Interfax: DPR prepares new draft amnesty law that will take into account conditions of prisoner exchange on both sides

Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

DONETSK. Nov 20 (Interfax) – Darya Morozova, human rights ombudsman in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), said that the law on amnesty adopted by Ukraine does not suit the conflict in Donbas and that the DPR is working on its own version. “The republic is not blackmailing anyone, but insists on the fulfillment of the sixth point of the Minsk […]

» Read more

Putin skips APEC meeting – but is Russia’s ‘pivot to Asia’ still on track?

Map of Asia-Pacific Highlighting APEC Member States

Media observers were quick to note Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to send Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in his stead to this week’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Manila – what is the significance of Putin’s absence, and does it send a message about Russia’s changing priorities toward Asia? (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – SERGEI STROKAN, VLADIMIR MIKHEEV, […]

» Read more

Gazprom’s Miller Tops Russia’s Best Paid Executive List With $27 Million

Gas Facility file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – November 20, 2015) Russia’s highest-paid executive last year with earnings of $27 million was Alexei Miller, the head of natural gas producer Gazprom, according to a ranking published by the Russian edition of Forbes magazine on Thursday that showed a sharp fall in the incomes of many of Russia’s top corporate bosses. Miller, 53, bucked […]

» Read more

Kremlin proceeds from moratorium on death penalty in Russia

Sergei Mironov

MOSCOW. Nov 20 (Interfax) – Russian presidential press officer Dmitry Peskov has refrained from giving detailed comments on the proposal made by Sergei Mironov, chairman of the State Duma faction A Just Russia, to use the death penalty on terrorists, saying that the Kremlin currently proceeds from a moratorium on this measure of punishment. “It’s a very complex issue. There […]

» Read more

Can Putin Come In From The Cold?

Vladimir Putin file photo with VOA logo; screen shot from video still

(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Brian Whitmore – November 18, 2015) He wasn’t ostracized. He wasn’t isolated. And certainly nobody threatened to shirtfront him. In the space of a year, Vladimir Putin has gone from being the pariah of Brisbane to being the star of Antalya. The contrast between last year’s G20 summit in Australia and this year’s in Turkey couldn’t […]

» Read more

Russia Pushes IMF for Response, Won’t Send Debt Offer to Ukraine

International Monetary Fund Logo Over Ukraine Flag

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Olga Tanas – November 20, 2015) Russia, which has previously refused to negotiate with Ukraine over restructuring its $3 billion Eurobond, is waiting for the International Monetary Fund to respond to its proposal to change the terms on the debt and expects the cash-strapped country to initiate new talks if it’s unable to pay in full […]

» Read more

Ukraine Rebuffs Putin’s Offer to Restructure Russian Debt

Maidan Square in Kiev, Ukraine

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – November 20, 2015) Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk has rejected Russia’s restructuring proposal for the repayment of Kiev’s eurobond debt, and said the “aggressor state” should accept the same terms as other bondholders. The “basic conditions” that must be included in any debt restructuring plan include a 20 percent reduction on the face value of […]

» Read more

Kyiv Must Seek Collapse of Putin Regime, Not ‘Restoration of Ukraine’s Territorial Integrity at Any Price,’ Portnikov Says

Map of Commonwealth of Independent States, European Portion

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, November 20, 2015) Ukrainian commentator Vitaly Portnikov argues that the goal of the Ukrainian government should not be “the restoration of territorial integrity at any price but rather the undermining of the economy of the aggressor country and the collapse of Putin’s political regime” (rus.newsru.ua/columnists/19nov2015/voprossroka.html). Western media say that the EU and […]

» Read more

RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#227 :: Friday 20 November 2015

[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#227 Friday 20 November 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 […]

» Read more

NEWSWATCH Reuters: “EU’s Juncker dangles trade ties with Russia-led bloc to Putin”

EU Map

Reuters covers European overtures to Russia to improve ties with a ceasefire in Ukraine. European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker wrote to Russian President Vladimir Putin this week, suggesting closer trade ties between the 28-nation EU and a Russian-led economic bloc once a ceasefire is implemented in Ukraine. … written after a G20 summit in Turkey … Russian aggression in Ukraine […]

» Read more

Russia Sees Biggest Decline in Wages, Retail Sales Since 1999

Diverse Paper Currency, Coins, Line Graph

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Anna Andrianova – November 19, 2015) Russian wages and retail sales declined by the most since 1999, a sign consumer demand will remain a weak link in the economy’s efforts to break out of its first recession in six years. Real wages fell 10.9 percent in October from a year earlier, a deeper contraction than the […]

» Read more

Putin’s Thaw With U.S. Gives Russia Room to Phase Out Stimulus

Elvira Nabiullina file photo

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Maria Levitov – November 18, 2015) Reining in stimulus just became a lot easier for at least one of the world’s policy makers: Elvira Nabiullina. Signs this week that Russia’s isolation in global politics may be coming to an end set off a rally in the nation’s assets as investors bet sanctions over Ukraine will get […]

» Read more

The Beginning of the End of Russia’s Estrangement from the West

Mercator Projection Satellite Image of Earth

(Kennan Institute – wilsoncenter.org/program/kennan-institute – Maxim Trudolyubov – November 17, 2015) Maxim Trudolyubov is a Senior Fellow at the Kennan Institute and the Editor-at-Large of Vedomosti, an independent Russian daily. Mr. Trudolyubov was the editorial page editor of Vedomosti between 2003 and 2015. He has been a contributing opinion writer for The International New York Times since the fall of […]

» Read more

Terrorist Attacks Force Russia and the West to Talk About Collaboration

Middle East Map

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Daria Litvinova – November 19, 2015) Seventeen days after a Russian civilian airliner was downed over Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula on Oct. 31, Russian officials admitted it was a terrorist attack. On Nov. 17 Alexander Bortnikov, the head of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), stated that the plane was blown up by an improvised explosive device. […]

» Read more

‘Traditional Family’ Said Making a Comeback in Russia– But It’s Mostly Rural and Muslim

Couple in Hospital with Newborn

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, November 18, 2015) The “traditional” family that Vladimir Putin and Russian nationalist want in which couples marry early and have three or four children is in fact becoming more numerous in the Russian Federation, but that comeback may not please everyone because most such families are either in villages or in traditionally […]

» Read more

Possible Russia-West Rapprochement Over Syria Stokes Fears In Europe’s East

Middle East Map

(RFE/RL – Pete Baumgartner – November 19, 2015) France’s surprise embrace of Russia in the aftermath of the deadly terrorist attacks in Paris has raised concerns across the former Soviet bloc that Moscow wants to leverage the fight against Islamic extremists in Syria to secure Western concessions over Ukraine. Just days after the massacres in the French capital killed 129 […]

» Read more

RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#226 :: Thursday 19 November 2015

[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#226 Thursday 19 November 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 […]

» Read more

TRANSCRIPT: Victoria Nuland Remarks at the Berlin Security Conference

File Photo of Victoria Nuland Testifying

(US Department of State – November 17, 2015) Victoria Nuland Assistant Secretary, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Berlin, Germany (As Prepared) Thank you, Reimer for that introduction. Thank you to: Mr. Uwe Proll; BSC Congress President, Ambassador Jiri Sedivy; Behorden Spiegel; and of course, Ambassador Emerson and the U.S. Embassy staff in Berlin for hosting us today. Ambassador Philippe […]

» Read more

Deterrence for the 21st Century: Opening remarks by NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow at the Berlin Security Conference 2015

Alexander Vershbow file photo

(NATO.int – November 17, 2015) It’s always a pleasure to be in Berlin, and I’m glad to be with you today to address the security challenges facing our Euro-Atlantic community – challenges that have been driven home anew by the horrific terrorist attacks in Paris over the weekend. For much of the twentieth century, Berlin symbolised the Cold War between […]

» Read more

Why is Russia’s Central Bank planning to print 1 trillion rubles? The regulator intends to inject $15 billion of cash into circulation

Central Bank of Russia file photo

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – ANNA KUCHMA, RBTH – November 18, 2015) Russia’s Central Bank is to inject 1 trillion rubles ($15 billion) in banknotes into circulation in December, allegedly to cover a seasonal demand for cash. The regulator’s first deputy chairman Georgy Luntovsky announced the upcoming cash issue on Nov. 12. According to the Central Bank, the […]

» Read more

Parsing Putin: Russia Sends Signals To The West In Statement On Jet Attack

Vladimir Putin file photo with VOA logo; screen shot from video still

(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Steve Gutterman – November 18, 2015) A few hours after French President Francois Hollande called for Moscow and the West to fight Islamic State (IS) militants together in the wake of deadly attacks in Paris, Russia abruptly announced it was now certain a terrorist bomb blew a passenger jet to pieces over Egypt on October 31. […]

» Read more

Russia Increases Pressure on Islamic State in Syria

Syria Map

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Anna Dolgov – November 18, 2015) Strategic bombers belonging to the Russian air force have conducted bombings and rocket strikes on Islamic State positions, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said at a meeting with President Vladimir Putin, the Defense Ministry reported on its website Tuesday. “The number of flights has been doubled, which allows [us] […]

» Read more

Russian ombudsman probes into high-profile prisoners’ complaints

Kremlin and Saint Basil's File Photo

(Interfax – November 17, 2015) Russian Commissioner for Human Rights Ella Pamfilova has sent an official letter to the Russian prison authorities asking them to provide urgent medical help to the brother of prominent opposition activist Aleksey Navalnyy – Oleg Navalnyy, who is serving his prison sentence after being convicted for embezzlement, privately-owned Russian news agency Interfax news agency reported […]

» Read more

The heat is on to meet the climate challenge

Polar Bear on Ice, Looking Back at Camera

The UN climate conference in Paris later this month may determine Russia’s policies for years to come (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – GLEB FEDOROV, RBTH – November 18, 2015) The largest flood in the history of Russia’s Black Sea coast killed 171 people in 2012. In just two days five months’ worth of rainfall hit the mountainous regions […]

» Read more

RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#225 :: Wednesday 18 November 2015

[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#225 Wednesday 18 November 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 […]

» Read more

Putin Goes From G-20 Pariah to Player at Obama Turkey Talk

Middle East Map

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Ilya Arkhipov – November 15, 2015) The sidelines of summits are full of talks between leaders, their ministers and aides, but the huddle between Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin at the Group of 20 in Turkey Sunday was heavy with significance. The meeting on Syria lasting more than 30 minutes was the first since the Russian […]

» Read more

G20 summit in Turkey: What were the 4 major events for Russia?

Turkey map

Following the G20 summit in Antalya, Turkey on Nov. 15-16, RBTH presents an overview of the four most interesting events and statements concerning Russia made at the meeting of world leaders. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – ALEXEY TIMOFEYCHEV, RBTH – November 17, 2015) 1. Unplanned meeting between the U.S. and Russian presidents Russian President Vladimir Putin and his […]

» Read more

Russia to Cooperate With West and Syrian Opposition Groups – Putin

Syria Map

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – November 17, 2015) Following the G20 summit in Turkey, there has been a decline in tension between Russia and the West in the face of new international threats and challenges, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during the final G20 press conference, Interfax agency reported Monday. “Life goes forward, things are changing, there are new challenges, […]

» Read more

RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#224 :: Tuesday 17 November 2015

[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#224 Tuesday 17 November 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 […]

» Read more

RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#223 :: Monday 16 November 2015

[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#223 Monday 16 November 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 […]

» Read more

Putin’s Pioneers: Push For Russian Youth League Stirs Debate, Doubt

Vladimir Putin file photo with VOA logo; screen shot from video still

(RFE/RL – Andrei Shary – November 15, 2015) As a youth growing up in Leningrad in the 1960s, Vladimir Putin was one of the few children in his school class who was not a member of the Soviet Young Pioneers. Now he seems determined not to let future generations of Russian children face such a fate. On October 29, the […]

» Read more

Another Georgian native gets Ukrainian citizenship, high post in Ukraine’s national police

Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

KYIV. Nov 15 (Interfax) – Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has signed a decree giving Ukrainian citizenship to Giorgi Grigalashvili, who previously headed the Georgian patrol police. “You have demonstrated a result in the reform of the Georgian law enforcement system, you have to demonstrate it in Ukraine, too. I hope for your professionalism and decency,” Poroshenko said while signing the […]

» Read more

The Code of Putinism

Vladimir Putin file photo with VOA logo; screen shot from video still

(PONARS – ponarseurasia.org – Brian Taylor – November 2015) Brian Taylor is Professor of Political Science in the Maxwell School at Syracuse University. [article also appeared at ponarseurasia.org/memo/code-putinism] [PDF version: ponarseurasia.org/sites/default/files/policy-memos-pdf/Pepm399_Taylor_Nov2015.pdf] Is Vladimir Putin a pragmatist or an ideologue? And if he is an ideologue, then what exactly is Putinism? Putin seems like an unlikely founder of an -ism, and […]

» Read more

Half of Russia’s Richest People Are Planning to Cash Out

Hand Pulling Cash from Envelope

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Alexander Sazonov – November 13, 2015) [Charts here bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-11-13/putin-s-gilded-cage-russia-s-rich-are-facing-cash-out-conundrum] It’s been a quarter century since the fall of the Soviet empire triggered one of history’s greatest wealth transfers. Now bankers are preparing for another as Russia’s first generation of capitalists makes way for the next. Confidential surveys of dozens of millionaires and billionaires conducted since European […]

» Read more

‘A monstrous blow to European civilization’: Russia reacts to Paris attacks

Paris, France, View from Eiffel Tower

People in Russia are mourning together with the families and friends of those killed in the terrorist attacks in Paris, voicing their solidarity with the people of France. Russian politicians have urged unity in the face of the threat of international terrorism (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – ALEXEY TIMOFEYCHEV, RBTH – November 15, 2015) Both the president and […]

» Read more

Most of investments into Russia in past year come from Asian market – Putin

Eurasia Map

(Interfax – November 13, 2015) Around 90 percent of the investments made into Russia in the past year are the resources of the Asian market, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with the Interfax and Anadolu news agencies on Friday ahead of the G20 summit in Antalya. “Obviously, cooperation with Asian partners in attracting funds gains special relevance […]

» Read more

Russia’s Promising Peace Plan for Syria

Syria Map

(Bloomberg Editorial – bloomberg.com – November 13, 2015) The U.S. and its allies have reason to be skeptical of Russia’s new plan for peace in Syria. The proposal has arrived, after all, just as Russian airstrikes have begun to help President Bashar al-Assad to his first military successes since they began. Nevertheless, the plan contains some ideas that could help […]

» Read more

Plots against Russia (Book and Blog)

Stylized Artist's Depiction of Shadowy Figures in Dark Coats and Dark Hats, One Carrying a Briefcase

Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2015 From: Eliot Borenstein <eb7@nyu.edu> Subject: Plots against Russia (Book and Blog) A brief announcement: I’m posting the first draft of my new book project, Plots against Russia: Conspiracy and Fantasy after Socialism, as a blog. This is while I write it, in real time. I explain the idea behind the project here: http://jordanrussiacenter.org/news/new-book-new-blog-plots-russia/#.VkPdLbcq2rV The blog/book’s […]

» Read more

Nearly Half of Russians Fear Terrorist Attack – Poll

Ukraine Air Crash Scene with Uniformed Security Personnel, Flames, Smoke

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – November 13, 2015) Nearly half of Russians fear a terrorist attack or hostage-taking situation in the near future, the Interfax news agency reported, citing data from independent pollster the Levada Center. Of the 48 percent who fear an attack, 76 percent consider terrorist group the Islamic State as the greatest threat, Interfax reported Friday. International […]

» Read more

RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#221 :: Friday 13 November 2015

[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#221 Friday 13 November 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 […]

» Read more

Russia to focus on economics, security at EAS summit in Kuala Lumpur

Asia Map

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – ALEXEY TIMOFEYCHEV – November 13, 2015) Russia’s will look for promote the Russian Far East as an investment destination at the upcoming East Asia Summit in Malaysia. Economic and investment cooperation will be high on Russia’s agenda at the 10th annual edition of the East Asia Summit (EAS), which will take place in […]

» Read more

EU and Russia remain hostage to Ukrainian crisis as progress stalls

After modest progress made this fall on organizing elections in eastern Ukraine and the withdrawal of weaponry from the frontlines, talks on resolving the conflict in the Donbass region have again run into trouble, with the timeline for implementing the Minsk peace agreements to be extended into 2016. Where does this leave the peace process and is there a risk […]

» Read more

Winning the peace in Slovyansk

Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

In eastern Ukraine, grievances are still strong following local elections. The city of Slovyansk, where the separatist campaign began last year, may not be lost, but it still hasn’t quite been won (opendemocracy.net – Dan Peleschuk – November 11, 2015) Dan Peleschuk is a journalist based in Kyiv, Ukraine. He has previously reported from Moscow and elsewhere in the former […]

» Read more

Russia’s Doping Scandal: The Main Allegations

Kremlin and Saint Basil's File Photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – November 13, 2015) An independent commission by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has recommended that the Russian athletics federation be declared “non-compliant” with anti-doping code, and be suspended from track and field competition, the report published Monday said. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) president Sebastien Coe asked that Russia respond to the 350-page […]

» Read more

Two-thirds of Russians see Russian administration’s foreign policy success

Mercator Projection Satellite Image of Earth

(Interfax – November 13, 2015) Russians’ interest in foreign policy increased in the past month from 58 percent in September to 63 percent now, Public Opinion Foundation has reported. The poll, which surveyed 1,500 people living in 104 populated areas in 53 regions of Russia, was conducted on November 7-8. Thirty-five percent of the respondents (against 41 percent in September) […]

» Read more

After the Crash: What Are Russia’s Options in Syria?

Syria Map

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Matthew Bodner – November 12, 2015) If the ongoing investigation into the downing of a Russian civilian airliner over Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula on Oct. 31 concludes that a bomb destroyed the plane, the Kremlin will have to react – but its options are constrained by logistical and political realities on the ground. So far, it […]

» Read more

Russia Sees Syria War Endgame Stretch to 2017 as Talks Renew

Syria Map

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Jonathan Tirone, Henry Meyer – November 12, 2015) Russia will propose a political transition in Syria lasting as long as 18 months at the next round of talks starting Saturday in Vienna, where diplomats will resume the search for a settlement to the country’s civil war. Russia, which has entered the conflict on the side of […]

» Read more

Poll: 43% of Russians explain A321 crash with terror attack

Map of Egypt and Environs`

(Interfax – November 12, 2015) The Kogalymavia flight crash in Egypt on October 31 has triggered a broad public response. Ninety-seven percent of respondents polled by the Russian Public Opinion Study Center (VTsIOM) are aware of it. Knowledgeable respondents differed in their opinions on the causes of the crash: 43 percent are prone to believe in the terror attack theory, […]

» Read more
1 177 178 179 180 181 317