Johnson’s Russia List :: 2013-#124 :: 10 July 2013

Johnson’s Russia List :: 2013-#124 :: 10 July 2013
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POLITICS

1. RIA Novosti: Russians Prefer Patriotic Leaders, Not Liberals or Conservatives.
2. Moscow Times: Russians Lose Hope That State Can Tackle Corruption, Transparency Says.
3. Bloomberg: Putin Officials, Judges Seen Topping Russia Corruption in Survey.
4. Moscow Times: Supreme Court Clarifies Difference Between Bribes and Payment.
5. Forbes.com: Mark Adomanis, Demographics Update: Russia Is On Pace To Record Another Year Of Natural Population Stability.
6. Russia & India Report: Moscow metro to get new circle line. Two rapid rail links will come up in the Russian capital within the next few years ­ a new subway circular line and a surface, commuter-train circular line.
7. Bloomberg: For $50 Million You Too Can Enter Putin Moscow Playhouse.
8. Moscow TImes/BBC Monitoring: What the Papers Say, July 10, 2013.
9. Forbes.com: Mark Adomanis, Vladimir Putin’s Approval Rating Is Still Holding Steady.
10. ITAR-TASS: September elections in Russia to have high competition level.
11. BBC Monitoring: Opinion poll shows United Russia vote relies on lack of alternatives.
12. Interfax: High-ranking civil servants won’t have right to accept money from abroad – govt.
13. Interfax: Russian rights ombudsman sets hopes on changes to controversial NGO law.
14. BBC Monitoring: Top prosecutor reports to Putin on check into ‘foreign agent’ NGOs.
15. ITAR-TASS: Term ‘political activity’ needs clarification for ‘foreign agent’ NGOs.
16. ITAR-TASS: Court to consider complaints against NGO checks by prosecutors.
17. Moscow Times: Alexei Pankin, Trying to Remain Moral Amid ‘Dom 2’
18. Nezavisimaya Gazeta editorial: Moscow Daily Says Urlashov Case Illustrates Opposition ‘Impasse’ in Russian Political ‘System’
19. Moscow Times: Georgy Bovt, Attack on Mayor Has Kremlin Traces.
20. Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Aleksey Gorbachev, Sentenced to Protests. Criminal Prosecution of Prominent Oppositionists Leads to Further Radicalization of Dissidents.
21. RFE/RL: Brian Whitmore, The Moscow Front.
22. Paul Goble: Window on Eurasia: Inter-Ethnic Conflicts in Russia Reflect the Erosion of State Power, ‘Vedomosti’ Says.
23. Interfax: Academicians fear reform may kill ‘oasis of freedom and democracy’
24. ITAR-TASS: Bill on reform of Academy of Sciences needs additional discussion- Primakov.
25. Moscow Times: Yulia Latynina, The Decay of the Academy of Sciences.
26. Interfax: Website owners obliged to delete slanderous comments posted by others – Russian Constitutional Court.
26a. RIA Novosti: Russian Wikipedia Faces Ban Due to Anti-Piracy Law ­- Director.
27. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Russian military takes step toward civil society? Military officials disclose plans online for the development of the army and navy.
28. ITAR-TASS: Change of guards at Bolshoi brings up hopes for theater’s pullout from crisis.

ECONOMY

29. Interfax: Medvedev calls on business to work more closely with govt.
30. Moscow Times: Rising Financial Literacy among Russians is a State Priority.
31. Interfax: Russian ruble not in danger of ‘almighty devaluation’ – expert. (Ruslan Grinberg)
32. Business New Europe: Russian privatisation programme in complete disarray.
33. www.russiatoday.com: Russians might get back ‘lost’ Soviet-era deposits, but at a discount
34. RIA Novosti: Some 10,000 White-Collar Criminals to Qualify for Amnesty.
35. Reuters: Glimmer of hope for Russia’s jailed entrepreneurs.
36. Interfax: Russia declassifies data on oil, associated gas reserves.
37. ITAR-TASS: RUSSIAN PRESS REVIEW. European Union bringing its first complaint against Russia within WTO.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS

38. Russia in Global Affairs: Dmitry Trenin, Vladimir Putin’s Fourth Vector. Changes in Russian Foreign Policy.
39. Interfax: UNHCR should address Snowden affair – Russian Human Rights Council head.
40. www.foreignpolicy.com: Dmitry Trenin, Aeroflop. Taking in Snowden didn’t go exactly as the Kremlin had planned.
41. Interfax: Russia world’s 2nd biggest arms exporter in 2007-2011 – SIPRI.
42. New York Times: Russia Says Study Suggests Syria Rebels Used Sarin.
43. Interfax: Russian, US experts disagree on many aspects of Syria situation – senator.
44. Rossiyskaya Gazeta: Commentator Deems ‘Islamization/Westernization’ View of Egypt, Middle East Events Over-Simplistic. (Leonid Radzikhovskiy)
45. Interfax: U.S. Transit Center will be shut down on schedule – Kyrgyz premier.
46. Wall Street Journal book review: Monica Whitlock, Life and Death in Central Asia. (re Restless Valley By Philip Shishkin)
47. Vladimir Sobell: Review of Gilbert Doctorow’s book “Stepping out of Line: Collected (Nonconformist) Essays on Russia-American Relations, 2008-12”