Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#138 :: Tuesday 21 July 2015

Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#138
Tuesday 21 July 2015
A project sponsored through the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs
The contents do not necessarily represent the views of IERES or the George Washington University.
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RUSSIA

1. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Russians turn to their Slavic roots for inspiration and identity. As more and more Russians seek solace in patriotism, many are turning to their ancient past and reviving pagan traditions. Apart from various festivities, Slavic traditions are being revived in songs, clothing, martial arts and even psychotherapy. According to sociologists, this interest in the past is becoming a trend in Russia.
2. Moscow Times: Cesar Chelala, Diabetes a Growing Problem in Russia.
3. The National Interest: Dimitri Simes, 5 Things You Need to Know about Putin’s Popularity in Russia. “Even if the West succeeds in further weakening Putin economically, it may up end up strengthening his position domestically.”
4. Bloomberg: Russia’s Beating the BRICS in 2015 on Turnaround Potential.
5. www.rt.com: Money is main threat to democracy says Russian elections chief.
6. Moscow Times: Novaya Gazeta Could Face Closure After Second Government Warning.
7. TASS: Starovoitova murder case taken to court.
8. Moscow Times: Putin Warns Russian Defense Industry Not to Fall Behind.
9. Moscow Times: Economic Crisis Driving Foreigners Out of Russia – Experts.
10. TASS: Chinese economy’s woes unlikely to cause global upheavals in coming years. China’s economic woes have intensified lately but their scope is frequently exaggerated in Western publications, Russian experts say.
11. Interfax: “Russian world” not political, wider than Russia, includes Ukraine – church head.
12. Interfax: U.S. global missile shield continues to expand – consultant to RVSN commander.
13. Christian Science Monitor: Fred Weir, Will tensions with West shutter Russia’s ‘window on Europe’? The Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, tucked between Poland and Lithuania, is proving a bellwether for the growing fortress mentality in Russia as relations with NATO cool.
14. Russia Direct: Eugene Bai, Russia pivots again, this time to Saudi Arabia. The rapprochement of Russia and Saudi Arabia could mark a real turnabout in the Middle East, and one that is far more solid and potentially richer in dividends than Russia’s pivot to China.
15. Russia Direct: Revealing the post-Soviet identity complex in Transnistria. RD Interview: Matthew Dal Santo, a Danish Research Council post-doctoral fellow at the University of Copenhagen, met Transnistria’s Deputy Foreign Minister Vitaly Ignatiev in Tiraspol, where they discussed the frozen conflict in Transnistria and post-Soviet Russian identity.
16. www.rt.com: Al Gurnov, How Armenians helped Victoria Nuland save her cookies.
17. New York Times: Peter Baker, Review: Walter Laqueur’s ‘Putinism’ Dissects a Canny Russian Leader.
18. Huffington Post: Russia and the New Cold War in Historical Context: Part II of Conversations With Russia Scholar Stephen Cohen.
19. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: Eugene Rumor, Russia-A Different Kind of Threat. Russia is a superpower in decline, and the challenge it poses to the United States is very different from that posed by the Soviet Union.

UKRAINE

20. Zik (Kyiv): Poroshenko has support of 14.6% of Ukrainians.
21. Interfax: Over half of Ukrainians want conflict in Donbas to be resolved through negotiation – poll.
22. Fort Russ: Radio Liberty: “UAF are shelling Donetsk in response to rebels shelling Donetsk”
23. TASS: Ukraine completes fortification construction on border with Donbas.
24. TASS: DPR makes process of weaponry withdrawal as open as possible – defense ministry.
25. www.rt.com: ‘We see movement of military hardware away from contact line’ – OSCE.
26. Reuters: Specter of War Haunts Life in East Ukraine Despite Ceasefire.
27. www.opendemocracy.net: Mikhail Molchanov, (Un)solving Ukraine’s conflict. What is exactly stopping a solution to the crisis in eastern Ukraine?
28. Irrussianality: Paul Robinson, Tele-bridge. (on Ukraine TV)
29. Washington Post: Katrina vanden Heuvel, Kerry’s next challenge. The secretary of state must take on the war party on Ukraine.
30. Sputnik: Ukraine Officials Claim Right Sector’s Aid Needed to Resolve Conflict.
31. Sputnik: Maidan Revolution in Ukraine Not Over Yet – Right Sector Leader.
32. Moscow Times: Josh Cohen, Ukraine Should Beware the Azov Extremists.
33. www.opendemocracy.net: Valery Kalnysh, Mukacheve puts Ukraine to the test. After a deadly fight between a volunteer battalion and local police over smuggling in the country’s western borderlands, Ukraine finds itself at another critical juncture.
34. Paul Goble: Ukrainians Reject Federalization of Their Country by More than Two to One, Poll Shows.
35. Sputnik: Relations Between Obama, Putin Show Clear Signs of Relaxation.
36. Bloomberg: Leonid Bershidsky, Ukrainians Suspect Obama-Putin Cooperation.
37. Stratfor.com: U.S., Russia: The Case for Bilateral Talks.
38. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Press Digest: Negotiating parties return to table for further Ukraine talks. RBTH presents a selection of views from leading Russian media on international events, featuring reports on the latest round of talks between negotiators on resolving the conflict in eastern Ukraine, amendments to the law that will bring new benefits for social NGOs, and the problems facing Ukrainian citizens in Russia who have fled the war in the Donbass.
39. Moscow Times: Divisions Revealed as Kremlin Critic Moves to Work for Ukraine Government. (re Maria Gaidar)
40. Sputnik: Despite Attempts to Pursue Public Love, Saakashvili’s Popularity Stays Low.
41. Reuters: Bypassing Ukraine Will Be Costly for Russia’s Gazprom – Analysts.
42. Transitions Online: Sergiy Rachinsky, Poroshenko Takes His Message to the People. With his own TV station in decline, Ukraine’s president looks for a way around the oligarchs who now dominate domestic television.
43. Russia Insider: The Saker, If Poroshenko Attacks His Days Are Numbered.
44. TASS: Diplomat: UN SC to try to bring together Malaysia’s and Russia’s approaches to MH17 crash.
45. Russia Direct: Ivan Tsvetkov, A year after MH17: The lessons for Russia. If Russia wants the world to view it as a great power, it needs to do a better job of assuming responsibility for its role in the MH17 disaster.
46. Consortiumnews.com: Robert Parry, MH-17 Mystery: A New Tonkin Gulf Case?
47. CNBC.com: Ukraine extends creditor talks as threat of default looms.
48. Wall Street Journal: Stephen Hadley and Robert Zoellick, Crucial Weapons in the Defense of Ukraine. Without debt reduction and more aid, a young democracy could vanish.