Johnson’s Russia List JRL 2015-#50 :: Thursday 12 March 2015

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Johnson’s Russia List JRL 2015-#50 :: Thursday 12 March 2015
A project of the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs
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1. Wall Street Journal: 5 Things About the War in Ukraine.
2. Russia Insider: ’90s Sitcom “Seinfeld” Predicted NATO Strategy in Ukraine. Sometimes life imitates art.
3. Interfax: Putin has very busy schedule – press secretary.
4. www.rt.com: ‘His handshakes break hands’: Press secretary dismisses Putin illness rumors.
5. Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs: The United States, Russia, and Ukraine: Report from Moscow. Interview with Dmitri Trenin.
6. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Press Digest: Lavrov suggests the West introduce sanctions against Kiev.
7. Kyiv Post: In Russian-held Debaltseve, shelling continues amid desperation and destruction.
8. TASS: Ukraine begins combat training near engagement line – Donetsk republic.
9. Sputnik: Ukrainian Officers Complain to Poroshenko, Identify ‘Biggest Enemy’
10. Ukraine Today: Counter-insurgency troops deployed to east Ukraine in bid to root out militants.
11. Interfax: Ukrainian units reinforced in Pisky, Mariupol area – Basurin.
12. Business New Europe: Graham Stack, Ukraine separatists strip Donetsk elite of power and property.
13. Wall Street Journal: How Russian Spy Games Are Sabotaging Ukraine’s Intelligence Agency. Ukraine’s security agency, the SBU, has been riddled with Russian spies, sympathizers and turncoats.
14. Reuters: IMF cash in bag, a debt moratorium may give Ukraine what it needs.
15. Reuters: Risks to Ukraine turnaround “exceptionally high”, IMF says.
16. www.rt.com: IMF loan to Ukraine is ‘involuntary servitude’- Central Bank ex-head.
17. RAND Corporation: Olena Bogdan, For Ukraine, the Battle to Bolster a Crashing Economy Is as Dire as Combat in the East. With political upheaval and a war in the East, Ukrainians are facing poverty, with prices rising sharply, the currency crumbling, and a nearly bankrupt state.
18. The National Interest: Matthew Dal Santo, Russia and Ukraine’s Medieval Love Affair. The two countries’ intertwined histories are rooted in Orthodox Rus’.
19. Business New Europe: Mark Adomanis, Ukraine is Russia – or at least the Russia that Western critics imagine.
20. TASS: Anniversary of Crimea’s reunification with Russia: No-one said everything would be easy.
21. The Daily Mail (UK): Peter Hitchens, A (not so) Brief History of Crimea.
22. PR Week: Ketchum calls it quits on Russia work. Ketchum has ended its high-profile and controversial media relations work for the Kremlin.
23. Reuters: EU leaders want to tackle Russian ‘disinformation’ on Ukraine war.
24. www.rt.com: Bryan MacDonald, Russia is not a threat to Britain’s security, Philip Hammond is wrong.
25. Embassy (Canada): Analysts say difficult to tell if Canada’s sanctions on Russia having impact.
26. Politico.com: Obama pressed on many fronts to arm Ukraine.
27. Christian Science Monitor: Fred Weir, As Kremlin’s Nemtsov case unravels, eyes on Chechen connection. The assassination of activist Boris Nemtsov was carried out by Chechens inspired by Islam, according to the Kremlin. But as that claim falls apart, Russian eyes are turning elsewhere.
28. Interfax: Russian court says Nemtsov murder suspect’s guilt not established.
29. Ekho Moskvy radio (Moscow): Russian paper names alleged mastermind behind Nemtsov murder.
30. Reuters: Nemtsov killing exposes cracks in Kremlin unity.
31. The Economist: Russia and Chechnya. The Caucasian connection. A pact between Vladimir Putin and his Chechen ally suddenly looks fragile.
32. Washington Post editorial: Russia sends a very clear message.
33. Business New Europe: Mark Galeotti, How many Putin’s Russias are there?
34. Moskovskiy Komsomolets: Experts interviewed on whether Putin will run for fourth term.
35. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Middle Eastern oil players lose out to Russia in Asia. As Russian oil supplies increase, Gulf states are forced to drop prices to remain competitive.
36. Financial Times: Diana Gapak, Daniyar Kosnazarov and Gavin Bowring, China and Russia – allies not frenemies in central Asia.
37. Washington Post: Joshua Tucker, Interview: Carnegie Corporation of New York’s Deana Arsenian on U.S. – Russia relations, and making scholarly expertise more accessible.