RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents & links :: JRL 2020-#69 :: Wednesday, 15 April 2020

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Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2020-#69 :: Wednesday, 15 April 2020
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. Carnegie Moscow Center: Dmitri Trenin, What Does Russia Want From the United States? The coronavirus pandemic is another opportunity that Moscow is using to engage Washington in an attempt to break through the logjams in their relationship.
2. Moscow Times: In 4th Coronavirus Address, Putin Calls for Stronger Business Support.
3. Intellinews.com: Ben Aris, Russia is flush with cash but preparing for the worst just in case. Russia’s external debt fell again in 1Q20 to $450bn vs the $560bn in reserves. If Russia paid off all its debts tomorrow it would still have $110bn in cash.
[Text with charts https://intellinews.com/russia-is-flush-with-cash-but-preparing-for-the-worst-just-in-case-180950/?source=russia]
4. Meduza: ‘This will lead to complete economic collapse’. With mandatory paid leave and little government support, Russian employers and employees are going head to head as mass layoffs and pay cuts sweep the country.
[https://meduza.io/en/feature/2020/04/15/this-will-lead-to-complete-economic-collapse]
5. TASS: Russian veterans’ organizations call on Putin to postpone Victory Day parade.
6. Wall Street Journal: Coronavirus Jeopardizes Putin’s Extravagant Wartime Commemorations. Russian president must decide whether to cancel or postpone an event he has long used to burnish his image.
[https://www.wsj.com/articles/coronavirus-jeopardizes-putins-extravagant-wartime-commemorations-11586949649?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=2]
7. www.raamoprusland.nl: Mark Galeotti, Does COVID-19 represent an opportunity for Putin – or for us all?
8. Paul Goble: As Economic Crisis Deepens, More Russians Say Putin Defends the Interests of the Oligarchs than Say He Supports Those of the Siloviki.
9. Paul Goble: Given Pandemic, Russians Increasingly Turning to Internet for News But Slow Speeds Keep Many from Using It Widely.
10. TASS: Izvestia: Here’s what may help save industries hit by COVID-19.
11. Wall Street Journal: China Tightens Russia Border to Stem Surge of Coronavirus Cases. Officials move to contain new outbreak as infected Chinese nationals return from Moscow
12. Beyond the Kremlin: Mark Smith, Coronavirus and mental health: reading Oblomov.
– beyondthekremlin.com/2020/04/14/coronavirus-mental-health-oblomov/
13. Facebook: Vladimir Golstein, Chekhov on the occasion of cholera epidemics of 1892.
14. Reuters: Doping: Russia to Make Up for Break in Testing Once Coronavirus Restrictions Lifted.
15. Forbes: Kenneth Rapoza, Despite Historic Production Cuts, Oil Is Dying.
16. The American Conservative: Scott Ritter, Is Putin Laying A Petroleum Trap For Trump? The president is heralding a deal that commits Russia to cuts in oil production, but a closer look reveals a more complicated path.
17. Sean Guillory: Response to Dmitry Babich from JRL #67, Item 27.
18. Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Comment by Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova on the situation with Russian schoolchildren in the United States – mid.ru/en/foreign_policy/news/-/asset_publisher/cKNonkJE02Bw/content/id/4099019
19. TASS: US authorities taking effort to ensure return of Russian schoolchildren – embassy.
20. TASS: Vedomosti: Russia expects to hold arms control talks with US.
21. www.rt.com: ‘Immoral & inhumane’: Russian FM denounces US sanctions hampering worlds’ efforts against Covid-19 pandemic.
22. Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s interview with Russian and foreign media via video-conference on urgent international issues, Moscow, April 14, 2020.
[https://www.mid.ru/en/press_service/minister_speeches/-/asset_publisher/7OvQR5KJWVmR/content/id/4099053]

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