August 2018 – Johnson's Russia List

JRL NEWSWATCH: “What Bruce Ohr Told Congress; He warned the FBI that Steele had credibility problems. The bureau forged ahead anyhow.” – Wall Street Journal/Kimberley A. Strassel

August 31, 2018 JRL Russia List JRL NewsBlog, Spies, Spy Allegations, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

Department of Justice Headquarters Building file photo, adapted from image at justice.gov

“… Justice Department lawyer Bruce Ohr … [on] Tuesday confirm[ed] for Congress its worst suspicions about … [FBI] abuse of its surveillance and sourcing rules. … Over the past year, congressional investigators found out that … Ohr’s wife, Nellie, worked for Fusion GPS, the opposition-research firm that gave its infamous dossier, funded by the Hillary Clinton campaign, to the FBI. […]

“Sara’s Century” Podcast

August 31, 2018 JRL Russia List History, Soviet Union, Human Rights, Religion

Subject: “Sara’s Century” podcast Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2018 16:43:23 +0000 From: BARBARA T NORTON <btnorton@widener.edu> I wanted bring to your attention a fascinating new podcast serial, “Sara’s Century,” by a colleague at Rutgers U-Camden. The description below is from the website http://sarascentury.blogs.rutgers.edu/: “Sara’s Century” is a 12-episode podcast serial about Sara Mebel, a nearly 100-year-old Jewish woman who left […]

Putin’s ‘A Solid Man’: Declassified Memos Offer Window Into Yeltsin-Clinton Relationship

August 31, 2018 JRL Russia List History, Soviet Union, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

(Article ©2018 RFE/RL, Inc., Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – rferl.org – Mike Eckel – WASHINGTON – August 30, 2018 – text with links and graphics: rferl.org/a/putin-s-a-solid-man-declassified-memos-offer-window-into-yeltsin-clinton-relationship/29462317.html) On September 8, 1999, just a few weeks after promoting the head of the country’s top intelligence agency to the post of prime minister, Russian President Boris Yeltsin took a phone call from a […]

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EVENT: Kennan Institute Book Launch: “No Place for Russia” with Dr. William Hill [in Washington, D.C., Sept. 12]

August 31, 2018 JRL Russia List Events

File Photo of Reagan Building in Washington, D.C., adapted from image at medicalcountermeasures.gov by Steven C. Welsh :: www.stevencwelsh.com :: www.stevencwelsh.info

Kennan Institute – wilsoncenter.org/program/kennan-institute Book Launch: No Place for Russia with Dr. William Hill September 12, 2018 wilsoncenter.org/event/book-launch-no-place-for-russia-dr-william-hill The optimistic vision of a “Europe whole and free” after the fall of the Berlin Wall has been replaced by today’s hostile division of Europe between Russia and the West. Attempts to integrate Russia into a unified Euro-Atlantic security order have been […]

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Leave a comment EU, Europe, Events, NATO, New Book, New Books, Russia, Russian News, Slider, U.S.-Russian Relations

Slogan ‘Russia for the Russians’ Correctly Understood Shouldn’t Frighten Anyone, Vinogradov Says

August 31, 2018 JRL Russia List Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Race, Ethnic, Extremism, Xenophobia

File Photo of Kremlin Aerial View, adapted from .gov source

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, August 28, 2018 – windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2018/08/slogan-russia-for-russians-correctly.html) Many have been upset that the share of Russians who support the slogan “Russia for the Russians” has almost doubled over the last year, Mikhail Vinogradov, the president of the Petersburg Politics Foundation, says. But there isn’t any harm in this, unlike slogans suggesting that “Russia is […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Bill and Boris: A Window Into a Most Important Post-Cold War Relationship” [Excerpt] – Texas National Security Review/James Goldgeier

August 31, 2018 JRL Russia List History, Soviet Union, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

File Photo of Boris Yeltsin, Bill Clinton Playing a Saxophone, Lloyd Bentsen and others, adapted from image at whitehouse.gov

[Full text: tnsr.org/2018/08/bill-and-boris-a-window-into-a-most-important-post-cold-war-relationship/] “Against the backdrop of an enormous power differential between their two countries, Clinton and Yeltsin established a close personal rapport. … to interact effectively even when … frank in their disagreements, the most serious of which were over NATO enlargement … and the Kosovo War … As many were decrying the lack of any formal record […]

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RUSSIALINK: “Liability for firing people of pre-pension age may bar them from employment – FNPR head” – Interfax

August 31, 2018 JRL Russia List Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Pensions, Pensioners, Retirees, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

File Photo of Empty Chair and Desk with Computer, adapted from image at osha.gov

MOSCOW. Aug 31 (Interfax) – The introduction of criminal liability for employers who dismiss people of pre-pension age may have a negative effect on workers, Mikhail Shmakov, the head of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Russia (FNPR), said. “We need to be very careful about the proposal to introduce criminal liability for employers hiring or dismissing people of […]

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Leave a comment Economy, Government, Jobs, Labor, Law, Pensioners, Pensions, Politics, Retirees, Russia, Russian News, Slider, Workers

Ladies’ Man: Putin Cites ‘Caring Attitude’ In Pension-Reform Concession

August 31, 2018 JRL Russia List Budget, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Pensions, Pensioners, Retirees, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

(Article ©2018 RFE/RL, Inc., Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – rferl.org – Carl Schreck – Aug. 29, 2018 – also appeared at https://www.rferl.org/a/ladies-man-putin-cites-caring-attitude-in-pension-reform-concession/29460024.html) Russian President Vladimir Putin reserved the weightiest of his cautious concessions on a controversial pension-reform plan for Russian women, who outnumber their male counterparts by 10 million and live — and vote — considerably longer. Citing what he called […]

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Leave a comment Budget, Economy, Government, Pensioners, Pensions, Politics, Putin, Retirees, Russia, Russian News, Slider, Women

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Why China and Russia are obsessed with vast new war games” – Reuters/Peter Apps

August 31, 2018 JRL Russia List China, Military, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

“… Chinese troops will join their Russian counterparts for Moscow’s largest military exercises in more than three decades. … six months after Beijing’s biggest ever offshore naval drills, the joint war games are another reminder of how central military posturing now is to the world’s two most powerful authoritarian states. … neither likely desires or expects war with the United […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “A thickening web; America’s escalating Russian sanctions; Despite Donald Trump, Russia is being hit harder and harder” – The Economist

August 31, 2018 JRL Russia List Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, JRL NewsBlog, Sanctions, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

American Flag and Partial View of U.S. Capitol Dome, adapted from image at aoc.gov

“… In August alone, America has slapped penalties on Russian shipping firms accused of trading oil with North Korea; imposed restrictions on the arms trade in connection with the poisoning of … Skripal …; and begun congressional hearings on … legislation designed to punish Russia for its interference in elections. Further Skripal-linked measures may follow in three months’ …. Markets […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russian oil and gas groups shrug off sanctions; Higher crude prices and weakened rouble bolster producers’ profits” Financial Times/Henry Foy

August 31, 2018 JRL Russia List Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, JRL NewsBlog, Oil, Gas, Energy, Sanctions

“Higher energy prices and a weakened rouble saw second-quarter profits soar at three of Russia’s largest oil and gas groups … the country’s energy industry … has weathered international sanctions to reap strong earnings. Gazprom, the world’s largest gas producer, said … second-quarter profits had risen an annual 440 per cent … both exports to Europe and average prices jumped. […]

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NEWSLINK: “The details behind Putin’s plan to reform Russia’s pension system” – Meduza

August 31, 2018 JRL Russia List Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

“In a national address on Wednesday … Putin finally weighed in on Russia’s debate about pension reform. The president did what many expected and watered down some of the most controversial aspects of the government’s current plans. … Most notably, he proposed raising women’s retirement age by five years (to the age of 60), instead of the eight years currently […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Putin’s approval rating is rising again” – Meduza

August 31, 2018 JRL Russia List Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

File Photo of Dmitry Medvedev and Vladimir Putin with Heads Bowed Over Microphone

“… Putin’s approval rating is rising again, according to a study conducted by the independent Levada Center in late August. The president’s score rose to 70 percent … after dipping to 67 percent in July. (In May, Putin’s job approval rating was 79 percent.) … the president’s August 29 national address about pension reform had a minimal effect … only […]

RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents :: JRL 2018-159 :: Friday, 31 August 2018

August 31, 2018 JRL Russia List JRL NewsBlog, Russian News

To inquire about a subscription to the full Johnson’s Russia List e-mail newsletter, e-mail David Johnson at davidjohnson@starpower.net [check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2018-#159 Friday, 31 August 2018 A project sponsored through the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s […]

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RUSSIALINK: “Upcoming gubernatorial election in Russia to be mostly uncompetitive – FoRGO” – Interfax

August 30, 2018 JRL Russia List Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

MOSCOW. Aug 30 (Interfax) – A competitive scenario will be an exception from the rule in the upcoming gubernatorial elections, the Foundation for Civil Society Development (FoRGO) said. The reasons for that are the fact that the process participants understand that there is no point in artificially stimulating competition and the low effectiveness of opposition campaigns, FoRGO said. “Competition in […]

RUSSIALINK: “Kudrin speaks of state funding theft in Russia, corruption prevention” – Interfax

August 30, 2018 JRL Russia List Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

MOSCOW. Aug 30 (Interfax) – Societal opinion on rampant theft of state resources in Russia is justified, Alexei Kudrin, the head of the Audit Chamber and chairman of the Center for Strategic Development, said. “People are confident that state funding theft is widespread. This opinion, unfortunately, is justified,” Kudrin said in an interview with the newspaper Kommersant on Thursday. If […]

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Leave a comment Corruption, Government, Kudrin, Politics, Russia, Russian News, Slider

Andrei Liakhov: “Short comment on Weir/Galeotti (Re: 2018-#157–Johnson’s Russia List item #1)” [Re: re New York Times: “Kremlin Sources Go Quiet, Leaving C.I.A. in the Dark About Putin’s Plans for Midterms”]

August 30, 2018 JRL Russia List Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Spies, Spy Allegations, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

Stylized Artist's Depiction of Shadowy Figures in Dark Coats and Dark Hats, One Carrying a Briefcase

Subject: Short comment on Weir/Galeotti (Re: 2018-#157–Johnson’s Russia List item #1) Date: Wed, 29 Aug 2018 From: Andrei Liakhov <gaffriloff@yahoo.co.uk> Short comment on Weir/Galeotti What these two gentlemen miss in their assessment of the NYT totally improbable story is this: NYT was asked to publish this totally as a diversion for the Russian counter intelligence in an attempt to divert […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: Sean Guillory: “WaPo publishes an op-ed about how McCain was a great champion for the ‘human rights community’ and uses a picture with McCain standing next to Oleh Tyahnybok … named … one of the top-ten anti-Semites in the world.”

August 30, 2018 JRL Russia List Human Rights, JRL NewsBlog, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Religion, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

Historic Washington Post Masthead, adapted from image at nlrb.gov

(Sean Guillory – Facebook – August 29, 2018 McCain and Oleh Tyahnybok) [embedded live feed of facebook post should appear below; core text also recopied further below in case loading delayed] “This is too funny. WaPo publishes an op-ed about how McCain was a great champion for the ‘human rights community’ and uses a picture with McCain standing next to […]

RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents :: JRL 2018-158 :: Thursday, 30 August 2018

August 30, 2018 JRL Russia List JRL Tables of Contents, Russian News

To inquire about a subscription to the full Johnson’s Russia List e-mail newsletter, e-mail David Johnson at davidjohnson@starpower.net [check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2018-#158 Thursday, 30 August 2018 A project sponsored through the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Putin Dials Back Pension Plan After Backlash” – Wall Street Journal/Ann M. Simmons

August 29, 2018 JRL Russia List Budget, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, JRL NewsBlog, Pensions, Pensioners, Retirees, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

“… Putin softened a plan to raise pension ages to bolster state finances, a rare backtrack following a public outcry that cut his approval ratings to the lowest level in more than four years. … Putin proposed that the pension age for women be increased from 55 to 60 instead of the 63 years proposed by parliament. He didn’t propose […]

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Leave a comment Budget, Economy, Government, JRL NewsBlog, Newswatch, Pensioners, Pensions, Politics, Putin, Retirees, Russia, Russian News, Slider

Introduction of Personal Credit Scores in Russia Seen Helping Banks and Consumers

August 29, 2018 JRL Russia List Economy, Business, Investment, Trade

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, August 28, 2018) In the first quarter of 2018, Russian banks turned down 48 percent of applicants for loans and charged those who did get them higher rates than they otherwise might because the banks had no good way to ensure that they were only offering loans to those who would repay […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Extreme prejudice: how the Kremlin is cracking down on discontent” – The Times (UK)/Tom Parfitt

August 29, 2018 JRL Russia List Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Human Rights, JRL NewsBlog, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

Montage of Instagram, Twitter and Facebook Logos, adapted from image at nps.gov

“… Incitement to commit a crime by undercover officers is illegal under Russian law. Critics say the defendants have been set up as hardened plotters intent on a nationwide revolt, when in fact they were simply a small group of disgruntled, naive, young people led on by a provocateur. The trial has a wider significance. … the most prominent of […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “… Apart from … whether … U.S. intelligence … has such a cohort of well-placed spooks that it can be cavalier about their security, the willingness today especially of the NYT and WaPo to run stories based pretty much entirely on ‘some spook we can’t name us told us this’ is quite alarming. …” – Mark Galeotti

August 29, 2018 JRL Russia List JRL NewsBlog, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Spies, Spy Allegations, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

File Photo of Kremlin Tower, St. Basil's, Red Square at Night

(Mark Galeotti – Facebook – August 28, 2018) [live feed of facebook post should load below; click here for direct link: facebook.com/markgaleottionrussia/posts/1652509411544245; core text also pasted in further below] [additional copy of core text pasted below, in case embedded loading delayed] Fred Weir is spot on here. Apart from the wider issue of whether the US intelligence community has such […]

NEWSLINK: “Ukrainian efforts to sabotage Trump backfire; Kiev officials are scrambling to make amends with the president-elect after quietly working to boost Clinton” – Politico/Kenneth P. Vogel, David Stern

August 29, 2018 JRL Russia List Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

“… Ukrainian government officials tried to help Hillary Clinton and undermine Trump by publicly questioning his fitness for office. They also disseminated documents implicating a top Trump aide in corruption and suggested they were investigating the matter, only to back away after the election. And they helped Clinton’s allies research damaging information on Trump and his advisers, a Politico investigation […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Maria Butina: Private Messages Reveal Accused Russian Spy’s True Ties to D.C. Wise Man” – Daily Beast/Betsy Woodruff

August 29, 2018 JRL Russia List JRL NewsBlog, Spies, Spy Allegations, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

File Photo of Washington, D.C., Monuments and Environs at Twilight with Moon, Looking Across Potomac, adapted from image at nasa.gov by Steven C. Welsh :: www.stevencwelsh.com :: www.stevencwelsh.info

“…. The executive director of the organization, the Center for the National Interest, insisted that its interaction with Butina was ‘very limited.’ But previously unreported emails and direct messages between Butina and officials at the Center show her relationship with the think tank’s president – former Richard Nixon adviser Dimitri Simes – was closer than previously understood ….” Click here […]

NEWSLINK: “Election security can’t wait. Someone should convince the White House.” – Washington Post Editorial

August 29, 2018 JRL Russia List Cybersecurity, Newslinks, Spies, Spy Allegations, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

Multilingual Polling Place Sign from U.S. Election Polling Place

“… The bill might be more palatable to state elections officials wary of federal interference if it came with money for states to institute its mandates. But congressional Republicans have so far balked at the idea of ponying up any cash beyond the $380 million Congress already set aside for state election systems. …”

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RUSSIALINK TRANSCRIPT: “The [Russian] President’s address to Russian citizens [re pension reform]” – KremlinRu

August 29, 2018 JRL Russia List Budget, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Pensions, Pensioners, Retirees, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

(Kremlin.ru – August 29, 2018 – en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/58405) President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Citizens of Russia, friends, On June 16, 2018, the Government submitted to the State Duma a draft law on reforming the pension system, and on June 19, the draft passed its first reading in Parliament. The law’s main purpose is to ensure that the pension system remains sustainable […]

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Leave a comment Budget, Duma, Economy, Pensioners, Pensions, Politics, Putin, Retirees, Russia, Russian News, Slider, Transcripts

RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents :: JRL 2018-157 :: Wednesday, 29 August 2018

August 29, 2018 JRL Russia List JRL Tables of Contents, Russian News

To inquire about a subscription to the full Johnson’s Russia List e-mail newsletter, e-mail David Johnson at davidjohnson@starpower.net [check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2018-#157 Tuesday, 28 August 2018 A project sponsored through the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s […]

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Leave a comment JRL Tables of Contents, Russia, Russian News, Ukraine, Ukrainian News

Moscow has Complex System to Run Agents of Influence Abroad, Khmelnitsky Says

August 28, 2018 JRL Russia List Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Life in Russia, Culture, Arts, Spies, Spy Allegations

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, August 26, 2018) As Moscow’s geopolitical isolation has increased, Dmitry Khmelnitsky says, the role of its agents of influence abroad and the enormously variegated organizations that recruit and direct them has increased far beyond what they were during the Cold War when anti-communism served as a constraint. “The Russian network of agents […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “A Dossier Debunking; His lawyer says the Steele claims about Michael Cohen are false” – Wall Street Journal Editorial

August 28, 2018 JRL Russia List JRL NewsBlog, Spies, Spy Allegations, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

Maps of Czech Republic and Environs, adapted from images at CIA.gov by Steven C. Welsh :: stevencwelsh.com :: stevencwelsh.info

“Michael Cohen’s accusations have replaced Russian collusion as Washington’s reason-du-jour to impeach Donald Trump …. Cohen’s lawyer, Lanny Davis, confirmed last week that Cohen has never been to Prague in the Czech Republic. … the Steele dossier … commissioned by oppo-research firm Fusion GPS, paid for by the Clinton campaign and used by the FBI in its Trump investigation. … […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “How Chechnya’s Ramzan Kadyrov could destabilise Russia; Former warlord who answers only to Putin runs republic as personal fiefdom” – Financial Times/Kathrin Hille

August 28, 2018 JRL Russia List Chechnya, Dagestan, North Caucasus, JRL NewsBlog, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

Caucasus Map of Chechnya and Caucasus Environs

“… Kadyrov said the murder of … Kungaeva had been ‘an insult to all of us, and … we will not be dishonoured and humiliated.’ Claiming … Temerkhanov had been tried and imprisoned illegally, he accused Russian law enforcement of anti-Chechen bias. ‘If we are Russian citizens, treat us as Russian citizens …. We want equality and justice.’ …. a […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia Inc. Isn’t Waiting for Central Bank to Brave a Rate Hike” – Bloomberg/Anna Andrianova

August 28, 2018 JRL Russia List Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

Diverse Paper Currency, Coins, Line Graph

“The cost of money is rising for Russians well ahead of any potential central bank move to lift interest rates for the first time in almost four years amid concern the U.S. may impose fresh sanctions. State-run Sberbank PJSC, which holds almost half of all Russian savings, is increasing rates for ruble accounts for the first time since 2014. It […]

Sociological Portrait of Ukraine after 27 Years of Independence Extremely Complex, Nikitina Says

August 28, 2018 JRL Russia List Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, August 25, 2018) Since 1992, the Institute of Sociology of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences has conducted an enormous number of surveys and polls which together with the work of various private polling agencies provide a detailed if often ignored portrait of the evolution of Ukrainian society. On the 27th anniversary of […]

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Leave a comment Russia, Russian News, Slider, Ukraine, Ukrainian Government, Ukrainian Politics

NEWSLINK: “China – Not Russia – Elected Trump; China’s economic attack on America caused U.S. voters to turn to Trump” – The National Interest/James Walker

August 28, 2018 JRL Russia List Newslinks, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

“… attention should be sharply focused instead on the role of China in electing Trump. It is that concern that should inform American action today. China’s long-standing predatory trading policies have eaten America’s lunch, impacting most severely those who carry lunch buckets to work in America’s heartland. …”

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RUSSIALINK: “Three fourths of Ukrainians believe military conflict in Donbas most urgent problem for country” – Interfax-Ukraine

August 28, 2018 JRL Russia List JRL NewsBlog, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

“… 77 percent of respondents polled by Seetarget believe that the most urgent problem for Ukraine is the military conflict in the eastern part of the country. … half of the respondents believe that corruption and bribes are the main problem facing the country, one third … pointed to the unemployment rate, 19 percent – low salaries and pensions, and […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia, the victim? Opposite NATO’s eastern flank, it’s an expansionist West causing anxiety” – Defense News/Matthew Bodner

August 28, 2018 JRL Russia List Europe, EU, Military, NATO, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

“… NATO has long been Russian President Vladimir Putin’s favorite foreign boogeyman and, as far as political footballs go, this one has been easy and fruitful to kick around at home. … NATO troops and hardware are being forward deployed to former Soviet satellites in eastern Europe; in June, the alliance unveiled a new initiative – dubbed the ‘Four 30s’ […]

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Leave a comment Baltics, EU, Europe, JRL NewsBlog, Military, NATO, Newswatch, Russia, Russian News, Slider, U.S. Military

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Moscow Postpones Afghan Peace Talks; Decision comes after Afghan government declined an invitation to meet the Taliban” – Wall Street Journal/Jessica Donati and Ann Simmons

August 28, 2018 JRL Russia List Afghanistan, Central Asia, JRL NewsBlog

File Photo of U.S. NATO Troops Atop Ridge in Afghanistan

“Russia’s foreign ministry said … it has postponed a multilateral meeting on peace in Afghanistan after the Afghan government declined an invitation to meet the Taliban in Moscow. … The Taliban refused President Ashraf Ghani’s offer of a three-month cease-fire to coincide with the start of Eid al-Adha, a major Islamic holiday … officials say the insurgents have limited incentive […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Moody’s says effect of recent sanctions will be limited” – Bear Market Brief BMB Russia

August 28, 2018 JRL Russia List Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, JRL NewsBlog, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

“A new Moody’s report says … U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia … in response to the Skripal poisoning will have little effect [on] the economy. New sanctions to come in the fall, however, could aggravate the structural limitations of Russian growth and lead to problems with bank financing. … Loose monetary policy will likely to be the first casualty, with […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Busting Nord Stream 2 myths” – bne Intellinews/Ben Aris

August 28, 2018 JRL Russia List Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Europe, EU, JRL NewsBlog, Oil, Gas, Energy, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

“The proposed expansion of the capacity of the Nord Stream gas pipeline in Europe’s north, running from Russia’s Yamal gas fields to the German coast, has split Europe …. detractors claim it will make Europe more dependent on Russian gas and give the Kremlin a bigger club … to bully the rest of Europe. … supporters say it will diversify […]

NEWSLINK: “Putin’s wedding trip seals marriage of convenience with Merkel; Meeting in Berlin could signal a switch in strategy for Germany when it comes to the US dollar and energy security” – Asia Times/Pepe Escobar

August 28, 2018 JRL Russia List Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Europe, EU, Germany, Newslinks, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

“… Berlin is now engaged in a wobbly ‘bend-not-break’ strategy. …”

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Leave a comment Economy, EU, Europe, Finance, Germany, Merkel, Newslinks, Russia, Russian News, Trade, U.S.-Russian Relations

RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents :: JRL 2018-156 :: Tuesday, 28 August 2018

August 28, 2018 JRL Russia List JRL Tables of Contents, Russian News

To inquire about a subscription to the full Johnson’s Russia List e-mail newsletter, e-mail David Johnson at davidjohnson@starpower.net [check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2018-#156 Tuesday, 28 August 2018 A project sponsored through the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s […]

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Leave a comment JRL Tables of Contents, Russia, Russian News, Ukraine, Ukrainian News

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Fred Weir: ‘This is amazing, astounding, really …’ [Re:] New York Times: “Kremlin Sources Go Quiet, Leaving C.I.A. in the Dark About Putin’s Plans for Midterms'” – Fred Weir/Facebook/New York Times

August 27, 2018 JRL Russia List Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Spies, Spy Allegations, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

(Fred Weir – facebook – August 25, 2018 – facebook.com/fred.weir/posts/10216143412434220) [live embedded feed of facebook post should load below; click here for direct link: facebook.com/fred.weir/posts/10216143412434220; text and link also recopied further below as back-up] “This is amazing, astounding, really. All these stories, including this one, splashed over front pages, are purporting to tell us something about the most sensitive […]

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Leave a comment CIA, Facebook, FSB, Government, GRU, Media, New York Times, Politics, Putin, Security Services, Social Media, Spies, U.S.-Russian Relations

Russians Increasingly Disenchanted with Putin’s Foreign Policy, New Poll Suggests

August 27, 2018 JRL Russia List Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Military, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, August 27, 2018) It has long been an axiom of Western analysis that Russians overwhelmingly support Vladimir Putin’s actions abroad and that actions abroad are thus for him a resource he can always make use of and that any slippage in his standing among his population is a result of unhappiness about […]

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Leave a comment Foreign Policy, Military, Politics, Polls, Public Opinion Foundation, Russia, Russian News, Slider

RUSSIALINK: “Most Russians praise country’s foreign policy – poll” – Interfax

August 27, 2018 JRL Russia List Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Military, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

MOSCOW. Aug 27 (Interfax) – More than half of Russians view Russia’s foreign policy as successful, and about one in five respondents see Moscow’s line on Syria as the main success of this foreign policy, the Public Opinion Foundation found after polling 1,500 respondents aged 18 years and older. As many as 52% of Russians are sure that Moscow’s foreign […]

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RUSSIALINK: “Inflation on the Rise for Russians” – Moscow Times

August 27, 2018 JRL Russia List Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Sanctions, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – August 27, 2018) The cost of money is rising for Russians well ahead of any potential central bank move to lift interest rates for the first time in almost four years amid concern the U.S. may impose fresh sanctions. State-run Sberbank PJSC, which holds almost half of all Russian savings, is increasing rates for ruble […]

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Leave a comment Central Bank, Finance, Inflation, Nabiullina, Ruble, Russia, Russian News, Sanctions, Sberbank, Slider, U.S.-Russian Relations

RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents :: JRL 2018-155 :: Monday, 27 August 2018

August 27, 2018 JRL Russia List JRL Tables of Contents, Russian News

To inquire about a subscription to the full Johnson’s Russia List e-mail newsletter, e-mail David Johnson at davidjohnson@starpower.net [check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2018-#155 Monday, 27 August 2018 A project sponsored through the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s […]

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Leave a comment JRL Tables of Contents, Russian News, Ukraine, Ukrainian News, ussia

Poroshenko Declares Ukraine ‘Has Cut All Ties With Russian Empire’

August 24, 2018 JRL Russia List Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

(Article ©2018 RFE/RL, Inc., Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – rferl.org – KYIV, August 24, 2018 – also appeared at rferl.org/a/poroshenko-declares-ukraine-has-cut-all-ties-with-russian-empire-/29451039.html) President Petro Poroshenko has marked Ukraine’s Independence Day by announcing at a military parade in Kyiv that his country “has cut all ties with the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union.” Poroshenko also said during the August 24 event that Ukraine […]

U.S. Sanctions Wreak Havoc On Russia’s Oil Industry

August 24, 2018 JRL Russia List Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Oil, Gas, Energy, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

(Oilprice.com – Tsvetana Paraskova – August 23, 2018) [Text with links: oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/US-Sanctions-Wreak-Havoc-On-Russias-Oil-Industry.html] The U.S. sanctions on Russia have affected investment in Russian oil and gas exploration projects, U.S. officials say, while Congress is considering further sanctions on the energy and banking sectors to punish Moscow for the threat it poses to the United States. At Senate hearings on Tuesday, a […]

Russian Power Under Putin: Up and Down and Flatline

August 24, 2018 JRL Russia List Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Military, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Science, Technology, Engineering

(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org – Andrew Kuchins – August 22, 2018 – russiamatters.org/analysis/russian-power-under-putin-and-down-and-flatline) Andrew Kuchins is a Senior Fellow at the Center for Eurasian, Russian, and East European Studies, Georgetown University. This op-ed is part of a new debate from Russia Matters and is written in response to “Measuring National Power: Is Vladimir Putin’s Russia in Decline?” by Simon Saradzhyan and Nabi Abdullaev. […]

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