RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents :: JRL 2016-23 :: Tuesday, 2 February 2016

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Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2016-#23
Tuesday 2 February 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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RUSSIA

1. Forbes.com: Kenneth Rapoza, Sorry Haters, Russia Survives $30 Oil.
2. Izvestia: Head of Russian pollster explains Putin’s high rating. (Aleksandr Oslon)
3. Russia Direct: New Syrian peace talks, corruption accusations against Putin and more ruble woes. Russian media roundup: The Geneva talks between the Syrian regime and the opposition and new U.S. accusations of large-scale corruption against Putin made headlines this week in the Russian media.
4. Interfax: Russians put economy, inflation on top of most pressing national problems.
5. Moscow Times: Inflation Is Most Worrying Problem for Russians – Poll.
6. Interfax: Economic Minister says moderate economic growth possible in Russia in 2016.
7. TASS: PM: Anti-crisis plan aims at improving Russia’s investment climate, cutting costs.
8. Moscow Times: Putin Says No Privatization at Knockdown Prices.
9. Kremlin.ru: Meeting on privatisation.
10. Interfax: Kremlin: Privatization of Russian companies open for foreign investors.
11. www.rt.com: Kremlin to finalize list of state-owned firms for privatization.
12. Wall Street Journal: Russia Ready to Discuss Oil Production. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says country is prepared to meet world’s top oil producers.
13. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Oil prices could reach $40 a barrel if Russia made deal with OPEC. Analysts say that if Russia reduces its oil production by 5 percent, black gold prices may increase to $40 a barrel and over. However, the Russian government admits that it has no real control over production policy in private companies, though firms may reduce production themselves due to the fall in hydrocarbon prices.
14. Reuters: Russia’s crisis produces a paradox: surging luxury car sales.
15. Russia Direct: Realizing Russia’s renewable energy potential in 2017. A recently declared Year of the Environment in Russia provides a golden opportunity to bring environmental issues to the public’s eye and create momentum for a much-needed green technology revolution in the country that is rich with natural resources and a highly skilled work force.
16. Novaya Gazeta: Economic recovery impossible without political reforms – Russian economist. (Sergey Aleksashenko)
17. Interfax: Peskov on Kasyanov’s plans to await president’s response to threats from Kadyrov: “This is his right”
18. BBC: Russian liberal parties’ talks going ahead despite public spat.
19. www.opendemocracy.net/Colta.ru: Andrei Arkhangelsky, Is liberalism the future for Russia? For years, ‘liberal’ has been a dirty word in Russia, a shorthand for everything undesirable. Yet state propaganda is having an unexpected side-effect: the rehabilitation of liberalism.
20. Russia Direct: Russian think tanks focus on the Middle East in January. Think tank roundup: As tensions continue to simmer throughout the Middle East, Russia’s top experts honed in on the conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia. In addition, they kept a wary eye on the developing situation in Moldova.
21. TASS: Why do Western media regularly predict BRICS’s early demise?
22. Valdai Discussion Club: Andrei Sushentsov, ATTEMPTS TO PUSH RUSSIA OUT OF EASTERN EUROPE TRIGGER CRISES.
23. www.rt.com: NATO should keep its promises for Russia to trust it – security chief.
24. Rossiyskaya Gazeta: Yevgeniy Shestakov, Once again they are using Russia to intimidate. The Pentagon has released America’s military strategy for Europe.
25. New York Times: U.S. Fortifying Europe’s East to Deter Putin.
26. New York Times: Eastern Europe Cautiously Welcomes Larger U.S. Military Presence.
27. The Independent (UK): War in Syria: Russia’s ‘rustbucket’ military delivers a hi-tech shock to West and Israel. As the Kremlin showcases its military capabilities in Syria, Kim Sengupta says Nato leaders are having to reassess.
28. Interfax: Trump has fewer chances to win after primaries in Iowa as Republicans opt for responsible vote – Kosachev.
29. Russia Beyond the Headlines: What do the U.S. presidential candidates think about Russia?
30. Wall Street Journal: Fighting for Iowa Voters, Bernie Sanders Leads in Yaroslavl. Soviet Union trip in 1988 created small but ardent Russian outpost of Bernie Sanders fans.
31. Defenseone.com: Peter Zwack, Death of the GRU Commander. An American general remembers Russia’s complex military intelligence chief, who shaped the Ukraine incursion – and worked hard to bridge the East-West gap. (Igor Sergun)
32. http://readrussia.com: Mark Galeotti, Why the Litvinenko Enquiry Was Not a ‘Farce’
33. RFE/RL: Brian Whitmore, Virtual Stalinism.

UKRAINE

34. Interfax-Ukraine: Replacement of technocratic ministers by politicians in Ukrainian govt would be mistake. (U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt)
35. Java Films: UKRAINE: THE MASKS OF REVOLUTION. (film)
36. Transitions Online: Maidan: A Tale of Two Movies. One is in the running for an Oscar, another, very different take aired on French television despite Kyiv’s objections.
37. Fort Russ: Ukraine TV documents pillaging by Ukrainian forces.(video with English subtitles)
38. Interfax-Ukraine: U.S. ambassador calls formation of ‘Ministry of Truth’ serious mistake, urges Ukraine to focus on progress and development.
39. UNIAN (Kyiv): Government’s report: economy down 10.4% in 2015.
40. Interfax: DPR militiamen accuse Kyiv of over 100 shellings over past day.
41. www.foreignpolicy.com: Josh Cohen, Why Ukraine Must Outsource Its Fight Against Corruption. Kiev is losing the fight against corruption. It’s time for a radical cure.
42. Russia Insider: Putin’s National Security Chief: US Provoked Russia Into Taking Over Crimea. ‘It was Washington that set the wheels in motion with an unconstitutional coup in Ukraine.’ (Nikolai Patrushev)
43. https://newcoldwar.org: Ukrainian prosectors, judges ignoring evidence in Maidan Massacre killings. (Ivan Katchanovski)
44. http://thetruthspeaker.co: Graham Phillips, Who’s Who in Ukraine Propaganda (#2) Andrew Kramer – on Ukraine, and Donbass. [excerpt]
45. Fort Russ: Russian-Speaking Children in Kindergartens in Kiev Forbidden From Speaking Russian.
46. Euromaidan Press/Radio Svoboda: Ukrainian consumers have the right be served in Ukrainian – activist.
47. Kyiv Post: Alexei Bayer, Ukraine may be running out of time.
48. www.euronews.com: Sergio Cantone, Ukraine’s challenge for 2016 is corruption, not conflict.