The association of Johnson’s Russia List with George Washington University will shortly be coming to an end. That will officially occur as of May 1 when funding runs out. I am grateful to GW’s Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies for acceptance of JRL over the years. The long-time support of the Carnegie Corporation has been vital. The work […]
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“Ukraine’s top commander said his outgunned troops were facing a dire situation as Russia tried to push its advantage before the first batch of an American military package arrives.” “Russian troops have captured or entered around a half-dozen villages on Ukraine’s eastern front over the past week, highlighting the deteriorating situation in the region for outgunned and outnumbered Ukrainian forces […]
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(Moscow Times – April 29, 2024) Major European banks that continue to do business in Russia paid the government four times more in taxes in 2023 than in the year before Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Financial Times reported. [ft.com/content/cd6c28e2-d327-4c2a-a023-098ca43eacfb] The seven lenders — Austria’s Raiffeisen, Italy’s UniCredit and Intesa Sanpaolo, the Netherlands’ ING, Germany’s Commerzbank and […]
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“Our columnist visits a future Russian outpost in China’s most advanced spaceport” “… Here, in this showcase for Chinese technology, … Moscow Power Engineering Institute … has been invited to open a branch in Wenchang with room for 10,000 students of aerospace engineering and science. … Chinese media have already announced that, unusually, the Hainan institute will be a Russian-led […]
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“The pipeline bringing Russian gas to Europe was once seen as a triumph for borderless business—but Putin’s invasion of Ukraine put an end to that fantasy.” “… [O]n Sept. 5, [2022,] the company announced that the pipeline would remain closed indefinitely. Three weeks later … catastrophe had arrived. Someone had caused the gas-filled Nord Stream 1 and 2 to explode […]
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“… Biden and his national security team are facing a moment of truth in Ukraine. Simply funding the war in Ukraine without changing the dynamics will likely result in Putin winning over time. … [Biden] must determine whether he has the will and conviction to … see … Zelensky and his generals through to victory. … Biden has extended a […]
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“Few Biden administration officials or lawmakers say the $60 billion package means Ukraine walks away from the battlefield with its country fully restored.” “… [S]ome Biden administration officials are skeptical [that the latest $60 billion in U.S aid approved will be] enough for Ukraine to win its two-year war …. Battlefield dynamics [reportedly] have shifted … partly because Ukraine ran […]
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“Ukraine’s tired and weary armed forces … had their best week in months, not on the muddy battlefields of the Donbas but in the corridors of power in Washington. After many rounds of argument and hesitation, the U.S. House of Representatives’ vote to provide $US61 billion ($94 billion) in new military aid for Ukraine … may be a turning point […]
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(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org) 7 Things to Know The U.S. confirmed this week that it secretly sent long-range missile systems known as ATACMS to Ukraine, with the weapons arriving in the country this month. U.S. President Joe Biden reversed course on a decision to withhold the weapons that some feared could lead to an escalation in the war with Russia […]
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“I spent half of my childhood in Ukraine … half in Russia before moving to the United States [as] a teenager. … [M]y one, obsessive goal — as a mother raising a child in America with a man who spoke only English — was to teach my son Russian …. such a deep-rooted part of my immigrant identity …. One […]
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“… Nearly 1,400 companies, including many of the most internationally recognisable brands, have since February 2022 announced … they would cease or dial back …. operations in Russia [over] Moscow’s military aggression against Ukraine. … [M]any of these companies’ products are still widely sold in Russia, [often] in violation of Western-led sanctions …. Aided by the Russian government’s legalisation of […]
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“A secret-service overlord’s delusional outlook becomes the party line in Russia—with global implications.” “… Nikolai Patrushev … second-most powerful man in Moscow … [c]urrently … head of Russia’s Security Council … has been a colleague of … Putin’s since … the Leningrad KGB in the 1970s and is now the president’s confidant and top adviser. A general of the army […]
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“Novelists and filmmakers have long developed alternative histories of major conflicts that should serve as warnings for complacent Americans.” “… Under certain circumstances, imagining defeat can sap your morale. But it can also focus the mind on the burning imperative not to lose. Ukrainians have no difficulty imagining what defeat would mean today. They have seen the bodies strewn in […]
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(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org – April 25, 2024) The full video of this event from the George W. Bush Presidential Center’s 2024 Forum on Leadership can be found here. Introduction and transcription by RM Staff. [note from web editor: embedded video added below] CIA Director William Burns predicts that with supplemental U.S. aid, which is now beginning to flow to […]
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“Without a strategy the new aid could be the worst thing to happen to the war beleaguered country right now. Here’s why.” “… The [Ukraine aid] package [recently passed by Congress] includes enough military and economic support to sustain Kyiv’s hopes for a few more months, but nowhere near enough to defeat Russian forces. Of the roughly $61 billion … […]
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“The two-year-old war in Ukraine — which is far from deadlocked — could pivot dramatically in the coming months. U.S. decisions will play a decisive role.” “… Russia and Ukraine could soon be looking at a transformed conflict … in which both have real reasons for hope as well as fear. … Russia’s newly amped-up military strategy heightens the danger […]
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“The Kremlin is looking to reshape global commerce in an effort to dodge Western sanctions” “Russia announced this week that its bilateral trade with China has almost completely moved away from using the U.S. dollar, highlighting the two countries’ commitment to reducing their reliance on the U.S.-led economic system. … [T]hese ‘de-dollarization’ efforts allow Russia and China to avoid … […]
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“Vladimir Putin says the West is trying to ‘finish’ Russia. The Biden administration denies the accusation. But leaked documents reveal the extent of U.S. involvement in the Ukraine fight.” “… [L]eaked documents confirm … that the United States is using its vast array of espionage and surveillance tools — including cutting-edge satellites and signals intelligence — to keep Kyiv ahead […]
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“… Putin [ally Valentina Matviyenko] warned Europe on Tuesday [without specifics] that Russia has already drafted legislation to retaliate if nearly $300 billion of Russian assets were seized by the West … to help Ukraine. … ‘We also have a prepared answer,’ … Matviyenko, the speaker of the Russian upper house of parliament [and a member of Russia’s powerful Security […]
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“The United States in recent weeks secretly shipped long-range [ATACMS] missiles to Ukraine for use in its battle to fight off Russian invaders, and Ukraine has now used them twice, a U.S. official said …. The missiles [reportedly] were contained in a $300 million military aid package for Ukraine … approved … March 12 …. White House national security adviser […]
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“… FBI Director Christopher Way[] … warn[s] … ‘Like China, Russia continues to target critical infrastructure … like underwater cables and industrial control systems … in the United States and [globally] …. [S]ince its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, we’ve seen Russia conducting reconnaissance on the U.S. energy sector. … [A]dding to that concern is that the Russians, like our other […]
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“If true, the hack would be the first-ever disruption of a U.S. water system by Russia Others like Iran and China have already been accused, and feds are investigating A hacking group allied with the Russian government took credit for the scandal” “Russian hackers claiming to be backed by the Kremlin are believed to have remotely accessed a … water […]
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“Two dancers from the Russian company were set to perform at a benefit for a prestigious competition for young dancers, but they were sidelined after protests by pro-Ukrainian activists.” “Two dancers from the Mariinsky Theater in Russia were barred from performing at a youth ballet gala in New York … [after previously being] set to take part in two performances, […]
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“… [T]he Kremlin’s goals … have not changed. Dmitriy Medvedev, … former Russian president and current deputy head of the Russian Security Council, described them clearly … [to] include the ‘complete capitulation’ of Ukraine with the subsequent absorption of [Ukrainian] territories and resources by Russia. … Everything … Putin’s regime has already done and will continue to do is a […]
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“Ammunition and arms will be rushed to Kyiv’s forces on funding bill’s approval, ‘literally in the nick of time’” “The House vote to approve $60 billion … for Ukraine comes at a desperate moment … and holds the prospect of helping them stave off a Russian onslaught at the last possible moment. If approved by the Senate … and … […]
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“… Zelensky … [on] Sunday … emphasiz[ed] that the U.S. is helping protect democracy throughout the region. … ‘The Americans are not funding the war in Ukraine. They foremost protect freedom and democracy all over Europe. And Ukraine is fighting … sending their best sons and daughters to the front …reduc[ing] the price for all Europe, for all NATO,’ Zelensky […]
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“To Halt Russia’s Advance, Kyiv Needs More Boots on the Ground” “… The debate in the U.S. Congress over … military aid to Ukraine has been a debacle. … [M]onths of dithering in Washington have dismayed Europeans and given Moscow hope that Western resolve … is cracking. Russian forces — bolstered by equipment from China, Iran, and North Korea — […]
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“The troops would be serving in a non-combat role, officials said.” “The U.S. is considering sending additional military advisers to the [U.S.] embassy in Kyiv … as Russia appears to be gaining momentum …. The advisers would not be in a combat role, but rather … advise and support the Ukrainian government and military …. ‘Throughout this conflict … DOD […]
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“… [With] restored U.S. support and ongoing help from Europe, Ukraine might be able to turn the tide. …. Ukrainian conscription … [now] allow[s] the government to draft men ages 25 and 26, [so that] some 400,000 more men are now eligible. … [T]hat likely won’t be enough to find 200,000 more, so [Ukraine] will also need … to increase […]
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“Comments from European Central Bank chief point to transatlantic rift over use of seized funds” “… Lagarde … [said] … ‘I have seen four different … proposals to circumvent what many other jurists or lawyers — including in some [U.S.] administrations … — regard as a very serious legal obstacle ….’ She added that [the] work was ‘ongoing’ …. ‘Moving […]
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(Kennan Institute – wilsoncenter.org/program/kennan-institute – William E. Pomeranz – April 18, 2024) William Pomeranz, the Director of the Wilson Center’s Kennan Institute, is an expert guide to the complexities of political and economic developments in Russia, particularly through the lens of law. Vladimir Putin is putting a brave face on Russia’s downward economic spiral. To survive, he has gone back […]
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“The stark warning from a top administration official comes as Kyiv worries about Russia’s looming summer offensive.” “CIA Director William Burns offered a stark warning to lawmakers on Capitol Hill … Thursday …. ‘With the boost that would come from [proposed] military assistance, both practically and psychologically, Ukrainians are entirely capable of holding their own through 2024 and puncturing Putin’s […]
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“… If the tide doesn’t turn soon in this third year of Russia’s invasion, it will be the nation of Ukraine as it currently exists that is consigned to the past. For a war of such era-defining importance, the scale of Western leaders’ actions to help Kyiv repel Russia’s invaders has fallen far short of their soaring rhetoric. … Without […]
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“… [Ukrainian Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov] fought behind Russian lines between 2014 and 2016 in [the] Donbas … injured three times … taking shrapnel in his heart, neck and back. In 2016, he led a raid that killed [a Russian FSB] lieutenant general …. Budanov [has] predicted … a big [Russian summer] offensive … to try to capture all of […]
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“… Should Kyiv be defeated in the full-scale invasion launched by Russia in February 2022, ‘the global system of security will be destroyed … and all the world will need to find … a new system of security,’ [Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys] Shmyhal said … Wednesday …. ‘Or, there will be many conflicts, many such kinds of wars, and in […]
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” U.S. and Russia have a long history of polar science cooperation.” “… The United States and Russia should be working together to understand the deepening crisis …. Warming at a rate four times faster than the rest of the world, the Arctic is disproportionately affected by global warming: sea ice is diminishing, coastlines are eroding, ecosystems are collapsing, and […]
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“Hollywood and DC ignore fact that Russia’s army is bigger than when the war began and Ukraine can’t keep up” “… First, Ukraine lacks the soldiers to win. … As Ukraine’s Commander of Joint Forces said … April 11, there are seven to 10 times more Russian soldiers than … Ukrainians on the battlefield … three days after his colleague, […]
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“The great tragedy of the Russian-Ukrainian war is that it will ultimately prove to have been futile. The likely outcome — territorial adjustments in Moscow’s favor, security guarantees for Ukraine and Russia — could have been peaceably negotiated beforehand had leaders had a firmer grasp of the real balance of power or greater political courage. The cost of failed diplomacy […]
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“… [I]t is increasingly clear that the Ukrainian army is not capable of reconquering … territories lost to Russia … [W]ithout continued and massive Western aid, the Ukrainians will suffer eventual defeat owing to Russia’s huge economic and demographic superiority, and … such aid cannot be guaranteed. Sanctions have not cratered Russia’s economy or crippled its war effort. Russia has […]
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“… [S]eek[ing] to influence congressional and other political debates to stoke anti-Ukraine sentiment, Kremlin-linked political strategists and trolls have written thousands of fabricated news articles, social media posts and comments that promote American isolationism, stir fear over the United States’ border security and attempt to amplify U.S. economic and racial tensions, according to a trove of internal Kremlin documents obtained […]
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“Ukraine ‘will lose the war’ if the United States Congress does not approve military aid to help it resist Russia’s invasion, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. “It’s important to specifically address the Congress: if the Congress doesn’t help Ukraine, Ukraine will lose the war,” Zelensky said Sunday during a video meeting of the Ukrainian fund-raising group UNITED24. “If Ukraine loses this […]
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“In honoring a book depicting Ukrainian volunteers in the Waffen SS as heroes and patriots, the group reveals historical ignorance — or indifference to antisemitism.” “… [T]he American Library Association (ALA) published a list of Best Historical Materials for 2023, which includes Enemy Archives: Soviet Counterinsurgency Operations and the Ukrainian Nationalist Movement — Selections from the Secret Police Archives. This […]
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“… [Britain] … has joined France, Germany and the United States … accepting the International Olympic Committee’s plan for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in the Paris Olympics …. [T]he IOC and … International Paralympic Committee have decided that [those] athletes … can take part … as neutrals if they have not publicly supported the invasion of Ukraine and […]
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“Lavrov discussed security with Wang during visit to China Beijing and Moscow have deepened ties since the start of war” “Russia and China agreed to start a [security] dialogue … with the aim of ‘double counteracting’ the [U.S.-led] European-Atlantic alliance …. ‘We have a common goal of increasing security in Eurasia,’ Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday … [meeting] […]
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“… [R]ecalcitrance in Congress is not Ukraine’s only problem. Europe has been slow to step in … and … Zelensky[] may have taken too long to lower the recruitment age to 25 …. American weapons and artillery are essential to Ukraine’s ability to hold the line and[] eventually … negotiate for an end to hostilities from a position of strength. […]
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“… [T]ightening … alignment between Russia and China is one of the most important geopolitical outcomes of Putin’s war against Ukraine. … Xi and Putin drive much of this reorientation, but it is also the byproduct of the deepening schism between the West and both countries. … [T]he West should be prepared for an extended period of simultaneous confrontation with […]
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“… Biden’s policy of ambivalence toward Ukraine means … he has provided enough weapons to avoid defeat (at least so far) but with enough constraints that Kyiv also hasn’t been able to win. Witness U.S. unhappiness about Ukraine’s recent strikes on Russian territory. Ukraine has struck at least 15 of Russia’s 30 major refineries since January. The West has been […]
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(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org) 6 Things to Know Russian forces have gained 23 square miles of Ukrainian territory, while Ukrainian forces have re-gained 0 square miles in the past month, according to the April 2, 2024, issue of the Belfer Center’s Russia-Ukraine War Report Card. Most recently, Russian forces have advanced into the outskirts of the town of Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine, […]
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“… The menacing images I watched … were sketched using signals captured by sensors from land, sea, air and space … [depicting abstractions of] Russian air-defense systems … Ukrainian drone operators can instantly map a safe route to [a] target using [a] system … developed for them by … U.S. software company Palantir …. part of an astonishing wave of […]
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“Admitting Kyiv is a nonstarter as long as the war with Russia is raging. But the member nations want to show they are supporting Ukraine ‘for the long haul.’” “… Ukraine … ultimately [wants] … a formal invitation to join NATO. … [A]lliance officials agree that is not going to happen at … festivities … [in] Washington in July. NATO […]
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