RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents :: JRL 2018-216 :: Monday, 17 December 2018

St. Basil's Domes

To inquire about a subscription to the full Johnson’s Russia List e-mail newsletter, e-mail David Johnson at davidjohnson@starpower.net

Support the JRL: russialist.org/funding.php
Donate Online: click here for direct link at GWU

[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter]

Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2018-#216 :: Monday, 17 December 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.
JRL Home: russialist.org – JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist – JRL on Twitter: @JohnsonRussiaLi
Support for JRL is provided in part by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York to the George Washington University and by voluntary contributions from readers.

1. Bloomberg: Leonid Bershidsky, The Maria Butina Case Is Not About Spying. Why did U.S. authorities bother to pursue a Russian gun-rights activist for activities they could easily have ignored? The answer should worry you. (with comment by Fred Weir)
2. Sputnik: Russian President Putin to Hold Annual Press Conference on December 20.
3. Moon of Alabama: How Putin’s Russia Weaponizes X. [moonofalabama.org/2018/12/how-putins-russia-turned-x-into-a-weapon.html#more]
5. New York Times: Putin on Rap Music: It’s the Drugs That Really Bother Him.
6. www.rt.com: Russia’s own internet? Legislators plan to protect the country’s web from foreign interference.
7. Meduza: Based on new draft legislation, here’s how Russia would actually build its own, autonomous Internet.
8. Moscow Times: Can Russia Turn a Plastic Corner?. As the country grapples with a waste crisis, some supermarkets have begun charging shoppers for plastic bags.
9. www.rt.com: Davos U-turn: World Economic Forum welcomes all Russian businessmen after boycott threat.
10. TASS: Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Moscow beefs up presence in Syria near US base.
11. Russian International Affairs Council: Alexander Yermakov, Brave New World Without INF Treaty. [russiancouncil.ru/en/analytics-and-comments/analytics/brave-new-world-without-inf-treaty/]
12. The National Interest: Dmitri Times, Dangerous Liaisons. Ignoring possible Sino-Russian cooperation against the United States, and the factors that can exacerbate it, could be very costly.
13. Sunday Times (UK): Boris Yeltsin’s shrine in Yekaterinburg brings tears for a legacy smashed by Putin.
14. TASS: Trotsky coming soon to Netflix: Russian revolutionary series to go on online streaming.
15. Awful Avalanche: Russia’s Death Agony OMG What Is To Be Done? – Part I [awfulavalanche.wordpress.com/2018/12/10/russias-death-agony-omg-what-is-to-be-done-part-i/]
16. Awful Avalanche: Russia’s Death Agony OMG What Is To Be Done? – Part II [awfulavalanche.wordpress.com/2018/12/11/russias-death-agony-omg-what-is-to-be-done-part-ii/]
17. Awful Avalanche: Russia’s Death Agony OMG What Is To Be Done? – Part III [awfulavalanche.wordpress.com/2018/12/12/russias-death-agony-omg-what-is-to-be-done-part-iii/]
18. Awful Avalanche: Russia’s Death Agony OMG What Is To Be Done? – Part IV [awfulavalanche.wordpress.com/2018/12/13/russias-death-agony-omg-what-is-to-be-done-part-iv/]
19. Russia Observer: Patrick Armstrong, THE WEST SLIPS DOWN ANOTHER STEP. (re “The Integrity Initiative”) [patrickarmstrong.ca/2018/12/15/the-west-slips-down-another-step/]
20. TASS: Lavrov vows Russia will not wage war against Ukraine.
21. www.rt.com: Ukrainian far-right MP declares ‘hunt’ for Moscow-loyal priests after split.
22. Wall Street Journal: New Ukrainian Church Marks a Victory for President, Setback for Moscow. Poroshenko calls founding the day ‘we finally attained our independence.
23. TASS: Russian Orthodox Church warns of further fragmentation of schismatic groups in Ukraine.
24. Off Guardian: Discuss: Kerch Strait and Azov Sea Tensions. [off-guardian.org/2018/12/12/discuss-kerch-strait-and-azov-sea-tensions/]
25. Sean’s Russia Blog: American Newsrooms through Russian Eyes. (with comment by Fred Weir) https://seansrussiablog.org/2018/12/14/american-newsrooms-through-russian-eyes/ [caution: link might be temporarily beset by a bug of some kind]
26. National Public Radio: The Russia Investigations: A Case Still Unproven.
27. Zero Hedge: FBI, CIA Told WaPo They Doubted Key Allegation In Steele Dossier.
28. Medium.com: Caitlin Johnstone, Don’t Laugh–It’s Giving Putin What He Wants.
29. https://journal-neo.org: Mueller Dropping Russia Probe, Says Trump Working for Israel and Saudis. [journal-neo.org/2018/12/16/mueller-dropping-russia-probe-says-trump-working-for-israel-and-saudis/]
30. The Atlantic: The ‘Global Cybercrime Problem’ Is Actually the ‘Russia Problem’. Convincing Putin that further attacks will trigger automatic, severe responses is the best path to deterrence.
31. New York Times: Russian Effort to Influence 2016 Election Targeted African-Americans.
32. Washington Post: New report on Russian disinformation, prepared for the Senate, shows the operation’s scale and sweep. The report, a draft of which was obtained by The Washington Post, is the first to analyze the millions of posts provided by major technology firms to the Senate Intelligence Committee.
33. San Francisco Chronicle: Strange real estate deal raises specter of Putin buying Trump.
34. TASS: Technical data proves West’s ‘Russia hacking’ conspiracy theories don’t hold water.
35. The Globe and Mail (Canada): Mark MacKinnon, As the Russian economy and Putin’s popularity tumble, the war drums grow louder and critics take cover.

Map of Commonwealth of Independent States, European Portion

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

Map of CIS Central Asia and Environs

Eurasia Map

 

Comment