Interfax: Poll: Most Russians not ready to join protests

File Photo of Moscow Protest with Riot Police

(Interfax – March 14, 2016) Seventy percent of Russians have called unlikely mass protests against falling living standards and in defense of their rights, yet the percentage has reduced by seven points since October 2015 (77 percent), the Levada Center told Interfax. The share of Russians who deem economic protests to be possible has grown by a third, from 18 […]

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NEWSWATCH Washington Post: “As energy prices drop, ordinary Russians are protesting”

Diverse Paper Currency, Coins, Line Graph

… Once prosperous enough to afford expensive Moscow apartments, they are now staggering under an economic burden fueled by geopolitical conflict and the plummeting price of oil. * * * Russia’s foreign-policy adventures … in Ukraine … in Syria — have tied up state resources …. The drop in energy prices has drained government coffers and sent the ruble skidding […]

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Russia’s Government Doesn’t See the Economic Downslide As a Threat

Diverse Paper Currency, Coins, Line Graph

In his latest comment on key developments impacting the Russian economy, Sergey Aleksashenko, nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and former deputy chairman of the Russian Central Bank, reviews the government’s controversial efforts to battle the economic crisis. (Institute of Modern Russia – imrussia.org – March 3, 2016) Unnecessary Government? Today, it seems the Russian government itself no longer […]

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Where does the Russian Orthodox Church get its money from?

Patriarch Kirill file photo

The Russian Orthodox Church is not only a religious organization, but also a large corporation that does business. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – ANNA KUCHMA, RBTH – March 9, 2016) In 2014, the Russian Orthodox Church received $75.7 million of revenues from ceremonies, sales of religious literature and donations, according to the Federal Tax Service. All of this […]

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Russia’s Oil Dilemma Explained

Oil Well file photo

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Stephen Bierman -March 8, 2016) [Charts here bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-03-09/russia-s-dilemma-squeeze-oil-industry-without-strangling-growth-ilk2y8i4] While the world focuses on Russia’s oil-freeze talks with OPEC, there are discussions behind closed doors in the Kremlin that will have a much more significant impact on the nation’s energy industry. The petrodollars that underpin Russia’s national budget are evaporating. When crude prices were high, increasing revenue […]

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Russia Missed Its Chance to Be Like America

Map of Russia and Russian Flag adapted from images at state.gov

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Leonid Bershidsky – March 4, 2016) Many Russians feel the U.S. and their country are much alike. Both are vast, they share a sense of adventure, along with underlying lawlessness and violence, and in both, the infrastructure often is an afterthought. So what is keeping Russia from turning into another America — a democratic nation and […]

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Nord Stream 2: Is Russian gas politically incorrect?

Gas Flame file photo

A lobbying campaign against the extension of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, spearheaded by Gazprom together with five European energy majors, has now engulfed the European Parliament. What are the arguments of the opponents and are they business-focused or politically motivated? (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – VLADIMIR MIKHEEV, SPECIAL TO RBTH – March 4, 2016) Twelve members […]

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Will Russia End Up Controlling 73% of Global Oil Supply?

Oil Well file photo

(Oilprice.com – Rakesh Upadhyay – March 6, 2016) Russia has played a master stroke in the current oil crisis by taking the lead in forming a new cartel, but it’s a move that could spell geopolitical disaster. The meeting between Russia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela on 16 February 2016 was the first step. During the next meeting in mid-March, […]

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The Russia-Ukraine Bond Dispute: Another Frozen Conflict?

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

Subject: The Russia-Ukraine Bond Dispute: Another Frozen Conflict? Date: Sun, 6 Mar 2016 From: Peter Clateman <pclateman@yahoo.com> Transnational Dispute Management transnational-dispute-management.com This article will be published in a future issue of TDM (2016). Check website for final publication date for correct reference. This article may not be the final version and should be consideredas a draft article. About TDM TDM […]

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The Russia-Ukraine Bond Dispute: Another Frozen Conflict?

Maidan Square in Kiev, Ukraine

Subject: The Russia-Ukraine Bond Dispute: Another Frozen Conflict? Date: Sun, 6 Mar 2016 From: Peter Clateman <pclateman@yahoo.com> Transnational Dispute Management transnational-dispute-management.com This article will be published in a future issue of TDM (2016). Check website for final publication date for correct reference. This article may not be the final version and should be consideredas a draft article. About TDM TDM […]

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Why we don’t publish articles about Putin

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

Mainstream media in the west and Russia is fixated on the Russian president. Here’s why we’re not. (opendemocracy.net – MAXIM EDWARDS, THOMAS ROWLEY, NATALIA ANTONOVA, MIKHAIL KALUZHSKY – March 4, 2016) Maxim Edwards is Commissioning Editor at oDR. Tom Rowley is lead editor at oDR. Natalia Antonova is Associate Editor at oDR. Mikhail Kaluzhsky is Lead Russian-Language Editor at oDR. […]

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Russian oil companies approve production freeze

Oil Well file photo

The country’s top oil bosses have agreed to keep production at January levels in a deal with the government, which is hoping the move will see oil prices increase. However, analysts say that the move may not necessarily lead to a recovery. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – ALEXEI LOSSAN, RBTH – March 3, 2016) The heads of Russia’s […]

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NEWSLINK: “How Putin’s Embargo Is Reshaping Russia’s Cuisine. Putin’s embargo is changing the way Russians dine out, and chef Vladimir Mukhin is taking the opportunity to transfigure the country’s cuisine. 16. The Economist: Russia and sanctions. Toe in the water. Why is Russia tapping international debt markets?” – Wall Street Journal

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Russian media silent as U.S. extends sanctions against Moscow

Truck at Russian Border Crossing

The U.S. has extended its economic sanctions regime against Russia. While the mass media kept quiet on the news, one or two outlets speculated about the possible reasons behind the decision as well as about the likely outcome of a coming EU vote on whether to follow suit. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – NIKOLAI SHEVCHENKO, SPECIAL TO RBTH […]

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NEWSWATCH: “Russia Thinks It Has Solved the Oil-Price Crisis; But it may just be more wishful thinking” – Fortune.com

Oil Well file photo

The world’s major oil exporting economies have been putting together an agreement to freeze oil production levels, and Russia’s energy minister is optimistic that it will be effective in finally stopping the slide in oil prices ….  * * * The news seemed to buoy the oil market…. But there’s plenty of reason to doubt that the action will bring […]

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Fitch Says Russia Forces Choice Between Sanctions and Ratings

File Photo of Outdoor Electronic Sign with Russian Exchange Data

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Anna Baraulina, Anna Andrianova – February 29, 2016) Fitch Ratings Ltd. said it will probably stop issuing local ratings on Russian companies under new rules that make it impossible to abide by European Union and U.S. sanctions against Moscow. The rules create a dilemma for international firms because they run counter to the penalties imposed by […]

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TRANSCRIPT: [Putin at] Meeting with Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller

Gas Facility file photo

(Kremlin.ru – February 29, 2016) The head of Gazprom briefed Vladimir Putin on the company’s results in 2015, and discussed, in particular, gas supply figures for the domestic and European markets and the programme for connecting Russia’s regions to the gas network. President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Miller, I have several questions to start our discussion, and then we […]

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Russia’s Economy Is Tanking, So Why Is Putin Smiling?

Diverse Paper Currency, Coins, Line Graph

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Evgenia Pismennaya, Anna Andrianova – February 29, 2016) With Russia mired in the longest recession in two decades, there hasn’t been a lot of good economic news lately. But there’s one indicator that’s looking up, and it’s the one that matters most to Vladimir Putin: His hard-currency reserves. The central bank held $379 billion in foreign […]

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Moscow Times: Russian Middle Class Has Not Felt Impact of Economic Crisis

Cash, Calculator, Pen

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – February 29, 2016) Russia’s middle class has not yet felt the impact of the economic crisis, the Kommersant newspaper reported Monday citing a report by the Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Most middle class Russians have retained their jobs and income levels, and many have even reduced their debt burden under […]

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Shuvalov: economic situation in Russia is difficult, there is no influx of guest workers to Russia

Russian Migrant Workers file photo

MOSCOW. Feb 26 (Interfax) – Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov said there is no big influx of foreign labor migrants to Russia amid the economic problems. “We need to understand that the economic situation in the country is very difficult. Migrants are not so active now as they were when our national currency was rather strong,” Shuvalov said […]

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Russia Seen Dodging Political Storm as Putin Rides Out Recession

Diverse Paper Currency, Coins, Line Graph

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Andre Tartar, Anna Andrianova – February 25, 2016) As Russia hunkers down for the second year of recession, most economists say a parliamentary election in September won’t unleash the kind of protests that rattled the country in 2011. There’s a 30 percent chance that economic distress will translate into political unrest, according to the median of […]

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The Great Manipulator

Kremlin and River

(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Brian Whitmore – February 24, 2016) Dmitry Medvedev recently played a telling little head game. When the Russian prime minister said at the Munich Security Conference that Moscow and the West had “slid into a new Cold War,” he essentially created a damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don’t situation. “If the West agrees that it is a new Cold War, then […]

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‘Why Didn’t You Run?’ – The Inside Story on the Arrest of Russian Billionaire Dmitry Kamenshchik

File Photo of Kremlin Tower, St. Basil's, Red Square at Night

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Peter Hobson – February 25, 2016) On the morning of Feb. 18, Dmitry Kamenshchik, Russia’s 27th-richest tycoon, packed a backpack with some spare clothes, a toothbrush, and shoes without laces – the essentials for a stint in prison. The billionaire owner of Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport was unemotional, says his lawyer. Ten days earlier, three current […]

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What will Russia be like in 2030?

Kremlin and Saint Basil's File Photo

Gathered at a forum in the heart of Siberia, leading Russian economists have outlined their vision for the country’s future. Discussions at the Krasnoyarsk Economic Forum focused on issues including decentralization, developing food technologies and healthcare. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – ALEXEI LOSSAN, RBTH – February 25, 2016) The summer of 2016 should see the publication of Strategy-2030, […]

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Interfax: Novak considers $50 per barrel most appropriate from supply-demand standpoint

Offshore Oil Rig file photo

MINSK. Feb 25 (Interfax) – Oil prices are unlikely to rise above $60 per barrel and a price of $50 is optimal, Energy Minister Alexander Novak said. “Speaking fundamentally, the price cannot be high, above $50-$60 per barrel, because in this situation robust investment activity would resume, those projects where investment and production volumes are now falling would be implemented, […]

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Most Russian Monotown Residents Say Economic Situation Unbearable

Diverse Paper Currency, Coins, Line Graph

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – February 25, 2016) A total of 59.8 percent of residents of Russia’s single-industry towns consider their socio-economic situation to be unbearable or hardly bearable, the RBC newspaper reported Thursday, citing a poll by the Federal Guard Service (FSO). Only 3.9 percent of respondents said the socio-economic situation in their town was favorable and 31.3 percent […]

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Russians Adjust to Increasing Poverty like Frogs to Gradually Warming Water, Kirillova Says

Cash, Calculator, Pen

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, February 23, 2016) It has long been claimed that a frog who might jump out of a port of boiling water will stay quietly in a gradually warming pot, even though as a result, he will end up dead. In a new commentary, Kseniya Kirillova suggests that Russians are adapting to gradually […]

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Can Things Get Any Worse for Russia? You’re About to Find Out

Diverse Paper Currency, Coins, Line Graph

Investors who’ve made a fortune in the country say that with oil’s plunge, the ruble’s collapse, and Putin in power, all bets are off (Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Ksenia Galouchko and Henry Meyer – February 23, 2016) [Charts here bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-24/putin-s-oil-despair-drives-lucky-few-investors-toward-the-exits] For a decade, Dmitri Barinov has been following the volatile economy of his homeland from the safe distance of Union […]

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TRANSCRIPT: [Medvedev on] The Government’s action plan to ensure stable socioeconomic development in 2016

Dmitri Medvedev file photo

(Government.ru – February 18, 2016) Excerpts from Dmitry Medvedev’s opening remarks at the Government meeting: The budget sector and the real sector are overstrained today due to low oil prices and sanctions, so there have been a lot of proposals to be included in the plan but far from all of them were incorporated into the final version. We need […]

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Strategy-2030 to be formulated in coming months – Dvorkovich

Arkady Dvorkovich file photo

KRASNOYARSK. Feb 19 (Interfax) – Russian government officials intend to formulate the country’s development strategy to the year 2030 in the next few months, Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich said, opening the plenary session of the Krasnoyarsk Economic Forum on Friday. “We have gathered not only in order to talk, but also to formulate solutions or approaches to solving the […]

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NEWSWATCH: “Russia government mulls five percent cut in defense procurement spending: sources” – Reuters

File Photo of Russian Tanks in Military Parade

Russia’s government is considering cutting spending on defense procurement this year by 5 percent … a move that would extend the budget squeeze to a sector that up to now has been immune …. The proposal has support across several ministries and in other state institutions, enough for it to go forward for discussion at a cabinet meeting, the sources […]

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The One Shock Russia Dodged Is Set to Catch Up With Putin

Diverse Paper Currency, Coins, Line Graph

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Olga Tanas – February 18, 2016) [Charts here bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-17/the-one-shock-sidestepped-by-russia-is-catching-up-with-putin] Russia’s longest recession in two decades is proving a test too far for the labor market. After deflecting pressure in 2015 with salary reductions, part-time work and unpaid vacations, companies are increasingly opting to cut jobs as the economy enters its second year of contraction. As Russia’s […]

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Russia and OPEC trio agree to freeze oil production, but no cuts

Oil Well file photo

Russia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Venezuela have announced their readiness to freeze oil production volumes at January levels but fell short of agreeing to cut production by 5 percent as was earlier anticipated. Market analysts believe this agreement is a loss for Russian diplomacy – as a result of the deal, oil prices and the related value of the ruble […]

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Defender of Putin, Detained in Russia: American Activist Deemed U.S. ‘Agent’

File Photo of Kremlin Tower, St. Basil's, Red Square at Night

(RFE/RL – rferl.org –Carl Schreck – February 17, 2016) For a person who has dedicated her life to improving ties between Moscow and the West — and who has passionately denounced what she calls the “demonization” of President Vladimir Putin by Western media and officials — Sharon Tennison has gotten a strange reception in Russia. Tennison, an American activist whose […]

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Weak Ruble Draws Foreign Tourists to Russia for Summer Vacations

Diverse Paper Currency, Coins, Line Graph

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – February 18, 2016) The number of foreign tourists booking summer vacations in Russia has risen by 30 percent amid the weakening of the ruble, the Kommersant newspaper reported Wednesday, citing a study by the Momondo online reservation system. Demand for trips to Russia during the summer months among German travelers – who made the most […]

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NEWSWATCH: “A Pyrrhic Victory for President Poroshenko” – Atlantic Council/Anders Aslund

Verkhovna Rada File Photo

… February 16, the Ukrainian parliament deemed the performance of its government unsatisfactory with 247 votes, but only 194 parliamentarians voted for a no-confidence measure. The government did not fall … this strange vote may appear a victory for … Poroshenko, but it seems a Pyrrhic victory that may have broken the ruling coalition in parliament and brought Ukraine closer […]

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