Seryozha colors in his drawing of a tank, lost in thought. Like many 7-year-olds in eastern Ukraine, he has trouble recalling a time before the war. “They’ve always been shooting,” he says, vigorously scratching with the brightest of pencils. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_UKRAINE_CHILDREN_OF_WAR?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
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Johnson’s Russia List JRL 2015-#55 :: Wednesday 18 March 2015 A project of the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: russialist.org/funding.php 1. Six minutes with English subtitles of “Crimea-Road to the motherland” 2. Rossiya 1 TV (Moscow): Film “Crimea: Road to the motherland” – Putin […]
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The Pentagon is delaying a training program for Ukrainian soldiers so as to avoid giving the Kremlin an excuse to scrap the tenuous peace deal struck last month between Kiev and Moscow-backed separatists, a top U.S. general said Tuesday. Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, commander of U.S. Army in Europe, said U.S. officials wanted to make sure such training—which would involve […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Ivan Nechepurenko – YALTA, Crimea, March 18, 2015) As Sergei Gabuyev, a kiosk owner in rebel-held Donetsk, watched a street fight between two groups of insurgents devolve into a sea of AK-47 fire in front of the city’s central bus station one evening, he knew it was time to leave. As had been typical among […]
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[“Kremlin rules out handing back Crimea to Ukraine” – Reuters – March 17, 2015] Reuters reports on Russia insisting it will try to sustain its occupation and annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, despite the threat of continued Western sanctions. Russia said on Tuesday it would not hand back Crimea to Ukraine, despite warnings by the United States and European Union that […]
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Ukraine’s fight to control its destiny is underway not only on its eastern battlefields but also in the halls of its parliament and in those of global financial institutions. The struggle to keep the former Soviet state afloat economically has been daunting, as the nation’s parliament has fallen into disarray and failed to enact major economic reforms. … http://www.rand.org/blog/2015/03/for-ukraine-the-battle-to-bolster-a-crashing-economy.html
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[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List JRL 2015-#54 :: Tuesday 17 March 2015 A project of the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: russialist.org/funding.php 1. Business New Europe: Graham Stack, Debaltseve counts […]
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When Moscow-backed separatists were starting their war in east Ukraine last spring, the country’s main security agency sent a covert team to capture a rebel leader. But word of the classified mission leaked out, and three Ukrainian operatives were themselves captured and thrown into a separatist jail. Rebels stripped them to their underwear, bound their wrists and blindfolded them, then […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Anna Sorokina, Elena Bobrova, RBTH, combined report – March 17, 2015) Putin’s press secretary responds to comments by Jen Psaki and Federica Mogherini on the status of the peninsula. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, has responded to comments by foreign officials about Crimea by saying that any situation worth discussing […]
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KYIV. March 17 (Interfax) – Ukraine has called on the international community to consolidate efforts to pressure Russia into returning Crimea and paying compensation for the losses caused to Ukraine. “We are calling on the global community to pay more attention to the problem of occupied Crimea, to consolidate international pressure on Russia to force it back immediately into complying […]
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MOSCOW. March 17 (Interfax) – The administration of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) believes that Kyiv is only imitating peaceful intentions on Donbas and is actually trying to disrupt the realization of the Minsk agreements. Andrei Purgin speaker of the DPR People’s Council, told Interfax the amendments to the law on the special status of Donbas submitted by Ukrainian […]
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DONETSK. March 16 (Interfax) – The administration of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) has accused Kyiv of massive ceasefire violations. “Kyiv has violated the ceasefire regime 8,254 times since the Minsk meeting. The populated area of Spartak is currently under attack,” Alexander Zakharchenko, the head of the DPR, told reporters on Monday. Zakharchenko denied the involvement of the militia […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Peter Hobson, Business Editor – March 16, 2015) U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland last week told an influential group of U.S. senators that due to Russian actions in Ukraine, “Crimea and parts of eastern Ukraine are suffering a reign of terror.” Nuland, who spearheads White House policy in Eastern Europe, is persona non grata […]
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(Interfax – March 16, 2015) Some military specialists suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin should have used all means of deterrence in the Crimea situation but Putin declined to do so, it was said in a documentary, Crimea – Return to the Motherland, aired by the Rossiya-1 channel on Sunday. “We were told by the Defense Ministry later that certain […]
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(The Daily Signal (The Heritage Foundation) – dailysignal.com – Ben Smith – March 14, 2015) In Ukraine, the crisis is messy, the solutions elusive and the outlook bleak. That is the view of Eugene Rumer, a senior associate and director of the Russia and Eurasia program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Rumer spoke at The Heritage Foundation recently about his new […]
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(opendemocracy.net – Fabian Burkhardt – March 13, 2015) Fabian Burkhardt holds an MA in Russian Studies from the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London, and is currently a PhD researcher at the Graduate School for East and Southeast European Studies at LMU Munich. He tweets on Russian and post-Soviet politics @sanwaldinjo Berlin, Geneva, Paris, and Minsk. […]
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[“Ukraine Finance Minister Seeks More Bailout Financing; Natalie Jaresko says security, political risks could push up debt-restructuring needs” – Wall Street Journal – Ian Talley – March 16, 2015] The Wall Street Journal covers Ukraine’s efforts to gain more financing to spur growth and development. Ukraine needs more bailout financing than currently promised to help jump-start the embattled nation’s economy, Finance Minister […]
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A freak road accident involving a Ukrainian armored personnel vehicle that killed an 8-year-old girl escalated into a series of riots in Kostantynivka, Donetsk Oblast, on March 16. The accident took place at around 3 p.m. in the center of the city of 95,000 residents. The armored vehicle lost control on the road and hit the little girl, her aunt […]
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A little more than a year ago, the Ukrainian people chose a path of fundamental change. Citizens took a stand in Kyiv’s Maidan Square for the right to live in a free, independent and prosperous European country and to put an end to endemic corruption and mismanagement. More than 100 people gave their lives during the Revolution of Dignity. Since […]
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IN LATE 2013, early in the Maidan demonstrations, Savik Shuster, one of Ukraine’s most influential television hosts, made the mistake of inviting opposition leaders onto his talk show. Mr Shuster’s network, whose owners were aligned with Viktor Yanukovych, then the president, promptly dropped Mr Shuster’s programme “Savik Live”. It was picked up by Channel 5, a station owned by a […]
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(Interfax – March 13, 2015) Russian prosecutors have dropped their charges against Svetlana Davydova, a mother of seven from the town of Vyazma accused of treason after calling the Ukrainian embassy about Russian troop movements in April 2014, due to the absence of any crime, the woman’s lawyer Ivan Pavlov told Interfax on Friday. “Davydova was cleared of all high […]
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Ukrainian troops depart from Chernihiv for Donbas combat zone Soldiers from a special battalion in Chernihiv have been deployed to east Ukraine. …
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Johnson’s Russia List JRL 2015-#53 :: Monday 16 March 2015 A project of the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: russialist.org/funding.php 1. www.belgraviadispatch.com: Gregory Djerejian, REALISTIC APPRAISAL OF RUSSIA’S POLICY ISN’T TANTAMOUNT TO A PUTIN APOLOGIA. 2. http://readrussia.com: Mark Adomanis, Is It All […]
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(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, March 10, 2015) It is time to give Nevil Chamberlain a rest as the sole poster child for appeasement. Yes, he appeased Hitler in a hopeless quest to avoid war. He even was honest enough to say that was what he was doing. But when Hitler violated Munich and seized all of Czechoslovakia, […]
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(Business New Europe – bne.eu – bne IntelliNews – March 6, 2015) One year after the Ukrainian revolution, a Soviet-era prosecutor is becoming a hero of the post-revolutionary camp, while Maidan heroes fall by the wayside. As post-Yanukovych Ukraine enters its second year, the impressive unity initially shown by its supporters is fragmenting amid a new sobriety, as former heroes […]
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Johnson’s Russia List JRL 2015-#52 :: Sunday 15 March 2015 A project of the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: russialist.org/funding.php 1. Moscow Times: Russian State TV Shows Footage of Putin Working in Good Health. 2. The Unz Review: Anatoly Karlin, Schrodinger’s Putin. […]
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Subject: Are we like the frog? The responsibility of Western media Date: Fri, 6 Mar 2015 11:32:16 +0000 From: Antony Penaud <antonypenaud@yahoo.fr> Antony Penaud received his DPhil from the University of Oxford in 2000. He is French and lives in London. His essays on the Ukrainian crisis can be found on https://www.scribd.com/AntonyKharms. Are we like the frog? The responsibility of Western […]
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[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List JRL 2015-#51 :: Friday 13 March 2015 A project of the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: russialist.org/funding.php 1. Harvard University Department of Slavic Languages & […]
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A new documentary to be aired on Russian state TV confirms a Kremlin plot to occupy Crimea, which has a Russian naval port. The annexation fueled a still-unresolved conflict in eastern Ukraine. … http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2015/0312/Putin-s-grab-of-Crimea-still-rankles-West.-How-about-Crimeans-video
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Twenty-five years after the Cold War’s end, the struggle for Ukraine’s survival as an independent nation has become a test of the character of our time. Since the protests last year on the Maidan, Kiev’s main square, the country has faced two crippling wars: a hot one over its eastern provinces, and another one over efforts to prevent its political […]
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DONETSK. March 10 (Interfax) – The Donbas militia has presented three lists of approximately 2,000 captives planned to be exchanged with Ukraine. “The first list is comprised of the names of about 220 soldiers, the second of another 800, and the third list contains the names of civilians, 900 people, ombudsman of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) Darya Morozova […]
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(Interfax – March 9, 2015) Ukraine is considering the political proposals made by the unrecognized Donbass republics, according to the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic envoy Vladislav Deinego. “Progress is visible. We have had our position heard and received information that our proposals are being considered,” Deinego said at a press conference on Monday, broadcast by the Rossiya 24 television station. […]
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(Business New Europe – bne.eu – bne IntelliNews – March 9, 2015) Ukraine’s bankers stole UAH58bn from their banks in 2014-2015, state refunds to depositors of bankrupt banks were equivalent to 10% of total budget revenues, while total losses from bank insolvencies comprised 9% of GDP. These are just some of the disastrous figures Valery Gontareva, head of the National […]
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[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List JRL 2015-#50 :: Thursday 12 March 2015 A project of the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: russialist.org/funding.php 1. Wall Street Journal: 5 Things About the […]
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A former regional governor has been found dead in Ukraine, the latest in a series of deaths involving allies of deposed President Viktor Yanukovych. Oleksandr Peklushenko, former head of Zaporizhzhya, had suffered a gunshot wound to the neck and authorities said initial inquiries pointed to suicide. … http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31855700
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KYIV. March 10 (Interfax) – The Ukrainian army is threatening to bring back all artillery guns withdrawn earlier if the militia mounts an offense on its positions. “Our frontline units still have heavy infantry weapons which can stop an offensive of heavy armaments so that they are not endangered. If the militia moves forward, all the artillery guns will be […]
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Johnson’s Russia List JRL 2015-#49 :: Wednesday 11 March 2015 A project of the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: russialist.org/funding.php 1. Novaya Gazeta: Analysts dissect Ukraine’s data on Russian military fighting in Donbass – paper. 2. BBC: Mark Urban, How many Russians are […]
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[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List JRL 2015-#48 :: Tuesday 10 March 2015 A project of the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: russialist.org/funding.php 1. www.thedailybeast.com: Catherine Fitzpatrick, Putin’s Usual Suspects: The […]
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For roughly a year, Obama officials have been weighing lethal aid to Ukraine. Some 6,000 Ukrainians have been killed since, but they’re no closer to a decision. …
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Russia may ease the terms of its gas supplies to Ukraine, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak told Reuters, but he said that sooner or later Kiev would have to pay for the gas Moscow is supplying to rebel-held areas of east Ukraine. …
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… Putin’s short-term victories should not blind Western policymakers to the significant costs that Russia has racked up. In particular, through its annexation of Crimea and subsequent policies, Moscow has ensured that Ukraine will no longer act as a buffer state and will instead gravitate to the West for the foreseeable future. What’s more, Russia’s security situation has continued to […]
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A Military Assessment of the Russian War in Ukraine Stephen Blank Senior Fellow American Foreign Policy Council February 2015 Testimony Presented to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation, March 4, 2015 Ukraine needs military help from abroad in terms of weapons, training, and finances to help sustain its government and economy in the face […]
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… 3. USA Today: Poll: Ukrainians support neutrality, disagree on war.
4. The Globe and Mail (Canada): Stephen Cornish, Eastern Ukraine’s escalating human toll. …
[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List JRL 2015-#46 :: Sunday 8 March 2015 A project of the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: russialist.org/funding.php 1. Russia Direct: Legvold and Trenin: How to fix […]
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The Senate Foreign Relations Committee Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation Statement for the Record Russian Aggression against Ukraine and the West’s Policy Response Steven Pifer Senior Fellow, Center on the United States and Europe The Brookings Institution March 4, 2015 [Also appeared at foreign.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/030415_Pifer_Testimony.pdf] Russian Aggression against Ukraine and the West’s Policy Response Introduction Mr. Chairman, Senator Shaheen, distinguished […]
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KHARKIV, Ukraine. March 5 (Interfax) – Kharkiv’s mayor, who is charged with abduction confinement, torture and threats of murder, said on Thursday that he did not expect a fair trial but that he would fight to prove his innocence. “I don’t expect justice from my accusers, I don’t believe I will have a fair trial, but I stand ready to […]
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(opendemocracy.net – John O’Loughlin, Gerard Toal – March 3, 2015) John O’Loughlin is College Professor of Distinction and Professor of Geography at the University of Colorado, Boulder Gerard Toal (Gearóid Ó Tuathail) is Professor of Government and International Affairs at Virginia Tech’s National Capital Region campus. He is the co-author of Bosnia Remade: Ethnic Cleansing and its Reversal (Oxford, 2011). […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Ivan Nechepurenko – YALTA, March 6, 2015) A year after Russia annexed their peninsula from Ukraine, Crimeans are overwhelmingly upbeat about their future despite the challenges inherent to the process of severing ties with one nation and integrating into another. In the immediate aftermath of the annexation, many residents of Russia’s newest region were predictably […]
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(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Patrick Donahue, David J Lynch – March 5, 2015) As the U.S. State Department’s No. 2 official warned against a military response to the Ukraine crisis, President Barack Obama is facing growing pressure from other top advisers to start arming Ukrainian government forces battling Russian-backed insurgents. “Anything we did as countries in terms of military support […]
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[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List JRL 2015-#45 :: Friday 6 March 2015 A project of the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: russialist.org/funding.php 1. www.rt.com: Russia ranks highest for female top […]
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