RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents :: JRL 2018-25 :: Monday, 5 February 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

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

Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2018-#25
Monday, 5 February 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 homepage: 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.
Support JRL: russialist.org/funding.phpDonate Online: direct link

1. Daily Telegraph (UK): Bedroom hackers bigger threat than Russia, regulator says.
2. Vesti.ru: Snowfall of the Century: Moscow Experiences a Little Ice Age After Three Straight Days of Storm. [Video https://www.vesti.ru/doc.html?id=2984263&cid=4441] [See also https://sputniknews.com/russia/201802051061359039-moscow-snow-army/]
3. Business Insider: A typical day in the life of a person living in Moscow – from what they eat for breakfast to how they spend their free time. [Full text with photos http://www.businessinsider.com/typical-day-in-moscow-russia-2018-2]
4. New York Times: To Counter Russia, U.S. Signals Nuclear Arms Are Back in a Big Way.
5. Between Two Worlds: The “Art” of an American Surviving in Small Town Russia: Hal Freeman, VLADIMIR PUTIN: FROM THE KGB TO THE PRESIDENCY.
6. Bear Market Brief: State hopes to reduce its responsibility for medical spending.
7. RFE/RL: Brian Whitmore, Making The Fake Appear Real.
8. Paul Goble: Russian Society Moving to the Left Rather than to the Right, Kirillova Says.
9. Interfax: Moscow City Court overturns sentence of Navalny foundation’s lawyer due to insufficient evidence.
10. Vesti.ru: Rostov Residents Show Off to President – Region’s Industry Has Historic Legacy; Putin Promises Support. [Video with English subtitles https://www.vesti.ru/doc.html?id=2984310&cid=4441]
11. New Statesman (UK): Ryan Gilbey, Oscar-nominated Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev is the thorn in Putin’s side. The Loveless director combines philosophical ideas with daring political commentary.
12. Intellinews.com: Ben Aris, INTERVIEW: IBS at the heart of Russia’s digital transformation.
13. Russia Beyond: Poll: Foreign investors view Russia’s business climate more favorably.
14. www.rt.com: 15 Russians not invited to Olympics despite doping ban repeal.
15. Washington Post: Isabelle Khurshudyan, At Patriots Restaurant in Moscow, a late-night view of the Super Bowl.
16. TASS: UK’s reputation as ‘haven for wealthy’ may begin fading away – Russian business ombudsman.
17. Bear Market Blog: Joseph Webster, The Low Energy Superpower: Russia’s Dim Growth Prospects. [Full text https://bearmarketbrief.com/2018/02/05/the-low-energy-superpower-russias-dim-growth-prospects/]
18. Valdai Discussion Club: Danila Bochkarev, GIVE ENERGY MARKETS A CHANCE: THE STORY BEHIND ‘RUSSIAN’ LNG EXPORTS TO THE US.
19. Interfax: Ryabkov on countering ‘Kremlin list’: response not to be completely mirrored, Russia not to harm itself.
20. TASS: Russian presidential aide sees no ‘scientific’ standoff with other countries.
21. Washington Post: AN ARCTIC SPY MYSTERY. An arrest in Moscow shakes Norway’s far north. (excerpt)
22. TASS: Kommersant: Russia, US to agree on targets for New START Treaty.
23. Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Comment by the Information and Press Department on the new US Nuclear Posture Review.
24. Sputnik: ‘Now Is the Moment’: Russia Urges US to Resume Dialogue on Missile Defense.
25. TASS: Kremlin alarmed that terrorists in Syria possess anti-aircraft MANPADS.
26. Valdai Discussion Club: Irina Zvyagelskaya, RUSSIA AND ISRAEL: TRUST DESPITE DISAGREEMENTS.
27. Russiafeed.com: THE CHRYSANTHEMUM AND THE BEAR: DIPLOMACY BETWEEN JAPAN AND RUSSIA GATHERING STEAM. With no peace treaty since 1945, relations between the two nations have long been strained, but progress is being made.
28. Fort Russ: Eduard Popov, All Eyes on Biletsky: Ukrainian “Hitler 2.0” has a putsch up his sleeves.
29. Hudson Institute: Richard Gowan, Can the United Nations Unite Ukraine? (excerpt)
30. Sic Semper Tyrannnis: Habakkuk on ‘longtime’ sources: Steele, Shvets, Levinson, Litvinenko and the ‘Billion Dollar Don.’ (excerpt) [Full text: turcopolier.typepad.com/sic_semper_tyrannis/2018/02/habakkuk-on-longtime-sources.html#more]
31. Wall Street Journal: Kimberley Strassel, Did Steele Really Snooker the FBI? The bureau should have known he was talking to the press-but it told the FISA court he wasn’t.
32. Politico.com: Molly McKew, How Twitter Bots and Trump Fans Made #ReleaseTheMemo Go Viral. Russian bots and their American allies gamed social media to put a flawed intelligence document atop the political agenda. That should alarm us.
33. The Hill: Stephen Blank, Lost in memo frenzy, White House passed on punishing Russia for 2016 meddling.
34. Politico.eu: Susan Glasser, How top US diplomat pushed back against Russian hacking. Victoria Nuland recalls the moment ‘the hairs went up on the back of our necks.’
35. Antiwar.com: Justin Raimondo, FISA-Gate: The Plot To Destroy Our Republic. (excerpt) [Full text http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2018/02/04/fisa-gate-plot-destroy-republic/]
36. http://theduran.com: Alexander Mercouris, Rampant abuse and possible contempt of Court: full analysis of GOP memorandum. GOP memorandum exposes extraordinary catalogue of due process violations in application for surveillance warrant against Carter Page.
37. Obituary: Donald Barry. [http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/mcall/obituary.aspx?n=donald-barry&pid=188042594]

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