Tag: Russia
NEWSLINK Kyiv Post: Harvard’s Ukrainian Research Institute shapes US view on Ukraine
NEWSLINK Wall Street Journal: Russia Says Economy Recovery Slow in Coming; Finance Ministry predicts return to growth only late this year or early next
RBTH: Negotiations on Ukraine are a marriage of convenience
(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – TROIKA REPORT: Sergey Strokan, Vladimir Mikheev – September 3, 2015) 1. Engaging the West Negotiations on Ukraine: a marriage of convenience amid new crisis A stormy session in Ukraine’s parliament this week while debating the proposed decentralization of governance in the eastern Donbass region, followed by a bloody riot in Kiev, signaled a […]
» Read moreNew lessons in economics: Russian parents struggle with school expenses as real incomes fall
(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Alexander Bratersky, special to RBTH – September 3, 2015) As Russian students head back to school, the country’s continued economic downturn and decline in real income is forcing some parents to make difficult decisions about educational expenses. Victoria, a single mother of a 13-year-old son, used to make enough money to live comfortably […]
» Read moreWhat crisis? Moscow marks 868th birthday with glam metal and plenty of make-up
(Business New Europe – bne.eu – MOSCOW BLOG: Anna Kravchenko in Moscow – September 4, 2015) [Photos here bne.eu/content/story/moscow-blog-what-crisis-moscow-marks-868th-birthday-glam-metal-and-plenty-make] There is an old Moscow joke about continuous road repair in the city: When leaving his post in 2010, former mayor Yury Luzhkov said he buried treasure under one of the pavements, hence all the digging. This summer the joke is […]
» Read moreRUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#175 :: Friday 4 September 2015
[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#175 Friday – 4 September 2015 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. JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL […]
» Read moreMoscow Times: What Trump as U.S. President Would Mean for Russia
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Ivan Nechepurenko – September 3, 2015) Donald Trump might hope that he will have a great relationship with President Vladimir Putin if he gets elected into the White House, but the problem is that Russia’s relationship with the United States is driven by political elites in the two countries who have their own divergent interests, […]
» Read morePoll shows three parties likely to be elected to next Russian parliament
(Interfax – September 3, 2015) With one year to go, half of Russian citizens have said they intend to vote in the next parliamentary election in Russia scheduled for 13 September 2016, according to an opinion poll conducted by Levada Centre. Thirty-one per cent have said they are “very likely” to vote and 19 per cent said they will “definitely” […]
» Read moreLack of Manifestos Points to Political Complacency in Russian Regions – Experts
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Ivan Nechepurenko – September 4, 2015) Only five acting governors taking part in elections in 21 Russian regions next week have published electoral manifestos, the Petersburg Politics think tank said in a report published Thursday. The lack of manifestos attests to a deficit of clear vision among potential heads of Russian regions – as well […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK Wall Street Journal: For Russia, Oil Collapse Has Soviet Echoes. Dependence on oil and gas revenue has undermined Russia’s long-term economic fortunes.
RBTH: Russia waits on U.N. response over claim to extend Arctic borders
After 14 years, Moscow is renewing an effort to claim a vast territory on the outer margin of the continental shelf abutting Russia’s land mass in the Arctic. What are the economic benefits of acquiring the legal rights to this underwater area and is Russia’s claim likely to be approved? (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Alexei Lossan, RBTH […]
» Read morePutin Calls on Young Russians to Work for the Glory of Their Country
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Anna Dolgov – September 3, 2015) Gifted young Russians should “most importantly” work for the glory of their country, President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday at a new center for gifted students in the southern city of Sochi. The center, which has been named “Sirius,” after the brightest star in the night sky, offers special programs […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK Interfax-Ukraine: New military doctrine calls Russia Ukraine’s military adversary, stipulates NATO membership
Russia’s New Personal Data Law Will Be Hard to Implement, Experts Say
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Daria Litvinova – September 3, 2015) In a streak of measures designed to impose stricter control over the Internet in Russia, the law that requires all Internet services store the personal data of Russian users on Russian territory – in effect from Tuesday – will be the most difficult to implement due to its vagueness […]
» Read morePutin Flies to China Amid Economic Gloom
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Howard Amos – September 2, 2015) President Vladimir Putin will be one of the most noteworthy guests at Chinese celebrations to mark the end of World War II when he arrives in Beijing on Wednesday, even as fraying economic ties between the two giant countries undermine the Kremlin’s “pivot to the East.” The Russian delegation […]
» Read moreSberbank forecasts Russian GDP to contract 0.5% in 2016 – Gref
MOSCOW. Sept 3 (Interfax) – Sberbank of Russia (MOEX: SBER) expects Russian GDP to contract 0.5% in 2016, bank President and CEO German Gref said on Rossiya 24 television. “Our most realistic forecast assumes economic growth will be negative 0.5%. We do not for now see any sources of growth that would produce serious recovery next year,” Gref said. The […]
» Read moreBeslan commemorates all victims of 2004 terrorist act
VLADIKAVKAZ. Sept 3 (Interfax) – A three-day memorial campaign dedicated to the victims of the terrorist act staged at school #1 in 2004 ended in the city of Beslan on Thursday, an Interfax correspondent reported. The last day of mourning for the victims of the terrorists in Beslan began at 9 a.m. by a religious service at the sports hall […]
» Read moreRUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#174 :: Thursday 3 September 2015
[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#174 Thursday – 3 September 2015 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. JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK Financial Times: “Ukraine: Costs of conflict. A debt deal agreed with the IMF and creditors averted default but the war-torn country’s worries are far from over.”
NEWSLINK: The Economist: Riots in Ukraine. The war in Ukraine’s east has come back to Kiev. Soldiers riot over the terms of a peace deal, and the post-Maidan government may crack apart.
The war in Donetsk – end of a post-Soviet taboo?
(opendemocracy.net – By Oleg Kashin – September 1, 2015) The devastation of eastern Ukraine has woken Russians up to the reality of war for the first time since 1945. Sergei Loiko is an Russian-American journalist who has spent the last year covering the war in Ukraine. He’s also a friend, and has now written Airport, a novel about the battle […]
» Read moreRussians More Concerned About Economy Than Ukraine – Poll
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – September 2, 2015) Economic crisis and the resulting poverty, inflation and growing inequality are more important to Russians than the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine, a poll conducted by the independent Levada Center revealed on Monday. While the civil strife in eastern Ukraine still features on the list of Russians’ top 10 concerns, it was […]
» Read moreHanding Over Crimea and Donbas to Russia No Solution for Ukraine or the World
(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, September 2, 2015) Many people, horrified by the actions of pro-Moscow forces in Crimea and the Donbas or unwilling to continue to resist Russian aggression, have concluded that the rest of Ukraine would be better off without those two regions and could move forward by sacrificing them to Vladimir Putin. “If only […]
» Read moreRUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#173 :: Wednesday 2 September 2015
[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#173 Wednesday – 2 September 2015 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. JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK Kyiv Post:Ukraine scrambles to ensure warm winter
RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#172 :: Tuesday 1 September 2015
[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#172 Tuesday – 1 September 2015 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. JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL […]
» Read moreNEWSWLINK Christian Science Monitor: Amid violence in Kiev, Ukraine tries to find a ‘decentralized’ peace
Ukraine’s parliament took a first step toward granting powers to rebel regions. But deadly clashes in the capital show the depth of resistance to such changes.
» Read moreRE: 2015-#171-Johnson’s Russia List/Demography
Subject: RE: 2015-#171-Johnson’s Russia List/Demography Date: Tue, 1 Sep 2015 From: Josh Wilson <jwilson@sras.org> In response to 29. Moscow Times: Why Is Russia’s Growth in Life Expectancy Slowing? From 2015-#171-Johnson’s Russia List. Response originally posted here: https://www.facebook.com/SRASFB The main thing to point out is that these aren’t really “objective numbers.” The period of comparison between Russia’s performance on life expectancy […]
» Read moreForeign investors may get access to major deposits in Russia
If a foreign company in Russia repeats the recent success of Italian energy company in Egypt and discovers a strategic deposit on Russian territory, it will be able to develop that deposit. Experts expect the relevant amendments to the Russian legislation to attract investment in exploration. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Anna Kuchma, RBTH – September 1, 2015) […]
» Read moreInterfax: Eighty-Eight NGOs registered as ‘foreign agents’ in two years, seven of them did it voluntarily – Justice Ministry
(Interfax – September 1, 2015) Less than 10 percent of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) recognized as ‘foreign agents’ submitted by themselves an application regarding their status during the two years that the respective law has been in force, according to Dmitry Yermak, the acting director of the NGO department at the Russian Ministry of Justice. “Altogether, 88 organizations have been included […]
» Read moreWhy Is Russia’s Growth in Life Expectancy Slowing?
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Daria Litvinova – August 31, 2015) Life expectancy in Russia has been growing several times slower than in the rest of the world for the past 20 years, according to a research by the U.S.-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation released last week. During the period of 1990-2013 it only grew by 1.8 years […]
» Read morePreparing a Child for a School Year Gets Too Expensive For Russian Parents
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Anastasia Bazenkova – August 31, 2015) As Russian children get ready to start a new school year this week, their parents have to cough up a record amount of money to equip them with everything they need, according to the latest study by a state-run pollster. An average Russian family will spend almost 20,000 rubles […]
» Read moreThe Radical Menace to Ukraine
(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Leonid Bershidsky – August 31, 2015) A police officer was killed during a protest in Kiev on Monday. It was the first such fatality since Ukraine’s “Revolution of Dignity” last year. Radical nationalists, some with weapons, gathered to protest a constitutional amendment proposed by President Petro Poroshenko that would make it possible to reintegrate separatist areas […]
» Read moreDamned if he does and damned if he doesn’t
(Business New Europe – bne.eu – KYIV BLOG: Ben Aris in Moscow – August 31, 2015) A grenade thrown by nationalists at police outside Ukraine’s parliament may only be the beginning of troubles for Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, who is facing a stark choice between enraging violent nationalists or condemning his country to further military destabilisation by Russia. The grenade […]
» Read moreRIA Novosti: Ukraine draft law a potential “interim” step to constitutional reform – Pushylin
(RIA Novosti – Moscow, August 31, 2015) Denis Pushilin [Ukrainian: Denys Pushylin], plenipotentiary representative of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic [DPR/DNR], considers the first reading of draft constitutional amendments passed by the Supreme Council to be Ukraine’s internal affair which has little to do with the Minsk Agreement but which could be an interim step towards constitutional reform harmonized with […]
» Read moreMoscow Won’t Succeed in Using Ukrainian Radicals to Destabilize Kyiv, Portnikov Says
(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, September 1, 2015) Having failed to find the number of backers for the Russian world in Ukraine it expected, Moscow in the opinion of many in Kyiv is seeking to use Ukrainian radicals in the pursuit of its goal of destabilizing Kyiv to the point that Ukraine will fall back into Russia’s […]
» Read moreRussian Schoolchildren to Learn Two Foreign Languages
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – September 1, 2015) All Russian students will be required to learn two foreign languages before graduation, Education Minister Dmitry Livanov was cited as saying by the government daily Rossiiskaya Gazeta Tuesday. The new mandatory education program came into effect in all Russian schools at the start of the new school year on Tuesday. “Starting on […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK Reuters: Big guns in east Ukraine fall silent, two more die from wounds in Kiev protests
RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#171 :: Monday 31 August 2015
Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#171 Monday – 31 August 2015 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. JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: russialist.org/funding.php Support for JRL is provided in part […]
» Read moreKirk Bennett: “On Treating Ukraine Like Georgia – A Reply to Paul Saunders”
Subject: ON TREATING UKRAINE LIKE GEORGIA – A REPLY TO PAUL SAUNDERS Date: Sun, 30 Aug 201 From: Kirk Bennett <kirkbennett7@yahoo.com> ON TREATING UKRAINE LIKE GEORGIA – A REPLY TO PAUL SAUNDERS By Kirk Bennett Kirk Bennett was the Senior Georgia Desk Officer at the State Department from 2007-09. Kudos to Paul Saunders for his spot-on exposition of U.S. policy […]
» Read moreRussian nationalist says followers fight on in Ukraine despite internal disputes
(Interfax – August 29, 2015) Russian nationalist politician Eduard Limonov, leader of the banned National Bolshevik party (whose members make up most of the Other Russia party), says his members are continuing to fight with the separatist militias in southeast Ukraine, despite not being allowed to lead units or engage in political activity there, privately-owned Russian news agency Interfax reported […]
» Read moreOdds grow for Ukrainian default on $3 billion Russia debt
(Business New Europe – bne.eu – bne IntelliNews – August 28, 2015) Despite an initial surge of optimism about Ukraine’s financial health after it appeared to clinch a crucial restructuring deal with private creditors, the country is increasingly expected to default on a $3bn Russian-held Eurobond due for redemption in December 2015. The likelihood of the scenario grew after the […]
» Read moreRUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#170 :: Friday 28 August 2015
[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#170 Friday – 28 August 2015 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. JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL […]
» Read moreUkraine not out of the woods yet
(Business New Europe – bne.eu – KYIV BLOG: Ben Aris in Moscow – August 28, 2015) The $3.6bn debt deal announced on August 27 by Ukraine’s Ministry of Finance, where private bondholders agreed to take a 20% writedown on the face value of $18bn in government debt, is very good news. Yet it’s not a done deal and the final […]
» Read moreRunning for Office in Siberia: Part IV: History, Perspective and the Components of a Modern Campaign
Subject: Running for Office in Siberia: Part IV: History, Perspective and the Components of a Modern Campaign Date: Fri, 28 Aug 2015 From: Sarah Lindemann-Komarova <echosiberia@gmail.com> Running for Office in Siberia A series on the District #35 Election for Novosibirsk City Council By Sarah Lindemann-Komarova [Founder, Siberian Civic Initiatives Support Center 1995 – 2014. Helped to establish this as the […]
» Read moreRussians Consider Marrying, Giving Birth and Education Most Important Things
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Daria Litvinova – August 28, 2015) When asked what the most important things to do before turning 30 are, most Russians chose getting married, giving birth and receiving an education, while things like starting a business or traveling the world were at the bottom of the list, a poll released Wednesday by an independent Russian […]
» Read moreInterfax: DPR claims Ukraine holding approx. 450 prisoners of war
DONETSK. Aug 27 (Interfax) – The self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic allows for the possibility of carrying out a new prisoner swap with Ukraine next week. “According to the official data, 450-460 prisoners of war are being held by the other side in addition to civilians. These are those who have been reported,” Viktor Anosov, a representative of the DPR military […]
» Read moreSept. 1 ceasefire in Donbass agreed at meeting in Minsk
A meeting of the Contact Group in Minsk with representatives from the Donetsk and Lugansk “people’s republics” has ended with the parties agreeing to a ceasefire effective from Sept. 1. However, experts are not convinced this a breakthrough on the path to peace. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Eekaterina Sinelschikova, RBTH – August 27, 2015) The participants of […]
» Read moreReport With Tally Of ‘Russian War Casualties’ Causes Stir
(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Mike Eckel – August 26, 2015) A Russian-language website has caused a stir with a report asserting that more than 2,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Delovaya Zhizn, which translates as Business Life, published the information online in March, as part of a larger story of how the Russian federal […]
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