RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents :: JRL 2016-103 :: Tuesday, 7 June 2016

File Photo of Kremlin Tower, St. Basil's, Red Square at Night

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Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2016-#103
Tuesday, 7 June 2016

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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1. Russia Beyond the Headlines/Gazeta.ru: Fyodor Lukyanov, Will Russia integrate into the Western world, post-sanctions? Recent overtures by top EU and German officials usher in hopes that relations between Moscow and the West could be on the verge of a turn for the better – but the real question is what direction Russia will take after sanctions are lifted and the tensions have abated.
2. The National Interest: Thomas Graham, America Needs to Break its Old Habits on Russia. Washington’s strategy is a relic of a bygone era.
3. Postimees (Estonia): Michael McFaul: Russians were never promised NATO non-expansion to Eastern Europe.
4. TASS: Analysts comment on former US ambassador McFaul’s anti-Russian rhetoric.
5. Russia Direct: Germany’s new military doctrine and a setback for Russia’s opposition. Russian Media Roundup: The new German military doctrine, the 2016 U.S. presidential race, and the upcoming Russian parliamentary elections all made headlines last week.
6. TASS: Putin says he read no books about himself.
7. BBC Monitoring: Russian election chief says “no untouchables” at Duma vote.
8. Moskovsky Komsomolets: Russian pundit eyes PM Medvedev’s role as “scapegoat.” (Nikolai Mironov)
9. TASS: Russian businessmen concern is unpredictable economic policy – ombudsman. (Boris Titov)
10. US-Russia Business Council: Russia’s Services Sector Continues To Grow.
11. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Russian business repatriates money from offshore zones. Russian entrepreneurs have decided to bring their money back home from offshore havens. Statistics show that the largest amounts have returned to Russia from the Bahamas, the British Virgin Islands and Bermuda. Additionally, $1 billion or more has entered Russia from such countries as Germany, France and the UK.
12. TASS: Putin: SPIEF recommendations will help drive economic recovery in Russia.
13. Reuters: Russia Prepares Education Campaign to Tackle Doping in Sport.
14. AFP: NATO allies kick off biggest military exercises since Cold War.
15. Sputnik: Presence of Mind: Russia Keeps its Cool Despite NATO’s Baltic Antics.
16. TASS: US ambassador says missile defense in EU won’t undermine Russia’s strategic capabilities.
17. Russia Direct: Russia-EU relations: Still waiting for a new shift in momentum. RD Interview: Russia’s permanent representative to the EU, Ambassador Vladimir Chizhov, comments on Russia’s attempts to improve relations with its European. On June 2, the Valdai Discussion Club held the presentation of its new report, “Toward the Great Ocean: Turn to the East. Preliminary Results and New Objectives.”
18. Valdai Discussion Club: RUSSIA’S TURN TO THE EAST SHOULD BE GOAL IN ITSELF. On June 2, the Valdai Discussion Club held the presentation of its new report, “Toward the Great Ocean: Turn to the East. Preliminary Results and New Objectives.”
19. Carnegie Moscow Center: Alexander Gabuev, Should Russia Be Afraid of Chinese Plans in the Far East? A recent memorandum of cooperation signed by Moscow and Beijing has Russians worried about Chinese “colonization” of the Far East. However, a careful analysis of the situation suggests there is little reason for Russians to fear Chinese industrial expansionism.
20. Russia Beyond the Headlines/Kommersant: Syria: Russian and U.S.-led forces advance on ISIS ‘capital’ of Raqqa. Pro-U.S. opposition forces and Syrian army units are approaching the de facto ISIS capital of Raqqa from different directions, with the government troops backed by Russian air power.
21. AP: Advances on IS strongholds underlines US, Russia convergence.
22. Bloomberg: Eli Lake, Why the U.S. Needs Russian Rocket Engines to Spy on Russia.
23. Washington Post: Commute with The Post in Moscow via Snapchat.
24. Russia Beyond the Headlines/Ballet Insider: Bolshoi Ballet 2016-2017 season to be screened live in world’s cinemas. The Bolshoi Theater has released a trailer for its new ballet season, which like last year will see a number of productions broadcast on the big screen in movie theaters around the world.
25. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations: Russian Violations of Borders, Treaties, and Human Rights.
26. European Council on Foreign Relations: Russia 2030: A story of great power dreams and small victorious wars.
27. https://patrickarmstrong.ca: Patrick Armstrong, HYBRID WAR FOR DUMMIES.
28. Consortiumnews.com: Europe Sleepwalks toward World War III. The West’s scary new catch phrase for anything the diabolical Russians do is “hybrid war,” accusing Moscow of spreading propaganda and funding NGOs, pretty much what the West has been doing for decades, as Gilbert Doctorow explains.
29. The Unz Report: The Saker, Led by Poland, the European “House Negroes” Compete for the Darwin Awards.
30. Ukraine Today (Kyiv): ‘Anaconda 2016’: Ukrainian soldiers take part in largest war game in eastern Europe (photos)
31. Moscow Times: Ukraine Asks Russia to Resume Gas Supplies
32. www.ukrinform.net (Kyiv): Poll: 56% of Ukrainians support joining EU and 44% support NATO membership today.
33. www.rt.com: MH17 could have been downed unintentionally – int’l investigation team.
34. New York Times: Ukraine Struggles to Shake Off Legacy of Corruption.

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Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

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