… 8. Kyiv Post: Russia, West diverge sharply on ‘elections’ in Ukraine’s east.
9. RFE/RL: Five Takeaways From Eastern Ukraine’s Separatist Vote.
10. The National Interest: Katrina V. Negrouk, The Aftermath of Ukraine’s Elections: One Step Forward or Two Steps Back? ….
(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, November 4, 2014) One of the most frequently invoked explanations for the inability of leaders to cope with a challenge is that it is something fundamentally new that they could not have been expected to recognize, understand, and know precisely how to respond. That has been the case in Ukraine and the […]
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(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Mark Galeotti – November 3, 2014) Mark Galeotti is professor of global affairs at the Center for Global Affairs at New York University, an expert on Russia’s security services, and author of the blog “In Moscow’s Shadows” Mikhail Volkov is a cop in Moscow (up to a point) and Viktor Skvortsov is a criminal (of sorts), […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Yevgeny Levkovich, special to RBTH – November 3, 2014) Yevgeny Levkovich is a journalist and civil activist. There is more potential than usual for scandal in the Russian March held annually on Nov. 4 as nationalists have split over the situation in Ukraine. The Russian March will take place as usual in Moscow […]
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(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Glenn Kates – November 3, 2014) The elections held in eastern Ukraine by the pro-Russian separatists may not have been recognized by anyone but Russia, but that may be all that matters. Here are some more takeaways from the November 2 vote. Western nonrecognition is a moot point for separatists The November 2 elections in Ukraine’s […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Anna Dolgov – UNITED NATIONS, November 4, 2014) Russia has blocked a UN Security Council statement accusing Ukrainian separatists of breaching a peace agreement with Kiev, as Western governments continue to denounce Sunday’s vote as illegitimate. The draft document – the result of two-day long discussions between the 15 members of Security Council up until […]
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KIEV, November 4 (RIA Novosti) – The government in Kiev believes that the recent elections in eastern Ukraine have derailed any future talks between the two warring parties, a deputy chief of President Petro Poroshenko’s staff said late on Monday. Speaking on the Ukraina TV channel, Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Valeriy Chaly accused the opposition forces in eastern […]
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BRUSSELS, November 4 (RIA Novosti) – The geopolitical tensions over the situation around Ukraine, declining oil prices combined with Russia’s high dependence on energy exports, a weakening ruble and high inflation are among the main risks for the Russian economy, said the European Commission’s (EC) forecast, published Tuesday. “Economic growth in Russia had been on a declining trend for some […]
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… 12. AP: Russia’s Top Radio Station Slapped by Government.
13. Reuters: Russia keeps oil output near high despite sanctions, low prices.
14. Wall Street Journal editorial: The Run on the Ruble. Sanctions and a strong dollar create currency woes for Putin. …
(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Leonid Bershidsky – November 2, 2014) In the history of Ukraine’s Maidan revolution, which ousted President Viktor Yanukovich in February, Mustafa Nayyem deserves prominent mention. A year after the journalist’s Facebook post drew the first protesters to Kiev’s main square, he’s now a freshly elected member of parliament, conflicted about his role and struggling to find […]
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(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Leonid Bershidsky – October 30, 2014) Now that Ukraine’s electoral battles are over and the conflict in the country’s eastern regions is frozen, one of three scenarios could unfold: Quick and painful economic and regulatory surgery, a slide into Russia’s suffocating embrace, or chaos, as gangs of former volunteer fighters from the eastern war go on […]
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(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, November 2, 2014) Lev Gudkov, the director of the Levada Center, says that the ongoing Ukrainian crisis is dividing Russian society to an extent comparable to the ways in which the demise of the Soviet Union and the war in Chechnya and that as such this crisis represents “a turning point” in […]
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(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, November 3, 2014) Vladimir Putin has a very clear strategy in Ukraine: first, sow panic among Ukrainians and the West and then wait, then provoke Ukrainians into doing things that distance them from the West, and then wait; invade when both Ukrainians and the West are off balance; and then repeat the […]
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MOSCOW. Nov 3 (Interfax) – Russia is prepared to do everything it can to help launch dialogue between Kyiv and representatives of Ukraine’s southeastern regions. “Today it is important to take active measures in order to ensure a sustainable dialogue between Kyiv and representatives of Donbas. And we are help in every possible way,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Howard Amos – November 1, 2014) Concerns are rising among U.S. businesses in Russia that Washington lawmakers could move to enshrine sanctions on Russia in new legislation, extending their impact and delaying their repeal. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee unanimously passed such a legislative proposal last month and analysts warn the measure is more likely […]
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(Voice of America – voanews.com – Daniel Schearf – November 1, 2014) Russia’s economy was struggling even before it was hit with western sanctions for annexing Crimea from Ukraine. Despite the downward trend, President Vladimir Putin’s popularity has reached an all-time high on a wave of nationalistic fervor. But analysts say the high numbers are set to drop. The value […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Richard Winterbottom, special to RBTH – November 3, 2014) Keeping a weather eye open: With winter slowly creeping in, our newly repatriated expat recalls how Russians react to the weather. Last week my Facebook and Vkontakte walls have been plastered with pictures of perviy sneg (first snow of the year) in several of […]
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(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Daisy Sindelar, Halyna Tereshchuk – October 31, 2014) Andriy Sadovyy acts like a man with nothing to hide. In 2013, when the Lviv mayor purchased a new family home, he invited journalists to the house for a tour. And now, as his fledgling party prepares to enter the notoriously down-and-dirty world of parliamentary politics, Sadovyy says […]
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(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, November 2, 2014) In 1991, Ukrainians separated themselves “not from Russia but from Moscow,” as shown by the continuing willingness of most to speak Russian, historian Georgy Mirsky says. Indeed, at that time, “no one except Bandera supporters separated themselves off from Russia or from the Russian people.” But now, the Russian […]
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MOSCOW, November 2 (RIA Novosti) – The political crisis in Ukraine erupted in November 2013, when the country’s Cabinet of Ministers announced a halt to the country’s European integration process. The so-called Maidan protests started to be staged in Kiev’s central square and soon spread across the country, which resulted in violent armed clashes between the radicals and police and […]
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LUHANSK, November 2 (RIA Novosti) – Voter turnout in the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) in eastern Ukraine is about 38 percent as of 5 p.m. local time (14:00 GMT),Luhansk election commission chief Sergei Kozyakov told journalists Sunday. “As of 5 p.m. local time [14:00 GMT] the turnout totaled 129,395 voters, i.e. 37.83 percent of the total,” Kozyakov said at […]
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KIEV, November 2 (RIA Novosti) – Kiev has claimed to observe movement of military equipment and troops from Russia to the Donbas region, Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council’s spokesperson Andriy Lysenko said in a statement Sunday, but failed to provide evidence. “The intensive movement of military equipment and troops from the territory of the Russian Federation to the territory […]
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… 22. RFE/RL: Can Lviv Mayor Change Ukrainian Politics Once And For All?
23. The American Interest: Steven Pifer, RUSSIA AND THE WEST. Taking Stock in Ukraine. Seven things to know about the crisis, Moscow’s and Kyiv’s actions, and the West’s response. …