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JRL E-Mail Newsletter Table of Contents :: Johnson’s Russia List :: 2013-#89 :: 17 May 2013

May 17, 2013 JRL Russia List JRL Tables of Contents, News No comments

Johnson’s Russia List :: 2013-#89 :: 17 May 2013 E-Mail: davidjohnson@starpower.net A project of the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs: www.ieres.org JRL homepage: www.russialist.org JRL on Facebook: www.facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: http://russialist.org/funding.php POLITICS 1. ITAR-TASS: Some 200 mln roubles spent to build helicopter pad in Kremlin. 2. Moscow News: Russia faces Olympic struggle, World

Russia Should Become Neither European nor Asian but American, Moscow Commentator Says

May 17, 2013 JRL Russia List Central Asia, Europe, EU, Far East, Siberia, APEC, U.S.-Russian Relations No comments

World Map Showing Continents, Greens, Browns, Ice

(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, May 16, 2013) In thinking about Russia’s future, most of the country’s opposition figures remain trapped in the old debate about whether Russia is fundamentally European or really Asiatic, but, one Moscow commentator argues, it is time to recognize that “the successful Russia of the future” can and must be a country like the United States. In an article on the “Osobaya

Russians don’t like idea of bringing monarchy back – poll

May 17, 2013 JRL Russia List History, Soviet Union, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections No comments

(Interfax – MOSCOW, May 16, 2013) A poll conducted by the Levada Center shows that the majority of Russians are confident that Russia does not need a monarchy and Russia’s last emperor Nicholas II was not the best leader. The 145th anniversary of the birth of Russia’s last Emperor Nicholas II will be marked on May 19. The study shows that 10% of the respondents (against 9% in 2000) favor

Is this the end for Russian NGOs?

May 17, 2013 JRL Russia List Human Rights, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections No comments

(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Julia Reed in Moscow – May 17, 2013) In an April 5 interview to the German channel ARD, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that in the four months after the July law on non-government organisations (NGOs) that brands those that accept donations from aboard as “foreign agents” has been adopted, 654 Russian NGOs received about a $1bn in foreign funding. This comment set off

Medvedev Vows to Revamp Legal System

May 17, 2013 JRL Russia List Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections No comments

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Yekaterina Kravtsova – May 16, 2013) The Russian government will take a number of steps to make the country’s legal system suitable for new entrepreneurs by making the rules of doing business simple and clear, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said at the International Legal Forum in St. Petersburg on Wednesday. “We’re aiming to enter the top 20 countries with legal systems best fit for opening

Putin’s Patriotism: Duma May Make Criticism of WWII Illegal

May 17, 2013 JRL Russia List History, Soviet Union, Human Rights, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections No comments

File Photo of Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Yekaterina Kravtsova – May 17, 2013) Editor’s note: This is part of an occasional series on state initiatives to promote patriotism. The State Duma has ordered an evaluation of a comment made by opposition politician Leonid Gozman in which he compared a Soviet intelligence agency to Adolf Hitler’s SS on the grounds that the comment may hurt the image of Russia’s military history. Gozman wrote

NGO Checks In Russia To Become More Organized And ‘Systematic’ – Minister

May 17, 2013 JRL Russia List Politics, Government, Protests, Elections No comments

(RIA Novosti – St Petersburg, May 16, 2013) Inspections of non-commercial organizations in Russia will continue but they will become more balanced and systematic, Justice Minister Aleksandr Konovalov has said. “Over the last year, legislation on NCOs has been seriously renewed. These inspections had not been carried out for a long time. Now, somehow too many were planned and inspected, a little more often than in the previous period. In

‘Blasphemy Bill’ Signals Return to 18th-Century Morals, Activists Say

May 17, 2013 JRL Russia List Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Religion No comments

File Photo of Russian Orthodox Cathedral with Man in Religious Garb in Foreground

(Moscow Times – thesmoscowtimes.com – Alexander Winning – May 17, 2013) Rights activists on Thursday ridiculed the notion that Russia is a secular state, saying draft legislation seeking tougher penalties for offending believers’ feelings shows the country is returning to 18th-century morals. “Officials and religious leaders are leading us back to Peter the Great’s times,” Viktor Bondarenko, founder of rights group Russia for Everyone, said at a news conference held

Judicial probe needed into activities of Stalin’s security agencies – rights group

May 17, 2013 JRL Russia List History, Soviet Union, Human Rights No comments

File Photo of Prison in Russia with Wall, Barbed Wire, Guard Tower

(Interfax – MOSCOW, May 16, 2013) A leading Russian human rights group has called for a judicial inquiry into the activities of Stalin-era security services after a high-profile public figure accused a Soviet counterintelligence service that existed during World War II of methods similar to those of Nazi Germany’s security agencies. Leonid Gozman, head of humanitarian projects at state corporation Rusnano, compared the SMERSH counterintelligence agency, whose name is an

Russian Economic Ministry expects economic growth slowdown to reverse in Q2

May 17, 2013 JRL Russia List Economy, Business, Investment, Trade No comments

(Interfax – MOSCOW, May 16, 2013) The current trend of slowed economic growth in Russia might be reversed this quarter, according to the Russian Economic Development Ministry. “We anticipate that there will be a turning point in negative trends already in the second quarter and that economic growth will surpass 3% in the second half of the year,” Economic Development Minister Andrei Belousov said at a government session dedicated to

Russia yet to reverse income inequality trend – Rosstat head

May 17, 2013 JRL Russia List Economy, Business, Investment, Trade No comments

(Interfax – BRYANSK, May 16, 2013) 3.4% GDP growth in Russia is good, but there is still income inequality that proves the Russian economy has some flaws, Rosstat head Alexander Surinov told a press conference in Bryansk. “GDP growth rates have shrunk but there is still 3.4% growth. I have been in the statistics business for a long time. 3% growth was deemed very good or even magnificent for the

Rosbank Bribery Scandal Highlights Need for Ethics Enforcement

May 17, 2013 JRL Russia List Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade No comments

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Alexander Bratersky – May 17, 2013) A bribery scandal at French lender Societe Generale’s Russian entity Rosbank shows that stricter measures should be implemented by both Western and Russian companies to enforce compliance with their codes of conduct, experts said. The Investigative Committee said Thursday that they have opened a criminal case into Rosbank chief executive Vladimir Golubkov and senior vice president Tamara Polyanitsina on

Russia and the W.T.O.: Equality without Fraternity

May 17, 2013 JRL Russia List Economy, Business, Investment, Trade No comments

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Fedor Kikta, special to RBTH – May 15, 2013) Europe’s auto exporters are irked by Russia’s “scrappage tax” amid mounting environmental pressure. When Russia’s record 18-year-long bid to join the World Trade Organization finally concluded successfully last year, one of the last major stumbling blocks concerned car important tariffs. For the last decade Russia’s government had skillfully been using a carrot-and-stick approach to

Saakashvili administration criticizes investigation into 2008 war

May 17, 2013 JRL Russia List Georgia No comments

(Interfax – TBILISI, May 16, 2013) The Georgian presidential administration believes the investigation into the 2008 war and the attempts to accuse the previous government of Georgia increase the risk of South Ossetia and Abkhazia being recognized as different countries. “The attitude adopted by the new administration may lead to a catastrophic result for our country, and responsibility for it will fully rest with the initiators of this investigation,” the

JRL E-Mail Newsletter Table of Contents :: Johnson’s Russia List :: 2013-#88 :: 16 May 2013

May 17, 2013 JRL Russia List JRL Tables of Contents, News No comments

Johnson’s Russia List :: 2013-#88 :: 16 May 2013 E-Mail: davidjohnson@starpower.net A project of the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs: www.ieres.org JRL homepage: www.russialist.org JRL on Facebook: www.facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: http://russialist.org/funding.php POLITICS 1. RIA Novosti: Moscow Weather Sets Another Temperature Record. 2. Interfax: Independent pollster reports falls in Putin, government, ruling party ratings.

RIA Novosti: Lavrov Plays Down Reports of New Missile Deliveries to Syria

May 17, 2013 JRL Russia List Syria No comments

File Photo of Bashar al-Assad and Sergei Lavrov

(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, May 17, 2013) Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday responded to a New York Times report that Russia has sent advanced antiship cruise missiles to war-torn Syria by saying that Russian arms deliveries do not change the balance of power, are fully legal and take place under existing contracts. Citing unidentified American officials, The New York Times on Thursday reported that Russian arms supplies

Senior Russian investigations official warns of dangers posed by social media

May 16, 2013 JRL Russia List Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections No comments

(Interfax – Anapa, May 15, 2013) Destructive forces, including foreign ones, use the absence of controls over on-line publications for information wars aimed at undermining people’s trust in the country’s leadership and law-enforcement bodies, official Investigation Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin has said. “Today, social networks and major blog services comprise hundreds of thousands of independent users who are subjected to minimal and often a complete lack of censorship, and are

Russian analysts: immigrants, guest workers fertile ground for radical Islamism

May 16, 2013 JRL Russia List Race, Ethnic, Extremism, Xenophobia, Religion, Terrorism No comments

(Interfax / Religion – Moscow, May 15, 2013) The head of a Russian policy think tank has argued that immigrants and guest workers who have come to Russia from Muslim republics of the former Soviet Union are potentially a fertile environment for radical Islamist ideas and called for tighter restrictions on immigration and guest labor. “The migrants are hostile toward the society they have ended up in. This is a

Russia will improve investment climate, introduce innovations in any scenario – Medvedev

May 16, 2013 JRL Russia List Economy, Business, Investment, Trade No comments

(Interfax – May 16, 2013) Russia will continue improving its investment appeal and introducing innovations regardless of the scenario of Russia’s socio-economic development adopted by the Russian government by 2016, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said. “We will continue improving the investment appeal, supporting the high-tech sectors, and introducing innovations regardless of what scenario will be eventuated,” Medvedev told a government meeting on Thursday. “We should ensure modernization of the

Russia should close gap between high consumption, low production efficiency – minister

May 16, 2013 JRL Russia List Economy, Business, Investment, Trade No comments

(Interfax – MOSCOW, May 15, 2013) Consumption in Russia is higher than production efficiency, and this could weaken the ruble and drive up inflation in the medium-term if labor productivity does not significantly improve, Economic Development Minister Andrei Belousov said while presenting at a Wednesday conference entitled ‘The National System of Competences and Qualifications,’ organized by the newspaper Vedomosti and the Agency for Strategic Initiatives in Moscow. According to an

Witness in Navalny Trial Backs Prosecutors’ Allegations

May 16, 2013 JRL Russia List Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Human Rights, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections No comments

File Photo of Alexei Navalny Being Grabbed by Police at Protest

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Natalya Krainova – May 16, 2013) A witness in the trial on large-scale embezzlement charges against opposition blogger Alexei Navalny testified Thursday that the defendant had offered a disadvantageous contract to a state company that he is accused of defrauding. Larisa Bastrygina, deputy director of KirovLes, told the Leninsky District Court in Kirov that Navalny, who stands accused of embezzling 16 million rubles ($500,000) worth

Golos vote-monitoring association may be suspended if not registered as foreign agent – official

May 16, 2013 JRL Russia List Human Rights, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections No comments

(Interfax – MOSCOW, May 15, 2013) The operations of the Golos association specializing in monitoring elections in Russia may be suspended for half a year if a court recognizes it as a foreign agent but it still refuses to be registered as such, a Justice Ministry official has said. Speaking at a roundtable discussion at the State Duma on Wednesday, Deputy Director of the Justice Ministry’s department for NGO affairs

Khodorkovsky, Lebedev unlikely to be released under amnesty for economic crimes – source

May 16, 2013 JRL Russia List Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, YUKOS, Khodorkovsky No comments

(Interfax – MOSCOW, May 15, 2013) Former YUKOS Head Mikhail Khodorkovsky and former Menatep Board Chairman Platon Lebedev are unlikely to be released under amnesty for economic crimes initiated by business ombudsman Boris Titov because the two were sentenced under articles, which are included in the draft being prepared to be submitted to the Russian State Duma. “There will be no lists with surnames of businessmen who could be pardoned.

Putin Said to Face Rift on Central Bank Role in Economy Plan

May 16, 2013 JRL Russia List Economy, Business, Investment, Trade No comments

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Evgenia Pismennaya & Olga Tanas – May 16, 2013) Russia’s government is split over empowering the central bank to support the economy as part of efforts to revive growth, leaving President Vladimir Putin to decide, according to an official familiar with the proposals. While the government suggests lowering bank loan rates, slowing utility-price increases and compelling state companies to pay out a quarter of profit under

Russian high-profile innovations centre insists it does not fund opposition

May 16, 2013 JRL Russia List Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections No comments

(Interfax – May 15, 2013) The head of the Skolkovo Foundation, tycoon Viktor Vekselberg, has denied reports that the innovations centre has been financing the opposition in Russia, privately-owned Interfax news agency reported on 15 May. Asked by journalists whether the Skolkovo Foundation may have been involved in financing the opposition movement in Russia, he said: “No, it is categorically not involved (in this)”. Speculation that Skolkovo may have been

Russia could join OECD in two years if politics do not get in way, official says

May 16, 2013 JRL Russia List Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas No comments

(Interfax – MOSCOW, May 15, 2013) Russia could complete negotiations to join the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in two years if this issue is not politicized, Vladimir Tkachenko, Russia’s representative in talks to join the organization, said in an interview with Interfax. “If we’re talking about a timeframe, then technically all work could in principle be finished within two years. But there are underwater rocks on our

Russian PM against revising international laws; praises European integration

May 16, 2013 JRL Russia List Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Europe, EU, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas No comments

(Interfax – May 15, 2013) Russian Prime Minister Dmitriy Medvedev believes that the basic principles of international law must not be revised even in the face of global crises, Russian Interfax news agency reported on 15 May. Speaking at the International Legal Forum in St Petersburg on the same day, Medvedev admitted that “many things that seem unshakable to us lawyers in the last century don’t seem so unshakable any

Kremlin: Obama’s desire for closer cooperation with Russia unknown in lower tiers of government

May 16, 2013 JRL Russia List U.S.-Russian Relations No comments

File Photo of Vladimir Putin Leaning Towards Barack Hussein Obama With Flags Behind Them

(Interfax – MOSCOW, May 15, 2013) A Kremlin aide has claimed that proposals by U.S. President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, for cooperation between American and Russian intelligence services “haven’t been brought down to the executive level” by the White House. “These impulses, these signals from above somehow haven’t been brought down to the executive level on the American side. It is no less surprising that some

Obama proposes exchanging info on missile defense in letter to Putin – newspaper

May 16, 2013 JRL Russia List Nuclear, Missile Defense, U.S.-Russian Relations No comments

(Interfax – MOSCOW, May 15, 2013) In a letter handed to Russian President Vladimir Putin a month ago, U.S. President Barack Obama proposed concluding a legally-binding agreement on exchanging information related to missile defense to guarantee the absence of a mutual threat, Kommersant reported on Wednesday. Obama proposed “developing a legally-binding agreement on transparency, which would include exchange of information to confirm that our programs do not pose a threat

Interfax: Georgia intends to return lost territories peacefully – Ivanishvili

May 16, 2013 JRL Russia List Georgia No comments

(Interfax – TBILISI, May 15, 2013) Georgia will do everything to restore relations with “the big neighbor”, Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili said in an interview with Euronews TV company reported partially by local mass media outlets on Wednesday. “The current state of the relations between Georgia and Russia is not in anybody’s interests. Georgia lost 20% of its territory and we will do everything to return it,” Ivanishvili said.

Russia: No NGOs Have Registered As ‘Foreign Agents’

May 16, 2013 JRL Russia List Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Human Rights, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections No comments

(RIA Novosti – May 15, 2013) None of the NGOs financed from abroad and involved in political activities have fulfilled their obligations under the law that requires them to register as “foreign agents”, RIA Novosti new agency quoted the deputy director of the Justice Ministry’s department for NGO issues, Tatyana Vagina, as saying in the State Duma on 15 May. The law that obliges political NGOs financed from abroad to

Putin’s Regime Resembles Brezhnev’s but Russian Society isn’t Soviet Anymore, Gudkov Says

May 16, 2013 JRL Russia List Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Spy Allegations, Spies, Security Agencies, U.S.-Russian Relations No comments

File Photo of Vladimir Putin Sitting at Desk

(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, May 16, 2013) The way in which media controlled by the Russian government have played up the recent spy case makes one feel that the country has “returned to the 1980s model of the USSR,” an Russian opposition figure says, but the briefest of reflections leads to the conclusion that the regime may have but that the population hasn’t and won’t. In

Most Russian Regions to Opt for Governor Polls – Putin

May 16, 2013 JRL Russia List Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions No comments

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

(RIA Novosti – BOCHAROV RUCHEI (Sochi), May 16, 2013) Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that the majority of Russian regions is likely to choose their leaders by direct popular vote. The return of direct gubernatorial elections, scrapped in 2005, was signed into law last year in the aftermath of a wave of anti-Kremlin protests. Earlier this year, Putin signed another law, allowing regions to opt out of direct

Sacred beliefs: The painful legacy of WWII is made up of questions that cannot be answered

May 16, 2013 JRL Russia List History, Soviet Union No comments

(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Anna Arutunyan – May 13, 2013) Anna Arutunyan is a correspondent and editor at themoscownews.com The tanks and the Topol-M missile had all passed, the booming, Soviet-era voice of the announcer was quiet, the 11,000 uniformed servicemen were at ease, and the little boy standing on the curb of the Red Square suddenly spoke up. “Who’s that?” he asked, pointing to a middle-aged man in

Putin Gets Helicopter Landing Pad at Kremlin

May 16, 2013 JRL Russia List Politics, Government, Protests, Elections No comments

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Natalya Krainova – May 16, 2013) President Vladimir Putin will soon start arriving at the Kremlin by helicopter in an attempt to appease drivers who blame his motorcade for creating traffic jams. Builders have completed construction of a landing pad for Mi-8 helicopters on the Kremlin grounds, Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists Thursday. Asked when Putin would start using it, Peskov said only, “It

Independent pollster reports falls in Putin, government, ruling party ratings

May 16, 2013 JRL Russia List Politics, Government, Protests, Elections No comments

(Interfax – May 15, 2013) A poll conducted by Russia’s leading independent polling organization, the Levada Centre, has revealed a drop in the approval ratings of President Vladimir Putin, the federal government and the ruling One Russia (United Russia) party, privately-owned Russian news agency Interfax reported on 15 May. The results of the poll, conducted between 19 and 23 April among 1,601 respondents located across Russia, were also published on

Moscow Weather Sets Another Temperature Record

May 16, 2013 JRL Russia List Environment No comments

(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, May 15, 2013) The spring weather in Moscow broke the temperature record for the second day running on Wednesday, hitting 28.8 degrees Celsius (83.8 degrees Fahrenheit), Meteonovosti weather website reported on Wednesday. “For the second day in a row, Moscow has set a record high. The previous maximum temperature for May 15, registered in 1946, was 27.9 degrees Celsius [82.2 Fahrenheit],” the portal said. On

Corruption and Control Define Russia’s Border Zones

May 14, 2013 JRL Russia List Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime No comments

File Photo of Partial FSB Headquarters Building Facade

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Howard Amos – May 13, 2013) On the face of it, there are few similarities between the city of Blagoveshchensk, located in the Far East, and the country’s natural gas capital of Novy Urengoi, 3,000 kilometers away in the tundra just below the Arctic circle. But both cities are part of official border zone territory: areas of land abutting Russia’s borders that are closed to

Recycling Old Soviet Chestnuts

May 14, 2013 JRL Russia List Human Rights, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's No comments

(opendemocracy.net – Daniel Treisman – May 10, 2013) Daniel Treisman is a Professor of Political Science at UCLA. His work focuses on the politics and political economy of Russia, and on comparative political economy. However much the regime might try to plot a new political trajectory, its only success is in intensifying a feeling of drift and improvisation. Unforced errors are typical for the end of authoritarian regimes, says Daniel

Why Stalin Would Be Proud of Putin

May 14, 2013 JRL Russia List Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, History, Soviet Union, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections No comments

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Victor Davidoff – May 13, 2013) One year ago on May 7, President-elect Vladimir Putin’s motorcade traversed the empty streets of Moscow, cleared of every living soul by the police, to his inauguration in the Kremlin. This anniversary passed mostly unnoticed by the public and mainstream media. The reason is not so much that it was overshadowed by Victory Day celebrations and protest demonstrations but

Two Russias – Moscow and the Rest – Once Again Eye Each Other Warily

May 14, 2013 JRL Russia List Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions No comments

(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, May 13, 2013) The idea that “Moscow is not Russia” has long been a commonplace among both residents of the capital and residents of the portions of Russia beyond the ring road, but the two are increasingly dissimilar, raising the possibility that a conflict between the capital and the rest of the country could emerge. In an essay on the “Svobodnaya pressa”

Naryshkin wants partial amnesty of people convicted for economic crimes

May 13, 2013 JRL Russia List Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections No comments

(Interfax – May 13, 2013) State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin has partially backed the proposal made by business ombudsman Boris Titov on amnesty for economic crimes. “Some citizens convicted for so-called economic crimes can and should be amnestied. Some of those who have committed economic crimes should still serve their sentences,” Naryshkin told reporters in the State Duma on Monday. At the same time, he reiterated that “to understand the

Auditors Pore Over Gazprom Books

May 13, 2013 JRL Russia List Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Oil, Gas, Energy No comments

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Anatoly Medetsky – May 13, 2013) The government’s fiscal watchdog has started looking at Gazprom’s books in an audit that is poised to produce exciting results, the agency’s chief said. “I think the findings will be interesting,” Sergei Stepashin, chairman of the Audit Chamber, said Friday, Interfax reported. His remarks are the latest update on the sweeping audit after he announced in January that it

Resumption of 2+2 talks between Russia and U.S. topical, but no decision made yet – Ryabkov

May 13, 2013 JRL Russia List Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, U.S.-Russian Relations No comments

File Photo of John Kerry and Sergei Lavrov at Separte Podiums, Kerry with a Visible Earpiece; Adapted from Photo at state.gov

(Interfax – May 13, 2013) The resumption of the 2+2 format of engagement with the United States involving the foreign and defense ministers is topical but no concrete understandings to this end have been reached yet, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has said. “Considering that the dialogue is intensifying and very many questions that are being discussed along the lines of the Defense Ministry and the Ministry of Foreign

Saakashvili compares his political opponents to Caligula

May 13, 2013 JRL Russia List Georgia No comments

(Interfax – TBILISI, May 12, 2013) Commenting on the nomination of the presidential candidate from the ruling coalition Georgian Dream, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili recalled an old joke about Roman Emperor Caligula who made his horse a senator. Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili earlier said the presidential candidate from Georgian Dream will be Giorgy Margvelashvili, deputy prime minister and education minister. In the meantime, Saakashvili told reporters he does not

JRL E-Mail Newsletter Table of Contents :: Johnson’s Russia List :: 2013-#87 :: 13 May 2013

May 13, 2013 JRL Russia List JRL Tables of Contents, News No comments

[check back for updates, including additional links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: 2013-#87 :: 13 May 2013 E-Mail: davidjohnson@starpower.net A project of the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs: www.ieres.org JRL homepage: www.russialist.org JRL on Facebook: www.facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: http://russialist.org/funding.php POLITICS 1. Moscow Times/Vedomosti: Maria Lipman and Nikolai

JRL E-Mail Newsletter Table of Contents :: Johnson’s Russia List 2013-#86 – 10 May 2013

May 13, 2013 JRL Russia List JRL Tables of Contents, News No comments

Johnson’s Russia List :: 2013-#86 :: 10 May 2013 E-Mail: davidjohnson@starpower.net A project of the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs: www.ieres.org JRL homepage: www.russialist.org JRL on Facebook: www.facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: http://russialist.org/funding.php POLITICS 1. Reuters: Russia’s Putin looks isolated in new Kremlin term. 2. Moscow Times: On Victory Day, Putin Says Russian Soldiers Freed

Ban on Foreign Holdings Gives Kremlin Muscovy-Like Control, Commentator Says

May 13, 2013 JRL Russia List Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, History, Soviet Union, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections No comments

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

(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, May 10 New Russia legislation to prevent officials from having cash or stock accounts abroad, promoted by the regime as a step toward “the nationalization of the elite,” brings Russia into line with countries like Bangladesh rather than the West and gives the Kremlin powers much like those of medieval Muscovy, a Moscow commentator says. In an article in “Novaya gazeta,”

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