Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#133 :: Tuesday 7 July 2015

Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#133
Tuesday 7 July 2015
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.
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RUSSIA

1. Moscow Times: Most Russians Not Interested in Football, Poll Shows.
2. Kremlin.ru: Working meeting with President of the Audit Chamber Tatyana Golikova.
3. Interfax: Federation Council to present ‘patriotic stop-list’ of 12 NGOs to Prosecutor General’s Office, Foreign Ministry.
4. Russia Insider/The Saker: Translation of Russian Articles the Best Weapon in Current Information War. Russian media is extremely diverse and far more exciting than its boring, mind-dulling western counterpart.
5. Transitions Online: Barbara Frye, Everybody Loves Volodya. With Putin’s approval ratings sky-high, have even his critics changed their minds – or have they just found the door?
6. Paul Goble: Even the Kremlin Doesn’t Believe Its Own Poll Numbers, ‘Nezavisimaya gazeta’ Says
7. Interfax: Russia most likely to have 10.5% inflation for year – Ulyukayev.
8. Oilprice.com: Is Russia Ready To Make A Comeback?
9. The Unz Review: Anatoly Karlin, Kiselev Wants to Take You to a Gay Bar.
10. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Press Digest: Putin calls for dialogue in Independence Day message to Obama. RBTH presents a selection of views from leading Russian media on international events, featuring reports on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s message to his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama on July 4, the continuing international negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program, and the ongoing protests in Armenia.
11. The Guardian: China and Russia: the world’s new superpower axis? Countries are trade partners with a shared goal of challenging US hegemony, but past disputes and competing interests make the relationship more complex.
12. The National Interest: Scott Semet, The Self-Defeating Russia Sanctions. Sanctions against Russia are both ineffective and self-defeating.
13. www.rt.com: No artificial deadlines in nuclear deal negotiations with Iran – Lavrov.
14. Moscow Times: What Does Greece’s ‘No’ Vote Mean for Russia?
15. Russia Direct: Pietro Shakarian, How Greece’s ‘No’ will impact EU-Russian relations. The Greece’s vote against the economic reforms proposed by the EU will have far-reaching implications for Europe and Russia, as well as for former Soviet republics such as Georgia and Ukraine.
16. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Why Gazprom became so flexible. Russia’s natural gas giant is planning to put three billion cubic meters of gas up for auction – yielding to pressure from European customers, experts say. It may also scrap plans to stop Ukrainian gas transits, reducing supply risks linked to the construction of a new Turkish route.
17. Reuters: BRICS summit gives Putin a chance to show Russia not isolated.
18. www.rt.com: BRICS bank, crises in Greece & Ukraine to top agenda at SCO/BRICS summits – presidential aide. (Yury Ushakov)
19. Russia Direct: Eugene Bai, Ahead of Ufa Summit, future of BRICS in limbo. The recent visit by the Brazilian president to the United States points to a lack of unity within the BRICS, which could dent the Kremlin’s aspirations to break its isolation from the West.
20. Business New Europe: Saudi Arabia to invest $10bn in Russia via fund.
21. Sputnik: The New Cold War: No Rules, No Red Lines, No Diplomacy – Stephen Cohen.
22. Vox.com: Max Fisher, How likely is nuclear war with Russia?
23. Moscow Times: Russian Soldiers Start a Second Life in Afghanistan.

UKRAINE

24. New York Times: Islamic Battalions, Stocked With Chechens, Aid Ukraine in War With Rebels.
25. www.thedailybeast.com: Will Cathcart and Joseph Epstein, Is America Training Neonazis in Ukraine? Officially no, but no one in the U.S. government seem to know for sure.
26. Sputnik: Above the Law: Right Sector Says It Does Not Obey Ukrainian Army – OSCE.
27. TASS: Ukrainian radical lawmakers move to ban Russia-coined words for ‘historical justice’
28. TASS: Ukraine’s constitutional reform expands Poroshenko’s powers unlimitedly.
29. Sputnik: Germany, Russia Two Countries Capable of De-escalating Conflict – Gorbachev.
30. Moscow Times: Natalia Antonova, Russia Must Focus Less on Ukraine, More on IS.
31. Reuters: Jan Kalicki, How to empower Ukraine and bring Moscow back to the table.
32. TASS: Empty treasury explains why Ukraine refuses to buy Russian gas.
33. Interfax-Ukraine: Poroshenko certain Russian gas transit will continue via Ukraine after 2019.
34. Paul Goble: Local Elections in Ukraine Could Work to Moscow’s Advantage and Undermine Ukraine’s Ability to Function.
35. Kyiv Post: Critics of Ukraine’s government get propaganda mileage out of hoax letter.
36. Fort Russ: Ukrainian economy after a year of “reforms”: Banana republic without bananas.
37. Newsweek.com: Anders Aslund, Putin’s War on Ukraine Is More Important Than Greek Debt.