RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents :: JRL 2018-48 :: Tuesday, 13 March 2018

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Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2018-#48
Tuesday, 13 March 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
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1. Sarah Lindemann-Komarova: On the Russian Presidential Campaign Trail in Siberia. Part One: Ksenia Sobchak.
2. Christian Science Monitor: Fred Weir, Russia eyed in UK spy poisoning case. But why would the Kremlin do it? British Prime Minister Theresa May said today that the agent used to poison Sergei Skripal and his daughter was of Russian manufacture. But plausible motives for Kremlin action are in shorter supply.
3. The Unz Review: Anatoly Karlin, Punishing Putler.
4. The National Interest: David Johnson, Russian Spy’s Poisoning: Where Does PM May Go from Here? Russia’s apparent attempt to murder Sergei Skripal in the United Kingdom leaves Her Majesty’s Government with no good choices.
5. Dances With Bears: John Helmer, FOURTEEN AND A HALF CERTAINTIES ABOUT THE CASE OF SERGEI SKRIPAL. (excerpt) [Full text http://johnhelmer.net/fourteen-and-a-half-certainties-about-the-case-of-sergei-skripal/#more-18835]
6. Reuters: Moscow to London: Let Us Examine Nerve Agent Used in Spy Poisoning.
7. http://theduran.com: Alexander Mercouris, Skripal crisis: Russia rejects UK ultimatum; demands chemical samples. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says UK not meeting its international obligations. [Text with links http://theduran.com/skripal-crisis-russia-rejects-uk-ultimatum-demands-chemical-samples/]
8. http://theduran.com: Alexander Mercouris, Skripal case: Theresa May now demands Russia prove itself innocent. British government lacking evidence of Russian guilt reverses the burden of proof. [Text with links http://theduran.com/skripal-crisis-russia-rejects-uk-ultimatum-demands-chemical-samples/]
9. Moon of Alabama: Theresa May’s “45 Minutes” Moment. [Text with links and graphics http://www.moonofalabama.org/2018/03/theresa-mays-45-minutes-claim.html#more]
10. Vesti.ru: The Sergey Skripal Scandal Continues – Why Was This Irrelevant Spy Poisoned With Nerve Agent?
11. Off Guardian: Gaslighting about the realities of “state-sponsored murder” [Video of tv program: https://www.vesti.ru/doc.html?id=2995158&cid=4441]
12. The Daily Mirror (UK): If we don’t boycott the World Cup, England fans will almost certainly die in Russia.
13. New York Times editorial: Vladimir Putin’s Toxic Reach.
14. Financial Times: Putin claims credit for healthier Russia as vodka intake falls. Smoking and drinking have declined sharply and life expectancy has risen to 73 years.
15. Vesti.ru: Will Putin Finally Solve Russia’s Greatest Problem Since Time Immemorial? Massive New Roads Program! [Video of tv program: https://www.vesti.ru/doc.html?id=2995160&cid=4441]
17. Interfax: Sobchak says planned to go to Crimea on humanitarian mission, not to campaign.
19. Reuters: Putin has Russia guessing before election: how long will he keep power?
20. Bloomberg: Putin Is Sure of Victory, But Little Else.
21. CNN.com: Post-Soviet swingers versus the Kremlin.
22. Intellinews.com: Freedom fighting for rubles: Russia’s cash-strapped regions are imposing economic separatism to survive.
23. www.rt.com: Agriculture makes much more money for Russia than arms exports – Putin.
24. TASS: Izvestia: Russia steps up investment in US securities.
25. www.rt.com: Russian pacifists offered alternative military service as massage therapists, ballet dancers.
26. www.rt.com: We’ll respond if lives of our military, incl. from strikes on Damascus, are endangered – Russian MoD.
27. The National Interest: Simon Saradzhyan, From Mutually Assured Destruction to Mutually Assured Delusion (and Back?) While separatist insurgency lingers in Russia’s North Caucasus, it is a far cry from the 1990s and early 2000s.
28. The American Interest: Kirk Bennett, What Gorbachev Did Not Hear. The Soviets did not receive any blanket assurance about NATO enlargement in 1990-91. More to the point, NATO’s post-Cold War enlargement is not the reason for the current crisis in European security.
29. Wall Street Journal: Drew Johnson, Why Is Russian Gas in Boston Harbor? Environmentalists’ war on fossil fuels helps Vladimir Putin.
30. Washington Post: Eliot Borenstein, Was Putin really blaming Jews for interfering in the U.S. election? Probably not.
31. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: Russia Investigation.
32. The Unz Review: Philip Geraldi, Christopher Steele As Seen By the New Yorker. Liberal fantasies beatify the messenger.
33. Russia Beyond: What new academic programs are on offer for foreign students in Russia? [Text with links https://www.rbth.com/education/327792-new-academic-programs-universities]

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