Month: January 2019

RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents :: JRL 2019-6 :: Wednesday, 9 January 2019

JRL Tables of Contents, Russian News
St. Basil's Domes

To inquire about a subscription to the full Johnson’s Russia List e-mail newsletter, e-mail David Johnson at davidjohnson@starpower.net Support the JRL: russialist.org/funding.php Donate Online: click here for direct link at GWU [check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2018-#6 :: Wednesday, 9 January 2019 A project sponsored through […]

» Read more
Leave a comment

JRL NEWSWATCH: “The Curious Story of an American Arrested by the Kremlin” – Stratfor/ Scott Stewart

Human Rights, Spies, Spy Allegations
Kremlin and River

“Highlights Russia has arrested an American corporate security director, Paul Whelan, but he doesn’t have the profile befitting a non-official cover intelligence officer, even though there are elements in his background that would bring him to the attention of the Kremlin’s security services. Russian authorities arrested Whelan not long after Russian citizen Maria Butina pleaded guilty in a U.S. court […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , ,

WADA to Inspect Moscow Lab for Doping Violations

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Drugs, Health, Epidemics, Substance Abuse, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Sports, Olympics, World Cup
Olympic Rings Lit at Night, adapted from image at state.gov

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 8, 2019) With the clock ticking towards new sanctions, Russian authorities said on Monday they would allow a World Anti-Doping Agency inspection team to return to a Moscow laboratory to retrieve data it had earlier been denied. Russia’s Sport Minister Pavel Kolobkov said WADA officials would return to Moscow on Wednesday. WADA also confirmed […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , ,

Russia’s Lower Classes Far More ‘Soviet’ than Its Elites and That is a Big Problem, Inozemtsev Says

History, Soviet Union, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, January 7, 2019) Russian commentator Vladimir Pozner argument that Russia will change only when the last member of the Russian elite educated in Soviet times passes away (echo.msk.ru/blog/pozner/2346625-echo/) is fundamentally wrong, Russian economist Vladislav Inozemtsev says (echo.msk.ru/blog/v_inozemcev/2347259). Not only is Pozner’s analysis mistaken in serious ways, despite being shared by many, the […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , ,

More In The Tank: Russian Film Extends Trend Of Patriotic World War II Epics

History, Soviet Union, Life in Russia, Culture, Arts, Military
File Photo of Reel of Film

(Article ©2019 RFE/RL, Inc., Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – rferl.org – Matthew Luxmoore – Jan. 8, 2019 – article also appeared at rferl.org/a/more-in-the-tank-russian-film-extends-trend-of-patriotic-world-war-ii-epics/29697503.html) Yet another patriotic war movie has taken Russia by storm. T-34, a high-octane tribute to the Soviet tank that played a key role on the Eastern Front of World War II, is the latest in a series […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , ,

RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents :: JRL 2019-5 :: Tuesday, 8 January 2019

JRL Tables of Contents, Russian News
St. Basil's Domes

To inquire about a subscription to the full Johnson’s Russia List e-mail newsletter, e-mail David Johnson at davidjohnson@starpower.net Support the JRL: russialist.org/funding.php Donate Online: click here for direct link at GWU [check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2018-#5 :: Tuesday, 8 January 2019 A project sponsored through […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , ,

One Russian in Four Lacks an Indoor Toilet, One of Many Signs There are Now ‘Four Distinct Russias’

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

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, January 7, 2019) According to a new report by Russia’s state statistical agency, Rosstat, 35 million Russians live in houses or apartments without indoor toilets, 47 million do not have hot water, 29 million don’t have any running water inside their residences, and 22 million do not have central heating (ehorussia.com/new/node/17679). In […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Why Russia Isn’t Worried About Lower Oil Prices

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Oil Wells File Photo

(oilprice.com – Nick Cunningham – Dec 27, 2018 – oilprice.com/Energy/Oil-Prices/Why-Russia-Isnt-Worried-About-Lower-Oil-Prices.html) Even as Saudi Arabia has scrambled to prevent a bust in the oil market, so far failing to head off a dramatic price slide, Russia seems just fine with prices where they are. Russia is a key piece of the oil price puzzle. OPEC, once a coalition of oil-producing members […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “The Steele dossier was planned as Hillary’s insurance policy” – Washington Times/ Larry O’Connor

Cybersecurity, JRL NewsBlog, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
FBI Headquarters File Photo

“… highly damaging text messages between FBI agent Peter Strzok and his paramour, FBI lawyer Lisa Page … [revealed] petty, vitriolic political diatribes while making decisions on the most sensitive investigations of the 2016 political season. Their hatred toward then-candidate … Trump … [and] contempt for his supporters gave reasonable observers every reason to question whether the Hillary Clinton email […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

[SATIRE] NEWSLINK: “Pelosi Says She Will Skip Trump and Negotiate Directly with Putin” – The New Yorker/Andy Borowitz

Newslinks, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Photo of Vladimir Putin Seated at Desk

“In a bold gambit to end the government shutdown, the House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, said on Saturday that she would bypass Donald J. Trump and negotiate directly with the Russian President, Vladimir Putin. ‘I owe it to the American people to bring this shutdown to the swiftest possible conclusion, and so I’m avoiding the middleman,’ she said. Pelosi, who is […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , ,

RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents :: JRL 2019-4 :: Monday, 7 January 2019

JRL Tables of Contents, Russian News
St. Basil's Domes

To inquire about a subscription to the full Johnson’s Russia List e-mail newsletter, e-mail David Johnson at davidjohnson@starpower.net Support the JRL: russialist.org/funding.php Donate Online: click here for direct link at GWU [check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2018-#4 :: Monday, 7 January 2018 A project sponsored through […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , ,

‘No Place for Russia’: How Much Are Old U.S. Ambitions in Europe to Blame for Russia-West Tensions Today?

Europe, EU, NATO, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Globe Highlighting NATO Members

(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org – Joshua Shifrinson – January 3, 2019) Joshua Shifrinson is an assistant professor of international relations at Boston University’s Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies. [Article also appeared at: russiamatters.org/analysis/no-place-russia-how-much-are-old-us-ambitions-europe-blame-russia-west-tensions-today]   BOOK REVIEW “No Place for Russia: European Security Institutions Since 1989” By William H. Hill Columbia University Press, August 2018 [Amazon: https://amzn.to/2AwEbkW] Why have relations […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Spy or Not? American Who Loves Russia Ensnared in New Cold War” – New York Times/ Julian E. Barnes, Neil MacFarquhar

Human Rights, JRL NewsBlog, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Photo of Russian Food and Nesting Dolls

“He loved to travel around Russia by train, collected tea glass holders stamped with Russian historical scenes and maintained social media friendships with ordinary Russians, from a hairstylist to retired members of the country’s military.  … Paul N. Whelan … former [U.S.] Marine and current security chief for [auto parts manufacturer] BorgWarner … has been accused of espionage by Russia […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , ,

Circumstances Have Changed Since 1991, but Russia’s Core Foreign Policy Goals Have Not

Foreign Policy, Security, Visas
File Photo of Kremlin Tower, St. Basil's, Red Square at Night

(PONARS Eurasia – Dmitry Gorenburg – January 2019) Dmitry Gorenburg is Senior Research Scientist at CNA Corporation and Associate at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University. [ponarseurasia.org/memo/circumstances-have-changed-russias-core-foreign-policy-goals-have-not] (PONARS Policy Memo) Since the Ukraine crisis, the dominant Western perspective on Russian foreign policy has come to emphasize its increasingly confrontational, even revanchist, nature. Experts have focused […]

» Read more
Leave a comment

NEWSLINK: “American Charged in Russia Also Holds British, Canadian and Irish Citizenship” – Wall Street Journal

Britain, UK, United Kingdom, Ireland, Newslinks, Spies, Spy Allegations, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Photo of British Parliament Building, Big Ben, Thames, adapted from image at loc.gov

“A former U.S. Marine arrested on espionage charges in Russia was removed from the military for trying to steal more than $10,000 in government cash while deployed at a base in Iraq, according to details of Defense Department court records released Friday. …”

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , ,

RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents :: JRL 2019-3 :: Friday, 4 January 2019

JRL Tables of Contents, Russian News
St. Basil's Domes

To inquire about a subscription to the full Johnson’s Russia List e-mail newsletter, e-mail David Johnson at davidjohnson@starpower.net Support the JRL: russialist.org/funding.php Donate Online: click here for direct link at GWU [check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2018-#3 :: Friday, 4 January 2018 A project sponsored through […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Is there a glimmer of hope for the INF Treaty?” – Brookings/ Steven Pifer

Europe, EU, JRL NewsBlog, Military, NATO, Nuclear, Missile Defense, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Photo of Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan at Table Signing Documents

“… Russian officials said they would like to discuss INF Treaty compliance concerns. … Washington should test whether those suggestions represent just more Kremlin posturing or a serious effort to save the treaty. … NATO foreign ministers stated that … the 9M729 constituted a material breach of the INF Treaty. Secretary of State Pompeo … said that, if Russia did […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

RUSSIALINK: “Real Incomes ‘Barely Budged’ in 2018, Chief Auditor Says” – Moscow Times

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

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 3, 2019) Russians saw virtually no change in their purchasing power as prices outpaced growth estimates in 2018, the country’s chief auditor has said. Economists say 2018 was the fifth consecutive year of falling real disposable personal incomes in Russia. They are set to drop again this year. “Citizens’ real incomes increased by decimal […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “How to Hit Russia Where It Hurts; A Long-Term Strategy to Ramp Up Economic Pressure” – Foreign Affairs Magazine/ Peter Harrell

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Europe, EU, JRL NewsBlog, Sanctions, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

“… [S]anctions have done little to change Moscow’s ways. … Any economic pressure … has to starve the country’s military-industrial complex. The United States and Europe know this: they adopted export controls against Russian defense industries … and … Congress passed a law sanctioning foreign companies and governments … [for] ‘significant transactions’ with the Russian defense sector. These sanctions threaten […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

RUSSIALINK: “Russia Disbands the Concept of ‘Dacha'” – Moscow Times

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Life in Russia, Culture, Arts, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities
Russian State Duma Building file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Jan. 3, 2019) The New Year has ushered in a slew of new laws in Russia, including one that disappears the very concept of country cottages, known as dachas, where many Russians spend their summers. More than 60 million Russians are estimated to own dachas nationwide. What kind of dacha they own, though, was previously […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Alexander Domrin: RE: 2019#1 (#4 Moscowexile – On New Year’s Eve, TV channel “Rain” showed a speech made by Akhedzhakova instead of Putin)

Media, Internet, Social Media, Television
File Image of Laptop Computer, Tables and Mobile Device, adapted from image at energy.gov

Subject: RE: 2019#1 (#4 Moscowexile – On New Year’s Eve, TV channel “Rain” showed a speech made by Akhedzhakova instead of Putin) Date: Thu, 3 Jan 2019 From: Домрин Александр Николаевич <domrin@hse.ru> To: davidjohnson@starpower.net Dear David – Happy New Year to you and JRL readers! “Panorama” is a satire web site. The same web site has just reported that on […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , , ,

RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents :: JRL 2019-2 :: Thursday, 3 January 2019

JRL Tables of Contents, Russian News
St. Basil's Domes

To inquire about a subscription to the full Johnson’s Russia List e-mail newsletter, e-mail David Johnson at davidjohnson@starpower.net Support the JRL: russialist.org/funding.php Donate Online: click here for direct link at GWU [check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2018-#2 :: Thursday, 3 January 2018 A project sponsored through […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , ,

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russian oil output reaches record high in 2018” – Reuters/ Vladimir Soldatkin

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Oil, Gas, Energy
Oil Well file photo

“Russian oil production rose to a post-Soviet record high of 11.16 million barrels per day (bpd) last year on an annual average basis, data from its energy ministry showed …. surpass[ing] the previous annual record average of 10.98 million bpd … in 2017. Russian oil output reached 555.838 million tonnes last year, against 547 million tonnes in 2017. Reuters uses […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , ,

Michael McFaul: “Not a great foreign investment promotion strategy to arrest an American without explanation. Who in their right mind would invest in Russia right now if they had a choice to invest elsewhere?” – @McFaul on twitter

JRL NewsBlog, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Ambassador Mike McFaul file photo

[Arrest of American in Moscow] (Michael McFaul – Twitter – @McFaul – Jan. 2, 2019) “Not a great foreign investment promotion strategy to arrest an American without explanation. Who in their right mind would invest in Russia right now if they had a choice to invest elsewhere?” [embedded live feed of tweet should load below] Not a great foreign investment […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , ,

WADA ‘Bitterly Disappointed’ At Russian Failure To Meet Anti-Doping Deadline

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Drugs, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Sports, Olympics, World Cup
Olympic Rings Lit at Night, adapted from image at state.gov

(Article ©2019 RFE/RL, Inc., Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – rferl.org – Jan. 1, 2019 – also appeared at rferl.org/a/wada-bitterly-disappointed-at-russian-failure-to-meet-anti-doping-deadline/29687033.html) Russia faces the possibility of renewed sporting sanctions after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) confirmed that Russian officials failed to hand over data from its anti-doping laboratory by December 31. WADA President Craig Reedie said on January 1 that he was “bitterly […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , , , ,

19 Events — Almost Certain to Occur — Russians Will Be Talking About in 2019

Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
New Year's Eve on Red Square with Fireworks, Kremlin, Saint Basil's, Crowds

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, January 1, 2019) The events likely to be the most important in the coming year are likely to be things no one can predict accurately or with any degree of confidence, including the passing of leaders, the start of new wars, and developments that in and of themselves seem minor but nonetheless […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , ,

Only Three Percent of Young Russians Want to Work in Private Sector, Study Finds

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Empty Chair and Desk with Computer, adapted from image at osha.gov

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, December 30, 2019) Only three percent of young Russians want to work in the private sector with more than 60 percent saying they would prefer the stability offered by employment in major companies linked to the government or even the government itself, according to a new sociological study of young people in […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , , , ,

RUSSIALINK TRANSCRIPT: “[Putin] New Year Address to the Nation” – KremlinRu

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Kremlin and River

(Kremlin.ru – Dec. 31, 2018) President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Citizens of Russia, friends, A new year, year 2019, is right around the corner. Behind us is the busy month of December, when we rushed to complete all our urgent tasks, finalised our plans for the future, and of course, got ready for New Year celebrations. Filled with excitement and […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , , , , ,

RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents :: JRL 2019-1 :: Wednesday, 2 January 2019

JRL Tables of Contents, Russian News
St. Basil's Domes

To inquire about a subscription to the full Johnson’s Russia List e-mail newsletter, e-mail David Johnson at davidjohnson@starpower.net Support the JRL: russialist.org/funding.php Donate Online: click here for direct link at GWU [check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2018-#1 :: Wednesday, 2 January 2018 A project sponsored through […]

» Read more
Leave a comment , , , ,
1 2 3