MOSCOW, October 14 (RIA Novosti) – Ukraine’s parliament speaker Oleksandr Turchynov has inked a law on special status of parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and sent it to President Petro Poroshenko for signing, the Verkhovna Rada said on its website on Tuesday. The parliament approved the law introducing self-administration in parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions on […]
» Read more
[Graphics here: en.ria.ru/analysis/20141014/ 194044957/Ukrainian-Nationalists-Long-Ascent-to-New-Heights-of-Power.html] MOSCOW, October 13 (RIA Novosti), Ekaterina Blinova – From the western Ukrainian city of Lviv to the front lines of the civil war, far-right neo-fascist groups have made their presence felt on and off the battlefield; these groups started to influence the country’s national consciousness following the country’s “Orange Revolution”, and gained an unprecedented level of political […]
» Read more
MOSCOW. Oct 14 (Interfax) – The European Union plans to review its sanctions against Russia at the end of October, the Head of the EU Delegation to Russia, Ambassador Vygaudas Usackas, said when answering a question from Interfax on the sidelines of the European Business Association forum in Moscow on Tuesday. The results of such a review will depend on […]
» Read more
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – October 14, 2014) Russia’s statistics agency on Tuesday launched a sweeping census of the population in the Crimea region, which the country annexed from Ukraine in March. Residents will be asked to field 33 questions on their age, ethnicity, spouse and children, native language and housing and income, the regional branch of the State Statistics […]
» Read more
(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Teneo – October 14, 2014) Signs of easing tensions will likely dominate the news this week, but progress on crisis resolution will likely be overstated and is unlikely to motivate a relaxation of EU/US sanctions against Russia.Signs of easing tensions will likely dominate the news this week, but progress on crisis resolution will likely […]
» Read more
(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Glenn Kates – October 13, 2014) With more than 3,500 people killed in ongoing fighting between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian troops, it is perhaps fitting that the position in Kyiv with the least job security appears to be post of defense minister. President Petro Poroshenko nominated National Guard commander Stepan Poltorak as his new defense minister on October […]
» Read more
(Business New Europe – bne.eu – October 14, 2014) Soldiers from Ukraine’s National Guard have marched on the presidential administration in Kyiv demanding demobilisation, in the first sign of open unrest in Ukraine’s armed forces since the failure of the so-called “anti-terrorist operation” in the Donbass region of East Ukraine. Around 350 soldiers serving in Ukraine’s National Guard – which […]
» Read more
MOSCOW, October 14 (RIA Novosti) – The window of possibility for finding a solution to the civil conflict in Ukraine is now open, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday. “Today, the window of possibility to overcome the Ukrainian crisis is open. Practical measures are being agreed upon and implemented on the basis of ceasefire agreements reached on the initiative […]
» Read more
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Alexander Panin- October 14, 2014) President Vladimir Putin has approved the creation of a state-owned oil exploration drilling corporation that will replace Western oil service companies forced to reduce operations in Russia by sanctions on Moscow over Ukraine, a news report said Monday. In a time of “sharply escalating international tensions,” a national oil service […]
» Read more
(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Tim Ash, Standard Bank – October 13, 2014) I spent the last past week in DC trying to gauge better the Western response function to the crisis in Ukraine and with Russia. Herein are a few big picture take-outs from my discussions with a range of academics, journalists and policy types. First, the contrast […]
» Read more
(Bloomberg – boomberg.com – Henry Meyer, Evgenia Pismennaya – October 13, 2014) Defying his former enemies in the U.S. and Europe may force Vladimir Putin to aid the ascent of his biggest rival in the east. Isolated over Ukraine, Russia is relying on China for the investment it needs to avert a recession, three people involved in policy planning said, […]
» Read more
[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List JRL 2014-#214 :: Tuesday 15 October 2014 E-Mail: davidjohnson@starpower.net A project of the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs: www.ieres.org JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: russialist.org/funding.php Ukraine 1. The National Interest: Paul Saunders, How Russia Sees the Ukraine […]
» Read more
(Business New Europe – bne.eu – October 13, 2014) Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered thousands of troops stationed near the Ukrainian border to pull back to base, in an apparent move to reduce tension as cracks appeared in the uneasy ceasefire between government forces and rebels in East Ukraine’s Donbass region. At the same time, a leader of the Donbass […]
» Read more
MOSCOW, October 13 (RIA Novosti) – Six months have passed since the start of a massive mop-up operation in southeastern Ukraine. The operation has claimed the lives of 3,000 to 5,000 people, including civilians, soldiers and militia members, as well as the passengers of the Malaysian Boeing that crashed in the sky above Donetsk on July 17. HOW IT ALL […]
» Read more
(Business New Europe – bne.eu – October 13, 2014) Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has fired key commanders of Kyiv’s failed so-called “anti-terrorist operation” against Russian-backed rebels in the Donbass region of East Ukraine, including defence minister Valery Heletei. “It’s time to replace the Defence Ministry’s chief,” Poroshenko was quoted as saying on October 12. Heletei had become the target of […]
» Read more
(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Vitaliy Syzov, Halyna Tereshchuk, Claire Bigg – October 09, 2014) Irina Yaremko, a real estate agent in Lviv, says owners letting their flats through her agency now request that potential tenants from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions be immediately rejected. KYIV — When heavy fighting erupted in her hometown of Horlivka, in eastern Ukraine, Yulia and her husband […]
» Read more
Subject: Ukraine: An Apprehensive Bird’s View Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2014 From: Sergei Roy <SergeiRoy@yandex.ru> Ukraine: An Apprehensive Bird’s View By Sergei Roy [Former Editor-in-Chief, Moscow News] The world’s political, military, and media antennae are now mostly catching signals from the Middle East, specifically from the area around ISIS. Briefly, my take on the current situation is this: ISIS is […]
» Read more
(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Kateryna Choursina – October 13, 2014) Russian troops are pulling back from the border with Ukraine, the government in Kiev said, calling it a positive move. President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian forces to withdraw from Ukraine’s borders on Oct. 11. About 17,600 soldiers, who were on drills since the summer in the Rostov region, are to […]
» Read more
[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List JRL 2014-#213:: Monday 13 October 2014 E-Mail: davidjohnson@starpower.net A project of the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs: www.ieres.org JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: russialist.org/funding.php Ukraine 1. Kyiv Post: From blankets to buckwheat, candidates use bribes to win […]
» Read more
[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List JRL 2014-#212:: Friday 10 October 2014 E-Mail: davidjohnson@starpower.net A project of the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs: www.ieres.org JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: russialist.org/funding.php 1. Reuters: Special Report: Flaws found in Ukraine’s probe of Maidan massacre. […]
» Read more
(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Stephen Bierman, Elena Mazneva – October 10, 2014) U.S. and European Union moves to pressure Russia by threatening its oil output overlook one detail: a mass of conventional resources across Siberia, according to Natural Resources Minister Sergei Donskoi. Russia will distribute more oil and gas deposits found in traditional areas during the Soviet era, dulling the […]
» Read more
MINSK. Oct 10 (Interfax) – The delay in the enforcement of the economic bloc of Ukraine’s association agreement with the EU makes it possible to adjust the provisions of the document whose implementation could considerably harm the economy of the Customs Union, Russian President Vladimir Putin said. “Kyiv and Brussels heeded our arguments and decided to postpone the enforcement of […]
» Read more
WASHINGTON, October 10 (RIA Novosti) – Ukraine should not become a member of NATO and was never intended to become a NATO member, the former NATO Supreme Allied Commander of Europe told RIA Novosti. “We don’t need Ukraine as a member of NATO, we shouldn’t put it in NATO. It’s a different country. It was never our plan when we […]
» Read more
WASHINGTON, October 10 (RIA Novosti) – A proxy war between the United States and Russia could erupt in Ukraine should Washington decide to provide lethal assistance to help Kiev in its crackdown on independence supporters in the east, a scholar from National Defense University (NDU) told RIA Novosti. “Policy-wise it could lead to slow march into a proxy conflict with […]
» Read more
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – October 10, 2014) Kiev’s municipal council has ordered stores in the capital to label Russian-imported goods with additional markings to warn consumers they could be supporting the “aggressor” by buying the products, media reports said. According to the ruling approved by the city’s legislature, Russian made-goods will also have to be displayed on separate shelves […]
» Read more
MOSCOW. Oct 10 (Interfax) – The administration of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic said the accusations made against the DPR by Ukraine, which is accusing the DPR of ceasefire violations, are ungrounded. “These accusations are ungrounded. In the course of all these days since the Minsk memorandum was signed, the Ukrainian military opened fire on the city’s residential quarters from […]
» Read more
MOSCOW, October 10 (RIA Novosti) – Self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) in eastern Ukraine has signed an agreement with Kiev authorities on the establishment of a ‘buffer zone’ separating the sides of the conflict, DPR leader Alexander Zakharchenko said Friday. “We have signed an agreement on a buffer zone. The document stipulates that Kiev-led forces will pull out from several […]
» Read more
US Department of State October 9, 2014 Remarks at the Aspen Institute Victoria Nuland Assistant Secretary, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Berlin, Germany Assistant Secretary Nuland: It’s wonderful to be here with all of you at the Aspen Conference. Thank you to Aspen. Thank you to Microsoft for your support, this fantastic space. Thank you Rudy, and congrats to […]
» Read more
(Stratfor.com – October 9, 2014) Russian President Vladimir Putin celebrated his 62nd birthday Tuesday in a peculiar fashion: by himself in the Siberian forests. For the past few days, Putin’s spokesman, Dmitri Peskov, has brushed off journalists’ questions about why the president decided not to celebrate his birthday in Moscow or do other work as he has in previous years. This […]
» Read more
[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List JRL 2014-#211:: Thursday 9 October 2014 E-Mail: davidjohnson@starpower.net A project of the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs: www.ieres.org JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: russialist.org/funding.php Ukraine 1. AP: Ukraine adopts law to purge government officials. 2. The […]
» Read more
Subject: UKRAINIAN TRAGEDY AND A NEW COLD WAR Date: Thu, 9 Oct 2014 From: George Enteen <gxe1@psu.edu> UKRAINIAN TRAGEDY AND A NEW COLD WAR George Enteen Professor Emeritus of Russian History Penn State University The appalling events in Ukraine have but a single explanation in the minds of Americans – Russian aggression. This is personified and dramatized in the unattractive […]
» Read more
WASHINGTON, October 8 (RIA Novosti) – The United States is designing a work program that may eventually lead to providing lethal assistanceto the Ukrainian government, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (ISA), Derek Chollet said on Wednesday. “[Ukrainian] President [Petro] Poroshenko has been asking us for lethal assistance”, Chollet said in his speech at the International Institute […]
» Read more
(Voice of America – Doug Bernard – October 8, 2014) [Study here http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2501761. “Russia, Ukraine, and the West: Social Media Sentiment in the Euromaidan Protests”] A new study conducted at Harvard University suggests that Russian-speaking Ukrainians may be significantly more supportive of Kyiv’s standoff against Moscow and the pro-Russian separatists than has previously been reported. The study, authored by researcher […]
» Read more
(Interfax – October 8, 2014) The world should see the difference between Ukraine’s de facto annexation of Crimea in the 1990s and the self-identification of the people of Crimea in 2014, Russian State Duma speaker Sergey Naryshkin believes. He was speaking at a session of the Federation Council legislators council presidium session on 8 October, as reported by Russian privately-owned […]
» Read more
(Interfax – October 9, 2014) The Ukrainian economy is in a catastrophic state and the country could need hundreds of billions of dollars to stabilize it, Russian presidential aide Sergei Glazyev said at a Eurasian Economic Integration conference in Moscow. “Ukraine has entered into a phase of economic catastrophe. Calculations by the Eurasian Development Bank show that Ukraine would have […]
» Read more
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Howard Amos – October 9, 2014) Igor Sechin, the most influential figure in Russia’s energy industry, announced last week that a new oil field discovered in the Arctic was to be christened “Pobeda” – the Russian word for victory. Speaking to reporters from a blustery drilling platform, the Kremlin heavyweight, who also heads state-owned oil […]
» Read more
MOSCOW, October 9 (RIA Novosti) – It would be extremely difficult to revive constructive dialogue between Russia and NATO as bilateral relations have deteriorated to a great extent this year, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Thursday. “The atmosphere [of bilateral cooperation] that has been respected by the alliance for a long time has dissipated in a blink of an eye. […]
» Read more
(Voice of America – Andre de Nesnera – October 8, 2014) Recent statements at the United Nations by President Barack Obama and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov indicated things are not well between Washington and Moscow. President Obama said the international community must urgently address what he called “Russian aggression in Europe” — a reference to Moscow’s annexation of Crimea […]
» Read more
(Interfax – October 7, 2014) The risk of the Russian economy moving from stagnation to a full-scale recession “has become slightly higher” in the short run, privately-owned Russian news agency Interfax reported on 7 October, quoting the latest study carried out by a group of Russian researchers. The research headlined “Comments on the state and business” for the period from […]
» Read more
MOSCOW, October 8 (RIA Novosti) – Interethnic tensions have reduced significantly this year in Russia as a result of the country’s reunification with Crimea and President Vladimir Putin’s high approval ratings, the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office, Magomedsalam Magomedov said Wednesday. “The main factors for the significant reduction in interethnic tension was rallying people around such […]
» Read more
KIEV, October 8 (RIA Novosti) – Ukraine will present Russia and the international community with proposals regarding the restoration of control over Ukraine’s eastern border, US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland said Wednesday. “The Ukrainian side is now articulating a very concrete proposal for international monitoring for restoration of the sovereignty of the international […]
» Read more
MOSCOW, October 8 (RIA Novosti) – Less than half of the population of the United Kingdom, France and Germany think that the European Union should participate in the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis while supporting humanitarian aid deliveries and a peacekeeping mission, with some also suggesting the provision of financial aid for the Kiev government, an ICM poll commissioned by […]
» Read more
(US Embassy Ukraine – October 7, 2014) Assistant Secretary Victoria Nuland Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv Thank you Rector Huberski, thank you students. I am so sorry to be late, I am so sorry to keep you waiting. I am so delighted to be here with the future of Ukraine. You know, every […]
» Read more
MOSCOW, October 8 (RIA Novosti) – Speaking about the possible removal of sanctions against Russia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday that the matter was for Western states to decide. “Sanctions is the business of our western colleagues, the business of the countries that decided to use this illegal instrument for some reason, possibly just to take their frustration […]
» Read more
(Voice of America – Henry Ridgwell – October 7, 2014) As the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank gets underway in Washington, Ukraine wants to adjust the terms of its $17 billion bailout. Kyiv says the country is now at war and needs to build new armed forces. But some analysts say the terms of […]
» Read more
(Business New Europe – bne.eu – October 8, 2014) A report by Ukraine’s Alfa Bank argues that Ukraine has failed to gain from unilateral free trade with the European Union over the first six months. Exports have indeed grown but this has little to do with the free trade zone, says the report. In April 2014 the EU unilaterally removed […]
» Read more
(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, October 8, 2014) Many Russian regions now have more refugees from Ukraine than they had expected or can handle, and officials suggest that more are likely to arrive as Ukraine’s economy and weather deteriorate. As a result, the situation of these refugees is “becoming critical,” according to experts. In today’s “Novyye izvestiya,” […]
» Read more
(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Concorde Capital – October 8, 2014) More than 49% of the residents of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions (collectively known as Donbas) want to remain in the Ukrainian state, compared to 42% who are opposed, according to a poll released on Oct. 7 that was conducted by the Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Fund and the […]
» Read more
GENEVA, October 8 (RIA Novosti) – UN observers need access to mass graves discovered near the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, a senior official with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said Wednesday. Gianni Magazzeni, chief of the OHCHR Americas Europe and Central Asia Branch, told reporters that any reported violation of human rights needs […]
» Read more
KYIV. Oct 8 (Interfax) – Only 10.7% of polled Ukrainians think the government’s current security and defense policy fully meets national interests. Forty-two per cent of respondents think state policies in this sphere partly meet national interests; 30.9% hold to the opposite opinion, and 16.4% could not answer, according to the findings of a poll conducted by the Razumkov Centre, […]
» Read more