RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents :: JRL 2018-159 :: Friday, 31 August 2018

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Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2018-#159
Friday, 31 August 2018

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. The Blog Mire: Rob Slane, The 10 Main Holes in the Official Narrative on the Salisbury Poisonings: #6 – The Meal and The Drink. [theblogmire.com/the-10-main-holes-in-the-official-narrative-on-the-salisbury-poisonings-6-the-meal-and-the-drink/]
2. Meduza: Putin’s approval rating is rising again.
3. The Independent (UK): Mary Dejevsky, Putin’s pensions crisis could have an impact on his popularity – but do his ratings really matter at this point? The prospect of street demonstrations continuing through the autumn – which still cannot be ruled out – is something he surely wants to avoid at all costs.
4. Interfax: Liability for firing people of pre-pension age may bar them from employment – FNPR head.
5. Facebook: Vladimir Golstein, Pension reform.
6. Moscow Times: Andrei Kolesnikov, Saving Colonel Putin: Why Russia’s Pension Reform Just Got More Expensive . Putin’s decision to soften pension reforms may have saved his ratings, but at what cost?
7. Carnegie Moscow Center: Konstantin Gaaze, Russia’s Empty Throne: Why Putin Manufactures Political Uncertainty. The less specific presidential orders are, the greater the speculation about what Putin actually wants done. This deliberate vagueness allows the president to see more clearly both the new power balance and the political material he will have to deal with in the next six years.
8. Paul Goble: Slogan ‘Russia for the Russians’ Correctly Understood Shouldn’t Frighten Anyone, Vinogradov Says.
9. The Guardian: Oliver Bullough, Rich Russians by Elisabeth Schimpfössl review – where does all that money go? A study, based on interviews, on how oligarchs are reinventing themselves as a cultural elite finds room to skewer their self-aggrandisement and patriotism.
10. Reuters: Russia Struggles for Technology to Block Telegram Messenger.
11. TASS: Research shows Russians prefer interesting jobs to big salaries.
12. Bear Market Brief: Business to pay 1.5 trillion rubles for digital economy.
13. Reuters: Russia Stocks Likely to Remain Under Pressure From Sanctions: Reuters Poll.
14. Bloomberg: Russian Oil Giants Offer Bright Spot in Sanction-Hit Economy.
15. Russia Observer: Patrick Armstrong, RUSSIAN FEDERATION SITREP 30 AUGUST 2018. [patrickarmstrong.ca/2018/08/30/russian-federation-sitrep-30-august-2018/]
16. TASS: Russia says contract with US on astronauts’ delivery to space station to expire in 2019.
17. www.rt.com: International competition in Arctic could lead to military conflict – Russian DM.
18. Brookings: Frank Rose, “Two halves of the same walnut”: The politics of New START extension and strategic nuclear modernization.
19. TASS: RBC: Potential ‘Arab NATO’ members unlikely to abandon Russia.
20. TASS: Kommersant: Russia’s major Mediterranean drills to counter ramped-up regional US moves.
21. Asia Times: Russia to hold ‘large-scale’ drills in Mediterranean. Russia’s ministry of defense warned of flight and shipping interruptions as 25 warships and 30 aircraft massed for the drills.
22. www.rt.com: Russia gives US intel on planned chemical weapons provocation in Syria.
23. Valdai Discussion Club: VALDAI PAPER #92: RUSSIA’S FAR EAST INITIATIVES IN TROUBLED GEOPOLITICAL TIMES. [Paper: http://valdaiclub.com/files/19177/]
24. The National Interest: Doug Bandow, Settle Crimea with a Referendum. But make sure it is free and fair.
25. Vox Ukraine (Kyiv): Andreas Umland, Whom Does Crimea Belong to? Russia’s annexation of the Ukrainian Peninsula and the question of historical justice. (excerpt)
[voxukraine.org/en/were-there-any-real-historical-grounds-for-the-annexation-of-crimea-by-russia-no/]
26. The Independent (UK): Oliver Carroll, The return of the godfather: How Putin’s best friend in Ukraine is staging an improbable comeback. Viktor Medvedchuk counts Vladimir Putin as godfather to his daughter and his looking to put himself back on the political map.
27. Kyiv Post editorial: Putin’s puppet.
28. Russia Beyond: Where to watch Russian films with English subtitles? [rbth.com/arts/329061-where-to-watch-russian-films-with-subtitles]
29. The Lancet: The burden of disease in Russia from 1980 to 2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016.
30. Eurozine: Socialism in one apartment complex. Historian Yuri Slezkine in conversation with ‘Rīgas Laiks’ editor Uldis Tirons. https://www.eurozine.com/socialism-one-apartment-complex/
31. CLINTON DIGITAL LIBRARY: Declassified Documents Concerning Russian President Boris Yeltsin.
32. TASS: Kremlin chides US for bypassing Russia when declassifying Yeltsin-Clinton dialogue.
33. www.rt.com: Clinton-Yeltsin papers show 1990s ‘equal partnership’ for what it really was. [rt.com/usa/437299-clinton-yeltsin-documents-calls/]
34. RFE/RL: Putin’s ‘A Solid Man’: Declassified Memos Offer Window Into Yeltsin-Clinton Relationship.
35. Texas National Security Review: James Goldgeier, Bill and Boris: A Window Into a Most Important Post-Cold War Relationship. (excerpt)
36. Wall Street Journal: Michael Child, An American Is Mislabeled a ‘Russian Oligarch’. Congress told the U.S. Treasury to make a list. Instead it borrowed one from Forbes magazine.
37. Wall Street Journal: Kimberle Strassel, What Bruce Ohr Told Congress. He warned the FBI that Steele had credibility problems. The bureau forged ahead anyhow.
38. Ron Paul Institute: Rick Rozoff, U.S.: NATO Think Tank Continues Pre-Election Interference.
39. Barbara Norton: “Sara’s Century” podcast.
40. Kennan Institute: Book Launch: No Place for Russia with Dr. William Hill. September 12, 2018

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