Johnson’s Russia List :: 2013-#116 :: 26 June 2013

Johnson’s Russia List :: 2013-#116 :: 26 June 2013
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POLITICS

1. RIA Novosti: Over 100,000 to Benefit From Economic Amnesty -­ Ombudsman.
2. Takepart.com: Russia Finally Cracks Down on Animal Traffickers.
3. Kremlin.ru: Putin answers questions at St Petersburg Economic Forum.
4. Kremlin.ru: Putin warns of demographic crisis, says infant mortality halved in 10 years.
5. Moscow Times/BBC Monitoring: What the Papers Say, June 26, 2013.
6. Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Russian Experts Concerned about Impact of New Civil Code Amendments on Media Freedom.
7. Kommersant: Just Two Successful Think Tanks Said to Result from Russian Plans to Promote Independent Analysis.
8. Moscow Times: 12 Suspects Deny Charges as Bolotnoye Trial Begins.
9. BBC Monitoring: Russia’s Putin defends ‘foreign agent’, anti-gay propaganda laws.
10. Novyye Izvestiya: Russian ‘For Human Rights’ Leader: Eviction From Office ‘Political Decision.’ (interview with Lev Ponomarev)
11. Moscow News: Anti-piracy: Shooting cannons at mosquitoes.
12. Kommersant: Civil Society Development Foundation Head Interviewed on Media Study. (Konstantin Kostin)
13. ITAR-TASS: RUSSIAN PRESS REVIEW. An increasing number of Russians support Khodorkovsky’s early release from prison.
14. Interfax: Economic amnesty does not apply to Khodorkovsky, Lebedev – lawyer.
15. Interfax: Participant in Yukos case expertise says it was purely non-profit and voluntary. (Mikhail Subbotin)
16. RIA Novosti: Tolstoy’s Entire Body of Work Goes Online, Descendant Says.

ECONOMY

17. Interfax: Contradiction between ‘modernizers,’ ‘conservatives’ farfetched – Ulyukayev.
18. Business New Europe: Ben Aris, MOSCOW BLOG: The Kremlin’s PR incompetence.
19. Valdai Discussion Club: Yaroslav Lisovolik, How can Russia develop an efficient financial policy?
20. Financial Times: Andrey Olenik, Russia as the world’s new bread basket.
21. Moscow Times: Yulia Latynina, Why the Ruble Is Sinking.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS

22. RIA Novosti: Russia Not Obliged to Expel Snowden -­ Border Guards.
23. www.russiatoday.com: The Terminal: Snowden stuck in Moscow airport, ‘can’t buy ticket with invalid passport’
24. RIA Novosti: Snowden Not Being ‘Debriefed’ by FSB ­- WikiLeaks.
25. Interfax: Assange, Manning, Snowden are new dissidents – Pushkov.
26. New York Times: With Snowden in Middle, U.S. and Russia Joust, and Cool Off.
27. Reuters: U.S. taps Kerry’s deputy as point man with Russia on Snowden. (William Burns)
28. Moscow News: Natalia Antonova, Snowden and Moscow: the real debate is elsewhere.
29. Defensenew.com: US Senators Warn of Soviet Revival, Want ‘Consequences’ Over Snowden.
30. RIA Novosti: FEMA, Russian Ministry to Join Forces Against Space Threat.
31. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Alexander Kolbin, American idealist in Europe: Obama’s nuclear talk. U.S. President Barack Obama’s recent speech in Berlin indicates that he remains an “idealist without illusions” when proposes more vigorous nuclear reduction.
32. Reuters: Russia, U.S. fail to set up Syria peace talks.
33. Washington Post: Russia reports pullout from small base in Syria.
34. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Vladimir Evseyev, Moscow and Tehran: A ‘cautious’ partnership. Abatement of tensions around Iran serves Russia’s interests, but two countries must find a new way to develop their complicated bilateral relations.
35. The National Interest: Samuel Charap, Beyond the Russian Reset.
36. RIA Novosti: Simon Saradzhyan, Our Changing World Order ­ the More Options for Cooperation, the Merrier.
37. Russia Direct: Alexey Dolinskiy, How Moscow understands soft power. Russia’s international communications efforts are based on the belief that the country doesn’t get enough credit abroad.