(opendemocracy.net – Andrew Wilson – February 18, 2014) Andrew Wilson is a Reader at University College London. He is the author of The Ukrainians: Unexpected Nation (Yale, 2009). His latest book, Belarus – The Last European Dictatorship was published in October Whatever their outcome, the events in Ukraine seem likely to be of greater long-term import than the ‘Orange Revolution’ […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Vsevolod Pulya, RBTH – February 18, 2014) In November 2013 Vsevolod Pulya, an RBTH editor, was an intern at the Denver Post. In this piece he describes his experiences working and traveling in Colorado, and discusses the mutual stereotypes that influence the way Russians and Americans perceive each other. One peaceful November morning, […]
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(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Robert Coalson – SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine – February 18, 2014) From the dingy basement of a decaying apartment block on the outskirts of Simferopol, Crimean parliament deputy Sergei Shuvainikov is leading the fight to defend the ethnic Russians of this strategic Black Sea peninsula. In an office festooned with banners showing a map of Crimea overlaid with […]
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KIEV, February 19 (RIA Novosti) – Violent unrest in Ukraine’s capital has spread to other cities in the former Soviet nation, highlighting geographical divisions and raising fears that civil conflict could spin out of control. Reported disturbances were concentrated in the major cities of the country’s west, the heartland of Ukrainian nationalism, where there is strong backing for anti-government protesters […]
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KIEV, February 19 (RIA Novosti) – Ukraine’s acting prime minister said Wednesday that the violent protests that have rocked the capital were an attempt to seize power by force. “Both society and authorities strongly condemn the violence. This is not a sign of democracy. … This is the manipulation of people’s minds and an attempt to take power by force,” […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – February 19, 2014) State-owned gas giant Gazprom captured its largest-ever share of the European and Turkish gas market last year, supplying 30 percent of the continent’s needs, as compared to 26 percent in 2012. The Russian export monopoly sent 162.7 billion cubic meters of gas westward in 2013, and beat the record market share of […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Kira Egorova, Anna Sorokina, RBTH – February 19, 2014) On Wednesday morning, the ruble slid to a five-year low against the dollar on trading in the Moscow Exchange. Experts have tried to reassure investors arguing, that the ruble will gain ground soon The Euro also reached an all-time high against the Russian national […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – February 19, 2014) The All-Russian Nature Conservation Society will ask prosecutors to check whether opposition leader Alexei Navalny is guilty of poaching. The ecologists’ suspicions were raised by a picture published on the Internet that shows Navalny posing beside a dead moose. “If you look at the photograph, it’s clear that the hunting took place […]
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MOSCOW, February 18 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s leading opposition activist Alexei Navalny published material Tuesday allegedly showing that a prominent lawmaker and son of nationalist firebrand Vladimir Zhirinovsky owns an undeclared $2.5 million apartment abroad with seven toilets and a balcony Jacuzzi. Igor Lebedev, deputy speaker of the State Duma, bought the property in Dubai in 2009 but failed to […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Oleg Sukhov – February 19, 2014) When a judge delivers a verdict Friday in the high-profile Bolotnoye case, the defendants’ cage will contain eight people. It might have held dozens more if some of the potential suspects had not fled abroad, fearing unfair prosecution in what many observers call a politically motivated trial aimed at […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Oleg Sukhov – February 19, 2014) Yekaterina Pavlova, a former deputy head of the pro-Kremlin Voice of Russia radio station, has been appointed chief executive of opposition-leaning radio station Ekho Moskvy. The decision Tuesday triggered speculation that the Kremlin was seeking to bring the station under its control. The news also comes shortly after Dozhd, […]
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(Interfax – February 19, 2014) No more than 1,000 checks have been conducted with respect to nonprofit organizations (NPOs) operating in Russia, which were fined a meager amount, whereas the total number of NPOs in our country is 200,000, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Human Rights Commissioner Konstantin Dolgov said. The accusations against Russia over NPOs checks are baseless, he said. […]
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(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Ben Aris in Moscow – February 19, 2014) [Photos and videos here http://www.bne.eu/storyf5777/West_must_take_some_of_ the_blame_for _Kyivs_burning] The body in Kyiv count stood at 25 dead as of 6 a.m. local time with and will almost certainly rise again today, as Ukraine’s capital saw its worst violence since the stand off between the government and protestors […]
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Johnson’s Russia List :: 2014-#34 :: 18 February 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 POLITICS 1. R-Sport: Russia Struggles Past Norway to Make Olympic Hockey Quarterfinals. […]
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[“After 20 years, Russia and Estonia sign border treaty” – Reuters – February 18, 2014 – reuters.com/article/2014/02/18/us-russia-estonia-idUSBREA1H0QN20140218] Reuters reports on Russia and Estonia signing a treaty formalizing their border, still awaiting ratification by their respective legislatures. The treaty comes amidst long-standing tensions between the two countries. Russia and Estonia signed a treaty setting out the position of their joint border […]
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[“Japan-Russia Ties: An Opportunity for the U.S.” – Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Jeffrey Mankoff – February 18, 2014 – themoscowtimes.com/opinion/article/japan-russia-ties-an-opportunity-for-the-us/494786.html] A Moscow Times commentary by Jeffrey Mankoff, of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, suggests that Russian relations with the United States and the European Union are at an impasse, but that Russian Relations with Japan have been […]
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(“Former Prime Minister of Georgia Convicted of Corruption” – New York Times – Olesya Vartanyan, David M. Herszenhorn – February 18, 2014 – nytimes.com/2014/02/18/world/europe/former-georgian-prime-minister-convicted-of-corruption.html) The New York Times reports that former Georgian prime minister Ivane Merabishvili has been convicted of public corruption and sentenced to five years of prison. Although the conviction is part of a series of cases that […]
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(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Aliaksandr Kudrytski, Volodymyr Verbyany – February 18, 2014 1:09 PM ET) Ukrainian forces announced the start of an operation to clear the Kiev square occupied by thousands of protesters, after at least 10 people died in the bloodiest day of the country’s three-month standoff. Police officials said by loudspeaker shortly before 9 p.m. that women and […]
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[“Ukraine riot police move in on Kiev protesters after 14 die; Protesters battle police in Kiev after Russia renews aid”/update of “Protesters battle police in Kiev after Russia renews aid” – Reuters – Pavel Polityuk, Richard Balmforth – February 18, 2014 – reuters.com/article/2014/02/18/us-ukraine-idUSBREA1G0OU20140218] Reuters covers deadly clashes between Ukrainian police and protesters in Kiev. The death toll is rising, just […]
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[“Russia and the G8: Increased Prominence in International Affairs” – Valdai Discussion Club – Andrew Monaghan – February 18, 2014 – valdaiclub.com/russia_and_the_world/66904.html] Andrew Monaghan, Senior Research Fellow at Chatham House, assesses Russia’s role and position on the world stage, as they follow up the Sochi Olympics by hosting the G8 summit in several months: Some suggest that Russia is in […]
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[“Sochi Olympics Official: We Realized Hotel Problems ‘Too Late’; First Public Explanation for Rocky Launch of 2014 Games; ‘Red Alert’ Sounded” – Wall Street Journal – Matthew Futterman, Gregory L. White -February 17, 2014 – online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304899704579388882111244174] The Wall Street Journal covers the various glitches and delays in the preparations for the Sochi Olympics: The International Olympic Committee’s chief coordinator for […]
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[“What the Papers Say, Feb. 18, 2014” – Moscow Times/BBC Monitoring – themoscowtimes.com/news/article/what-the-papers-say-feb-18-2014/494765.html] The Moscow Times and BBC Monitoring review Russian print publications. Nezavisimaya Gazeta 1. Alexandra Samarina article headlined “Waiting for personnel changes” predicts that a number of senior officials including governors may lose their jobs after the Sochi Olympics. The author reports on the meeting of the State […]
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[“The culture of corruption: Russians pay, but they don’t like it” – Washington Post – Timothy Frye – February 17, 2014 – http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2014/02/17/the-culture-of-corruption-russians-pay-but-they-dont-like-it-2/] The Washington Post features Timothy Frye, Columbia University political scientist and Director of the Harriman Institute for Russia, Eurasian and East European Studies, writing on Russia’s culture of corruption: A central theme of the Sochi Olympics has […]
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[“Fast food conquers Russia, brings obesity” – ITAR-TASS – Lyudmila Alexandrova – February 18, 2014 – http://en.itar-tass.com/opinions/1676] ITAR-TASS tries to blame McDonald’s for Russian obesity: Russia’s first McDonald’s fast food restaurant opened on downtown Moscow’s Pushkinskaya Square in late January 1990, causing unprecedented buzz among Muscovites who formed a multi-kilometer line to taste American fast food. International fast food came […]
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[“Russia Struggles Past Norway to Make Olympic Hockey Quarterfinals” – R-Sport – February 18, 2014 – http://en.ria.ru/sochi2014/20140218/187658612/Russia-Struggles-Past-Norway-to-Make-Olympic-Hockey.html] R-Sport covers Russia’s Olympic men’s hockey team as it advances to the final eight: Alexander Radulov scored two goals and an assist to help Russia to a 4-0 win over outsider Norway in the first round of the Olympic men’s hockey playoffs. In […]
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(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, February 18, 2014) Both because the Russian empire has always been “an empire of a special type” and because ethnic Russians remain “the most divided people in Europe,” Moscow has every right to “struggle” to overcome what Vladimir Putin has described as the greatest geopolitical disaster of the 20th century, according to […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Anna Dolgov – February 18, 2014) Russia’s promise to release the next payment of a promised $15 billion loan to the government of Ukraine’s President Viktor Yanukovych failed to help the country’s hryvnia currency, which fell by up to 1.6 percent against the dollar on Tuesday. Monday’s announcement by Finance Minister Anton Siluanov that Moscow […]
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(Business New Europe – bne.eu – February 18, 2014) Just in the nick of time the Kremlin is stepping in with a fresh Ukrainian bond purchases. The Russian government said on February 18 that it would make a second purchase of Ukrainian bonds handing the government some badly needed cash. Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said that Moscow will buy […]
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(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Helena Bedwell – Februay 17, 2014) On the first day of the Beijing Olympics six years ago, war broke out between Georgia and Russia. The Sochi Winter games finds the neighbors on much friendlier terms. Georgia’s government is seeking to use the $45 billion Winter Olympics to revive ties, with Premier Irakli Garibashvili saying four days […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Delphine d’Amora – February 18, 2014) Mortgage lending is soaring as banks lower their rates, carrying with it both the benefits and potential drawbacks of a mortgage-greedy banking system. Until recently, Russian banks and consumers alike were skeptical of mortgages, and the rapidly escalating price of real estate did not help matters. Now, stable housing […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Ivan Nechepurenko – SOCHI – February 18, 2014) Every night of the Olympics, celebratory fireworks light up the dark sky above Sochi, a vivid reminder that what is purely a sporting event for television audiences watching from home is a non-stop festival for visitors on the ground. Since there are no sporting events in the […]
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SOCHI, February 17 (Kevin O’Flynn and Howard Amos, RIA Novosti) – It was once the pride and joy of Stalinist Sochi, a grandiose palace for workers to recover from their labor in mines and factories, a mythical showcase resort for a society that didn’t truly exist. But the Ordzhonikidze Sanatorium stands empty now, a metal sign declaring “Entry Forbidden” strung […]
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MOSCOW, February 18 (RIA Novosti) – The long-serving director of Russian radio station Ekho Moskvy was replaced Tuesday by a manager from state-owned media, sparking fears of editorial changes at the liberal news outlet. Yury Fedutinov was removed as director of Ekho Moskvy after more than 20 years in the job and replaced by Yekaterina Pavlova during a shareholder meeting, […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – February 18, 2014) State television host Dmitry Kiselyov, known for his strong opposition to gay rights in Russia, has been awarded the Order of Service to the Fatherland by President Vladimir Putin. A presidential decree published on the government’s legal documents website said the honor was bestowed on Kiselyov for his contribution to Russia’s “social […]
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MOSCOW, February 18 (RIA Novosti) – Russians are divided about the use of conscript soldiers in the army, according to a survey published Tuesday. A total of 48 percent of Russians believe the military draft should remain a key source of manpower for the army, while 40 percent think only professional contract soldiers should serve, the poll by the independent […]
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(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, February 18, 2014) Three newly released statistics – one on births in Kazakhstan, a second on how Russians understand events in Ukraine, and a third on where websites of the .ru domain are hosted – say more about where the Russian Federation is heading than do more prominent declarations of Moscow political […]
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Sochi Olympics, Sports Russian President Vladimir Putin was in attendance for Russia’s Olympic men’s hockey game against the United States, a non-medal round victory for the Americans … over all, Putin seems to be basking in the Sochi games … Putin chief of staff Sergey Ivanovochi argues that invisible security is the best security … Russians and Westerners have different […]
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Johnson’s Russia List :: 2014-#33 :: 17 February 2013 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 Politics 1. Moscow Times: Sochi Notebook: Russian vs. Western Styles of Talking. […]
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(opendemocracy.net – Artemy M. Kalinovsky – February 15, 2014) Artemy M. Kalinovsky is Assistant Professor of East European Studies at the University of Amsterdam and the author of A Long Goodbye: The Soviet Withdrawal from Afghanistan (Harvard University Press, 2011). Twenty five years ago today, Soviet General Boris Gromov oversaw the final withdrawal from Afghanistan. How will the International Security […]
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(RFE/RL – rferl.org – February 16, 2014) Central Asian governments are already on heightened alert over the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan. This sense of alarm is almost certain to increase in coming months. But in Turkmenistan there does not seem to be the same concern heard in the neighboring Central Asian states. Ashgabat seems content to rely on […]
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(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, February 16, 2014) Ukrainians in the Maidan as well as their supporters need to face up to some painful realities if Ukraine is to escape its current impasse given that at present no good exit is obvious, according to Irina Pavlova, one of the most thoughtful observers of the post-Soviet space. In […]
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MOSCOW, February 16 (RIA Novosti) – Ukraine’s boxer-turned-opposition politician Vitali Klitschko said Sunday he has given up his residency in Germany to prove his right to run for the president next year. The leader of the Udar political party, Klitschko, 42, has spent several years living and paying tax in Germany rather than Ukraine. Last year, the world heavyweight champion […]
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(Business New Europe – bne.eu – February 17, 2014) After two weeks of calm, tensions in Kyiv are high again as a 15 day deadline on the new amnesty law expires. So far the prospects for compromise seem good as both sides in the conflict made gestures that will deescalate tensions, the threat of renewed violence remains is again just […]
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MOSCOW, February 17 (RIA Novosti) – Greater powers are to be handed over to a government department overseeing affairs in Russia’s Far East within the coming month, a top official has said in an interview published Monday. The move is in line with government designs to boost the fortunes of a vast expanse of territory between Siberia and the Pacific […]
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(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Ben Aris in Moscow – February 17, 2014) Russia’s central bank moved in on its latest two victims on February 11, pulling the banking licenses from Moscow-based European Trust Bank (Eurotrust) and Link-Bank. Eurotrust was already a zombie. The bank stopped taking in new retail customers last November due to the tough economic conditions, […]
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GORKI. Feb 17 (Interfax) – Large-scale privatization deals could begin in the second quarter of 2014, the head of the Russian Federal Property Agency (Rosimushchestvo) Olga Dergunova told journalists on Monday. “Agents will be best prepared for deals such as that of Sovcomflot in the second quarter. We will answer questions concerning the deal’s structure and [share] placement location. The […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – D. Garrison Golubock and Olga Chetina – February 17, 2014) Feb. 11 marked the 124th anniversary of the birth of Boris Pasternak, the famed Soviet author best known for his book “Doctor Zhivago,” which was published abroad after being banned in the Soviet Union. Pasternak’s birthday was celebrated with great fanfare by Russia’s literati, including […]
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(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Natalia Antonova, Anna Arutunyan – February 17, 2014) The shocking suicide of a Navy admiral has prompted official investigations into the bureaucratic hurdles Russian cancer patients face when trying to obtain pain medication. According to the experts, administrative problems, a lingering Soviet mentality and a misguided drug policy are to blame for continued lack of […]
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MOSCOW, February 15 (RIA Novosti) – The vast majority of Russians find same-sex relationships unacceptable, according to a survey published Friday by a state-run pollster. VTsIOM found in its poll that lesbian couples were deemed inappropriate by 78 percent of respondents, with only 3 percent answering that relationships between two women were normal. Relationships between men were even more unpopular. […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Ivan Nechepurenko – SOCHI – February 17, 2014) Political overtones reared their head at the Sochi Winter Olympics on Saturday night as Russia and the U.S. played each other in a tense hockey game. After the Cold War hockey rivals found themselves tied 2-2 at the end of overtime, the U.S. team won after eight […]
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