Tag: JRL NewsBlog

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Senate panel backs assessment that Russia interfered in 2016” – AP/ Mary Clare Jalonick, Eric Tucker

JRL NewsBlog, Spies, Spy Allegations, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
American Flag and Partial View of U.S. Capitol Dome, adapted from image at aoc.gov

“A [heavily redacted] bipartisan Senate report … confirms the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusions that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election to sow chaos. Senators warned that it could happen again …. This is the fourth of five reports the Senate panel will release …. Previous reports reviewed Russian efforts to breach state election systems and manipulate social media, and […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “NATO enlargement: evaluating its consequences in Russia” – International Politics/ Kimberly Marten

Europe, EU, JRL NewsBlog, Military, NATO, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
NATO Meeting file photo

“… There is no question that Russia – its leaders, expert analysts, and public – reacted negatively to NATO enlargement right from the start. … But …. Russia’s unhappiness is overdetermined, and there is no evidence that if NATO enlargement had been avoided, delayed, or altered (while nothing else changed), that Russia could have been reconciled to the idea of […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Oil prices fall to less than zero for the first time in history” – bne Intellinews/ Ben Aris

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Oil, Gas, Energy
Offshore Oil Rig file photo

Oil prices dropped to less than zero dollars as producers are forced to pay buyers to find some place to store their output “Oil prices for the US WTI blend fell to less than zero on the futures market for May deliveries on April 20 for the first time in history as producers ran out of places to store crude. […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “China Tightens Russia Border to Stem Surge of Coronavirus Cases; Officials move to contain new outbreak as infected Chinese nationals return from Moscow” – Wall Street Journal/ Thomas Grove

China, Coronavirus, Covid-19 Pandemic, Far East, Siberia, APEC, Health, Epidemics, Substance Abuse, JRL NewsBlog
Asia Map

“China raced to contain a new outbreak of coronavirus in communities along its northern border with Russia …. seal[ing] off parts of its border with Russia … establish[ing] a field hospital …. Newly imported infections threaten to trigger a second wave of contagion in China …. The jump in infections also added to the uncertainty about the state of the […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “As Pandemic Grips Russia, an Age-Old Bane Returns: Drinking” – New York Times/ Anton Troianovski

Coronavirus, Covid-19 Pandemic, Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Health, Epidemics, Substance Abuse, JRL NewsBlog
Man in Silhoette with Bottle of Alcohol and Head in Hand

The widespread, false belief that alcohol will protect drinkers from the coronavirus is helping drive a spike in liquor sales and domestic violence. “… Across the world, the coronavirus pandemic has sparked fears of increased alcohol abuse …. In Russia, two weeks into a nationwide partial lockdown, those fears are becoming reality … evidence mounts that a spike in alcohol […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia has zero FDI in 1Q20; Russia’s FDI in 1Q20 was next to nothing, which means in reality it was probably negative” – bne Intellinews/ Ben Aris

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, JRL NewsBlog
File Photo of Outdoor Electronic Sign with Russian Exchange Data

“Russia received almost zero foreign direct investment (FDI) in the first quarter 2020, dropping from $10.3bn in the same period a year earlier to $200mn, the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) reported …. This number almost certainly understates the real FDI, which was most likely negative. … a quirk of Russian national statistics means that foreign companies working and registered […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Putin’s Long War Against American Science” – New York Times/ William J. Broad

Coronavirus, Covid-19 Pandemic, Europe, EU, Health, Epidemics, Substance Abuse, JRL NewsBlog, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Image of Stylized Eye Surrounded by Binary Code

A decade of health disinformation promoted by President Vladimir Putin of Russia has sown wide confusion, hurt major institutions and encouraged the spread of deadly illnesses. “… the pandemic has swept the globe … accompanied by a dangerous surge of false information – an ‘infodemic,’ according to the [WHO] …. Analysts say … Putin … has played a principal role […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia Hails Oil Deal It Says Will Save Millions of U.S. Jobs” – Reuters

JRL NewsBlog, Oil, Gas, Energy, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Offshore Oil Rig file photo

“… .planned supply cuts represent a complete reversal by Russia and Saudi Arabia, which had both threatened to ramp up output in a battle for market share after the previous deal between … OPEC[] and other producers fell apart …. Combined with G20 input, the leaders of Russia, the United States and Saudi Arabia engaged in a series of phone […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “What Happens if Putin Gets Coronavirus? Who take over the Russian Government? What is the line of succession?” – The National Interest/ Charlie Gao

Coronavirus, Covid-19 Pandemic, Health, Epidemics, Substance Abuse, JRL NewsBlog, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Vladimir Putin at Podium with United Russia Logo, Gesturing

“… While many countries have a clear ‘line of succession’ …. [f]or Russia, this line of succession is not clear beyond the first step, which is the prime minister assuming the duties of the president. But recent measures in response to COVID may provide some level of insight …. Most leaders in Russia are still out and about, making statements […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Coronavirus Upends Putin’s Political Agenda in Russia” – AP

Coronavirus, Covid-19 Pandemic, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, JRL NewsBlog, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Kremlin and River

“… A nationwide vote on April 22 was supposed to finalize sweeping constitutional reforms that would allow [Putin] to stay in power until 2036 …. But after the coronavirus spread in Russia, that plebiscite had to be postponed – an action so abrupt that billboards promoting it already had been erected in Moscow and other big cities. Now under threat […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Putin Makes Painful Climbdown as He Sues for Peace in Oil War” – Bloomberg/ Evgenia Pismennaya, Ilya Arkhipov, Henry Meyer

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, JRL NewsBlog, Oil, Gas, Energy
Oil Wells File Photo

“… Putin’s deal with OPEC … three years ago was a triumph … bolstering his clout on the global stage. But now he’s had to to make stinging concessions after … Trump stepped in to end a price war. Amid relief in Moscow at the unprecedented deal with Saudi Arabia and other major producers to slash oil output, the accord […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “AG Barr just signaled that things are about to get ugly for the Russia collusion team” – The Hill/ Kevin R. Brock

JRL NewsBlog, Spies, Spy Allegations, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Department of Justice Headquarters Building file photo, adapted from image at justice.gov

“… The AG is logically being briefed on the progress and findings of U.S. Attorney John Durham’s investigation, which he commissioned to examine how the empty Russia collusion case got started in the first place and if it involved any wrongdoing on the part of the government. It is a safe bet that … Durham is collecting evidence beyond the […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Trump, Putin, Saudi Crown Prince Scramble to Fix Oil Markets” – Wall Street Journal/ Georgi Kantchev, Summer Said, Andrew Restuccia, Justin Scheck

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, JRL NewsBlog, Middle East, North Africa, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Offshore Oil Rig file photo

All three leaders face economic threat from low prices. Moscow and Riyadh bury the hatchet. “… On Thursday, Saudi Arabia and Russia ended their stalemate and convinced a handful of other major oil producers to join them in the biggest monthly oil-production cut ever. … Mexico … [also] said it would reduce … production by 100,000 barrels a day …. […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “The Cold War roots of Putin’s digital-age intelligence strategy” – Washington Post/ Greg Myre

Spies, Spy Allegations, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Stylized Artist's Depiction of Shadowy Figures in Dark Coats and Dark Hats, One Carrying a Briefcase

“Spying may be the world’s second-oldest profession, but … Putin has certainly given it a fresh makeover. To fully grasp what Russia did in the 2016 U.S. presidential election – and hopes to replicate … – … look back to the end of the Cold War. Putin was a young Soviet KGB officer in Dresden, East Germany … as the […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Barr Says Russia Probe Was Started ‘Without Basis'” – AP

JRL NewsBlog, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Department of Justice Headquarters Building file photo, adapted from image at justice.gov

“Attorney General William Barr believes the Russia investigation that shadowed President Donald Trump for the first two years of his administration was started without any basis and amounted to an effort to ‘sabotage the presidency’ …. Barr, who has appointed a U.S. Attorney to scrutinize the origins of the Russia probe, said the Justice Department has evidence there was ‘something […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Prevent the outbreak of another global security threat. Extend New START.” – Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists/ Daryl G. Kimball

JRL NewsBlog, Nuclear, Missile Defense, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Photo of Stealth Bomber in Flight

“… New START … signed 10 years ago, verifiably caps each nation’s strategic nuclear arsenals at no more than 1,550 deployed warheads and 700 missile and bomber delivery platforms. The treaty has worked well for both sides. The latest data exchange mandated by the treaty shows Russia with 1,326 deployed warheads on 485 deployed delivery systems, while the United States […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Muscovites flee coronavirus shutdown, bringing trouble to Russia’s regions” – Reuters/ Katya Golubkova, Polina Nikolskaya

Coronavirus, Covid-19 Pandemic, Health, Epidemics, Substance Abuse, JRL NewsBlog, Regions, Cities, Municipalities
Russia Regions Map

“[On one day] … about 730,000 cars … perhaps 10% of Moscow’s 12.7 million population, left the capital, centre of Russia’s epidemic, for the countryside, according to Moscow’s transport department. … rais[ing] fears that the virus is being carelessly spread … anger[ing] … residents of outlying regions who had thought themselves at least relatively protected. … [S]ome locals are accusing […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “EBRD drops a COVID-19 dambuster on Russian sanctions; The EBRD has started investing in Russia again after several years off” – bne Intellinews/ Jason Corcoran

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Cash, Calculator, Pen

“A modest investment by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in a Russian travel company may prove to be the sanctions dambuster that the Kremlin has been longing for. The London-headquartered bank announced on April 7 it would provide finance to a Russian travel aggregator Travelata as part of its €1bn coronavirus (COVID-19) funding programme … designed to […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine’s moment of truth” – Kyiv Post/ Kurt Volker

JRL NewsBlog, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
International Monetary Fund Logo Over Ukraine Flag

“… As the novel coronavirus increasingly impacts the country, the Verkhovna Rada must finally pass the banking legislation necessary to free up $8 billion in International Monetary Fund lending, and a further $1.5 billion from other sources. … Achieving peace and restoring Ukrainian sovereignty in eastern Ukraine and Crimea will never come as the result of a military victory. Peace […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “U.S.-Russian Crew Blasts Off for International Space Station” – AP

Coronavirus, Covid-19 Pandemic, Health, Epidemics, Substance Abuse, JRL NewsBlog, Space, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
International Space Station file photo

“A U.S.-Russian space crew blasted off Thursday to the International Space Station following a tight quarantine amid the coronavirus pandemic. NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and Roscosmos’ Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner lifted off as scheduled … from the Russian-operated Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan …. The International Space Station is currently operated by Russian Oleg Skripochka and NASA astronauts Jessica Meir […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Law and order under lockdown; How the coronavirus quarantine is making it even harder to find justice in Russia’s courts” – Meduza/ Liliya Yapparova, Maxim Solopov, Translation by Kevin Rothrock

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photos of Law Books and Gavel, adapted from image at fjc.gov

“… in an effort to curb … coronavirus, Russia’s Supreme Court imposed a moratorium on all hearings across the nation’s judicial system except for particularly ‘urgent cases.’ Individual judges get to decide what qualifies as urgent … sources in the justice system tell Meduza that they worry Russia’s COVID-19 containment measures are making it even harder … to get a […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Washing his hands of it; As covid-19 spreads, Vladimir Putin is invisible; Russia’s indispensable leader is strangely absent from the fight against the pandemic” – The Economist

Coronavirus, Covid-19 Pandemic, Health, Epidemics, Substance Abuse, JRL NewsBlog, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Putin at Desk

“For … past 20 years Russians have been told they could not survive without … Putin. … The public was also told over the past few months that the threat of the new coronavirus was greatly exaggerated, that the Americans had invented it to harm China, and that Russia was well protected. Now, Moscow and many other cities are in […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Five Patterns of the Putin Regime” – Institute of Modern Russia/ Olga Khvostunova

JRL NewsBlog, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Vladimir Putin file photo with VOA logo; screen shot from video still

“On March 26, IMR launched the “Russia under Putin” project, which includes a timeline of the country’s key political developments over the last 20 years. This factual digest serves not only to refresh one’s memory but also to retrace the Putin regime’s evolution and its modus operandi. IMR’s Olga Khvostunova highlights the key patterns of this regime and explains what […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Beware of Bad Samaritans; China and Russia are sending medical aid to Italy and other coronavirus-stricken countries, but their motives aren’t so altruistic” – Foreign Policy/ Elisabeth Braw

China, Coronavirus, Covid-19 Pandemic, Europe, EU, Italy
Medical Symbol with Pole, Serpents, Wings, adapted from image at lanl.gov

“… ‘Of those Russian supplies, 80 percent were completely useless or of little use to Italy. In other words, the delivery was more like a pretext’ …. for example, equipment for bacteriological disinfection and a field laboratory for chemical-biological sterilization—not the ventilators and personal protective equipment so desperately needed …. The Kremlin’s aid is indeed rather unusual. The medical experts […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “‘They need to quarantine Moscow’; How small businesses in Russia’s capital are scrambling to stay afloat as coronavirus clobbers the economy” – Meduza

Coronavirus, Covid-19 Pandemic, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, JRL NewsBlog, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities
Coronavirus File Photo adapted from image at cdc.gov

“… The news website RBC estimates that shutting down for a single day costs the average shopping and entertainment center in Moscow and the surrounding region roughly 60-155 million rubles (between $775,800 and $2 million). Fitness clubs … will lose as much as 300,000 rubles ($3,900) a day, while coffee shops in the city center will lose 100,000-200,000 rubles ($1,290-$2,585) […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Coronavirus Forces Putin to Delay Vote That Could Keep Him in Power” – Wall Street Journal/ Ann M. Simmons

Coronavirus, Covid-19 Pandemic, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Aerial View of Kremlin and Environs

Referendum originally planned for April is final hurdle to allowing Russia’s president to potentially stay in office until 2036 “In his first address to the nation since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic … Putin told citizens that an April referendum on changes to the country’s constitution would be postponed to help curb the spread of the illness. The national […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Can Russia Use the Coronavirus to Sow Discord Among Americans?” – New York Times/ Thomas Rid

JRL NewsBlog, Spies, Spy Allegations, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Photo of White House with South Lawn and Fountain

Conditions are ripe: The pandemic is sweeping right into campaign season, and Trump’s response is highly contested. “Close observers of Russian disinformation tactics in electoral interference have two big questions as the 2020 election approaches: How large is the appetite for escalation among Russian intelligence agencies this time around? And where was, and is, S.V.R., Russia’s counterpart to the C.I.A.? […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “What’s being done to stop Russia’s election interference?” – PBS

JRL NewsBlog, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Multilingual Polling Place Sign from U.S. Election Polling Place

“Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election has been well documented, and evidence shows Russia is again trying to undermine the 2020 election. But what is the federal government doing to stop it? Richard Hasen, founder of the Election Law Blog and author of “Election Meltdown: Dirty Tricks, Distrust, and the Threat to American Democracy,” joins Hari Sreenivasan to […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Prisoner in the Kremlin; Why Vladimir Putin cannot retire; He has too many enemies, and too many cronies who depend on him” – The Economist

JRL NewsBlog, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Aerial View of Kremlin and Environs

“… Putin … chose the crudest … perhaps simplest[] method – changing the constitution and giving himself an option to stay …. in the footsteps of several post-Soviet central Asian despots …. Putin’s other amendments curb the … parliament and courts … position[ing] him as ‘not only the head of the state but the head of the executive branch … […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Putin is brazenly trying to make himself president for life” – Washington Post Editorial

JRL NewsBlog, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Vladimir Putin file photo with VOA logo; screen shot from video still

“… Constitutional amendments already in the works will now include a provision allowing [Putin] to serve two more terms. That could extend his time in office to 2036, when he will be 83. … [Putin] could rule Russia for 36 years, more than a decade longer than Joseph Stalin. … a recipe for stagnation, akin to the corrosive paralysis … […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia to disinfect parliament chamber after lawmaker broke quarantine to hear Putin” – Reuters

Health, Epidemics, Substance Abuse, JRL NewsBlog, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Coronavirus File Photo adapted from image at cdc.gov

“Russia is disinfecting its parliament chamber after a lawmaker ignored coronavirus quarantine to attend assembly sessions, including one where … Putin gave a speech. Sergei Katasonov, a member of the nationalist LDPR party, told Reuters he had ignored a requirement by Moscow authorities to self-isolate for 14 days after returning from France because he did not fully understand the risks. […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Putin Endorses Brazen Remedy to Extend His Rule, Possibly for Life” – New York Times/ Anton Troianovski

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Vladimir Putin at Podium with United Russia Logo, Gesturing

In a carefully scripted appearance, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia agreed he should be allowed to seek two more terms, if the Constitutional Court approves “It looked as though … Putin had been gearing up … obscure constitutional changes as a surreptitious way to remain Russia’s leader after presidential term limits forced him to step down in 2024. But […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia Trying to Stoke U.S. Racial Tensions Before Election, Officials Say” – New York Times/ Julian E. Barnes, Adam Goldman

JRL NewsBlog, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Photo of White House with South Lawn and Fountain

Russian intelligence services are trying to incite violence by white supremacist groups to sow chaos in the United States, American intelligence officials said “The Russian government has stepped up efforts to inflame racial tensions in the United States as part of its bid to influence November’s presidential election, including trying to incite violence by white supremacist groups and to stoke […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukrainian Leader Backs Calamitous Reshuffle to Deliver Results” – Bloomberg, Daryna Krasnolutska, Volodymyr Verbyany

JRL NewsBlog, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

“… Zelenskiy defended a cabinet reshuffle that unnerved investors and dismayed voters who’d backed him to clean up the country’s notoriously murky post-Soviet politics. The revamp swapped young newcomers picked to sever ties with the past for experienced hands whose task is to revive stuttering reforms. … [I]n one of Europe’s most corrupt nations, previous administrations are tainted by accusations […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “A Wake-Up Call for Russia” – The Hill/ William Courtney

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, JRL NewsBlog, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Aerial View of Kremlin and Environs

“… So why is the [Russian] economy stagnating? Oil prices are below previous peaks, but factors under Moscow’s control are structural barriers and geopolitical tensions. First … state-owned companies tend to be less productive …. Russia’s Federal Anti-Monopoly Service says … prior to the 1998 financial crisis the state’s share of the economy was about 25 percent of GDP, but […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Fiona Hill warns about Russian political meddling in 60 Minutes interview” – CBS News

JRL NewsBlog, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Multilingual Polling Place Sign from U.S. Election Polling Place

President Trump’s former top adviser on Russia talks with Lesley Stahl about the differences between briefings in the Trump and Obama administrations, how Vladimir Putin operates and how both Republicans and Democrats have played into his hands “You may remember Fiona Hill from her passionate testimony, and English accent, during the impeachment hearings …. She held one of the most […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Putin signs Arctic master plan; The strategic document paves way for a massive industrialization of the country’s far north” – Barents Observer/ Atle Staalesen

Arctic, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, JRL NewsBlog, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Arctic Map

“… The document covers the period until year 2035 … authored by the Ministry of the Far East and Arctic. … approved by government and the national Security Council in late 2019. … [In addition to other factors cited, i]t prepares the ground for a major natural resource exploitation in the region and helps develop the Northern Sea Route, the […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “U.S. should revive Lend-Lease to contain Russia” – Atlantic Council/ Stephen Blank

Europe, EU, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Poland, Romania, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

“… Moscow’s hybrid war against the Western world continues unabated. … There are many advantages to a modern-day revival of the Lend-Lease concept. Firstly, it materially strengthens Ukraine by demonstrating growing U.S. support …. Secondly, this plan would help increase allied security and capabilities in threatened areas such as Romania in the Black Sea region and Poland in the north. […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “With Friends Like These: The Kremlin’s Far-Right and Populist Connections in Italy and Austria” – Carnegie Endowment for International Peace/ Andrew S. Weiss

Europe, EU, JRL NewsBlog, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Europe Map

“… A blend of new threats and opportunities is causing Moscow to take greater risks and embrace more flamboyant policies in Europe. The Kremlin’s relationships with Italy and Austria shine a spotlight on how Europe’s domestic troubles have opened many doors for Moscow. … Europe … has always been too important for the Kremlin to ignore. … the historical benchmark […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia’s Syria gamble under pressure as Turkey attacks in Idlib; Erdogan threatens further escalation of hostilities before Moscow meeting” – Financial Times/ Henry Foy

JRL NewsBlog, Middle East, North Africa, Syria, Turkey
Syria Map

“Turkish attacks on Russian-backed forces in the Syrian province of Idlib are testing Moscow’s relationship with Ankara …. Seeking to avenge the killing last week of 34 Turkish soldiers, … Erdogan has bombarded Syrian regime targets in the province … warning that the destruction of fighter jets and killing of more than 100 pro-regime combatants is ‘only the beginning.’ The […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Putin’s New Premier Reaches Out to West With Bid for OECD Ties” – Bloomberg/ Ilya Arkhipov, Evgenia Pismennaya

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Europe, EU, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, JRL NewsBlog, Russia & the West, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
OECD Logo

“Russia’s new prime minister has ordered his government to revive Russia’s ties with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in what looks like a longshot bid to reopen links with western institutions severed after the Ukraine crisis began in 2014. Mikhail Mishustin [reportedly] asked subordinates to draft a plan … possibly even restarting Russia’s efforts to join …. The […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Thousands Rally in Moscow Against Putin’s Plans to Revamp Political Power in Russia” – Wall Street Journal/ Ann M. Simmons

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Vladimir Putin at Podium with United Russia Logo, Gesturing

Protesters commemorated a slain opposition leader in a rebuke to what they see as Vladimir Putin’s formula for staying in power once his final term expires “Thousands of people attended a rally in the Russian capital to commemorate a slain opposition leader in a rebuke to what they see as … Putin’s plans to stay in power once his final […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Falling oil prices threaten to derail Putin’s spending promises” – Financial Times/ Max Seddon, Henry Foy, Nastassia Astrasheuskaya

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, JRL NewsBlog, Oil, Gas, Energy
Oil Wells File Photo

Kremlin’s bid to boost economy relies on Russian budget surplus and national wealth fund “… Putin’s spending promises are under threat from falling oil prices that could hurt the savings the Kremlin is tapping to rekindle growth. The coronavirus outbreak … pushed Brent crude, the international oil benchmark, down 10 per cent to a year-low … close to $50 a […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “U.S. intelligence briefer appears to have overstated assessment of 2020 Russian interference” – CNN/ Jeremy Diamond, Jake Tapper, Zachary Cohen

JRL NewsBlog, Spies, Spy Allegations, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Vladirmir Putin and Donald Trump Sitting in Chairs with Flags Behind, adapted from image at whitehouse.gov

“The U.S. intelligence community’s top election security official …, Shelby Pierson, told lawmakers on the House Intelligence Committee that Russia is interfering in the 2020 election with the goal of helping … Trump get reelected. [But while t]he US intelligence community has assessed that Russia is interfering in the 2020 election and has separately assessed that Russia views Trump as […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “What do Putin’s constitutional changes mean for Russian nuclear launch authority?” – Federation of American Scientists/ Matt Korda

JRL NewsBlog, Nuclear, Missile Defense, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Russian Mobile ICBM Parade File Photo

“… This shift in power [under the new system proposed by Putin] …  poses a series of complications for Russia’s system of nuclear launch authority. Under Article 87.1 of the Russian Constitution, the President is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces … the Law On Defence states that the Supreme Commander-in-Chief is the ultimate authority on all nuclear-related matter. […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Vladimir Putin’s New Orchestra; The players are being rearranged, but the conductor remains the same” – New York Times/ Ivan Krastev

JRL NewsBlog, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Vladimir Putin at Podium with United Russia Logo, Gesturing

“… The timing and the nature of the constitutional amendments make it clear that … Putin perceives his regime as in crisis and is doubtful about the continued viability of a system of personal rule when he is no longer around. He knows perfectly well that what his apologists trumpet as political stability is in reality … stagnation … that […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Demographics” – BMB Russia

Population Disaster, Demographics
File Photo of Crowd in Russia Including Person Waving Russian Flag with Eagle

“Russia’s population declined for a second year in a row in 2019, Rosstat’s preliminary estimate reveals. An increase in migration failed to make up for the dwindling natural population, which fell by 286,000 in the first 11 months of 2019. On the whole, Russia’s population dropped almost 36,000 … [after a] nearly 100,000-person decline in 2018. Rosstat’s demographic forecast predicts […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine’s population falls behind Poland’s for the first time, electronic census says 5mn people lost since 2000” – bne Intellinews

JRL NewsBlog, Population Disaster, Demographics, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

“Ukraine’s population fell behind that of Poland … [with] an electronic census reveal[ing] the number of citizens … dropped by … 5mn … 37.289mn since the last census in 2000. Poland’s population was 37.98mn in 2018, according to Eurostat. The … Ukrainian number does not include … Crimea or [the] Donbass regions, which would add roughly another million …. The […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia’s Putin remains secretive about his future role” – AP/ Vladimir Isachenkov

JRL NewsBlog, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Kremlin and River

“… Putin remained tight-lipped about his future role … as he fast-tracks … constitutional changes widely seen as an attempt to maintain his dominance … after … 2024. … Putin, 67, has been in power for more than 20 years, longer than any other Russian or Soviet leader since Josef Stalin, who led from 1924 until his death in 1953. […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia’s Parliament Passes Putin’s Constitutional Plans on First Reading” – Wall Street Journal/ Georgi Kantchev, Thomas Grove

JRL NewsBlog
Russian State Duma Building file photo

Proposals could allow Russia’s president to exercise power beyond his 2024 term limit “Russia’s parliament … gave preliminary approval to … Putin’s constitutional overhaul … [which] could allow him to maintain control over the country’s political scene after his term ends in 2024. The Kremlin-controlled State Duma … unanimously passed the constitutional amendments bill in the first of three readings. […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , ,
1 … 13 14 15 16 17 … 38