RUSSIA & UKRAINE: JRL 2014-#114 contents with links :: Friday 23 May 2014
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Johnson’s Russia List :: 2014-#114 :: 23 May 2014
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1. Wall Street Journal: Putin Says He Will Respect Ukraine’s Election. Russian President Says Country Has Slipped Into Civil War, but Russia Wants ‘Peace and Calm’
2. www.rt.com: Russia will work with whoever elected in Ukraine – Putin.
3. Interfax: Russia will evaluate Ukrainian elections based on OSCE mission monitoring – Lavrov.
4. Reuters: Putin says optimistic on resolving Ukraine crisis.
5. RIA Novosti: US Sees Ukraine Crisis as Technical Issue – Putin.
6. Reuters: Russia’s biggest concern over Ukraine is it joins NATO-Putin.
7. ITAR-TASS: Coup in Ukraine supported by US and European partners of Russia – Putin.
8. Reuters: Russia to complete troop pullback from Ukraine border “within days” – deputy defence minister.
9. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Sergei Mikheyev, Ukraine is not Russia – but it cannot do without Russia. Though many of the presidential candidates in the upcoming elections in Ukraine are taking care to position themselves firmly as anti-Russian, the truth of the matter is that the overwhelming majority of Ukrainian politicians are in one way or another tied to Russia – and the fragile state would do well to keep this in mind when planning for the future.
10. www.rt.com: West’s expansion to the east ruins historic chance at unification – Lavrov.
11. Russia Direct/Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Igor Ivanov, 8 lessons from the Ukrainian crisis. The dramatic situation unfolding around Ukraine over the past few months outgrew its regional framework long ago. It is evident that the consequences for the entire system of international relations will be far-reaching.
12. ITAR-TASS: Foreign mercenaries acting on side of Kiev authorities in Ukraine – Russian General Staff.
13. www.rt.com: Donetsk bloodbath: Insider video shows Ukraine helicopters firing at own checkpoint.
14. www.rt.com: Kiev troops reportedly shoot at deserting conscripts as eastern military op escalates.
15. The Vineyard of the Saker: Ukraine SITREP May 22th, 19:32 UTC/Zulu: Ukie death squad murders conscripts.
16. The Times (UK): Civilians prepare to flee as Kiev shells rebel-held city.
17. Russia: Other Points of View: Patrick Armstrong, RUSSIAN FEDERATION SITREP.
18. Moscow Times: Business Leaders in St. Petersburg Debate Russian Economic Growth.
19. ITAR-TASS: Sanctions spur Russian economy – official.
20. Business New Europe: Ben Aris, CONFERENCE CALL: Muted mood at Kremlin’s St Petersburg forum.
21. RIA Novosti: Russia’s Fundamental Business Problem Lies in Poor Infrastructure – Kudrin.
22. New York Times: Competing Visions for Russia’s Economic Future.
23. Moscow Times: Ukrainians to Decide Who Gets to Clean Up the Mess.
24. Russia Direct: Here’s what you need to know for the Ukrainian elections on May 25. While there are twenty-one candidates running for Ukraine’s presidency, Petro Poroshenko appears to hold a commanding lead, followed by the ever-controversial Yulia Tymoshenko.
25. Kyiv Post: Poroshenko Goes For First-Round Win On May 25.
26. Business New Europe: Willy Wonka in the lead as Ukraine goes to the polls for crucial presidential elections.
27. Vedomosti: Polina Khimshiashvili: “I Do Not Want to Start a War.” (re Yuliya Tymoshenko)
28. The Economist: Ukraine’s election. Vote late, vote seldom. Eastern Ukraine will not see much of a turnout on May 25th.
29. World Socialist Web Site: West promotes election held at gunpoint in Ukraine.
30. The Economist: Russia’s military modernisation. Putin’s new model army. Money and reform have given Russia armed forces it can use.
31. Interfax-Ukraine: Yarosh: Right Sector to guard voting stations in eastern Ukraine during elections.
32. Interfax: Right Sector officially becomes Ukrainian party – representative.
33. Politkom.ru: Tatyana Stanovaya, Akhmetov’s choice.
34. The Voice of Russia: Dmitry Babich, Akhmetov and “free election” – Two last straws of hope for the Western reports on Ukraine.
35. http://seansrussiablog.org: William Risch, Ukraine: Two Heroes, Two Revolutions
36. Interfax: Klepach: Any new shocks to global economy could reduce Russian GDP growth to zero.
37. Interfax: Probability Russia enters recession below 50% based on initial April data – Ulyukayev.
38. Reuters: Russian capital outflows shrink in April as rouble concerns ease.
39. RIA Novosti: Russia Working to Develop Promising Energy Sources – Putin.
40. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Alexander Novak: ‘We are all in the same boat.’ Energy Minister Alexander Novak sat down with RBTH to discuss what markets may be of interest to Russian suppliers, what steps Russia must take to resolve the energy crisis in Ukraine, and whether the aggravation of relations with Western partners has caused Russia to look for new markets for its energy exports.
41. Reuters: INVESTMENT FOCUS – Russian bears keep European firms in their sights.
42. Interfax: Moscow warns U.S. against further sanctions, retaliation will follow – Ryabkov.
43. Interfax: Putin claims he would sue West over sanctions.
44. Bloomberg: Ukraine Crisis Drives a Quiet Lobbying Boom in U.S.
45. RIA Novosti: OPINION: West Should Think Twice Before Imposing New Sanctions Against Russia. (Timothy Colton)
46. NPR: Former Oil Tycoon Warns West About More Russian Sanctions. (interview with Richard Sakwa about Mikhail Khodorkovsky)
47. The Independent (UK): Mary Dejevsky, ‘New’ and ‘Old’ Europe are at loggerheads. So many of the gains made in Europe, Russia and the US have been lost thanks to how we all handled the Ukrainian crisis.
48. RIA Novosti: Future of US-Russia Relations Depends on Ukraine – Harvard Professor. (Tiimothy Colton)
49. Fair Observer: Gordon Hahn, The Way Out in Ukraine: A Constitution of Democratic Federalism and International Neutrality.
50. Chatham House (UK): Orysia Lutsevych, Three Priorities to Restart Ukraine after Presidential Elections.
51. Washington Post: Prince Charles’s Putin-Hitler comparison outrages Russians.
52. The Telegraph (UK): Tim Stanley, Putin is no Hitler: beware foreign policy built on historical clichés.
53. www.rt.com: Putin on Gazprom-China gas deal: Russia has enough resources for 50 years.
54. AP: ANALYSIS: US PLAYS DOWN WARMING CHINA-RUSSIA TIES.
55. Valdai Discussion Club: Vladimir Petrovsky, Vladimir Putin in Shanghai: Russia Is Turning East.
56. Russia Beyond the Headlines/ Rossiyskaya Gazeta: Solzhenitsyn’s foresight on Ukraine proves eerily prescient.
57. The Guardian: Cannes 2014 review: Leviathan – a new Russian masterpiece. Andrei Zvyagintsev’s latest is a very strong contender for the Palme d’Or – a mix of Hobbes, Chekhov and the Bible, and full of extraordinary images and magnificent symmetry.
