RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents :: JRL 2017-144 :: Wednesday, 26 July 2017

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Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2017-#144
Wednesday, 26 July 2017
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1. Boston Review: Thomas Graham and Rajan Menon, What Is Putin’s Endgame?
2. Russia Beyond the Headlines: What was Putin’s nickname at intelligence school? Not long after speaking to the public during the annual “Direct Line” Q&A, Putin was at it again. But this time he was speaking to kids. Here’s five thing we learned about him.
3. www.opendemocracy.net: “The Putinist majority could fast become anti-Putinist.” An interview with left activist and historian Ilya Budraitskis, on dissent, politics left and right, and the “patriotic majority” in Russia today.
4. Paul Goble: Two New Signs Russians are Ceasing to Trust the Kremlin’s Messages.
5. Interfax: Bill on multi-million fines for slander on social networks may pass State Duma in fall – Isayev.
6. TASS: Survey suggests Russians showed little interest in Nemtsov murder case.
7. Bear Market Blog/Kommersant: In Translation: No Man’s Economy. Maria Portnyagina learned that the ownerless bridges, roads, water pipes and power lines in Russia are not exotic, but the whole system.
8. Bloomberg: Russia’s $70 Billion ‘Secret’ Spending Lets Money Do the Talking.
9. Intellinews.com: Two-thirds of Russian firms want a stronger ruble.
10. Moscow Times: More Rich Russians Are Declaring Foreign Bank Accounts.
11. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Which companies have the best reputation in Russia? A recent survey showed which Russian and international companies enjoy the best standing among the Russian public – with German car manufacturer Volkswagen scooping first place.
https://www.rbth.com/business/2017/07/24/which-companies-have-the-best-reputation-in-russia_810052
12. www.rt.com: New US sanctions against Russia ‘defy common sense’, will cause retaliation – Moscow.
13. Valdai Discussion Club: Alexei Grivach, THE US TESTS EUROPE FOR STRENGTH.
14. Wall Street Journal: EU Cautions U.S. on Russia Sanctions Bill. Juncker said sanctions could have ‘unintended unilateral effects that impact the EU’s energy security interests’
15. Forbes.com: Kenneth Rapoza, Europe Fears Russia Sanctions Upgrade, But Will Go Along With Washington Anyway.
16. New York Times: Eduardo Porter, To Punish Putin, Economic Sanctions Are Unlikely to Do the Trick.
17. TASS: Press Review: Izvestia: US Senate stalls appointment of new ambassador to Russia.
18. Russia International Affairs Council: Natalia Travkina, For-Profit Diplomacy.(re Jon Huntsman)
19. Brookings: Steven Pifer, U.S.-Russia relations six months into the Trump administration.
20. Indian Punchline: M. K. Bhadrakumar, A new normal in Russia-China military cooperation.
21. Asia Times: Bill Gertz, CIA analyst: Beijing poses a greater threat than Russia. In an unusually candid talk, agency’s Michael Collins said China’s growing confidence and resolve – fueled by inaction against Chinese hegemony over the past several years – are a worry.
22. The Hill: Jamal Abdi, Democrats, so focused on Russia, risk pushing Trump to war with Iran.
23. http://theduran.com: Alexander Mercouris, Did Russiagate begin as a Clinton campaign conspiracy? New forensic research suggests it. Forensic report by Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity implies that DNC/Podesta hacks and “Guccifer 2.0′ personas were concocted to discredit Wikileaks in advance of publication of the DNC/Podesta emails and to cast suspicion on Russia
24. TASS: Kiev court orders security service to launch probe against Poroshenko for high treason.
25. Facebook: Ivan Katchanovski, Saakashvili stripped of his Ukrainian citizenship.
26. UNIAN (Kyiv): U.S. envoy Volker: More Russian tanks in occupied Ukraine than tanks in Western Europe combined.
27. TASS: Trump backs investigation into Kiev’s meddling attempts to sabotage his election campaign.
28. Fort Russ: Ukraine has completed shutting off electricity to Donbass, but DPR and LPR are independent of Kiev for energy.
29. Intellinews.com: Russia supplies 80% of Ukraine’s coal imports.
30. www.rt.com: Ukraine starts liquidation of legendary aircraft manufacturer Antonov.
31. Intellinews.com: Fabrice Deprez, Ukrainian farmers turn to Donbas veterans for protection from raiders.