NEWS SUMMARY: Russia Heartbeat – Wednesday 2.19.14

Ukraine

A Wall Street Journal editorial comments that as Ukraine gets “ugly” with rioting and a regime crackdown in Kiev, the EU and U.S. are staying on the sidelines … … the Washington Post argues in an editorial that violence in Ukraine shows need for negotiated settlement … writing in The Guardian, Mary Dejevsky, Ukraine is now in a potentially revolutionary situation, that the scenario is no longer simply about East versus West, and that a descent into violence might be hard to reverse …

… writing in The Independent on Sunday, Patrick Cockburn asks whether protesters are overthrowing a brutal despot, or merely bad losers at the polls, and examines whether the Arab Spring model of protest, symbolised by Tahrir Square, is now destabilising democratically elected leaders … writing on opendemocracy.net, Andrew Wilson asks if Ukraine 2014 is a belated 1989 or another failed 2004 …

… the Wall Street Journal reports that clashes in Ukraine, are raising the stakes in a “renewed East-West contest,” where the fate of what is a former Soviet republic will have a vital impact on Putin’s drive to rebuild Russia’s regional influence …

… Reuters reports on Ukraine’s leader denouncing what he terms a coup bid, while the West weighs sanctions … Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty examiness on pro-Russian separatism in the Crimea, said to be rising as Ukraine’s crisis unfolds … RIA Novosti reports that fear of nationwide turmoil in Ukraine is mounting as unrest spreads … ITAR-TASS reports on a Russian MP warning against a Yugoslav-like break-up of Ukraine … ITAR-TASS also cites commentators suggesting that Brussels and Moscow can lead Ukraine out of the current violent stalemate …

… elsewhere, ITAR-TASS cites Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich charging that the Ukrainian opposition has crossed the line, alleging that they have urged people to take up arms … RIA Novosti similarly reports that the Ukrainian premier has termed the protests an “attempt to seize power“ … ITAR-TASS reports that Russia, through Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, is warning against attempts to impose mediation on Ukraine … ITAR-TASS also cites Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov laying responsibility for events in Ukraine upon “extremists“ …

… but ITAR-TASS also cites a Russian senator arguing that no one wins from Ukraine clashes … Business New Europe argues that the West must take some of the blame for Kyiv’s burning … Russia Today argues that the United States and EU are “neck-deep” in a plan to see pro-Western regime change in Ukraine …

Energy, Gas, Oil, Fracking

According to the Moscow Times, Gazprom is capturing its largest-ever share of the European gas market … The Washington Times reports that Siberian shale finds could fuel Russia’s fracking future, with vast oil reserves creating a new top producer …

Sochi Olympics

In men’s Olympic ice hockey, Finland has knocked Russia out of medal contention … Reuters reports that the Sochi Games have a global broadcast output dwarfing that of the Vancouver Winter Olympics …

Media

The Moscow Times reports that more pressure is being brought to bear on liberal media as Ekho Moskvy radio gets a new CEO … The Moscow Times and BBC Monitoring persue what the Russian print newspapers have to say on February 19, 2014 … Russia Today indicates that a new bill treats popular bloggers as mass media …

Politics, Government

Reuters reports on the prosecutions of opposition figures tied to anti-Putin protests, and their denunication of their trial as politically motivated … fearing persecution, Bolotnoya suspects are fleeing abroad … RIA Novosti reports on accusations by Alexei Navalny that a Russian lawmaker has an undeclared luxury apartment in Dubai … meanwhile, the Moscow Times reports on concerns voiced by ecologists that Navalny has engaged in poaching … ITAR-TASS reports that Russia’s upper house has approved a bill bringing back a mixed election system for the lower house …

… In The New Republic, Julia Ioffe asks if Pussy Riot’s arrest in Sochi might have been a piece of “performance art” …

Nonprofits, NGO’s

Interfax reports on a Russian diplomat suggesting that the NGO law should be corrected further …

Economy, Ruble, Privatization

Russia Beyond the Headlines reports that the Russian ruble has reached a 5-year low … writing for the The National Interest, Will Pomeranz also examines Russia’s Sliding Ruble …
Reuters reports that Russia hopes to raise $5.5 billion from privatizations this year … the Financial Times also covers privatizations, declaring that Russian privatization is “back, sort of” … in the Moscow Times, Konstantin Sonin writes about the Russian Central Bank’s “war for independence” … Forbes examines the “riddle of marketing” in Russia …

Bosnia

Russia Direct asks how the West and Russia can respond to the Bosnian crisis, including ongoing protests in Bosnia and Herzegovina …

Nuclear

Writing in the Moscow Times, Vladimir Kozin argues that it is time to sign a super New START agreement … Al Jazeera examines Moscow’s struggle to protect nuclear material as U.S. intelligence reports are said to renew fears over Russia’s weapons stockpile security … akalertpress.com posts an article that appears to be identical to on posted by Kremlin-backed Russia Today, arguing that the U.S. missile defense shield causes the “Russian bear” to be”sleeping with one eye open” …

U.S.-Russian Relations, Citizen Work and Travel

Russia Beyond the Headlines covers life in America through the eyes of a Russian, based upon experiences by one of their staff interning with the Denver Post and experiencing Colorado …