RUSSIA & UKRAINE: Johnson’s Russia List contents with links :: 2014-#72 :: Tuesday, 1 April 2014

[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter]

Johnson’s Russia List :: 2014-#72 :: 1 April 2014
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: russialist.org
JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist
JRL on Twitter: twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi
Support JRL: russialist.org/funding.php

To subscribe to the JRL email version, email David Johnson at davidjohnson@starpower.net

1. Christian Science Monitor: Fred Weir, Why Russia may not be poised to roll into Ukraine after all.
2. Moscow Times: After Crimea, Russians Say They Want Alaska Back.
3. The Independent: Vladimir Putin ‘wants to regain Finland’ for Russia, adviser says. (Andrej Illarionov)
4. Interfax-Ukraine: Russian invasion in Ukraine possible, depends on readiness to respond – pundit. (Valentyn Badrak)
5. National Review: Andrew C. McCarthy, Putin’s Intentions Aren’t What Matter. They’re not hard to divine, but our strategic vision shouldn’t depend on them anyway.
6. ITAR-TASS: EU activity in Ukraine undermines belief in democratic principles, experts say.
7. www.rt.com: $1mn worth of paintings and icons missing after Right Sector ‘guarded’ leisure base.
8. ITAR-TASS: Top Kiev official wounded in shooting incident in city center.
9. RIA Novosti: Ukraine to Disarm Illegally Armed Groups After Kiev Shooting.
10. RIA Novosti: Ukraine Follows ‘Arab Spring’ Scenario – Russian Defense Minister.
11. Interfax: Russian Duma ready to talk to Ukrainian parliament – ruling party MP.
12. RIA Novosti: Ukraine’s Loss of Territorial Integrity Resulted From Internal Processes – Russia.
13. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Fyodor Lukyanov, The Ukrainian crisis as an opportunity. The Ukrainian crisis is far from over. However, no sober dialogue is taking place. Yet it is high time to consider all the circumstances quietly, in order to minimise the risks, says political expert Fyodor Lukyanov.
14. Interfax: U.S. to continue search for Ukraine resolution with UN, EU, OSCE, Russia – diplomat.
15. Stratfor.com: George Friedman, Russia and the United States Negotiate the Future of Ukraine.
16. Reuters: Putin tells Merkel interests of Ukraine regions must be protected.
17. Washington Post editorial: The U.S. should not be shutting out Ukraine.
18. Financial Times: Gideon Rachman, A Ukraine deal is ugly but unavoidable. The west must show that it has real leverage over Russia and is prepared to use it.
19. Interfax: Motorized infantry battalion returns home after training in Rostov region – Russian Defense Ministry.
20. Jamestown Foundation Eurasia Daily Monitor: Roger McDermott, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Assessing the Russian Military Threat to Eastern Ukraine.
21. Interfax: Russia expects West, rights organizations to react to Ukrainian bill on preventive detentions.
22. Interfax: Ukraine leaders’ plans to recruit foreign mercenaries evidence of lack of popular support – Russian Foreign Ministry.
23. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Dmitry Babich, After Crimea: A new era for Russian diplomacy? As tensions ease, economic rapprochement with Europe will increase but security comes first for Moscow, discovers Voice of Russia political analyst Dmitry Babich.
24. RIA Novosti: FACTBOX: Leading Ukrainian Presidential Candidates.
25. Interfax: Russia hopes for “transparent” election in Ukraine – deputy foreign minister.
26. ITAR-TASS: Tymoshenko not to withdraw from elections in favour of another candidate.
27. RIA Novosti: Ukrainian Election Haste Might Lead To New Maidan – Experts.
28. RIA Novosti: Ukrainian Delegation to Visit Moscow to Discuss Gas Debt.
29. Moscow Times: Andrei Tsygankov, Obama Has No Russia Policy.
30. RIA Novosti: EU Should Avoid Economic Sanctions Against Russia – Senior EU Official.
31. Russia Direct: Stanislav Tkachenko, Does Russia really need the G8? Russia’s G8 suspension may not be as tragic as it seems.
32. Russia Direct: Oleg Buklemishev, The real reason why Russia is no longer part of the G8. Russia has once again found itself isolated from the G8, and the reason for this is not the machinations of the West but, rather, the types of mistakes the Russian political elite would prefer not to admit.
33. RIA Novosti: Crimea Has Defeated Cold War Thinking – Experts.
34. www.thenation.com: William Greider, Under Putin, Russia Is Acting a Lot Like the US.
35. USNews.com: Michael Shank, How to Defuse the Ukraine Crisis. The way to respond to Russia is not with Cold War rhetoric.
36. Spiked: Frank Furedi, The infantile diplomacy behind demonising Russia. The self-righteousness of the West’s new Russia-bashers is astonishing.
37. Reuters: Russia warns Kiev against NATO integration.
38. Bloomberg: Ukraine NATO Membership Is Denied as Germany Seeks Easing.
39. RIA Novosti: Russia’s Economic Ties with Ukraine Depend on Non-Aligned Status – Russian Foreign Ministry.
40. The National Interest: Rajan Menon, Why the Ukraine Crisis Won’t Save NATO.
41. Moscow Times: Edward Lozansky, 7 Reasons Obama Should Forget About Crimea.
42. Financial Times: Crimea’s businesses embrace Russian prospects. Many pro-Russian residents of Crimea are optimistic about their new economic prospects.
43. Interfax: Putin pledges to deal with issue of Crimean Tatars’ rehabilitation.
44. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Crimea to be designated a special economic zone. The Russian Federation’s newest subject is likely to be designated a special economic zone. A preferential tax regime, state investment and the development of existing sectors should eliminate Crimea’s dependency on subsidies and turn it into a net contributor.
45. New York Times: Russia Raises Some Salaries and Pensions for Crimeans.
RUSSIA
46. Interfax: Most Russians like alcohol, vodka is top preference – sociologists.
47. Moscow Times: Russia to Privatize Additional 431 Companies Through 2016.
48. Interfax: Russia must remain true to “traditional values” – Kremlin chief-of-staff. (Sergey Ivanov)
49. Interfax: Human Rights Council concerned about battle against independent journalism in Russia.
50. Moscow Times: Dozhd Gets 50-Day Lifeline After Telethon.
51. RFE/RL: The 20 Russian News Outlets You Need To Read Before They Get The Axe.
52. ITAR-TASS: Kremlin administration supports bill on return to daylight saving time.
53. Interfax: Seven die in hate crimes in Russia in 2014 – rights defenders.
54. ITAR-TASS: Defence Minister: Russia sceptical about Western optimism over Afghanistan.
55. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Sex, lies, intrigue and everything you wanted to know about Russian corporate culture.
56. Moscow Times: What the Papers Say, April 1, 2014.