RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#177 :: Friday 11 September 2015

[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter]

Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#177
Friday – 11 September 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 grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Open Society Foundations to the George Washington University and by voluntary contributions from readers.

RUSSIA

1. Russia Beyond the Headlines: New research shows the Arctic is warming faster than previously believed. Russian scientists have found about 700 “methane holes” in the Arctic shelf. The scale of emissions shows that the permafrost has degraded severely, and researchers think the thawing is irreversible.
2. www.rt.com: Moscow must remain capital city, most Russians tell pollsters.
3. Russia Beyond the Headlines/Lenta.ru: World Travel Awards: St. Petersburg best travel destination in Europe.
4. Moscow Times: Russian Regions Prepare to Vote After Campaign of Tricks, Complacency.
5. Sarah Lindemann-Komarova: Running for Office in Siberia: Part VI: The Home Stretch. A series on the District #35 Election for Novosibirsk City Council.
6. Carnegie Moscow Center: Tatyana Stanovaya, Return of the Russian Tandem.
7. Vedomosti: Putin creates “team of new young favourites” – newspaper.
8. Levada.ru: Military might and stability Putin’s main achievements – poll.
9. Novaya Gazeta: Sociologist says Putin’s rating is independent of economic factors. (interview with Aleksey Levinson)
10. The Economist: Russia’s opposition. Lonely but not lost. A Russia after Putin is hard to imagine right now but one man is trying. (Alexei Navalny)
11. Business New Europe: Chris Weafer, Explaining Russia’s ‘new normal’
12. Interfax: Central Bank in baseline scenario expecting oil price at around $50 per barrel in next 3 years.
13. The National Interest: Russia’s Financial System: How Vulnerable? Collapse is not in the cards. (Sergey Aleksashenko)
14. Moscow Times: Skoltech Strives to Repatriate Russia’s Lost Scientific Talent.
15. Moscow Times: 4 Years of Innovation: An Interview With Skoltech President Edward Crawley.
16. Irrussianality: Paul Robinson, STREAMING NONSENSE.
17. Valdai Discussion Club: Robert Legvold, Russia – US: Confrontation in the Arctic Expanses?
18. Interfax: Senior senator says Russia to be thorn in US side while it sticks to exclusivity. (Konstantin Kosachev)
19. www.rt.com: Russia backs Syria’s fight against ISIS, not Assad’s regime – Lavrov.
20. TASS: Western obsession with toppling Assad hinders struggle against Islamic State.
21. Russia Direct: Yury Barmin, Russia raises the stakes in Syria. The Kremlin appears to be stepping up its role in the Syrian crisis, possibly laying the groundwork for a new strategy against ISIS in the region.
22. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Vladimir Zorin, Migrant crisis: European Union will have to adapt to a new reality. The current wave of migrants arriving in Europe from the Middle East and North Africa poses a serious test of the European Union’s will and unity, with a lack of preparedness resulting in a confused and divided approach to the problem. Could the crisis lead to greater cooperation with Russia on global issues?
23. Russia Beyond the Headlines: TROIKA REPORT: King Salman balancing between Obama and Putin. RBTH presents its weekly analytical program TROIKA REPORT, featuring a look at three of the most high-profile recent developments in international affairs.
24. Moscow Times: John Freedman, Fasten Your Seat Belts for a Bumpy Moscow Theater Season.
25. TASS: Will West take softer line as Belarusian presidential election draws near?
26. Kyiv Post: Russians at YES conference say Russia’s economic weakness likely makes it less threatening. (Yevgenia Albats and Vladimir Inozemtsev)
27. Time.com: Simon Shuster, Inside Vladimir Putin’s Circle. The dangerous rise of Kremlin hard-liners.
28. New York Times: David Brooks, The Russia I Miss.
29. The Kremlin Stooge: The Weaponization of Ignorance: the West’s Go-To Experts.

UKRAINE

30. Bloomberg: Russia Sees Ukraine Peace-Pact Extension Chance as Shelling Ends.
31. Russia Direct: Sergey Markedonov, The paradox of the Minsk Agreements. Everybody seems interested in observing the Minsk Agreements on Ukraine. At the same time, however, no side wants to fully comply with them for fear of displaying weakness or admitting failure.
32. Kyiv Post: When will life get better in Ukraine? Soon, Poroshenko says.
33. UA: First TV (Kyiv): Ukrainian president says hostilities in east “Russian aggression”, not civil war.
4. Interfax: Past 24 hours sees no casualties, shoots for first time ever – Poroshenko.
35. Christian Science Monitor: Fred Weir, Georgia ex-President Saakashvili makes play to be prime minister – in Ukraine. Mikheil Saakashvili came to Ukraine to be Odessa’s governor at President Poroshenko’s request. But now he’s picking a very public fight with PM Yatsenyuk.
36. Business New Europe: Ukraine reform guru urges more powers for Saakashvili after 100 days in office.
37. www.foreignaffairs.com: Samuel Charap, Forcing Kiev’s Hand. Why Russia Won’t Accept a Frozen Conflict in Ukraine.
38. Sputnik: Fueling the Fires: Pentagon to Start Training Ukrainian Military.
39. Vice.com: Intolerance and Violence Against LGBT People Is on the Rise in War-Torn Ukraine.
40. Haaretz (Israel): 50% Jump in Immigration From Ukraine Over Past Jewish Year.
41. Sputnik: Russia Ready to Give Ukraine Gas Discount for Two Quarters.