Johnson’s Russia List :: 2013-#126 :: 12 July 2013

Map of Russia

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 problems’ list – poll.
2. Interfax: Russian Labor Ministry claims increase in birth rate, natural population decline.
3. Gazeta.ru: Russian Authorities Seen ‘Increasingly Nervous’ as Economic Situation, Outlook Deteriorate. (Igor Nikolayev)
4. RFE/RL: Orthodox Patriarch Says Russians Having Too Much Fun.
5. Business New Europe: Ben Aris, Fear, greed and sloth the making of Emerging Europe.
6. Moscow Times/BBC Monitoring: What the Papers Say, July 12, 2013.
7. Moscow TImes: Mayoral Candidates Down to 6 After Deadline Elapses.
8. Gazeta.ru: Levada Center Poll Shows Sobyanin Leading Mayoral Race, Low Turnout Likely.
9. Interfax: Matviyenko: Navalny to add spice to Moscow mayoral election.
10. BBC Monitorikng: Pro-Kremlin commentator warns public against voting for opposition in local poll.
11. RIA Novosti: Russian President Decrees Changes To Gubernatorial Candidate Nomination Rules.
12. RIA Novosti: Russian Experts See Billionaire Prokhorov Losing Interest In Politics.
13. Interfax: NGO led by Kudrin willing to arrange independent election monitoring.
14. Novaya Gazeta: Proposed New Amendment to Media Law Said ‘Legally Unviable’
15. Moscow Times: Gordon Hahn, Putin’s Decay.
16. Christian Science Monitor: Guilty: Russian court passes verdict on dead lawyer at center of row with the West.
17. Interfax: Rights commissioner denounces Magnitsky’s postmortem conviction.
18. Interfax: Hermitage Capital blasts Magnitsky’s posthumous conviction.
19. Moscow Times: Bruce Misamore, Silencing the Truth About Yukos Affair.
20. www.opendemocracy.net: Grigory Tumanov, Defending the indefensible. 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 clubs will form the basis of a movement, perhaps even a political party.
21. ITAR-TASS: RUSSIAN PRESS REVIEW. Corruption on the rise in armed forces.
22. The Economist: The Sochi Olympics. Castles in the sand. The most expensive Olympic games in history offer rich pickings to a select few.
23. Russia Beyond the Headlines: New Russian cinema trend: Biopics of Soviet stars.
24. www.thenation.com: Stephen Cohen, Anton Antonov-Ovseyenko, Truth-Teller Who Exposed Stalin’s Crimes.

ECONOMY

25. Reuters: Russia central bank signals monetary easing ahead, acts to spur lending.
26. www.russiatoday.com: Mother (Russia) lode: Vast extent of oil, gas reserves revealed for first time.
27. ITAR-TASS: Vladimir Buyev, Economic crime amnesty: contingent shaken down.
28. ITAR-TASS: RUSSIAN PRESS REVIEW. Four Russian roubles given for one Soviet.
29. Interfax: Russian state support system under WTO to be ready in several months – Dvorkovich.
30. RIA Novosti: US Hotels Investing Heavily in Russia.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS

31. Valdai Discussion Club: Timofei Bordachev, Political Tsunami Hits Hard. (re future of Europe)
32. New York Times: Snowden Is Said to Renew Plea for Asylum in Russia.
33. www.russiatoday.com: Snowden wants asylum in Russia, ready to meet condition not to damage US.
34. ITAR-TASS: Text of Edward Snowden’s message inviting rights activists to conference revealed.
35. Rossiyskaya Gazeta: Russian Commentary Says Snowden Case Shows Limits of US Influence. (Yevgeniy Shestakov)
36. Interfax: Russia’s Medvedev hopes Obama, Biden visits will boost economic ties.
37. Interfax: Moscow urges Washington not to extend Magnitsky List.
38. Interfax: U.S. seaborne missile defense endangers Russian security – expert.
39. Al-Monitor: Fyodor Lukyanov, Russia Steers Conservative, Steady Course in Middle East. Unlike the United States, Russia can walk away from the Middle East at any time.
40. Reuters: Russia slams West’s ‘propaganda storm’ on Syria chemical arms.
41. BBC Monitoring: Syrian government troops gaining upper hand, says Russian TV correspondent.
42. Rossiyskaya Gazeta: ITAR-TASS Egypt Conference: Lawmakers Discuss Dangers, See Need for Russia’s Mideast Return.
43. Argumenty Nedeli: Russian Pundit Interviewed on Sponsors of Jihad, Possible Islamist Threat to Russia. (Yevgeniy Satanovskiy)
44. Moscow Times: Georgian Wine Comes Back to Russia.
45. Interfax: Afghan heroin flow to Russia has grown – drug control service head.
46. Eurasianet.org: Caucasus: Remembering Tsarnaev as a New Immigrant.
47. Eurasianet.org: With Massive Russian Military Aid, Is Kyrgyzstan Becoming A Client State?

Comment