RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#227 :: Friday 20 November 2015

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Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#227
Friday 20 November 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. Consortiumnews.com: Natylie Baldwin, How Russians See the West and Russia.
2. The National Interest: Nikolas K. Gvosdev, Comeback: Putin’s Newfound Global Clout. The Russian president has unexpectedly gone from pariah to powerbroker.
3. Levada.ru: Majority of Russians think terrorist attack on their country likely – poll.
4. Reuters: Russian parliament gives blessing to security overhaul after plane bombing.
5. Interfax: Kremlin proceeds from moratorium on death penalty in Russia.
6. Russia Direct: If Russia, the West refuse to cooperate in Syria now, it will be insanity. Foreign policy experts believe that Russia and the West should give up their differences over the crisis in Syria and start working together, even if it means sacrificing some of their vital interests in the Middle East.
7. TASS: Experts hope for success of talks on global anti-terror coalition.
8. Russia: Other Points of View: Patrick Armstrong, RUSSIAN FEDERATION SITREP.
9. www.rt.com: ISIS could be used to reignite extremism in Russia; Syria strikes aim to prevent this – official.
10. New York Times: For Russia, Links Between Caucasus and ISIS Provoke Anxiety.
11. Financial Times: How Putin managed Russians’ grief over Isis jet bombing.
12. Carnegie Moscow Center: Alexey Malashenko, Divisions and Defiance Among Russia’s Muslims.
13. Russia Beyond the Headlines/Gazeta.ru: Syrian ex-deputy premier: If we don’t stop the rot, there will be no Syria. Former Syrian Deputy Prime Minister Qadri Jamil, a leader of the moderate Syrian opposition, believes that both the opposition and supporters of President Bashar al-Assad must unite against the Islamic State (ISIS) radical jihadist group before carrying out constitutional reform.
14. www.rt.com: Russia’s anti-terror cooperation may lead to easing of Western sanctions.
15. Reuters: Sanctions fail to stem access to finance for Russian corporates.
16. Sputnik: No Space Without Moscow: US Buying Once Sanctioned Russian Rocket Engines.
17. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Why the Doing Business ranking is so important for Russia. The World Bank report is seen as a key indicator for reforming the business environment.
18. Moscow Times: Gazprom’s Miller Tops Russia’s Best Paid Executive List With $27 Million.
19. www.opendemocracy.net: Marianna Poberezhskaya, Why climate change is not on Russia’s agenda. In Russia, global climate change has already had serious economic, environmental and social impact. A heady mix of conspiracy and inertia is to blame.
20. www.opendemocracy.net: Angelina Davydova, There’s something in the air in Russia. Russia’s cities are choking. If we’re going to change the state of air pollution in this country, we need to open up data, monitoring and public engagement.
21. Interfax: Russian Track and Field Federation will do everything it can to enable Russia athletes to compete at 2016 Rio Olympics – Butov.
22. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Russian doping scandal: 3 possible scenarios for the future. The IAAF’s decision to ban Russian track and field athletes from participating in international competitions was a big blow for Russian sports. What are the possible outcomes of the situation? RBTH analyzes three potential scenarios
23. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Putin skips APEC meeting – but is Russia’s ‘pivot to Asia’ still on track? Media observers were quick to note Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to send Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in his stead to this week’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Manila – what is the significance of Putin’s absence, and does it send a message about Russia’s changing priorities toward Asia?
24. The National Interest: Tedo Japaridze, Georgia’s Democracy Test. “Our international partners must demand the conditions required for better governance, while the citizens of Georgia are allowed to opt for the best government.”
25. RFE/RL: Brian Whitmore, Can Putin Come In From The Cold?

UKRAINE

26. Kyiv Post editorial: Two years of failure.
27. Kyiv Post: Frustrations high as EuroMaidan killings hearing as violence erupts.
28. Interfax-Ukraine: Ukrainian prosecutors have no evidence Russian snipers shot at Maydan protesters.
29. Kyiv Post: Experts: Time running out for government to fulfill EuroMaidan goals.
30. Politico.eu: The politics of corruption in Kiev. Ukraine’s ex-spy chief sounds an alarm. (Valentyn Nalyvaichenko)
31. Huffingtonpost.com: Nikolas Kozloff, Ukraine: Stop Harassing Us Over Oppressed Minorities–We’re Too Busy Fighting Russia.
32. Moscow Times: Ukraine Rebuffs Putin’s Offer to Restructure Russian Debt.
33. Bloomberg: Russia Pushes IMF for Response, Won’t Send Debt Offer to Ukraine.
34. Carnegie Moscow Center: Anton Tabakh, A Debt Deal for Kiev?
35. TASS: Russia’s food embargo on Ukraine aims to protect domestic market.
36. Sputnik: Alexander Mercouris, Study in Contrasts – The Different Way Russia and West Respond to Violence
37. Interfax-Ukraine: Russian commando says Ukrainian investigators used torture during questioning.
38. TASS: Not all heavy armaments pulled back from disengagement line in Donbas – OSCE.
39. Interfax: DPR prepares new draft amnesty law that will take into account conditions of prisoner exchange on both sides.
40. Washington Post editorial: Russia opens fire on Ukraine again as the West stands by.
41. Paul Goble: Kyiv Must Seek Collapse of Putin Regime, Not ‘Restoration of Ukraine’s Territorial Integrity at Any Price,’ Portnikov Says.