(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Diana Kulchitskaya – May 7, 2014) Visa and MasterCard will hold fast to Russia despite a new law that forces them to pay over $3.8 billion as a security deposit to the Central Bank. Both international firms consider the measures taken as too severe and think that they will not only make work in Russia […]
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KYIV. May 7 (Interfax) – Forty percent of Ukrainians stand for negotiations with the separatist protesters and 35% support the military crackdown, according to a poll conducted by the Rating sociological group and presented at a Wednesday press conference at Interfax-Ukraine. Pro-talks respondents propose partial satisfaction of the protesters’ demands but say the region must remain a part of Ukraine. […]
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VIENNA. May 6 (Interfax) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the West is concealing the true causes of the tragic events in Odesa on May 2 which left at least 46 people killed, and that the investigation will eventually die off. “Although the West condemns the Odesa tragedy, it is turning a blind eye on its true causes, the […]
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(RIA Novosti – May 6, 2014) Russia would like the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to play a more active role in establishing a dialogue between the Kiev authorities and the separatist forces in Ukraine’s southeast, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has said. He went on to say that any format of future international efforts to resolve the […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Alexander Annin – May 7, 2014) On May 10, the Russian Orthodox Church will hold its annual special service in the Church of New Martyrs and Confessors in Butovo, a little-known site that is home to Russia’s largest collection of holy relics. In the forest near old Butovo, about 5 kilometers south of the Moscow […]
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(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Concorde Capital – May 7, 2014) Russia will be ready to consider a discount for natural gas to Ukraine on the second round of negotiations on the gas issue where EU Commission representatives should also be present, Russian Izvestia reported on May 7 citing its source in the government. The “second round” of negotiations […]
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(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Ben Aris in Moscow – May 7, 2014) Nathan Rothschild once famously said, “buy on the sound of canons, sell on the sound of trumpets.” However, the few investors that were still looking at Ukraine are fading away as the cycle of violence escalates and the body count rises. War is close and the […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – May 7, 2014) Ukrainian lawmakers reportedly accused the Communist faction of separatism and expelled it from a closed-door parliamentary hearing on Tuesday, a move that the Communists say is an attempt to stifle dissent. Neither side has provided a detailed account of what happened Tuesday behind closed doors, but the conflicting reports have underscored a […]
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(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – May 7, 2014 – Daryna Krasnolutska, Terry Atlas and Ilya Arkhipov) The U.S. and its European allies urged Ukraine to proceed with its May 25 presidential election, rejecting Russia’s calls to postpone the vote as an offensive against separatists in the country’s east and south continued. Russia hasn’t lived up to its commitments in an accord […]
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Testimony Victoria Nuland Assistant Secretary, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Statement Before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing on the United States, Ukraine and Russia. Washington, DC May 6, 2014 As prepared Chairman Menendez, Ranking Member Corker, thank you for inviting me to testify today on our efforts to counter Russia’s de-stabilizing, provocative actions in […]
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Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing on the United States, Ukraine and Russia. May 6, 2014 Testimony by Dr. Angela E. Stent Director, Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies, Georgetown School of Foreign Service. Chairman Menendez, Ranking Member Corker, Members of the Committee: Thank you for giving me this opportunity to testify before the Foreign Relations Committee at this […]
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[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: 2014-#103 :: 7 May 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 To subscribe to the JRL email version, email David Johnson at davidjohnson@starpower.net 1. Wire Services: Russia […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Howard Amos – LVIV, April 28, 2014) The marginal ultranationalist group so despised in Russia for its dalliance with anti-Semitism and violent role in toppling the legitimate government in Ukraine two months ago has traded in its body armor and ski masks for aprons and paintbrushes in Lviv. Street fighters known for their confrontational stance […]
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KYIV. May 5 (Interfax) – Forty-eight percent of Ukrainian citizens have a negative attitude towards Stepan Bandera (a leader of the Ukrainian nationalist movement, 1909-59) and 31% have a positive attitude, according to a poll, titled “Nostalgia for the USSR and Attitude to Individual Figures”, conducted by the Rating Sociological Group in April. Thirty-one percent of those polled said their […]
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(opendemocracy.net – Marco Siddi – May 5, 2014) Marco Siddi is a DAAD fellow and research associate at the Institute for European Politics in Berlin. Previously, he held a Marie Curie Fellowship at the universities of Edinburgh and Cologne, where he is completing his doctoral dissertation. His research focuses on relations between Russia, the European Union and its member states. […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Alexander Panin – May 6, 2014) Russian industry analysts said Monday that possible involvement of Chinese companies in building a bridge from mainland Russia to Crimea was a solid political and business option in solving the key transportation challenge faced by the Kremlin after absorbing the peninsula. State-owned China Railway Construction Corporation, or CRCC, may […]
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(Business New Europe – bne.eu – MOSCOW BLOG, Ben Aris in Moscow – May 6, 2014) With the violence in eastern Ukraine escalating by the day, the West’s policy of imposing sanctions on Russia is bound to fail. All this policy has done is to paint both the Kremlin and Washington into their respective corners, making the chances of military […]
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KIEV, May 6 (RIA Novosti) – The Ukrainian parliament has voted against holding a decentralization referendum on May 25 in Ukraine, Parliamentarian Alexander Briginec wrote on Facebook Tuesday. “Some 154 members voted for. Did not succeed. Thank God,” Briginec wrote on his Facebook page. “Svoboda, UDAR, and Sovereign European Ukraine [political parties] have a similar stance, so it is unlikely […]
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KIEV, May 6 (RIA Novosti) – The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has pointed out shortfalls in Ukraine’s preparations for the presidential election scheduled for May 25, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday. “The PACE delegation said there were still some shortcomings to be resolved, including campaign fundraising and more transparent media ownership,” the ministry said in a […]
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MOSCOW, May 6 (RIA Novosti) – Tuesday marks the second year of Vladimir Putin’s third term as President of the Russian Federation, an anniversary that comes amid a turbulent time of tensions in Ukraine, a tightening pressure on Russia from the West and soaring approval ratings for Putin at home. Putin’s career at the helm of the Russian government kicked […]
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MOSCOW, May 6 (RIA Novosti) – The next US ambassador to Moscow should not expect his mission to be easy, a Russian deputy foreign minister told RIA Novosti Tuesday. “We had gone through a very difficult period when Michael McFaul was the ambassador. Under present circumstances, the future US ambassador will have a very difficult job, no matter who is […]
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MOSCOW, May 6 (RIA Novosti) – The European Union has hardened its stance on the construction of the South Stream natural gas pipeline amid the Ukrainian crisis, the EU commissioner for energy said in an interview with the Financial Times Tuesday. “These days, with Ukraine, we are more and more defensive related to Russian pipelines than one year ago … […]
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(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Ben Aris in Moscow – May 6, 2014) [Charts here http://www.bne.eu/content/russia-heads-toward-stagnation] The Ukraine crisis has been an economic train wreck for Russia. The outlook for this year was never good, but on April 30 the International Monetary Fund (IMF) argued the Russian economy is already in recession and a growing number of analysts believe […]
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(Interfax – May 6, 2014) Russians keep monitoring Ukrainian events amid growing concerns about the possibility of a military conflict between the two countries, Levada Center told Interfax following an April poll. Sixty percent of the respondents maintain a close interest in the events evolving in the neighboring state (the indicator stood at 64 percent in late March, 60 percent […]
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VIENNA. May 6 (Interfax) – A government order to stop using the Ukrainian Army and the National Guard to suppress protests should be the first step towards de-escalation in Ukraine, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. “As for de-escalation, I have already said that the first and obvious step is to cancel the order to use the army and the […]
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KIEV, May 6 (RIA Novosti) – The Party of Regions, the previous ruling political force under ousted President Viktor Yanukovych, warned the current authorities in Kiev Monday that the process of Ukraine’s disintegration is becoming irreversible. The party, which draws most of its electoral support from rebel eastern and southeastern regions, has laid the blame for mounting tensions in the […]
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(Voice of America – Jamie Dettmer – May 5, 2014) There was heavy fighting Monday on the outskirts of the eastern Ukrainian city of Slovyansk, as government security forces resumed operations aimed at wresting control of the town from pro-Russian militants. But the government lost another helicopter, and it isn’t winning the battle for hearts and minds. The Ukrainian government […]
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(Business New Europe – bne.eu – May 6, 2014) Nearly two dozen people were killed in intense fighting in the eastern Ukraine town of Slavyansk on May 5. This situation spiralling out of control as key of government attempts to retake control of the towns in eastern Ukraine ahead of presidential election slated on May 25. The fighting was heaviest […]
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[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: 2014-#102 :: 6 May 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 To subscribe to the JRL email version, email David Johnson at davidjohnson@starpower.net 1. Reuters: Both sides […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Anna Fefelova, special to RBTH – April 30, 2014) For the past 10 years, schools in Moscow having been providing their pupils with “kindness lessons”. The classes are run by specialists and provide children with a valuable opportunity to communicate with people with disabilities and develop an understanding of their needs. For the […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – John Freedman – May 5, 2014) “Hamlet.” Has there ever been a better play to fall back on when you need to have a chat about Russia? “Words, words, words.” “To be or not to be.” “The rest is silence.” All phrases that sound loaded in many a Russian historical context. These days words get […]
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(Interfax – May 5, 2014) Russia filed a suit with the World Trade Organization on April 30 to begin judicial hearings on the application of the European Union’s Third Energy Package, a source close to the WTO told Interfax. The chief trade negotiator at the Economic Development Ministry, Maxim Medvedkov confirmed that the suit has been filed. He said that […]
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(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, May 5, 2014) Commentators have long celebrated the fact that the USSR broke up with little violence in 1991 – the conflicts in Abkhazia, Tajikistan, Nagorno-Karabakh, Transdniestria and Chechnya typically have been treated as exceptions that prove the rule. But now, many of the unresolved issues from 23 years ago are leading […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines/Interfax – rbth.ru – May 5, 2014) Ahead is a heavy schedule of negotiations aimed at resolving the problem by June, otherwise Europe will be left without the Russian gas it gets through Ukraine. The first round of trilateral gas negotiations between Russia, Ukraine and the European Union were limited to setting out initial, high negotiating positions. […]
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DONETSK REGION. May 5 (Interfax) – The forces used in the military operation in eastern Ukraine are not storming residential quarters and are trying to prevent civilian casualties, Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said. “We are not using anti-terrorist operation forces to storm residential quarters and they have the restriction on attacking places where civilian populations are located,” Avakov told […]
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MOSCOW, May 5 (RIA Novosti) – Deadly clashes between pro-federalization supporters and Ukrainian security forces have raged across the country’s east and south in recent days, killing dozens and injuring hundreds. Some 46 pro-federalization activists died after being trapped in a fire at the trade union building in Odessa, and over 200 others were injured in a clash between the […]
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[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: 2014-#101 :: 5 May 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 To subscribe to the JRL email version, email David Johnson at davidjohnson@starpower.net 1. AFP: CIA, FBI […]
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(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, May 4, 2014) Had Vladimir Putin accepted the Maidan’s ouster of discredited Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovich and agreed to accept the results of the upcoming elections, nothing that has occurred in Ukraine since that time would have happened, according to a Ukrainian commentator. “Thousands of people would not have suddenly discovered in […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Yuri Simonyan, special to RBTH – May 3, 2014) When it comes to its relations with former Soviet republics in the Caucasus, Moscow has a delicate balancing act to play. It’s virtually impossible for Russia to play the role of a mediator in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Karabakh, but at the same time, […]
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(opendemocracy.net – OLEKSANDER ANDREYEV and ANDREW WILSON – May 2, 2014) Ukraine is a state in political turmoil. But how much of this is the fault of separatists in the east and how much comes from ‘business-as-usual’ corruption from the Kyiv government? Andrew Wilson is a Reader at University College London. He is the author of The Ukrainians: Unexpected Nation […]
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KYIV. May 3 (Interfax) – The OSCE military inspectors held in Slovyansk were treated well and their captors tried to find out what tasks they were fulfilling in the eastern regions of Ukraine, Colonel Ihor Turanskiy, the head of the Ukrainian group of the OSCE military mission and the head of the Verification Department of the Ukrainian General Staff, said. […]
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(RIA Novosti – Slovyansk, May 3, 2014) The Russian president’s special envoy Vladimir Lukin has commented on an audio recording, posted online by the Security Service of Ukraine [SBU], which, according to the SBU, was Lukin’s telephone conversation with leader of the Slovyansk defence forces Igor Strelkov. According to Lukin, this conversation did take place but its content has nothing […]
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(Interfax – May 3, 2014) Moscow considers the position the USA and a number of European countries have taken regarding the bloodshed in Odessa to be the “deepest cynicism”, and in approving Kiev’s “punitive operation” in southeast Ukraine, the West shares responsibility for what is happening, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitriy Peskov has said. He was speaking to journalists on 3 […]
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MOSCOW. May 3 (Interfax) – Russian President Vladimir Putin receives round-the-clock updates on what is happening in southeast Uykraine, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “The president gets reports from intelligence and other relevant agencies, he also receives information from media reports,” Peskov told reporters on Saturday. “Essentially, we now realize how justified and right were the actions of president Putin, […]
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MOSCOW. May 3 (Interfax) – Russia has effectively lost influence over self-defense forces in Ukraine and cannot settle the situation on its own, Russian President’s Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said. “Western sponsors (of the Kyiv authorities) are making a reservation all the time that self-defense forces in the southeast of the country are armed and show armed resistance. From now […]
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[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: 2014-#100 :: 4 May 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 To subscribe to the JRL email version, email David Johnson at davidjohnson@starpower.net 1. Reuters: Ukraine accuses […]
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… 1. Reuters: Rebels down Ukraine helicopters, Putin denounces city assault.
2. www.euronews.com; Tymoshenko dismisses civil war fears, says Putin’s regime facing its end.
3. Financial Times: Ukraine PM warns of ‘most dangerous 10 days’ …
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Anna Dolgov – May 2, 2014) Former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky has said his surprise release from prison last December was facilitated by an agreement made with President Vladimir Putin to stay away from politics, but added that the deal expires in August. When asked about his abstention from political life since his surprise presidential […]
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(Interfax – May 2, 2014) Eighty-six percent of Russian citizens recently interviewed by the All Russian Center for Public Opinion Studies (VTsIOM) believe that Russia’s Armed Forces will be able to defend the country in the event of a real military threat. The latest survey was conducted in 42 Russian regions and involved 1,600 people. A total of 66 percent […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – May 1, 2014) Nearly six in every 10 Russians think that their country is heading in the right direction, the highest number in more than two decades, a recent poll has shown. A total of 58 percent of respondents were pleased with the nation’s present course, up from 43 percent in January and 51 percent […]
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