RUSSIA NEWS & INFORMATION – Johnson’s Russia List contents & links :: JRL 2020-#149 :: Wednesday, 19 August 2020

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Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2020-#149 :: Wednesday, 19 August 2020
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1. Christian Science Monitor: Fred Weir, Belarus is on the brink of a major change. What role will Russia play?. It’s easy to view the protests happening in Belarus through the lens of what has happened in Ukraine. But the demonstrations set to topple President Lukashenko, and the involvement of Russia, are quite different.
2. rt.com: Key Belarusian opposition leaders say they want friendly ties with Russia and promise not to dump ‘union state’ or defense pacts – rt.com/russia/498406-belarusian-opposition-friendly-ties-russia/
3. Intellinews: Ben Aris, The long game begins in the Belarusian revolution as the Coordination Council meets for the first time.
4. TASS: Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Belarus protests fizzling out, as public loses faith in opposition.
5. rt.com: EU not genuinely interested in human rights or democracy in Belarus, real motivation is geopolitical – Russian FM Lavrov.
6. Al Jazeera: Mariya Petkova, Lukashenko’s survival game: What happens next in Belarus? President Alexander Lukashenko’s defiant rhetoric has stoked fears of a Ukrainian scenario in Belarus.
7. Indian Punchline: M.K. Bhadrakumar, Russia takes Europe’s support to calm Belarus.
8. Deutsche Welle: Is Belarus closer to the West or to Russia? Anti-government protesters have rallied in Minsk and other cities for more than a week – but they haven’t been waving EU flags. Experts point out that Belarus is a pro-Russia country, even without President Lukashenko.
9. Paul Goble: Only Six Percent of Russians Think Lukashenka About to Lose Power, VTsIOM Poll Finds.
10. Awful Avalanche: Belorus Sitrep: Opps Coordination Council + Potash Strike – Part I – awfulavalanche.wordpress.com/2020/08/19/belorus-sitrep-opps-coordination-council-potash-strike-part-i/
11. rt.com: Neil Clark, Weaponized media coverage & off-the-scale hypocrisy from the West on display as ‘regime change’ in Belarus is promoted.
12. The Unz Review: Israel Shamir, Guaido, President of Belarus – unz.com/ishamir/belarus-on-the-brink/
13. Moscow Times: Konstantin Sonin, Belarus Needs to Learn From Russia’s Flawed Privatization. A quick change in the economy will prove to be disastrous without a professional state.
14. Meduza: Ukrainian intelligence lured suspected Russian mercenaries to Belarus, journalists report.
15. TASS: Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Big Pharma up in arms over Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine, fears huge monetary losses.
16. rt.com: Vodka no longer in top 50 items sold in Russian alcohol stores – time to retire tired & outdated Russian drinking stereotypes?
17. Valdai Discussion Club: Igor Istomin, Lessons From the Pan-European Process 45 Years On – valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/lessons-from-the-pan-european-process-45-years-on/
18. Strategic Culture Foundation: Brian Cloughley, Washington’s Supposed Gift to President Putin – strategic-culture.org/news/2020/08/18/washington-supposed-gift-to-president-putin/
19. TASS: Kommersant: Russia, US still at odds over New START deal after Vienna talks.
20. Wall Street Journal: Trump Administration Shifts Course on Russian Arms Talks, Easing Insistence China Join Now. New strategy aims at a framework agreement with Russia, possible pre-election meeting with Putin.
21. New York Times: Report Details Manafort’s Ties During 2016 Trump Campaign to a Russian Agent. The former campaign chairman Paul Manafort kept in close touch with a longtime colleague whom Senate investigators identified as a Russian intelligence officer. (Excerpt)
22. The Hill: John Solomon, Key figure that Mueller report linked to Russia was a State Department intel source.
23. Paul Grenier: Simone Weil Center publishes Russian essay on geo-politics, transhumanism.