RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents :: JRL 2016-223 :: Wednesday, 30 November 2016

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Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2016-#223
Wednesday, 30 November 2016
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1. Bloomberg: Russians Toast Recession as Pubgoers Drink ‘Less But Better’
2. Kremlin.ru: Meeting of Primakov Readings International Forum.
3. The Daily Express (UK): Is 14-legged killer squid found TWO MILES beneath Antarctica being weaponised by Putin? A KILLER giant squid that can hypnotise its prey and paralyse humans at a distance of 150 feet using poisonous venom is being developed as a secret weapon by Vladimir Putin, a scientist has claimed.
4. The Guardian (UK): US legislation proposes new committee to counteract Russian ‘covert influence.’ Congress set to review bills to authorize intelligence body to oppose Russian interference and propaganda, which could be at odds with Trump administration
5. Washington Post: David Ignatius, In today’s world, the truth is losing. Propaganda is rampant thanks to social media and those with no concern for facts.
6. Counterpunch.org: JEFFREY ST. CLAIR – ALEXANDER COCKBURN, The CIA and the Press: When the Washington Post Ran the CIA’s Propaganda Network.
7. Bloomberg: Leonid Bershidsky, How Russian Propaganda Really Works in the West.
8. The Nation: Stephen Cohen, False Narratives, Not ‘Fake News,’ Are the Real Cold War Problem. Any détente initiatives by President-elect Trump must break with spurious US accounts of the new Cold War.
9. www.rt.com editorial: The Washington Post serves up some Thanksgiving ‘fake news’ of its own.
10. Levada.ru: Majority of Russians want closer ties with West – poll.
11. Awful Avalanche: Holocaust On Ice: When Westies Don’t Like Edgy Culture – Part II.
12. TASS: Putin spokesman’s wife Navka speaks up about her Holocaust-themed performance.
13. Rethinking Russia: Russian liberals consolidating their efforts in an abortive attempt to dispel the pall.
14. Moskovsky Komsomolets: Commentator predicts changes in Russian government. (Mikhail Delyagin)
15. Russia Beyond the Headlines/Lenta.ru: Chasm between rich and poor widens in Russia as living standards fall. Amid the ongoing crisis, the Russians are quickly losing their accumulated assets, and social stratification in the country is increasing. According to official forecasts, the welfare of the population will recover only in 2018 – at the same time, the authorities will seriously start thinking about raising the retirement age and taxes.
16. www.rt.com: Putin appoints new Russian economy minister.
17. Kremlin.ru: Meeting with Maxim Oreshkin.
18. RFE/RL: IMF: Russian Economy Will Contract 0.6 Percent in 2016, Recover In 2017.
19. Forbes.com: Kenneth Rapoza, Trump And Putin 2017: A Hedge Fund Investor’s View From Moscow.
20. Moscow Times: Streaming Wars: The Real Fight Behind Russia’s False YouTube ‘Ban’
21. The National Interest: Barry Posen, How to Think About Russia. Because the West is strong, and relative to Russia likely to get stronger, it is in a position to accommodate some Russian concerns.
22. The National Interest: Jack Matlock, Jr., Donald Trump’s Biggest Headache: Russia’s Nuclear Weapons. Misconceived actions and emotional reactions have brought us to the brink of another senseless nuclear arms race.
23. TASS: Foreign intelligence head: West’s ‘compulsory globalization’ policy sparks public backlash.
24. BBC Monitoring: Russian press dominated by Syria developments.
25. Alternet.org: Gareth Porter, How a Syrian White Helmets Leader Played Western Media. Reporters who rely on the White Helmets’ leader in Aleppo ignore his record of deception and risk manipulation.
26. SOFREP: Assad’s (non)Demise: An interview with Kamal Alam.
27. www.rt.com: ‘Russia called Pentagon to report Syrian strike gone awry, but nobody took the call’
28. Russia Beyond the Headlines/Vzglyad: Tehran turns to Russia again as Trump casts doubt on U.S.-Iran relations. Iran has suddenly changed its mind about Russia using airbases on its territory. Although in August a political scandal broke out in Iran because of such use, now Tehran is inviting Russia’s air force to return to its airports. It seems that there is a global political subtext to this change of attitude.
29. Russia Direct: Pavel Timofeyev, France is closer to the election of the pro-Russian president. The surprising victory of pro-Russian candidate Francois Fillon in the presidential primaries could turn Russia into a major policy issue in the 2017 French presidential campaign.
30. New York Times: French Election Hints at a European Shift Toward Russia.
31. Financial Times: Russian Film Week: glimpses of another Russia. The London season of films offers a varied picture of a little-understood country.
32. Interfax: Ukraine blacklists over 500 films and TV series.
33. Interfax-Ukraine: Turchynov hopes Trump’s administration approves lethal weapon provision to Ukraine.
34. Carnegie Moscow Center: Three Dimensions: What Does Trump Victory Mean for Ukraine? (Andrey Kortunov, Mikhail Minakov, Steven Pifer)
35. Interfax: Lavrov says no breakthroughs at Normandy Format meeting.
36. Wall Street Journal: Ukraine’s Political “Frenemies” Seek To Avoid 2005-Style Split.
37. www.rt.com: Saving Poroshenko? US State Dept offers $800k to Ukraine NGOs.
38. Russian and Eurasian Politics: Gordon Hahn, Third Maidan Anniversary – Third Maidan Revolt Threat Extant,.