Storm as Putin Rides Out Recession
(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Andre Tartar, Anna Andrianova – February 25, 2016) As Russia hunkers down for the second year of recession, most economists say a parliamentary election in September won’t unleash the kind of protests that rattled the country in 2011. There’s a 30 percent chance that economic distress will translate into political unrest, according to the median of […]
» Read moreRUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents :: JRL 2016-40 :: Friday, 26 February 2016
Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2016-#40 Friday, 26 February 2016 A project sponsored through the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs The contents do not necessarily represent the views of IERES or the George Washington University. JRL homepage: russialist.org – JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist – JRL on Twitter: @JohnsonRussiaLi Support for JRL is provided in part […]
» Read moreThe Great Manipulator
(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Brian Whitmore – February 24, 2016) Dmitry Medvedev recently played a telling little head game. When the Russian prime minister said at the Munich Security Conference that Moscow and the West had “slid into a new Cold War,” he essentially created a damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don’t situation. “If the West agrees that it is a new Cold War, then […]
» Read more‘Why Didn’t You Run?’ – The Inside Story on the Arrest of Russian Billionaire Dmitry Kamenshchik
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Peter Hobson – February 25, 2016) On the morning of Feb. 18, Dmitry Kamenshchik, Russia’s 27th-richest tycoon, packed a backpack with some spare clothes, a toothbrush, and shoes without laces – the essentials for a stint in prison. The billionaire owner of Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport was unemotional, says his lawyer. Ten days earlier, three current […]
» Read moreRussia hands over map of Syria operative situation to U.S. representative
(Interfax – February 25, 2016) A representative of the defense attache’s staff from the U.S. Embassy to Moscow was invited to the Russian Defense Ministry on February 24, the Russian ministry said. “In furtherance of the agreement between the Russian and U.S. presidents on the cessation of hostilities in Syria, he was presented with a map of operative situation in […]
» Read moreWhat will Russia be like in 2030?
Gathered at a forum in the heart of Siberia, leading Russian economists have outlined their vision for the country’s future. Discussions at the Krasnoyarsk Economic Forum focused on issues including decentralization, developing food technologies and healthcare. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – ALEXEI LOSSAN, RBTH – February 25, 2016) The summer of 2016 should see the publication of Strategy-2030, […]
» Read moreTRANSCRIPT: House Hearing on Understanding and Deterring Russia: U.S. Policies and Strategies – Oral remarks of Dr. Fiona Hill
House Armed Services Committee February 10, 2016 Hearing on Understanding and Deterring Russia: U.S. Policies and Strategies Oral remarks of Dr. Fiona Hill Fiona Hill is director of the Center on the United States and Europe and a senior fellow in the Foreign Policy program at the Brookings Institution. She is also co-author of the second edition of “Mr. Putin: […]
» Read moreInterfax: Novak considers $50 per barrel most appropriate from supply-demand standpoint
MINSK. Feb 25 (Interfax) – Oil prices are unlikely to rise above $60 per barrel and a price of $50 is optimal, Energy Minister Alexander Novak said. “Speaking fundamentally, the price cannot be high, above $50-$60 per barrel, because in this situation robust investment activity would resume, those projects where investment and production volumes are now falling would be implemented, […]
» Read moreMost Russian Monotown Residents Say Economic Situation Unbearable
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – February 25, 2016) A total of 59.8 percent of residents of Russia’s single-industry towns consider their socio-economic situation to be unbearable or hardly bearable, the RBC newspaper reported Thursday, citing a poll by the Federal Guard Service (FSO). Only 3.9 percent of respondents said the socio-economic situation in their town was favorable and 31.3 percent […]
» Read moreRussian Opposition Battles Fear, Disunity Following Nemtsov’s Death
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Daria Litvinova – February 25, 2016) Ilya Yashin was in the middle of a press conference presenting a special report on the Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov – a genre invented and made successful by his late friend and ally Boris Nemtsov – when a police officer tried to force everyone to leave the building. The […]
» Read moreRUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents :: JRL 2016-39 :: Thursday, 25 February 2016
Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2016-#39 Thursday, 25 February 2016 A project sponsored through the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs The contents do not necessarily represent the views of IERES or the George Washington University. JRL homepage: russialist.org – JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist – JRL on Twitter: @JohnsonRussiaLi Support for JRL is provided in part […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK: “Russia’s lawless economy. Night of the long scoops. Smashing the little capitalists in Russia’s capital.” – The Economist
Orange Revolution Flashback for Tymoshenko as Ukraine Unravels
(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Kateryna Choursina, Daryna Krasnolutska – February 23, 2016) Yulia Tymoshenko is no stranger to political uprisings falling apart. Now she sees early elections as the only way Ukraine’s latest can survive. The peasant-braided icon of the Orange Revolution a decade ago, she became prime minister before infighting sank the pro-democracy government and allowed its Russian-backed adversary […]
» Read moreRussians Adjust to Increasing Poverty like Frogs to Gradually Warming Water, Kirillova Says
(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, February 23, 2016) It has long been claimed that a frog who might jump out of a port of boiling water will stay quietly in a gradually warming pot, even though as a result, he will end up dead. In a new commentary, Kseniya Kirillova suggests that Russians are adapting to gradually […]
» Read moreHow likely is Syria’s ceasefire to hold?
While a truce brokered by world powers is due to come into force in Syria on Feb. 27, there are numerous reasons to doubt that such a ceasefire would hold. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – VLADIMIR MIKHEEV, SPECIAL TO RBTH – February 24, 2016) The accord on a ceasefire in Syria, due to enter force on Feb. 27, […]
» Read moreInterfax: Russia-U.S. interaction on Syria improves confidence between them – Kremlin
MOSCOW. Feb 24 (Interfax) – While Russia’s and the U.S.’ joint actions to advance the settlement of the Syria crisis are leading to a higher level of mutual confidence between Moscow and Washington, the main goal at the moment is to stop bloodshed in this country, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said. “Undeniably, interaction to this or that extent […]
» Read moreCan Things Get Any Worse for Russia? You’re About to Find Out
Investors who’ve made a fortune in the country say that with oil’s plunge, the ruble’s collapse, and Putin in power, all bets are off (Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Ksenia Galouchko and Henry Meyer – February 23, 2016) [Charts here bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-24/putin-s-oil-despair-drives-lucky-few-investors-toward-the-exits] For a decade, Dmitri Barinov has been following the volatile economy of his homeland from the safe distance of Union […]
» Read moreHate Crimes Said Down In Russia As Kremlin Cracks Down On Nationalist Critics
(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Tom Balmforth – MOSCOW, February 19, 2016) Researchers who track xenophobia in Russia have recorded an “impressive” decrease in hate crimes as the authorities appear to have stepped up pressure on far-right groups, in particular targeting nationalist critics of the Kremlin and its campaign in eastern Ukraine. The Sova Center’s annual report, presented on February 19, […]
» Read moreRUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents :: JRL 2016-38 :: Wednesday, 24 February 2016
Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2016-#38 Wednesday, 24 February 2016 A project sponsored through the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs The contents do not necessarily represent the views of IERES or the George Washington University. JRL homepage: russialist.org – JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist – JRL on Twitter: @JohnsonRussiaLi Support for JRL is provided in part […]
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