“… [In response to concerns about their Lancet-published data, Russian vaccine] developers say … the methods … give only rough values …. [a] problem [that] […]
Headlines
Levada Poll: 1/2 of Russians Support Idea of ‘Russia for Russians,’ About 1/5 Would Not Let in Chinese, Ukrainians
(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org – RM Staff – Sept. 23, 2020) Slightly more than half (51%) of Russians either support implementing the idea of “Russia […]
JRL NEWSWATCH: “Alexei Navalny Supporters Probe How the Russian Opposition Leader Was Poisoned” – Wall Street Journal/ Thomas Grove, Ann M. Simmons
“Team scoured his hotel room and found a water bottle they say has traces of Novichok, a nerve agent” “… [A]fter … Navalny collapsed … […]
JRL NEWSWATCH: “A dozen countries refuse to recognise Lukashenko’s inauguration; Spontaneous protests broke out in the evening following Alexander Lukashenko’s secret inauguration for a sixth term” – bne Intellinews/ Ben Aris
“A dozen countries refused to recognise … Lukashenko as … legitimate president of Belarus after he secretly inaugurated himself … September 23. Tensions were high […]
JRL NEWSWATCH: “Four Myths about Russian Grand Strategy” – Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)/ Robert Person
“Myth #1: Russia’s grand strategy is driven by ideology …. Myth #2: Russia seeks to reconstruct the Soviet Union or Russian Empire. … Instead of […]
RUSSIA NEWS & INFORMATION – Johnson’s Russia List contents & links :: JRL 2020-#174 :: Thursday, 24 September 2020
To inquire about a subscription to the full Johnson’s Russia List e-mail newsletter, e-mail David Johnson at davidjohnson@starpower.net Support the JRL: russialist.org/funding.php Donate Online: click […]
RUSSIALINK: “Moscow not going to interfere in U.S. domestic political processes – Russian Foreign Ministry” – Interfax
Russia has not interfered in U.S. electoral processes and is not going to, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said, commenting on … restrictive measures imposed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury […]
JRL NEWSWATCH: “Lukashenko inaugurates himself in secret” – bne Intellinews/ Ben Aris
“Fearing mass protests, Belarus’ self-appointed President Alexander Lukashenko held an inauguration for himself in secret to complete the legal process of winning the disputed August […]
RUSSIALINK: “Aeroflot’s Domestic Passengers Back to Pre-Coronavirus Levels” – Moscow Times
With Russia’s borders shut, domestic flights carried almost as many passengers as last year in August. (Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Sept. 22, 2020) Aeroflot […]
RUSSIA NEWS & INFORMATION – Johnson’s Russia List contents & links :: JRL 2020-#173 :: Wednesday, 23 September 2020
To inquire about a subscription to the full Johnson’s Russia List e-mail newsletter, e-mail David Johnson at davidjohnson@starpower.net Support the JRL: russialist.org/funding.php Donate Online: click […]
JRL NEWSWATCH: “Post about Love” – Alexey Navalny/ Instagram
“Julia and I had our anniversary … 20 years of being wed … You, of course, have seen this a hundred times … one loving person lies in a coma … the other brings him back to life with her love and incessant care […]”
The Quincy Institute seeks a Research Fellow on Europe and Russia
From: Trita Parsi <trita@quincyinst.org> Date: Tue, Sep 22, 2020 Subject: The Quincy Institute seeks a Research Fellow on Europe and Russia The Quincy Institute, a […]
JRL NEWSWATCH: “Why Russia’s alliance with China is improbable, but not impossible” – Fondation pour la recherche stratégique/ Simon Saradzhyan
“Abstract: [A]re Russia and China already in a de facto military alliance (against the U.S.), or may they soon enter one? … [This article] reviews […]
JRL NEWSWATCH: “Warming shrinks Arctic Ocean ice to 2nd lowest on record” – AP
“… The extent of ice-covered ocean at the North Pole and extending further south to Alaska, Canada, Greenland and Russia reached its summertime low of […]
JRL NEWSLINK: “Stephen Cohen (1938-2020): Professor Emeritus, NYU Russian and Slavic Studies” – NYU Jordan Center/ Yanni Kotsonis
“Steve was hired to NYU after … Princeton. He was a masterful lecturer who packed in 400 students each time he taught his survey of Soviet history, and he helped keep alive Soviet and Russian studies at a time when interest was falling […]”
RUSSIALINK: “Russian prosecutors ask German counterparts to interview Navalny, find out who planned Tomsk trip” – Interfax
MOSCOW. Sept 21 (Interfax) – The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office has asked the relevant German authorities to learn certain important details related to the incident […]
RUSSIA NEWS & INFORMATION – Johnson’s Russia List contents & links :: JRL 2020-#172 :: Tuesday, 22 September 2020
To inquire about a subscription to the full Johnson’s Russia List e-mail newsletter, e-mail David Johnson at davidjohnson@starpower.net Support the JRL: russialist.org/funding.php Donate Online: click […]
JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia to cut defence spending in bid to prop up ailing economy; Continued support for less well-off set to wipe out fiscal surplus of recent years” – Financial Times/ Henry Foy
“Russia will spend more on supporting its economy than funding its armed forces next year for the first time since 2014 … ahead of critical […]
On Russia’s Far Eastern Frontier, Vast Stretches Of Free Land, But Little Interest
… The Russian state has made 220 million hectares of land available under its program, double the total amount allotted under the Homestead Act. But only around 80,000 Russians have taken advantage. […]
Thousands March Again In Belarus To Call For Lukashenka’s Resignation
Thousands of opposition supporters marched in central Minsk on September 20 for a 43rd day, a day after thousands of women attended a march demanding the resignation of President Alyaksandr Lukashenka during which hundreds were arrested […]
RUSSIALINK: “‘I Didn’t Recognize People’: Navalny Says Long Recovery Ahead in Latest Health Update; Opposition leader says he has trouble walking, can’t use his phone or pour a glass of water.” – Moscow Times
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Sept. 19, 2020) Alexei Navalny has said he has difficulty performing everyday functions and that he faces a “long road” […]
RUSSIA NEWS & INFORMATION – Johnson’s Russia List contents & links :: JRL 2020-#171 :: Monday, 21 September 2020
To inquire about a subscription to the full Johnson’s Russia List e-mail newsletter, e-mail David Johnson at davidjohnson@starpower.net Support the JRL: russialist.org/funding.php Donate Online: click […]
Because of Pandemic, Moscow This Year Spent More on Economy than on Defense
(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, September 19, 2020) The pandemic has introduced major changes in Russian government policy but perhaps not one […]
JRL NEWSLINK: “The Passing of Stephen F. Cohen” – NYU Jordan Center/ Maya Vinokour
“It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our friend and colleague, Stephen F. Cohen. …” Click here for: “The Passing of […]
Assassinations
JRL NEWSWATCH: “Alexei Navalny Supporters Probe How the Russian Opposition Leader Was Poisoned” – Wall Street Journal/ Thomas Grove, Ann M. Simmons
“Team scoured his hotel room and found a water bottle they say has traces of Novichok, a nerve agent” “… [A]fter … Navalny collapsed … […]
JRL NEWSWATCH: “Post about Love” – Alexey Navalny/ Instagram
“Julia and I had our anniversary … 20 years of being wed … You, of course, have seen this a hundred times … one loving person lies in a coma … the other brings him back to life with her love and incessant care […]”
RUSSIALINK: “Russian prosecutors ask German counterparts to interview Navalny, find out who planned Tomsk trip” – Interfax
MOSCOW. Sept 21 (Interfax) – The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office has asked the relevant German authorities to learn certain important details related to the incident […]
RUSSIALINK: “‘I Didn’t Recognize People’: Navalny Says Long Recovery Ahead in Latest Health Update; Opposition leader says he has trouble walking, can’t use his phone or pour a glass of water.” – Moscow Times
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Sept. 19, 2020) Alexei Navalny has said he has difficulty performing everyday functions and that he faces a “long road” […]
JRL NEWSWATCH: “Navalny Says He is Breathing on His Own in a Message From His Hospital Bed; The poisoned Russian opposition leader plans to return to Russia, his spokeswoman says.” – New York Times/ Katrin Bennhold, Michael Schwirtz
“… The message came hours after a senior German security official … [said] Navalny was awake, alert and had told German prosecutors that he was […]
JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russian paramedics’ accounts challenge Moscow’s explanation for Navalny’s coma – sources” – Reuters
Newly emerging accounts of the sudden illness of Russian opposition figure and anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny reportedly refute official claims that Navalny had other medical […]
Russian Interior Ministry Wants To Question Navalny In Germany
Russia’s Interior Ministry wants to question … Navalny in Berlin, where he is being treated after German doctors reported “unequivocal evidence” … he was poisoned with … military-grade nerve agent Novichok, contradicting … Russian counterparts who said they … found no trace of poison […]
JRL NEWSWATCH: “Putin Faces Test of Voters With Poisoned Critic in Hospital” – Bloomberg/ Henry Meyer
“With his most prominent critic hit by a near-fatal poisoning that opponents and the West blame on the Kremlin … Putin faces a key test […]
RUSSIALINK: “Navalny Recovering From ‘Deadlier, Slower-Acting’ Novichok Variant – Report” – Moscow Timess
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Sept. 10, 2020) Leading Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a new, deadlier variant of military-grade nerve agent Novichok, […]
JRL NEWSWATCH: “Germany hands over its Novichok investigation data to OPCW” – bne Intellinews/ Ben Aris
“Germany has handed over all … data related to its investigation into … [the] agent … used to poison … Navalny to the Organization for […]
U.S.-Russian Relations, U.S.-Ukrainian Relations
JRL NEWSWATCH: “Four Myths about Russian Grand Strategy” – Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)/ Robert Person
“Myth #1: Russia’s grand strategy is driven by ideology …. Myth #2: Russia seeks to reconstruct the Soviet Union or Russian Empire. … Instead of […]
Russia & Ukraine
JRL NEWSWATCH: “Lukashenko rhetoric shows fallout between Minsk and Moscow”- Financial Times/ Max Seddon, James Shotter
“Arrest of 33 Russians comes as Belarusian president’s strategy of playing Russia and the west off each other founders.” “… Belarus authorities arrested the [Russian] […]
JRL NEWSWATCH: “U.S. Lawmakers Offer Bill to Boost Aid for Ukraine Military” – Reuters
“… [S]enators [from both parties] introduced legislation to back Ukraine with $300 million of annual military financing …. The bill also authorizes up to $4 […]
JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine Cease-Fire Begins in Tense Climate” – Wall Street Journal/ Thomas Grove
A cease-fire between Ukrainian government forces and Russian-backed separatists … offer[s] the prospect of an end to a slow-burning conflict … claim[ing] thousands of lives in Eastern Ukraine … [Remaining] [p]oints of friction … includ[e] Russia’s control of … Crimea and Kyiv’s resistance to holding elections in separatist strongholds […]
JRL NEWSWATCH: “How Russian imperialism could bring down Putin” – The Hill/ Janusz Bugajski
“… Putin has based his domestic support on economic growth and restoring the ‘Russian World.’ With the Russian economy in a nosedive, the Kremlin looks […]
New Russian Policy Toward Ukraine: Citizenship Beyond the Borders
(Kennan Institute – wilsoncenter.org/program/kennan-institute – Kennan Cable No. 54 – Igor Zevelev, Global Fellow; Former Professor at George Marshall European Center for Security Studies; Former […]
The Map of Political Forces in Today’s Ukraine
“In contemporary Ukraine, political parties rarely survive more than one electoral cycle. The super-electoral year 2019 changed the party structure once again …. A year later, there is already palpable interest on the part of the citizenry in new parties, as people have started losing trust in the current ones […]
Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Levada Poll: 1/2 of Russians Support Idea of ‘Russia for Russians,’ About 1/5 Would Not Let in Chinese, Ukrainians
(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org – RM Staff – Sept. 23, 2020) Slightly more than half (51%) of Russians either support implementing the idea of “Russia […]
Economy, Business, Investment, Trade
RUSSIALINK: “Aeroflot’s Domestic Passengers Back to Pre-Coronavirus Levels” – Moscow Times
With Russia’s borders shut, domestic flights carried almost as many passengers as last year in August. (Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Sept. 22, 2020) Aeroflot […]
Oil, Gas, Energy
JRL NEWSWATCH: “Navalny and Nord Stream 2; The poisoned Russian dissident opens a door for a Trump priority” – Wall Street Journal Editorial
“[G7] [f]oreign ministers … issued a joint statement … condemning … ‘the confirmed poisoning’ of … Navalny. … sa[ying] Germany … has concluded … he […]
Nuclear, Missile Defense
JRL NEWSWATCH: “Spinning good news on arms control” – The Hill/ Steven Pifer
“… A speedy conclusion could be possible on extending New START, which would be in the U.S. interest. Putin has said Moscow would extend without […]
Human Rights
JRL NEWSWATCH: “Alexei Navalny Supporters Probe How the Russian Opposition Leader Was Poisoned” – Wall Street Journal/ Thomas Grove, Ann M. Simmons
“Team scoured his hotel room and found a water bottle they say has traces of Novichok, a nerve agent” “… [A]fter … Navalny collapsed … […]
Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's
JRL NEWSWATCH: “Alexei Navalny Supporters Probe How the Russian Opposition Leader Was Poisoned” – Wall Street Journal/ Thomas Grove, Ann M. Simmons
“Team scoured his hotel room and found a water bottle they say has traces of Novichok, a nerve agent” “… [A]fter … Navalny collapsed … […]
Chechnya, Dagestan, North Caucasus
RUSSIALINK: “Chechnya Outperforms Kremlin’s KPIs Nationwide – Reports” – Moscow Times
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Nov. 12, 2019) Russia’s republic of Chechnya has the highest trust ratings toward its leaders and President Vladimir Putin among […]
Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime
JRL NEWSWATCH: “Alexei Navalny Supporters Probe How the Russian Opposition Leader Was Poisoned” – Wall Street Journal/ Thomas Grove, Ann M. Simmons
“Team scoured his hotel room and found a water bottle they say has traces of Novichok, a nerve agent” “… [A]fter … Navalny collapsed … […]
Media, Social Media, Internet
RUSSIALINK: “In Wake of Suspected Poisoning, Navalny’s Allies Vow to Soldier On” – Moscow Times
But if the Kremlin critic is unable to return to health, Russia’s opposition will lose its most recognizable leader. (Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Evan […]
U.S. ‘Deeply Concerned’ By Russia’s Targeting Of ‘Foreign Agent’ Media
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says Washington is “deeply concerned” by fresh efforts by Russia to target foreign media operating there […]
JRL NEWSWATCH: “The contest after the vote; Eight major takeaways from the immediate aftermath of the Belarusian presidential election” – Meduza
“… Belarusian election officials published … preliminary results … [indicating that] Lukashenko … won more than 80 percent …. radically contradict[ing] [opposition] reports … say[ing] […]
JRL NEWSWATCH: “Chat Group Becomes Target of Moscow’s Wrath as Security Crackdown Widens” – New York Times/ Andrew Higgins
“The group started out as an online discussion of hobbies, schoolwork and sometimes politics. But then it was infiltrated by an informer for Russia’s all-powerful […]
RUSSIALINK: “Share of Russians who never use home PCs drops from 53% to 25% over decade – poll” – Interfax
MOSCOW. Aug 6 (Interfax) – Over half of Russians (58%) use their home PCs at least several times a week, as against 43% in 2010, […]
Report: U.S. Officials Say Russia-Backed Websites Spread Coronavirus Disinformation
U.S. officials have identified three English-language websites that they say Russia is using to spread disinformation about the coronavirus pandemic to exploit the U.S. struggle to contain the outbreak […]
JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russian Intelligence Agencies Push Disinformation on Pandemic” – New York Times/ Julian E. Barnes, David E. Sanger
“Declassified U.S. intelligence accuses Moscow of pushing propaganda through alternative websites as Russia refines techniques used in 2016.” “… Russian military intelligence, … the G.R.U., […]
YouTube Blocks Accounts Of Pro-Kremlin Analyst, Orthodox TV Channel In Russia
YouTube has blocked accounts of the Tsargrad TV channel in Russia and its former chief editor, pro-Kremlin analyst Aleksandr Dugin. … Google, which owns YouTube, said … that the accounts were blocked due to the violation of laws on sanctions and trade regulations […]
RUSSIALINK: “‘Russia, Wake up’: Far East Protesters Seek to Set Example for Entire Country; Some local Khabarovsk activists and experts, however, wonder if the protest movement can be sustained.” – Moscow Times
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Evan Gershkovich – Khabarovsk, July 27, 2020) As they have for nearly three weeks, the first protesters started to gather […]
JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia’s disinformation campaigns are targeting African Americans” – Washington Post/ Zilvinas Svedkauskas, Chonlawit Sirikupt, Michel Salzer
“Russia is masking its involvement by outsourcing its disinformation operations to West Africa.” “… The Kremlin’s previous attempts to hijack movements such as Occupy Wall […]
Europe, EU
JRL NEWSWATCH: “Four Myths about Russian Grand Strategy” – Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)/ Robert Person
“Myth #1: Russia’s grand strategy is driven by ideology …. Myth #2: Russia seeks to reconstruct the Soviet Union or Russian Empire. … Instead of […]
Health, Alcohol, Smoking, AIDS, Epidemics
JRL NEWSWATCH: “Tricky data; ‘Sputnik V’ developers respond to Western critics, but the debate might overlook the vaccine’s biggest problem” – Meduza
“… [In response to concerns about their Lancet-published data, Russian vaccine] developers say … the methods … give only rough values …. [a] problem [that] […]
Life in Russia, Culture, Arts, Theater, Music
RUSSIALINK: “Share of Russians who never use home PCs drops from 53% to 25% over decade – poll” – Interfax
MOSCOW. Aug 6 (Interfax) – Over half of Russians (58%) use their home PCs at least several times a week, as against 43% in 2010, […]
Religion
RUSSIALINK: “Fire and Brimstone: The Rise and Fall of Russia’s Coronavirus-Denying Rebel Priest” – Moscow Times
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Samantha Berkhead – July 29, 2020) In a forest outside Yekaterinburg, pilgrims chant and wave banners in their annual midnight […]
