(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble Staunton, July 14, 2013) The Pugachev events like “a magic crystal” allow one to look into Russia’s future, a future that will involve either an authoritarian disintegration resembling that of the former Yugoslavia and likely extending over several years or a democratic one that could occur more quickly and easily, according to a Russian […]
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(Interfax – July 12, 2013) Aleksey Pushkov, chairman of the State Duma International Affairs Committee, has warned against “whipping up” tension in relations between Russia and the USA, commenting on reports that Washington is planning to expand the Magnitskiy list after a court in Moscow found the late lawyer, Sergey Magnitskiy, and the head of the Hermitage Capital Management fund, […]
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(RIA Novosti – WASHINGTON, July 12, 2013) Russia is doing relatively well, but needs a strong global economy to sustain and improve its recent growth, which makes the upcoming Group of 20 (G20) Summit it is hosting in September critically important to the country, Sergey Kislyak, Russia’s ambassador to the United States, told a conference in Washington on Friday […]
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(RIA Novosti – Fyodor Lukyanov, Editor-in-Chief of the Russia in Global Affairs journal, authoritative source of expertise on Russian foreign policy and global developments – July 11, 2013) The events in Egypt have come to represent a colorful culmination of yet another fall-summer season in world politics, the keynotes of which are: on the one hand, the general inability to […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Sergei Markedonov, special to RBTH – July 13, 2013 – Sergei Markedonov is a visiting Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington D.C.) In February 2014, the famous Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi takes on the XXII Winter Olympic Games. For Russia, the forthcoming games will be not […]
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(Interfax – MOSCOW, July 15, 2013) Former CIA officer Edward Snowden is well and does not need medical attendance, a source in the Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport services told Interfax. “Passenger Snowden is well. He has not asked airport doctors for aid, which means he is well and does not have any health complaints. He did not ask for assistance from […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Ivan Nechepurenko – July 15, 2013) Former U.S. National Security Agency analyst Edward Snowden met with Russian human rights activists, lawyers and government officials Friday to seek their support in securing asylum in Russia in order to later travel safely to South America, leaving Russia with little wriggle room to remain neutral. “I do intend […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Marina Obrazkova, RBTH – July 15, 2013) The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office has conducted a large-scale inspection of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and discovered that more than 1,800 had received financing from abroad in the last year. A law requiring NGOs involved in political activity and receiving money from abroad to register as foreign […]
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(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, July 12, 2013) The head of the Kremlin’s human rights council on Friday harshly criticized Russia’s lower chamber of parliament, the State Duma, for being too hasty in passing legislation. “The State Duma is currently approving bills in vast quantities. Recently, 56 laws were adopted at once,” Mikhail Fedotov told Russia’s Public Chamber, a regulatory body […]
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(Interfax – St. Petersburg, July 12, 2013) Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia presided over a religious service marking the 400th anniversary of the House of Romanov at the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg on Friday. Hundreds of worshippers gathered at the cathedral and in the square in front of it for the service, an Interfax correspondent […]
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(Interfax – PROKHOROVKA, July 12, 2013) The Russian Defense Ministry has not yet identified 4.6 million Soviet soldiers, whose remains are buried in Russia and abroad, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said. “A total of over 32,000 burial sites of over 7 million people are registered by the ministry. A total of 2.6 million are known by surname. Unfortunately, the […]
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(Interfax -YEKATERINBURG, July 12, 2013) A third of Russian and foreign investors believe that corruption is an impediment, President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RUIE) Alexander Shokhin said. “Corruption halts approximately 14% of businesses in Russia,” he said at a roundtable, “Investment Climate in Russian Regions through Foreign Investors’ Eyes”, held at the Innoprom 2013 show in […]
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Johnson’s Russia List :: 2013-#126:: 12 July 2013 E-Mail: davidjohnson@starpower.net A project of the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs: www.ieres.org JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: russialist.org/funding.php POLITICS 1. Interfax: Inflation, corruption catching up with public utilities on Russian top […]
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[Putin’s Decay – Gordon Hahn – Moscow Times – July 12, 2013 – http://www.themoscowtimes.com/opinion/article/putins-decay/483044.html – Gordon Hahn, senior associate of the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, is author of “Russia’s Revolution From Above” and “Russia’s Islamic Threat] In his Moscow Times Op-Ed, “Putin’s Decay,” Gordon Hahn of CSIS raises concern over what […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Lena Smirnova – July 12, 2013) It was meant to be a triumphant comeback that would patch up sour diplomatic relations between former Soviet republics and satisfy Russia’s thirst for quality wine. But following a six-year ban from the country, Georgian wines are facing an uphill battle in the market and experts say they are […]
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(Interfax – MOSCOW, July 11, 2013) The director of the Russian Federal Drug Control Service (FSKN), Viktor Ivanov, has confirmed an upsurge in smuggling Afghan heroin to Russia. “We see a larger flow of Afghan drugs to Russian territory. (Drug hauls) intercepted by our services in the first half of the year increased 1.5-2 times as compared with the same […]
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(Interfax – MOSCOW, July 12, 2013) The Russian Foreign Ministry has urged Washington to stow plans for an extended Magnitsky List and warned it would react sternly, given the rights abuses the United States is committing globally. “We urged the U.S. administration to demonstrate wisdom and not to take steps that would spoil the atmosphere of bilateral relations,” Russian Foreign […]
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(Interfax – July 12, 2013) The European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) stipulates reinforcing seaborne components, which will eventually develop into the backbone of the U.S. global missile defense network, consultant of the Russian Strategic Research Institute director, expert board member of the Russian presidential administration’s interdepartmental working group for liaison with NATO in missile defense Vladimir Kozin said. “The U.S. […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Andrey Arkhangelsky, film critic, special to RBTH – July 10, 2013) There is a new trend in Russian cinema: biopics about famous people from the past. Films about Gagarin, Vysotsky and Kharlamov are not only educational, but ideological too. There is a new trend in Russian cinema: biopics about famous people from the […]
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(Interfax – MOSCOW, July 11, 2013) Opposition candidate Alexei Navalny will add spice to the Moscow mayoral election and draw Muscovites to polling stations, Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko told Interfax. “The participation of Navalny in this campaign will make it heated and draw attention to the mayoral election and this interesting candidate. It will capture the attention of Muscovites, […]
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(Interfax – YEKATERINBURG, July 11, 2013) Russia’s system for providing state support in the context of the WTO, which the nation joined last year, will fall into place in the next few months, Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich said. “In general, it seems to me this system will line up in a few months, and both domestic and foreign producers […]
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(RIA Novosti – Maria Young -WASHINGTON, July 11, 2013) American travelers to Moscow, St. Petersburg and elsewhere in Russia may find themselves in familiar surroundings, thanks to a surge in US hotel chains opening across the country. “Russia is one of our three top priority markets, because travel to and from Russia is growing fast. We see it as […]
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(opendemocracy.net – Grigory Tumanov – July 11, 2013) Grigory Tumanov is a Moscow based journalist and blogger. He is a staff correspondent for Kommersant daily, one of Russia’s most respected publications. Favourite lawyer of the Russian far right, Dmitry Bakharyev is developing a network of ‘sports’ clubs for like-minded nationalists teaching knife, rather than ball, skills. He hopes the […]
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(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Ben Aris in Moscow – July 12, 2013) Fear, greed and sloth are the driving forces of history. It is not a flattering view of human nature, but Professor Ian Morris of Stanford University makes a convincing argument that all of human history since the time of the troglodyte through to the 21st century […]
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(Interfax – MOSCOW. July 11, 2013) The Committee of Civil Initiatives is willing to engage in long-term independent monitoring of election campaigns in Russia, says the committee’s head, former Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin. “Unfortunately, the activities of the almost only independent organization specializing in long-term monitoring (of elections) have been curtailed. We say responsibly today that […]
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(RIA Novosti – July 11, 2013) The Civil Platform party has a good potential in the struggle for power but its leader billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov is behaving inconsistently and losing interest in politics, Russian RIA Novosti news agency reported on 11 July, quoting political analysts. Prokhorov said earlier that the party would not nominate candidates for the Moscow mayoral and […]
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(RIA Novosti – Moscow, July 11, 2013) Parties represented in the State Duma and (regional) legislative assemblies, rather than just the victorious party in regional elections, will have the right to nominate gubernatorial candidates to the president in the regions that have decided not to hold direct elections (for regional governors), says the president’s degree published on the official portal […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – July 12, 2013) Only six candidates, including acting Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin and opposition activist Alexei Navalny, have managed to submit the necessary documentation for registration in the upcoming mayoral elections. The deadline for accepting candidates’ registration papers was 6:00 p.m. Thursday. While eight people submitted documentation to the Election Committee, only six managed to […]
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(RFE/RL – rferl.org – July 11, 2013) Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill has urged Russians to have less fun and spend more of their free time in seclusion. On July 11, Kirill said there was “more fun than needed” in the life of Russians. He said people spent a lot of their energy working and should occupy their time in isolated, […]
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(Interfax – MOSCOW, July 11, 2013) The death rate in Russia grew by 3,900 year on year in January-May 2013, the Labor and Social Protection Ministry said on Thursday. “Some 813,200 people died in January-May 2013 or 3,900 more than during the relevant period in 2012,” the press service quoted Minister Maxim Topilin. The minister said though that the death […]
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(Interfax – MOSCOW, July 11, 2013) Housing and public utilities remain the biggest concern for Russians (55%) although the problem’s acuteness has been alleviated in recent months, the Russian Public Opinion Study Center (VTsIOM) said. The second biggest problem is inflation (47%) and low living standards rank third (46%). Corruption and bureaucracy (44%) and healthcare problems (43%) follow. The other […]
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(Interfax – MOSCOW, July 11, 2013) Russian Human Rights Commissioner Vladimir Lukin has denounced the postmortem conviction of late Hermitage Capital auditor Sergei Magnitsky by Moscow’s Tverskoi Court. “I object to trying people post mortem. There is an element of some ancient pagan mentality in this,” Lukin told Interfax on Thursday. “Then let’s arrange the trial of Ivan the Terrible […]
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(Interfax – MOSCOW, July 11, 2013) British investment fund Hermitage Capital has attacked Thursday’s posthumous conviction of its lawyer Sergei Magnitsky and in absentia conviction of its chief executive William Browder. “This trial reflects the authorities’ disrespect for fundamental international legal values and personal rights and freedoms,” Hermitage said in a statement made available to Interfax. Moscow’s Tverskoi Court convicted […]
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(Interfax – July 11, 2013) Russian Prime Minister Dmitriy Medvedev has said he hopes the upcoming visits of US President Barack Obama and US Vice-President Joe Biden to Russia will strengthen Russian-US economic ties. He was speaking at the Innoprom industrial trade fair in Yekaterinburg on 11 July, as reported by Russian privately-owned Interfax news agency. “I hope that the […]
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[Text of Edward Snowden’s message inviting rights activists to conference revealed – ITAR-TASS – MOSCOW, July 12, 2013 – http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c32/805618.html] Russian news agency ITAR-TASS reports on fugitive Edward Snowden, former NSA IT support contractor, and his e-mail message to Russian activists, which later resulted in a video news conference with the activists at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport. Click here for the […]
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[Snowden Is Said to Renew Plea for Asylum in Russia – New York Times – Ellen Barry – July 12, 2013 – http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/13/world/europe/snowden-russia-asylum.html] Ellen Barry of The New York Times reports on fugitive Edward Snowden, former NSA IT support contractor, and his renewed interest in gaining asylum in Russia: … Snowden, the fugitive American intelligence contractor, met with representatives of […]
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[Snowden wants asylum in Russia, ready to meet condition not to damage US – russiatoday.com – July 12, 2013 – http://rt.com/news/snowden-meets-rights-activists-013/] Pro-Kremlin Russia Today reports that the fugitive former NSA IT support contractor Edward Snowden, wanted for espionage in the United States, once again is seeking asylum in Russia: NSA leaker & former CIA employee Edward Snowden has asked for […]
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Johnson’s Russia List :: 2013-#125 :: 11 July 2013 E-Mail: davidjohnson@starpower.net A project of the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs: www.ieres.org JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: russialist.org/funding.php POLITICS 1. Moscow Times: Sergei Markov, The Myths of Putin’s Political Repression. […]
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(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, July 10, 2013) Russian officials and community leaders tried Wednesday to cool interethnic tensions by calling for a liquor ban, evacuating “radical” youngsters and promising justice, after a stabbing death in a small town triggered days of angry protests demanding that residents from Russia’s war-scarred republic of Chechnya be kicked out. President Vladimir Putin’s regional […]
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(Interfax – St. Petersburg, July 10, 2013) The Federation Council is concerned that Russia is losing influence in the post-Soviet space because of the lack of funds to finance Russian NCOs (noncommercial organizations) which work there. Igor Morozov, a member of the Committee on International Affairs, told a Federation Council meeting on Wednesday (10 July) that the European Union and […]
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(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Cornelius Rahn & Leon Mangasarian – July 10, 2013) Willi Kuhlmann remembers the day the Berlin Wall was erected on Aug. 13, 1961, and how the system of spying on East German citizens by secret police known as the Stasi intensified. His experience as a border guard along the Wall that divided Germany’s capital city for […]
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(Interfax – MOSCOW, July 10, 2013) Russian oligarch Arkady Rotenberg has denied that Russian President Vladimir Putin, who he has known for a long time, helps him solve his business problems. “Vladimir Vladimirovich and I started training in sambo wrestling when I was a little over 13 and he a little over 12. Our acquaintance goes back to that time, […]
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(Interfax – MOSCOW, July 10, 2013) Russia will not see any significant changes in its tax system within the next three years, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said at a meeting with members of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RUIE) board. The government has endorsed the principal areas of its tax policy development for 2014-2016, he said. “No […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – July 11, 2013) The “long list” for the Russian equivalent of the prestigious literary award was announced at a press conference on Wednesday. Twenty-four hopefuls have entered the running, whittled down from 87. The final shortlist of six candidates is to be announced on October 3. The award is considered one of the most prestigious […]
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(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Anna Arutunyan – July 11, 2013) Russia’s Prosecutor General Yury Chaika has claimed that non-government organizations lack oversight and are capable of undermining state interests, after revealing that three NGOs were allegedly involved in terrorist activity, while 20 NGOs violated tax regulations. Chaika’s calls for more oversight have come amid debates in wake of a […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Marina Obrazkova, RBTH – July 10, 2013) Members of parliament have submitted a bill to the State Duma that they believe will help eradicate nepotism and corruption among state agencies. The bill proposes adding two new articles to the federal anti-corruption law. The first would ban money transfers from state agencies to organisations […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Natalya Krainova – July 11, 2013) Less than two months before the Moscow mayoral election, an independent public opinion poll shows acting Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin with a double-digit lead over the other 39 potential candidates, none of whom received even 10 percent of respondents’ support. The poll published Wednesday by the Levada Center named […]
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(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Scott Rose & Olga Tanas – July 10, 2013) Elvira Nabiullina will probably kick off her tenure as Russia’s monetary policy chief by holding rates as inflation remains above target, which her predecessor blamed for the lack of monetary easing the past nine months. The central bank will leave the refinancing rate at 8.25 percent at […]
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(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Tom Balmforth – July 10, 2013) MOSCOW — It’s sort of a freelance sting operation aimed at suspected pedophiles. And it works like this: An activist logs into an Internet chat forum and poses as a minor. If an adult man shows interest and suggests inappropriate contact, he is gently warned that his interlocutor is underage. […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – July 11, 2013) Over half of Russians support tough measures implemented against NGOs, while nearly a third don’t know what activities these organizations are actually engaged in, a Levada Center poll suggests. A controversial law was passed in November requiring all groups that receive foreign funding and engage in “political activity” to register as “foreign […]
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