RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents & links :: JRL 2019-#66 :: Thursday, 18 April 2019

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Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2019-#66 :: Thursday, 18 April 2019
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1. www.craigmurray.org.uk: Craig Murray, The Official Skripal Story is a Dead Duck.
– craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2019/04/the-official-skripal-story-is-a-dead-duck/
[See also sputniknews.com/analysis/201904171074227109-skripal-ducks-children-nyt-usa-britain/ and http://johnhelmer.net/cia-deputy-director-lies-to-the-president-of-the-united-states-showing-him-fake-photographs-alleged-to-be-from-the-british-government-of-ducks-and-children-poisoned-by-a-russian-spy-operation-in-sali/#more-20728]
2. The Guardian (UK): No children or ducks harmed by novichok, say health officials. Wiltshire council clarification follows claims Donald Trump was shown images to contrary.
3. The Nation: Stephen Cohen, Will the Mueller Report Make the New Cold War Even Worse? How the long-anticipated report addresses-or ignores-Russiagate allegations will be vital for US-Russian relations.
4. Awful Avalanche: Medvedev: 19 Million Russian Citizens Live In Poverty. – awfulavalanche.wordpress.com/2019/04/18/medvedev-19-million-russian-citizens-live-in-poverty/
5. Bear Market Blog: Fewer Russians consider themselves middle class.
6. The Guardian (UK): Daniel Beer, We Need to Talk About Putin and Putin v the People review – a gut-level patriot. Putin has convinced many Russians that he has raised their country from its knees. But for how much longer, ask these two books, by Mark Galeotti and by Samuel A Greene and Graeme B Robertson.
7. Intellinews.com: Ben Aris, Moscow Exchange CEO changed but strategy to remain the same.
8. NYU Jordan Center: Eliot Borenstein, Notre Dame de Russian Social Media Bullsh*t. (re Ksenia Sobchak) – jordanrussiacenter.org/news/notre-dame-de-russian-social-media-bullsht/#.XLh1P5NKgWo
9. Valdai Discussion Club: Ivan Timofeev, The New DETER Bill: Can Sanctions Help Deter Russia? Russia and Russian-US relations are unlikely to become any easier. The issue of “election interference” will remain salient, though some fatigue has already set in. Most likely, its prominence will abate in the US political conversation, though it will remain on the international agenda. It will also remain tethered to US sanctions on Russia, and sanctions will continue to be viewed as a means of deterrence – valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/the-new-deter-bill-can-sanctions-help-deter-russia/
10. The Hill: Jarrett Blanc and Andrew Weiss, Congress must seriously rethink current Russia sanctions policy.
11. www.rt.com: EU finds no ‘evidence’ Kaspersky Lab software spies for Russia, despite claims by US.
12. TASS: Vedomosti: Cyber attacks in Russia almost double in 2018.
13. Strategic Culture Foundation: Federico Pieraccini, Moscow’s Strategy: To Win Everywhere, Every Time. – strategic-culture.org/news/2019/04/18/moscow-strategy-win-everywhere-every-time.html
14. Russian International Affairs Council: Zach Battat, Is Israel Taking Advantage of a Longtime Strategic Partner for Russia? – russiancouncil.ru/en/analytics-and-comments/analytics/is-israel-taking-advantage-of-a-longtime-strategic-partner-for-russia/
15. The Independent (UK): Mary Dejevsky, Why apathy and anti-politics will probably help a TV comedian win Ukraine’s presidential election. Such a clean, decisive and democratic change could be part of the tonic a jaded Ukraine badly needs.
16. Christian Science Monitor: Fred Weir, Tangle of church and state roils Ukraine’s Orthodox parishes. In the West, religious institutions and governments tend not to be closely aligned. But for Ukraine’s Orthodox churches, the relationship is far blurrier. And that is causing heated debates within the country’s parishes.
17. Reuters: Ukrainian leader’s re-election drive to win the army vote stutters.
18. Meduza: From Kryvyi Rih to Kyiv ‘Meduza’ tells the story of Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the comedian poised to become Ukraine’s next president. (excerpt)
19. New York Times: Alisa Sopova, Maybe We’ll Be Better Off With a Clown as President. Ukraine’s absurd election may turn out well for its people.
20. Meduza: Columnist Oleg Kashin believes the ‘sad fate’ of pro-Ukrainian Russians is instructive.
21. Washington Times: Edward Lozansky, Ukrainian elections: Why should Americans care?
22. Newsweek.com: HACKED EMAILS APPEAR TO REVEAL RUSSIA IS BACKING COMEDIAN LIKELY TO BE UKRAINE’S NEXT PRESIDENT.
23. The Unz Review: The Saker Interviews Dmitry Orlov. (excerpt re Ukraine) – unz.com/tsaker/the-saker-interviews-dmitry-orlov/
24. The New Yorker: Andy Borowitz, Putin Almost Done Redacting Mueller Report.
25. Wall Street Journal: Daniel Henninger, Escape From Collusion Hell. The bet that Mueller would nail Trump didn’t pay off. We’re left with the rubble.
26. The Hill: John Solomon, Ten post-Mueller questions that could turn the tables on Russia collusion investigators.
27. Government.ru: Government report on its performance in 2018. (excerpt)

Map of Commonwealth of Independent States, European Portion

 

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

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