Johnson’s Russia List :: 2013-#208 :: Tuesday, 19 November 2013

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Johnson’s Russia List :: 2013-#208:: 19 November 2013
E-Mail: davidjohnson@starpower.net
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POLITICS

1. Moscow Times: Vojtech Bohac, Who Will Replace Vladimir Putin in 2018?
2. RIA Novosti: Russian Patriotism Has Declined Under Putin – Poll.
3. ITAR-TASS: Russians surprise sociologists with increasing happiness about their lives.
4. Interfax: Russians want package of state measures to increase population – poll.
5. Moscow Times: Number of Orphans Six Times Larger Than Russians Ready to Adopt.
6. Business New Europe: Ben Aris, Kremlin struggling to get a hold on graft.
7. Moscow Times/BBC Monitoring: What the Papers Say, Nov. 19, 2013.
8. Moscow Times: Nikolai Petrov, Mayors Beware.
9. Russkiy Zhurnal: Commentator Says Opposition Must Wait Out Regime’s ‘Last Days.’ (Aleksandr Morozov)
10. Paul Goble: Window on Eurasia: Russia Can Escape Crisis Only by Ending Hyper-Centralization, Zubarevich Says.
11. Financial Times: David Priestland, Exploiting xenophobia is bad politics for Putin.
12. New York Times: Presumed Innocent, but Caged in Court.
13. Interfax: Kudrin concerned about expansion of “fake” NGOs created by authorities.
14. Reuters: Putin accused of Soviet tactics in drafting new history book.
15. Christian Science Monitor: Fred Weir, Is a deadly Russian plane crash a sign of a failing system?
16. Bloomberg: Leonid Bershidsky, How to Fly in Russia and Survive.
17. Moscow News: Import of Goodwill: Ex-expat fighting for Moscow’s buildings. (Clementine Cecil)
18. Russia Beyond the Headlines: En route with Ian Frazier: A 20-year long love affair with Siberia. Ian Frazier, a contributor to the New Yorker and the author of the travelogue “Travels in Siberia,” seems to love Russia more than many locals. At a visit to the Krasnoyarsk Book Fair, Frazier discussed his fascination with the country with RBTH’s Alexandra Guzeva.

ECONOMY

19. Reuters: OECD sees economic rebound in CEE, Russia in 2015.
20. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Putin proposes tougher measures for Russian tax dodgers. Russian businesspeople are being warned that tax evasion may soon become a serious criminal offence.
21. Moskovsky Komsomolets: Former Finance Minister Kudrin Interviewed on Russian Economy’s Prospects, Oil ‘Dependence’
22. ITAR-TASS: Russians to prepay for gas and other utility services.
23. Vedomosti: Utilities Prepayment Scheme Seen Set To Cause Public Anger.
24. Business New Europe: Michael Levy, Investment update on Russia.
25. Moscow Times: Descendant of Tsarist Duma Speaker to Head AmCham in Russia. (Alexis Rodzianko)
26. ITAR-TASS: Russian government reaches out to eco-activists.
27. Voyenno-Promyshlennyy Kuryer: Main Factor of Russia’s Economic Development. (Commentary by General of the Army Yuriy Baluyevskiy)

FOREIGN AFFAIRS

28. BBC Monitoring: Putin’s foreign policy hailed on Russian Public TV show with Odnako’s Leontyev.
29. The National Interest: Dmitry Ryurikov, A Way Forward for the U.S. and Russia
30. Moscow Times: Gays’ Anti-Russia Protests Enter New Phase in New York .
31. RIA Novosti: Foreign minister explains Russia’s opposition to humanitarian corridors in Syria.
32. Interfax: Recognizing Iran’s right to peaceful nuclear energy should be condition for resolving nuclear problem – Lavrov.
33. Politkom.ru: Russian commentator expects no military conflict over Iran’s nuclear programme. (Nikolay Pakhomov)
34. The Nation: Robert Dreyfuss, Russia in the Middle East.
35. Bloomberg: Putin Adviser Sees Political Will to End Greenpeace Dispute.
36. Christian Science Monitor: Fred Weir, Russia vs. Greenpeace: It’s the Arctic, stupid.
37. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Andrei Ilyashenko, The Korean factor in Moscow’s foreign policy. Russia’s relations with South and North Korean are critical to the country’s stability and interests.
38. Christian Science Monitor: Fred Weir, Why are Russian bombers buzzing Japanese airspace?
39. ITAR-TASS: Lavrov: EU exerts ‘tactless pressure’ on CIS member-states.
40. Reuters: EU studies options in tense countdown to Ukraine deal.
41. The Brookings Institution: Steven Pifer and Hannah Thoburn, Viktor Yanukovych: Losing Europe…and Losing the Ukrainian Public?
42. New York Times: Slawomir Sierakowski, Europe Needs Ukraine.
44. Interfax: More people in Moldova prefer Customs Union to EU membership – poll