RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents :: JRL 2016-196 :: Monday, 24 October 2016

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Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2016-#196
Monday, 24 October 2016
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[DJ: The Carnegie Endowment’s Jessica Matthews offers a concise summary of election-year Washington ideas about Putin.]

1. New York Review of Books: Jessica Matthews, On the Election. (excerpt on Russia)
2. Russia Beyond the Headlines/Kommersant: Waistline wars: The obesity problem Russia has yet to acknowledge. Almost 30 percent of Russia’s population suffers from obesity and 60 percent are technically overweight. The dynamics of the last decades and global experience show that this is by far not the only problem: The additional burden on the economy may be even greater – especially because in Russia this issue is often ignored.
3. Paul Goble: The Russian Paradox: Why the Economic Crisis hasn’t Sparked Political Protest.
4. Moscow Times: Boris Grozovsky, The New Poor: How The Ongoing Crisis Has Devoured Russia’s Small Middle Class.
5. www.rt.com: Moody’s improves outlook on Russia’s banking system to stable.
6. Oilprice.com: Russia’s Oil Industry Is Making The Most Of A Weak Ruble.
7. TASS: Expert calls to increase share of innovative products in Russian economy from 12% to 30%. (Kudrin)
8. TASS: Kudrin: Russia’s state assets cost hugely less today than prior to 2008 crisis.
9. Russia Insider: Paul Goncharoff, The Advantages of the Russian Market. Very favorable tax rates and numerous special economic zones are some of Russia’s advantages.
10. Russia Direct: Florent Parmentier, Will the misunderstanding between the EU and Russia continue? Given the current geopolitical situation and processes occurring inside Europe, Russia can afford the policy of distancing itself from the EU – but for how long?
11. The Washington Post editorial: Mr. Putin plays troublemaker on nuclear security. The Russian president steps away from nuclear-control agreements that are essential to making the world safer.
12. Atlantic Council: Anders Aslund, Only KGB Generals Stand between Putin and Absolute Power.
13. The Economist: Take care of Russia. But Mr Putin is not setting about it in the best way.
14. www.rt.com: Russian diplomats in US could face criminal charges for monitoring November elections – embassy.
15. TASS: Poll: 35% Russians believe Trump’s win would better match Russia’s national interests.
16. The Independent (UK): Mary Dejevsky, Donald Trump is not endorsed by Putin – but he understands the Russian leader far better than Hillary Clinton. Branding Trump an apologist for the Kremlin is a set piece of the Clinton campaign, even though the pair have never met. But he has a handle on what drives Putin – one hardscrabble bruiser, perhaps, recognises another.
17. Wall Street Journal: Russians Conduct Nuclear-Bomb Survival Drills as Cold War Heats Up. Bomb shelters are upgraded, gas masks tested amid strained relations between Putin and U.S.
18. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Gopniks of the world, unite! Encounters with Russia’s macho low culture. Matthew Blackburn from Scotland calls for more effort to be made to understand representatives of the world’s social underclass after a dangerous encounter in St. Petersburg turns out to be something of a revelation.
19. The Independent (UK): Patrick Cockburn, Compare the coverage of Mosul and East Aleppo and it tells you a lot about the propaganda we consume. In both countries, two large Sunni Arab urban centres – East Aleppo in Syria and Mosul in Iraq – are being besieged by pro-government forces strongly supported by foreign airpower. Yet the coverage is very different.
20. www.rt.com: 3 killed, 28 injured in militant shelling of govt-held Aleppo (GRAPHIC IMAGES)
21. TASS: Russian expert suggests Kiev needs to begin direct talks with Donbass.
22. Vedomosti: Russian experts view Normandy format, Syria talks.
23. www.rt.com: Bryan MacDonald, Now Ukraine’s delusional politicians say Soviet Union started WW2.
24. www.ukrinform.net (Kyiv): One third of Ukrainians ready to leave for permanent residence abroad – study.