Month: June 2015

RUSSIA & UKRAINE: Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#113 :: Tuesday 9 June 2015

JRL Tables of Contents, Russian News, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#113 Tuesday 9 June 2015 A project sponsored through the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs The contents do not necessarily represent the views of IERES or the George Washington University. JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: russialist.org/funding.php Support for JRL is provided in part by […]

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Beleaguered Russian Science Foundation Dynasty Delays Decision on Closure

Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Science, Technology, Engineering
File Photo of Test Tubes with Algae Displaying Different Colors, Part of U.S. Energy-Related Research; from nrel.gov

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Ivan Nechepurenko – June 9, 2015) Beleaguered science organization the Dynasty Foundation, which has been grappling in recent days with whether or not to shut its doors, announced that a decision on the matter will be delayed to provide time to wrap up ongoing projects, the Kommersant newspaper reported on Monday. Following its inclusion on […]

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Ukraine defending Europe, world order, says Yatsenyuk

Europe, EU, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Maidan Square in Kiev, Ukraine

(Interfax – June 9, 2015) Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk has called for unity of the European Union and the United States needed “to defeat the aggressor.” He made the statement at a forum of the American Jewish Committee during a working visit to Washington DC, the Ukrainian government press service has reported. “We are positive that we can regain […]

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Ukraine’s labour reforms threaten workers’ rights

Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Verkhovna Rada File Photo

(openedemocracy.net – Vitaly Dudin – June 5, 2015) Vitaly Dudin is a legal analyst at Ukraine’s Center for Social and Labor Research, which was created in 2013 as an independent not-for-profit institution dedicated to the analysis of socio-economic problems, collective protests, labour relations and conflicts The oligarchs have joined forces to railroad a new labour code that strips Ukrainian workers of […]

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Regarding Ukraine, Putin’s Actions Undercut Putin’s Arguments, ‘Nezavisimaya Gazeta’ Says

Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Map of Commonwealth of Independent States, European Portion

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, June 9, 2015) Russian actions in Crimea and the Donbas “have weakened Russian arguments about the change of power in Kyiv” at the time of the Maidan and thus cost Moscow support in European and other Western capitals, according to a lead article in “Nezavisimaya gazeta” today. In his interview with “Corriere […]

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TRANSCRIPT: Remarks by President Obama in Press Conference after G7 Summit (excerpts)

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Europe, EU, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, NATO, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
File Photo of G7 Leaders and other Officials Around Round Table at the Hague, with Flags

(The White House – Office of the Press Secretary – Elmau Briefing Center, Krün, Germany, June 8, 2015) PRESIDENT OBAMA: With respect to security, the G7 remains strongly united in support for Ukraine. We’ll continue to provide economic support and technical assistance that Ukraine needs as it moves ahead on critical reforms to transform its economy and strengthen its democracy. […]

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Eleven Russian Superstitions (Because We Were Scared to Do Thirteen)

Life in Russia, Culture, Arts
Spilled Salt and Toppled Salt Shaker

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Jennifer Monaghan – June 9, 2015) Russians are a superstitious lot. A survey by independent pollster Levada Center in 2013 found that 52 percent of Russians believed in omens, prophetic dreams and astrology. Admittedly, this was a decline from 57 percent in 2000 – but still represented more than half of the population at the […]

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NEWSLINK Interfax-Ukraine: Gazprom: gas transit through Ukraine to end after 2019, come what may

Newslinks, Oil, Gas, Energy, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Gas Flame file photo

Gazprom has no plans to continue using Ukraine as a transit country for gas exports after 2019, Deputy CEO Alexander Medvedev told journalists. “When the transit contract with Ukraine expires, there will be no prolongation, no conclusion of a new transit agreement under any circumstances. In light of the economic, commercial, technological, investment and political risks for gas transit, there […]

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RIA Novosti: Russia sets out what it wants from USA, NATO, EU in new foreign policy document

Europe, EU, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, NATO, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
foreign-ministry-200

(RIA Novosti – June 8, 2015) Russia reserves the right to respond to any unfriendly steps towards it taken by the USA, says the document containing a review of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s performance in 2014 and medium-term objectives, as reported by RIA Novosti (part of the state-owned International News Agency Rossiya Segodnya) on 8 June. “In constructing our engagement […]

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NEWSLINK Christian Science Monitor: NATO and Russia aren’t talking to each other. Cold war lessons forgotten?

Newslinks, Russia & the West, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Putin and Obama with U.S. and Russian Flags

Several times during the cold war, miscommunication almost led to nuclear conflict. Now, amid tensions over Ukraine, Russia and the West are showing a new failure to communicate.

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NEWSLINK The Guardian: Is the ‘Moscow experiment’ over?

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Life in Russia, Culture, Arts, Newslinks, Regions, Cities, Municipalities
Moscow Night Lights Satellite Image

The plan was to create a new type of city that answered the needs of Moscow’s creative middle classes. But did the exit of Sergei Kapkov, the culture minister who ushered in these changes, also signal the end of the city’s urban revival?

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RUSSIA & UKRAINE: Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#112 :: Monday 8 June 2015

JRL Tables of Contents, Russian News, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
St. Basil's Domes

Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#112 Monday 8 June 2015 A project sponsored through the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs The contents do not necessarily represent the views of IERES or the George Washington University. JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: russialist.org/funding.php Support for JRL is provided in part by […]

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NEWSWATCH Washington Post: At G-7 meeting, Obama’s primary task is confronting his Putin problem

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Europe, EU, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, JRL NewsBlog, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Photo of G7 Leaders and other Officials Around Round Table at the Hague, with Flags

[“At G-7 meeting, Obama’s primary task is confronting his Putin problem” – Washington Post –  Steven Mufson – June 6, 2015] The Washington Post covers U.S. policies towards Russia and Ukraine amidst the latest meeting of the G-7: The G-7 meeting is a symbolic moment. After the Cold War, the annual gathering of the leaders of the world’s major industrial nations […]

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NEWSLINK Wall Street Journal/Anne Applebaum: Ukraine’s Most Hopeful City: Lviv; In Lviv, the conflict with Russia can feel far away

Newslinks, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
File Photo of Street in Lviv

Lviv has the ambience of Prague or Krakow, but without the prices or the crowds. Ukrainians can’t go to Crimea anymore, and visas are tough. But in Lviv, you can eat a good meal for a few euros, go to the opera or just sit in the parks and watch people for free.   Click here for “Ukraine’s Most Hopeful […]

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NEWSWATCH Reuters: With eye on U.S. election, Republicans assail Russia’s Putin

JRL NewsBlog, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Putin and Obama with U.S. and Russian Flags

[“With eye on U.S. election, Republicans assail Russia’s Putin” – Reuters – STEVE HOLLAND – June 8, 2015] Reuters covers U.S. policies on Russia and Ukraine, and reactions by Republican presidential hopefuls. Something about Vladimir Putin makes Republicans in the U.S. presidential race see red.   The Russian president has emerged as a symbol for what they view as President Barack […]

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A break in the clouds over Ukraine’s future

Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Maidan Square in Kiev, Ukraine

(Business New Europe – bne.eu – KYIV BLOG: Ben Aris in Moscow – June 8, 2015) It’s not exactly blue-sky news, but after a little over a year in office, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko had a few things to boast about in his recent annual speech before the Rada lower chamber of Parliament. Reforms have started and the first green […]

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Interfax: Russians like Belarus and China, have aversion to U.S., EU and Ukraine – poll

Belarus, China, Europe, EU, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Russia & the West, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Mercator Projection Satellite Image of Earth

(Interfax – June 8, 2015) Most Russians speak ill of the United States, the European Union and Ukraine and see Belarus, China and Kazakhstan as friends, the Levada Center has told Interfax. Seventy-three percent of 1,700 respondents polled in 134 populated localities on May 22-25 expressed negative feelings for the U.S., 15 percent said the opposite, and 12 percent were […]

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NEWSWATCH Wall Street Journal: Defense Chief: Subversion, ‘Big Lie’ Are in Russia’s Arsenal. Ash Carter favors more military exercises, better intelligence sharing

Europe, EU, JRL NewsBlog, NATO, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Ashton Carter File Photo

[Wall Street Journal – Defense Chief: Subversion, ‘Big Lie’ Are in Russia’s Arsenal. Ash Carter favors more military exercises, better intelligence sharing – GORDON LUBOLD – June 6, 2015] The Wall Street Journal covers remarks by Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter after a European trip to discuss Russia and the crisis in Ukraine. Mr. Carter made clear at the end of an […]

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No Peaceful End in Sight for Ukraine, Analysts Say

Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Ivan Nechepurenko – June 8, 2015) Diplomacy will be essential to ending the ongoing Ukraine conflict, but more than a year into it the key stakeholders in the crisis lack the political will to compromise with one other and to commit to a peaceful resolution, analysts told The Moscow Times amid reports of fresh fighting […]

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Interfax: Peak of inflation has passed, but risks remain – Nabiullina

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade
Elvira Nabiullina file photo

MOSCOW. June 8 (Interfax) – The Central Bank of Russia is expecting a reduction of inflation and noted that its peak has already passed, although risks exist for it, Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina said. “Weekly inflation has remained at 0.1% for six weeks already. According to our estimate, we have passed the peak of inflation, we are forecasting its […]

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Putin: ‘We Have Never Viewed Europe as a Mistress’

Europe, EU, Military, NATO, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Vladimir Putin file photo with VOA logo; screen shot from video still

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber – June 8, 2015) President Vladimir Putin insisted that the West should not view Russia as a threat in an interview published Saturday in Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera ahead of an official visit to Italy that kicks off this week. “I think that only an insane person – and only in a […]

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To Thomas Graham: We Should Understand Russian History Differently

Europe, EU, History, Soviet Union, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Balaklava harbour, the cattle pier, Crimea, Ukraine, 1855; adapted from image at loc.gov; Fenton, Roger, 1819-1869, photographer;

(PONARS Eurasia – ponarseurasia.org – Ivan Kurilla, Professor of History Volgograd State University – June 5, 2015) In a recent Financial Times op-ed (“Europe’s Problem is with Russia, not Putin”) Thomas Graham, a managing director at Kissinger Associates and former senior director for Russia on the US National Security Council, makes far-reaching conclusions about contemporary Russia and international security by drawing on the position Russia […]

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Russia mines a richer seam; Amidst all of the doom and gloom in Russia’s economy, some of the large metals and mining companies had a surprisingly good 2014

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Sanctions
Diverse Paper Currency, Coins, Line Graph

(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Mark Adomanis in Philadelphia – June 5, 2015) I’ve written before about Russia’s banking system and the annus horribilis of 2014. With the possible exception of Sberbank, Russia’s other large banks have been beset on all sides, massively writing down the value of loans they had previously extended to Russian corporations and also taking […]

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RUSSIA & UKRAINE: Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#111 :: Friday 5 June 2015

JRL Tables of Contents, Russian News, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#111 Friday 5 June 2015 A project sponsored through the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs The contents do not necessarily represent the views of IERES or the George Washington University. JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: russialist.org/funding.php Support for JRL is provided in part by […]

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Rare Russian Bastion of Independent Media Suffers Identity Crisis

Media, Internet, Social Media, Television
File Image of Stylized Eye Surrounded by Binary Code

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Ivan Nechepurenko – June 5, 2015) As several top commentators publicly severed ties with Ekho Moskvy, experts speculated that the editorial policies of Russia’s leading independent radio station have shifted to accommodate a changing society, not to do the Kremlin’s bidding. A number of prominent opposition-minded analysts, economists and literary figures have announced in recent […]

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Russia’s economy doing well but not out of the woods – Central Bank chief

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade
Diverse Paper Currency, Coins, Line Graph

(Interfax – June 4, 2015) Russia’s economy is doing better than expected but it still faces dangers and “crisis phenomena”, the head of the Central Bank said on 4 June, acknowledging the impact of “external factors”. “Current figures for the economy have proven better than economists expected but it is early to say that all the crisis phenomena have passed,” […]

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Announcement: Committee for East-West Accord

Russia & the West
Mercator Projection Satellite Image of Earth

Subject: Announcement: Committee for East-West Accord Date: Thu, 4 Jun 2015 From: James Carden <jcarden@eastwestaccord.com> Announcing the launch of the Committee for East-West Accord and its official website, Eastwestaccord.com Dear Colleagues and Friends, Today I am pleased to announce the creation of the new Committee for East-West Accord, a nonpartisan, tax-exempt educational organization of American citizens from different professions – […]

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Interfax: Russia proves it can feed itself – Medvedev

Agriculture, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Dmitri Medvedev file photo

ROSTOV-ON-DON. June 5 (Interfax) – Over the ten months after it introduced the embargo on food from the European Union, Russia has proved that it can feed itself on its own, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said. “The past ten months, from the moment the special economic measures were introduced, have shown or proved, if you will, the main thing: […]

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Russians Hope Worst is Over as Inflation Slows in May

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade
Diverse Paper Currency, Coins, Line Graph

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – June 5, 2015) Russian inflation slowed in May for the second month and the price of key foodstuffs began to fall, official data showed, signaling that the worst of a painful inflation spike may have passed. Consumer prices were 15.8 percent higher in May than in the same month a year earlier, down from the […]

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RUSSIA & UKRAINE: Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#110 :: Thursday 4 June 2015

JRL Tables of Contents, Russian News, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#110 Thursday 4 June 2015 A project sponsored through the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs The contents do not necessarily represent the views of IERES or the George Washington University. JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: russialist.org/funding.php Support for JRL is provided in part by a […]

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NEWSLINK Kyiv Post: Poroshenko warns of ‘full-scale’ war, prods to speed up reforms

Military, Newslinks, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

Ukraine will stick to the Minsk II peace agreement, even though Russia might launch a “full-scale” invasion in the eastern Donbas, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said during an address to Parliament on June 4 almost a year after he came to power. He was inaugurated on June

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Interfax: OSCE SMM publishes special report on Wednesday fighting near Maryinka

Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

KYIV. June 4 (Interfax) – The Special Monitoring Mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE/SMM) has published a separate report concerning the fighting that erupted near the town of Maryinka in the Donetsk region on Wednesday morning. Between 10:00 p.m. on June 2 and 5:30 a.m. on June 3, SMM observers working in the area controlled […]

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Russians against Kremlin spending money on Crimea or World Cup

Budget, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Military, Sports, Olympics, World Cup, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Men Sitting Around Long Oval Boardroom Table, File Photo of FIFA Officials Meeting with Vladmir Putin

(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Henry Kirby in London – June 4, 2015) [Charts here http://www.bne.eu/content/story/bnechart-russians-against-kremlin-spending-money-crimea-or-world-cup] An overwhelming majority of Russians are against state money for health and education being redirected toward other areas of the economy, according to a recent poll by the Levada Center. In the wake of announcements that Russia’s revised 2015 budget will increase defence […]

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More and more Russians slipping below poverty line as recession bites

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade
Diverse Paper Currency, Coins, Line Graph

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Yekaterina Sinelschikova, RBTH – June 4, 2015) As sanctions continue to take their toll on Russia’s faltering economy and salaries shrink in real terms, an increasing number of Russians are finding themselves unable to make ends meet. Data published by Russia’s state statistics bureau Rosstat indicates that 11 percent of Russians were living […]

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Russian economy in “full-blown crisis” – ex-finance minister

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade
Alexei Kudrin file photo

(RIA Novosti – June 3, 2015) Speaking at the Russian Federation Council in Moscow, ex-Finance Minister Aleksey Kudrin has once again criticized overblown defence spending that squeezes the funds out of other areas of Russia’s economy. A large part of the budget deficit that the country is faced with today comes “not from decreased government earning but from the need […]

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RUSSIA & UKRAINE: Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#109 :: Wednesday 3 June 2015

JRL Tables of Contents, Russian News, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#109 Wednesday 3 June 2015 A project sponsored through the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs The contents do not necessarily represent the views of IERES or the George Washington University. JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: russialist.org/funding.php Support for JRL is provided in part by […]

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NEWSLINK Reuters: Russia’s Gazprom presses on with Turkey pipeline despite questions

Newslinks, Oil, Gas, Energy, Turkey, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Turkey map

Russia’s Gazprom plans to start building a pipeline to Turkey this month to get gas to Europe without going through Ukraine, company sources said, although it has no firm agreement with Ankara and faces opposition from the European Union.

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NEWSLINK Reuters: Sink or sell? Russia spat leaves France with warships to spare

Arms Trade, Military Aid, France, Military, NATO, Newslinks
Mistral Class Ship

Tensions between the West and Russia over Ukraine have blocked a deal in which Moscow was to buy the ships, leaving Paris trying to negotiate a face-saving compromise and work out CAwhat to do with two unwanted warships.

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Russia to continue dealing with low oil price as no Opec cuts on agenda

Oil, Gas, Energy
Oil Wells File Photo

(Business New Europe – bne.eu – bne IntelliNews – June 3, 2015) [Charts here http://www.bne.eu/content/story/russia-continue-dealing-low-oil-price-no-opec-cuts-agenda] Opec members gathering in Vienna for the cartel’s biannual meeting on June 5 are indicating there will be no cuts in production, implying a calmer meeting to the last one in November that featured calls from some members for Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies […]

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Nearly 90% of Russians Oppose Polygamy, Poll Shows

Human Rights, Religion
Caucasus Map of Chechnya and Caucasus Environs

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Jennifer Monaghan – June 3, 2015) Weeks after a Chechen police chief took a 17-year-old local girl as his second bride, a state-run pollster has revealed that 87 percent of Russians stand opposed to the practice of polygamy among the population as a whole. The figure, based on a poll conducted by VTsIOM, represents a […]

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Russia No Longer a Good Option for Foreign Banks

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade
Diverse Paper Currency, Coins, Line Graph

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – June 3, 2015) The economic fallout of the Ukraine crisis has transformed perceptions of Russia among foreign banks and will likely see lenders curtail the operations of their Russian subsidiaries, ratings agency Standard & Poor’s said Tuesday. Foreign banks piled into Russia in the early 2000s in the hope that near 10 percent annual economic […]

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Kremlin Critic Emerges From Coma

Assassinations, Beatings, Threats, Chechnya, Dagestan, North Caucasus, Human Rights, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Kremlin Tower, St. Basil's, Red Square at Night

(RFE/RL – June 2, 2015) Friends and allies of prominent Russian opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza, Jr., who mysteriously fell ill with poisoning symptoms in Moscow, say he has regained consciousness after a weeklong coma. “Vladimir has come out of a coma,” former Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky said in a June 2 tweet. Kara-Murza, 33, is a coordinator for Open […]

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Interfax: Probable Nemtsov murder weapon found

Assassinations, Beatings, Threats, Human Rights, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Nemtsov March of Mourning

(Interfax – June 3, 2015) The police have found a handgun which probably killed opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, a source familiar with the situation has told Interfax. “The murder weapon has been found and enclosed in materials in the proceeding, examinations are in progress,” he said. The source added that the detectives had found several handguns, each of which was […]

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Moscow Times: MH17 Was Not Shot Down by Russian Missile – Russian Defense Firm

Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
File Photo of Buk-1 SAM

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Matthew Bodner – June 3, 2015) The Russian maker of an anti-aircraft missile widely thought to be behind the destruction of a civilian airliner over east Ukraine last summer presented evidence Tuesday that suggested that Ukrainian forces were responsible for the attack. Almaz-Antey, Russia’s largest defense contractor, announced its findings as the basis for a […]

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