RUSSIA NEWS & INFORMATION – Johnson’s Russia List contents & links :: JRL 2020-#148 :: Tuesday, 18 August 2020

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Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2020-#148 :: Tuesday, 18 August 2020
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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1. rt.com: Paul Robinson, Lukashenko’s offer to change Belarus’ constitution likely an attempt to buy time as opposition lacks mechanism to remove him – rt.com/russia/498259-lukashenko-belarus-constitution-buy-time/
2. Intellinews: Tikhanovskaya to hold first transition council meeting, EU opens talks with opposition. The focus of the opposition is shifting from street protests to a legal assault on Lukashenko’s administration and the creation of a transition government.
4. Bloomberg: Belarus Opposition Seeks to Reassure Russia as Strikes Go On.
6. Intellinews: Belarus’ opposition leader Maria Kolesnikova says it’s too soon for sanctions.
7. rt.com: Artyom Lukin, Lukashenko may be a dictator, but his departure will mean the end of Belarus as a sovereign state – rt.com/op-ed/498296-lukashenko-belarus-sovereign-state/
8. Financial Times: Merkel and Putin discuss political crisis in Belarus. German leader’s talks with counterpart acknowledge Russia’s crucial role in deciding fate of Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko.
9. Russia Matters: Simon Saradzhyan, Will Russia Intervene Militarily in Belarus?
10. Meduza: Here’s how Russia could invade Belarus, and also why it probably won’t.
11. Washington Post: Leon Aron, The risks of a Russian intervention in Belarus.
12. The Unz Review: Anatoly Karlin, Belarus Sitrep 3: Zmagarism Intensifies – unz.com/akarlin/belarus-sitrep-3/
13. Foreign Affairs: Maryia Sadouskaya-Komlach, Belarus Goes Its Own Way. Thanks for the Advice, but This Movement Knows What It’s Doing.
14. Immigrants as a Weapon: Yasha Levine, Belarus: Are neoliberalism and nationalism the only options? Sadly, it looks like it. These are the only ideas to which power flows these days.
15. Washington Post editorial: The Trump administration claims it’s tough on Russia. Here’s a chance to show it
16. rt.com: ‘Things will get worse for us in Russia’: Russian Communist leader warns of consequences if Lukashenko is overthrown – rt.com/russia/498313-communist-warn-lukashenko-overthrown-consequences/
17. Moscow Times: As Discontent Grows at Home, Russia’s Opposition Is Watching Belarus. Despite massive protests continuing in the Far East, all eyes in Russia are on its western neighbor.
18. rt.com: Development of ‘sacred’ mountain in Russia’s Bashkortostan halted following violent clashes between protesters & police – rt.com/russia/498212-kushtau-mountain-clashes-police/
19. TASS: Russia records 4,748 new daily coronavirus cases.
20. Forbes.com: Kenneth Rapoza, Is Russia Moving Past The Coronavirus Pandemic?
21. Sputnik V: Kirill Dmitriev, FORBIDDEN OP-ED: THE SPUTNIK VACCINE AS A LIFESAVING GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP – sputnikvaccine.com/newsroom/forbidden-op-ed-the-sputnik-vaccine-as-a-lifesaving-global-partnership-eng/
22. rt.com: Another Russian Covid-19 vaccine on the way? Siberian lab begins 2nd phase of trials just days after registration of Sputnik V.
23. Paul Goble: Pandemic-Driven Pessimism Greater in Moscow and Major Cities than Elsewhere, Poll Finds
24. TASS: Europe encounters continuation of first COVID-19 wave, not second wave – expert.
25. TASS: Vedomosti: Russia’s oil industry crisis impedes overall recovery.
26. Oilprice.com: Is This The Next Major Market For Russian LNG?
27. TASS: Russia, US complete consultations on strategic stability in Vienna.
28. Reuters: ‘Ball is in Russia’s court’ on nuclear arms deal, U.S. says.
29. Forbes: David Axe, Hey U.S. Navy-Maybe Leave Russia’s Nuclear Missile Submarines Alone
30. Asia Times: Poland joins Pompeo’s anti-Russia, anti-China crusade. The US and the populist PiS government are playing with Poland’s future.
31. TASS: US military presence in Poland worsens situation near Russia’s Western borders – diplomat.
32. Awful Avalanche: How the USSR Tried To Create Alternative to Molotov-Ribbentrop – Part IX – awfulavalanche.wordpress.com/2020/08/17/how-the-ussr-tried-to-create-alternative-to-molotov-ribbentrop-part-ix/
33. TASS: Google remains tight-lipped after blocking YouTube channels of Russian news outlets.
34. National Review: Kyle Smith, Clinesmith, the Russia Lie, and the Deep State. A scandal barely exists if the leading news outlets unite to draw a veil over it.

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