RUSSIA & UKRAINE: JRL 2014-#236 table of contents with links :: Thursday 13 November 2014

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Johnson’s Russia List
JRL 2014-#236 :: Thursday 13 November 2014
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Ukraine

1. Sputnik: Dostoevsky Popular in West as His Works Tackle Philosophical Issues: Expert.
2. Paul Goble: Window on Eurasia: Putin Proposing Molotov-Ribbentrop-Style Grand Bargain to West, Illarionov Says.
3. Business New Europe: Most of Russians believe support for Ukraine separatists to cause economic crisis, still support government actions.
4. Levada.ru: Russians still overwhelmingly approve of Crimea merger – poll.
5. Interfax: Former Deputy PM Arbuzov: Ukrainians misled about European integration.
6. Russia Direct: Dominic Basulto, The ‘Blame Russia’ game might hurt the West. The more Russia is viewed as the “global villain” the more pressure the West will face to ratchet up its policy responses to perceived Russian aggression. At what point, though, will both sides run out of any good options?
7. The National Interest: James Carden, A Recipe for Disaster: Russian Planes in the Air, a Divided West and Ukraine on the Brink. Despite the seemingly friendly encounter between Obama and Putin on the sidelines of the APEC summit, the situation in eastern Ukraine continues to deteriorate.
8. http://readrussia.com: Matthew Luxmoore, Ukraine: The View from Moscow.
9. The National Interest: Graham Allison, Vladimir Putin’s Dicey Dilemma: Russia Stands at a Fateful Fork in the Road. Despite the Obama administration’s narrative of a Russia that is not a player in global affairs-Moscow matters. Yet, major challenges remain if the Ukraine crisis remains unresolved.
10. Business New Europe: Ukraine’s ceasefire breaking down.
11. www.rt.com: Kiev not fully committed to ceasefire, amasses troops along E. Ukraine frontline – Russia.
12. Reuters: Ukraine says it will not abandon ceasefire.
13. www.rt.com: Moscow slams NATO’s accusations of invasion in Ukraine as groundless.
14. Interfax: There is no, has never been Russian military presence in southeastern Ukraine – Russian Foreign Ministry.
15. Voices of Ukraine: Dmitry Tymchuk: A few words on the situation in the ATO zone.
16. The Vineyard of the Saker: Ukraine mini-SITREP: still expecting an attack.
17. Interfax-Ukraine: Advisor to SBU chief: There are all signs that Russia is preparing for active hostilities.
18. Wall Street Journal: Ukraine Digs In to Keep Donetsk Airport From Rebels. Villagers Hide in Cellars Amid Daily Barrages From Both Sides.
19. RFE/RL: Robert Coalson, News Analysis: What’s Behind The Resurgence Of Fighting In Eastern Ukraine?
20. http://readrussia.com: Chris Miller, The Donbass Elections – Prelude to Renewed Conflict?
21. Sputnik: Alexander Mercouris, Kiev’s Refusal to Negotiate Elections in Donbas Threatens More Conflict.
22. TASS: Control of defiant volunteer battalions is Ukrainian authorities’ big headache.
23. Sputnik: Far-Right, Ultranationalists Played Crucial Role in Euromaidan: Analyst. Ukrainian analyst from the Kiev-based Center for Social and Labor Research (CSLR) Volodymyr Ishchenko presented research about the role of far-right activists participation in Maidan.
24. Moscow Times: Most Russians Say State-Run Media ‘Objective’ in Ukraine Coverage.
25. www.rt.com: Ukraine, West wage information war against us’ – Russians.
26. Atlantic Council: Adrian Karatnycky, Putin’s Project Sparta. As the US Congress Reconvenes, It and Europe Must Respond to the Kremlin’s Coming Offensive in Ukraine.
27. Consortiumnews.com: Robert Parry, When Henry Kissinger Makes Sense.
28. Sputnik: Peter Lavelle, Ukraine and the “Original Sin”
29. Financial Times: Gideon Rachman, Russia is a bigger problem than Isis for Obama. A nuclear-armed Moscow, intent on challenging US, poses risks we are only starting to understand.
30. TASS: Kiev authorities drive Ukraine into energy crisis as winter is about to set in.
31. Reuters: Ukraine must buy coal from Russia to get through winter – energy ministry.
32. CNBC.com: Ukraine economy in ‘free fall,’ banking group says.
33. Moscow Times: Henrik Larsen, Ukraine’s Economy Holds the Key to Stability.
34. PONARS Eurasia: Judyth Twigg, Ukraine: Trends and Regional Dynamics in Population, Health, and Migration.

Russia

35. Levada.ru: Russians in no mood for protests – poll.
36. Moscow Times: Launch of Sputnik Comes Amid High Stakes in Media War.
37. Interfax: Russian GDP growth slows to 0.7% in Q3 from 0.8% in Q2 – Rosstat.
38. Christian Science Monitor: Fred Weir, Falling ruble doesn’t hit Putin – at least, not yet. Russia’s ruble has lost half its value against the dollar this year – 10 percent in just the past week. But most Russians still support President Putin in the sanctions and counter-sanctions battle with the West that has hurt the Russian currency.
39. www.rt.com: Not all Western goods may return to Russian market after sanctions end – Russian PM.
40. Forbes.com: Mark Adomanis, Russia’s Labor Market Is Still Healthy.
41. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Rosneft and Gazprom overtake Google and Apple in corporate transparency.
42. Financial Times: Russian companies’ struggle to finance themselves will persist.
43. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Low oil prices hurt Russia and the West. Are Western and Gulf oil interests ganging up to break Russia? Is the country hopelessly addicted to black gold? Bryan McDonald find the truth is a bit more prosaic.
44. Stratfor.com: A Struggle Over Russia’s Interior Ministry Could Emerge.
45. Reuters: Russian Supreme Court delays hearing on rights group’s closure.
46. Business New Europe: Ben Aris, MOSCOW BLOG: The 50-year fight for gay rights.
47. Business New Europe: Julia Reed, The difficulty of “Restoring Names” of the oppressed in today’s Russia.
48. Reuters: U.S. Says Russia’s Bomber Flight Mission Over Gulf of Mexico Is ‘Routine’
49. The National Interest: Nikolas Gvosdev, Russia’s Military Is Back. A million men under arms. Thousands of new tanks and planes. A hundred new satellites. Next-generation weapons. Inside Vladimir Putin’s $755 billion plan to restore Russian might.
50. Sputnik: US-Russia Cultural Ties Worth Preserving: State Hermitage Museum Head. (Mikhail Piotrovsky)
51. Moscow Times: Russia to Rethink Study Abroad Program as East-West Relations Sour.
52. New York Times: Carol Giacomo, Can America and Russia Get Along?
53. Moscow Times: China Favored to Win U.S.-Russia Showdown.
54. Russia Direct: Alexander Gabuev, Russia’s uneasy economic alliance with China just got less easy. The APEC summit showed that Russia – however unwillingly – is ready to support some of China’s trade and economic initiatives aimed at reducing the economic influence of the U.S. in Asia.
55. Christian Science Monitor: Fred Weir, Nuclear curve ball? Russia inks deal with Iran for new reactors. The agreement, which could see Russia build eight new civilian reactors in Iran, comes just weeks before a deadline for Iran to accept curbs on its capacity to make nuclear weapons.
56. Russia Direct: Yury Barmin, How can Russia contribute to an Iranian nuclear deal. As the P5+1 and Iran prepare to meet in Vienna to negotiate a nuclear deal, the key player in the negotiations process is likely to be Russia.