Month: January 2016

NEWSWATCH: “Russia’s current account improves in 2015, capital outflows fall two-thirds” – Reuters

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, JRL NewsBlog, Newslinks
Diverse Paper Currency, Coins, Line Graph

Reuters covers Russian financial positions. Russia’s current account surplus improved in 2015 while net capital outflows fell by almost two-thirds, underscoring the role of a weaker rouble in mitigating the impact of a slide in oil prices.  Preliminary balance of payments data published by the central bank on Monday showed the current account surplus increasing to $65.8 billion in 2015 […]

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NEWSLINK Russia Direct: “Doing business in Russia: High risk, but also high reward. New Report “The Magnetic Push and Pull of the Russian Economy: What’s Next for Investors in Russia?” examines how the Russian economy has changed over the past year and what new opportunities have emerged there for foreign investors.”

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Newslinks
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Moscow’s 5 most interesting mobile apps for tourists

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television
iPad file photo

Foreign travelers can now get to know Moscow better thanks to some new mobile apps for those that love museums, architecture and even making random new friends in the metro. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Kira Egorova, RBTH – January 18, 2016) Moscow, Russia If digital detox while on holiday is not one of your goals and you […]

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Ukrainian military disrupt repair works in Zaitseve by opening fire – Russian representative in JCCC

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

DONETSK. Jan 18 (Interfax) – The Ukrainian Armed Forces have disrupted the restoration works in the area of Zaitseve by opening fire, a representative of the Russian Armed Forces in the Joint Center for Control and Coordination (JCCC) told reporters. “Today, on January 18, the works, which were determined as priority in Minsk on January 13, 2016, began in four […]

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Gref

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Oil, Gas, Energy
Oil Wells File Photo

(Eric Kraus – Facebook – January 16, 2016) I often wonder whether Gref’s slightly hysterical tone is a good thing – as it is a goad to action against complacency – or it is a net-net negative because it simply adds to the ambient pessimism. Listening to his talk at the Gaidar Conference – there is one obvious problem – […]

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‘Downshifter’ Russia Is Losing Global Competition, Warns State Bank Chief

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade
File Photo of German Gref Shaking Hands with U.S. Official

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 15, 2016) Russia has failed to adapt to economic and technological change and has fallen into the ranks of “downshifter” countries that will catastrophically lag behind their more advanced rivals, the head of the country’s largest bank said Friday. “We must honestly admit that we have lost to competitors,” German Gref told the Gaidar […]

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UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2016-11 :: Monday PM, 18 January 2016

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

[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2016-#11 Monday 18 January 2016 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 […]

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International Conflicts Are Russians’ Biggest Fear – Poll

Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Military, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Mercator Projection Satellite Image of Earth

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 18, 2016) The escalation of international conflicts is currently the issue that most frightens Russian citizens, the results of a poll by the state-run VTsIOM pollster published Monday revealed. Seventy percent of Russians currently believe that international conflicts and hostilities pose a real threat, according to the poll. The second issue that most worries […]

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DJ: Recent comment on Johnson’s Russia List by a former State Department official

Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Vladimir Putin file photo with VOA logo; screen shot from video still

DJ: Recent comment on Johnson’s Russia List by a former State Department official: “I have just returned from travel and started in on JRL #7, only to find the first ten percent or so of the issue taken up by a banal, boring, partisan regurgitation of Putin’s Bild interview. Why do you continue to inflict on your readers such tripe […]

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RUSSIA – Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2016-10 :: Monday AM, 18 January 2016

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

[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2016-#10 Monday AM 18 January 2016 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 – […]

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Dark Jokes Lighten Gloom Over Russia’s Ailing Economy

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Life in Russia, Culture, Arts
Cash, Calculator, Pen

(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Tom Balmforth – MOSCOW, January 17, 2016) What’s the difference between the ruble, the dollar, and the pound? With a dollar, you can buy a pound of dried rubles. Jokes like these have become par for the course as the recession-hit Russian economy limps into 2016 showing no signs of recovery and the national currency plunges […]

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NEWSWATCH: “Russian economic crisis drives people to the soup kitchens” – Deutsche Welle

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, JRL NewsBlog
Kremlin and Saint Basil's File Photo

Deutsche Welle covers the impact of Russia’s economic crisis. The impact of the economic crisis is now noticeable in everyday life in Russia. Many are now living below the poverty line. The number of people seeking help is rising. Click here for “Russian economic crisis drives people to the soup kitchens” – Deutsche Welle

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NEWSWATCH: “Russia’s pensioners squeezed as recession bites” – Financial Times

Budget, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, JRL NewsBlog, Oil, Gas, Energy, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Sanctions
Diverse Paper Currency, Coins, Line Graph

The Financial Times covers the impact of Russia’s economic downturn on older Russians. Several Russian regions have over the past year been forced to suspend benefit payouts or stop the inflation indexing of public sector wages. … The dramatic slide in crude prices has slashed revenues from the export of oil and gas which account for more than half Russia’s […]

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Agents of Change: Promoting Tolerance and Acceptance in Russia

Disabilities, Human Rights, Life in Russia, Culture, Arts
Map of Russia and Russian Flag adapted from images at state.gov

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Vasily Kolotilov – January 18, 2016) A rehearsal is being held in a large hall – light streaming in through floor-to-ceiling windows onto the performers. Some dance, some sit sprawled across the floor watching their compatriots. “Kostik, stand up, you’re going to get cold,” the choreographer scolds. A young man slouched on the wooden parquet […]

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NEWSWATCH: “Backed by Russian air power, Syria’s army builds on gains.” – Los Angeles Times

JRL NewsBlog, Middle East, North Africa, Military, Syria
Syria Map

The Los Angeles Times covers unfolding evens in the Syrian civil war, including Russian involvement. … Moscow’s air onslaught appears to be gaining effectiveness as Russian commanders grow more familiar with the conflict and with the capabilities of allied Syrian ground forces, observers say. … Russia’s involvement has also led to a new calculation by Syria’s neighbors …. Click here […]

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Hidden Sting Raises Costs for Ukraine in Russian Trade War

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Daryna Krasnolutska – January 14, 2016) [Charts here bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-13/hidden-sting-drives-up-costs-for-ukraine-in-russian-trade-war] With the conflict in Ukraine already having ravaged bilateral trade, Russia canceling a free-trade pact with its former ally wasn’t seen as a big danger. But there was a twist. On top of annulling the accord, a response to Ukraine’s trade agreement with the European Union, Russia […]

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Territorial battalions uncontrolled by Kyiv breaking truce in Donbas – Pushilin

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

DONETSK. Jan 15 (Interfax) – Self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) negotiator, Denis Pushilin, has blamed territorial battalions uncontrolled by Kyiv for the increased number of shelling incidents in Donbas, after a ceasefire deal was signed at the latest Minsk meeting. “The reason is that provocations are being staged by territorial battalions which are not fully controlled by Kyiv. There are […]

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UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2016-9 :: Friday PM, 15 January 2016

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

[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2016-#8 Friday 15 January 2016 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 […]

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In Russia’s updated national security strategy NATO not named a ‘threat’

Military, NATO
NATO Meeting file photo

(Interfax – January 14, 2016) Russian Foreign Ministry official Maria Zakharova has called the information reported by the Western media stating that NATO is called a “threat” to Russia’s national security in Russia’s updated national security strategy “unscrupulous speculation.” “As to the wording that defines NATO as a ‘threat,’ the document doesn’t have them […] It is enough to read […]

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New Russian security strategy views use of military force as “extreme measure”

Military
File Photo of Russian Tanks in Military Parade

(Interfax – Moscow, January 13, 2016) According to the new national security strategy, the use of military force by Russia is viewed as an extreme measure, Russian Security Council Deputy Secretary Mikhail Popov told journalists. “The use of military force is viewed as an extreme measure. It can only be used once political, economic, diplomatic and other avenues have been […]

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China’s Economic Turmoil Ruins Russia’s New Year

China, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade
Asia Map

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Peter Hobson – January 14, 2016) New fears over China’s economy and sharp falls in the price of oil have worsened the outlook for Russia as it tries to emerge from recession. The price of crude, the linchpin of Russia’s economy, fell almost 20 percent in the first two weeks of January to just above […]

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Russian Ministry Predicts More Recession, Lower Incomes and Less Employment

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Oil, Gas, Energy
Diverse Paper Currency, Coins, Line Graph

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 15, 2016) New falls in the oil price mean that Russia’s economy will likely shrink again in 2016, as incomes continue to fall and unemployment rises, according to a draft outlook prepared by the Economic Development Ministry. Officials had hoped for an end to recession this year, but a near 20 percent decrease in […]

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TRANSCRIPT: [Medvedev at] The 7th Gaidar Forum [excerpts]

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Dmitri Medvedev file photo

(Government.ru – January 13, 2016) The theme of the 2016 Gaidar Forum is “Russia and the World: Looking to the Future.” The Gaidar Forum is an annual international academic and practical conference in the field of economic policy. It was first held in 2010 in memory of Yegor Gaidar, an outstanding academic and economist and the architect of Russian reforms […]

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Russian Culture Minister Says Burning Books ‘Completely Unacceptable’

Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Life in Russia, Culture, Arts, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Bookcase file photo, adapted from image at nlm.nih.gov

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 15, 2016) Russian Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky has denounced an incident in which 53 publications funded by the George Soros Foundation were reportedly incinerated in northern Russia’s Komi region. Medinsky told the Meduza news portal on Thursday that the burning of books and the destruction of monuments, is “completely unacceptable” because it “looks terrible […]

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Russians Increasingly Pessimistic About Job Prospects – Poll

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade
Migrant Workers file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 15, 2016) The number of Russians that believe they would be able to find a good job if they lost their current position fell by 10 percent last year, the results of the poll published Friday revealed. Only 25 percent of Russians think they would manage to find a position similar to the one […]

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Putin urges government to be ready for any economic scenario

Budget, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Diverse Paper Currency, Coins, Line Graph

(Interfax – January 13, 2016) Russian President Vladimir Putin has told the government to closely monitor changes in the economic situation and be ready for any turn. “We should be ready for any scenario,” he said at a meeting with Cabinet members. The president drew attention to how the situation changes on the markets. “I know that the government has […]

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[NATO Expansion and International Law] Re: 2016-#7-Johnson’s Russia List/Mercouris re NATO

International Law, NATO
NATO Meeting file photo

Subject: Re: 2016-#7-Johnson’s Russia List/Mercouris re NATO Date: Wed, 13 Jan 2016 From: Timothy Stubbs <timothy.stubbs@dentons.com> As regards Mr. Mercouris’s article of today: In any legal system, agreements intended to be treated as binding and enforceable must meet certain customary formal and substantive requirements for the parties thereto to have a reasonable expectation that such agreements will be treated as […]

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RUSSIA – Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2016-8 :: Friday AM, 15 January 2016

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

[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2016-#8 Friday 15 January 2016 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 […]

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How ‘eastern Ukraine’ was lost

Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Ukraine Map and Flag

Nearly two years after the outbreak of fighting, nearly 9,000 people have died in eastern Ukraine. To understand how this war ends, we need to understand how it began. (opendemocracy.net – Andrii Portnov – January 14, 2016) Andrii Portnov is director of the Berlin-Brandenburg Ukrainian Initiative at the Forum Transregionale Studien, as well as visiting professor at Humboldt University, Berlin. […]

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NEWSLINK Christian Science Monitor: “Could 2016 see Ukraine crisis resolved? Russian moves hint yes. The halting Minsk process, meant to peaceably reunite Ukraine with its restive eastern regions, got a big boost in recent weeks with the assignment of two top Putin officials to key positions in the Russian team.”

Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
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Putin’s Power Failure: He’s had Time and Resources to Transform Russia but has Failed to Do So, Inozemtsev Says

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Map of Russia and Russian Flag adapted from images at state.gov

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, January 12, 2016) Vladimir Putin has had the time and resources “to transform Russia if not into the next China then into a new Emirates by laying the foundations for economic growth over several decades,” Vladislav Inozemtsev says. But he didn’t do so and as a result, these years for Russia were […]

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What’s so Russian about Russian food?

Life in Russia, Culture, Arts
File Photo of Russian Food and Nesting Dolls

Blogger offers cultural insights to the country’s cuisine. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – ALEKSANDRA EFIMOVA, SPECIAL TO RBTH – January 12, 2016) [Photos here rbth.com/blogs/leadership._inspiration._achievement/2016/01/12/whats-so-russian-about-russian-food_558755] On a recent trip to Russia, I picked up three cookbooks dating back to the 1800s that were originally written for housewives of that time. Although updated for the modern cook, these books […]

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Why Vladimir Putin won’t go to Davos

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas
World Economic Forum Signage file photo

The Russian delegation at the Davos Forum will be headed by Yury Trutnev, a deputy prime minister and the Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Far East. According to experts, this means that Russia will primarily focus on the presentation of Asian projects at the forum. Neither the president nor the prime minister will travel to Switzerland. (Russia Beyond the Headlines […]

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Russia to take no part in Nuclear Security Summit in Washington – Foreign Ministry

Nuclear Proliferation, Nuclear, Missile Defense
Radioactivity Symbol

MOSCOW. Jan 13 (Interfax) – Nuclear Security Summits “have played their role” and their political agenda has been exhausted; Russia has stopped preparing for the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit in Washington DC, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said. “Our country has taken part in three Nuclear Security Summits, those held in Washington (2010), Seoul (2012) and the Hague (2014). […]

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Russian-Chinese Trade Plummets in 2015

China, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Far East, Siberia, APEC
Asia Map

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 13, 2016) The volume of Chinese exports to Russia fell by 34.4 percent last year to $32.9 billion, the TASS news agency reported Wednesday, citing China’s customs department. Trade turnover between China and Russia dropped by 27.8 percent to $64.2 billion in 2015. The volume of Russia’s exports to China declined last year by […]

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What’s new with the Russian army?

Military
File Photo of Russian Tanks in Military Parade

RBTH has investigated how public attitudes to army service have changed and what kinds of reforms to military training, procurement, research and military education have been carried out in the last three years. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – VADIM MATVEYEV, TATYANA RUSAKOVA, RBTH – January 13, 2016) During the military campaign in Syria, the Russian armed forces has […]

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A Fallen Russia Oligarch Sends Warning to Rest of Putin Insiders

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Vladimir Putin file photo with VOA logo; screen shot from video still

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Irina Reznik – January 12, 2016) He was one of the most powerful men in Russia for a decade, an old pal of the president who oversaw a million workers and a rail network spanning 11 time zones. But then Vladimir Yakunin was suddenly out, ending a career that included a stint as an intelligence officer […]

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Pamfilova criticizes Kadyrov’s words about non-system opposition

Chechnya, Dagestan, North Caucasus, Human Rights, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Ramzan Kadyrov file photo

MOSCOW. Jan 13 (Interfax) – Russian human rights ombudsman Ella Pamfilova has criticized the statement made by Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of Chechnya, saying that representatives of the non-system opposition are “enemies of the people” who should face trial for sabotage. “Such statements are not only pointless, but also harmful because they render a disservice to the country’s president and […]

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Russian Finance Minister: Oil prices could continue to slide

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Oil, Gas, Energy
Oil Wells File Photo

(Interfax – January 13, 2016) Oil prices are likely to go on sliding in the near future, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said. “Today there’s a very tight balance on the oil market, we’re seeing that nobody is cutting oil production. We’re likely in the short term to see further decline in prices for this commodity,” he said. “Indicators for […]

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Russian Ruble Crashes to 77 Per Dollar Amid Oil Price Slump

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

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 13, 2016) The Russian ruble fell to 77 against the U.S. dollar on Tuesday for the first time since December 2014 as global prices for oil continue to slide, the RIA Novosti news agency reported. As of Tuesday morning, the Russian currency had slipped to 77.01 against the U.S. dollar and 83.80 against the […]

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How Russians see themselves and Russia’s role in world – poll

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Mercator Projection Satellite Image of Earth

(Interfax – January 12, 2016) Two-thirds of people in Russia believe that Russia’s influence in the world has been growing in recent years and only 3 per cent hold the opposite view, while 22 per cent believe it hasn’t changed, according to a poll conducted by Russian polling organization Public Opinion Foundation (FOM) on 26-27 December, as reported by privately-owned […]

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