RUSSIA NEWS & INFORMATION – Johnson’s Russia List contents & links :: JRL 2021-#25 :: Wednesday, 3 February 2021

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Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2021-#25 :: Wednesday, 3 February 2021
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1. Christian Science Monitor: Fred Weir, 30 years after Soviet collapse, breaking up is still hard to do. The once mighty and unified Soviet colossus has turned into a fractious former empire that poses a litany of woes for Moscow. It breeds internal challenges and external pressures that help shape the Kremlin’s actions toward the rest of the world.
2. Kremlin.ru: Meeting with winners of Teacher of the Year contest – en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/64961
3. Intellinews: Ben Aris, Navalny sentenced to 2.8 years in jail. A Russian court threw the book at Russian anti-corruption activist and opposition politician Alexey Navalny by giving him 2.8 years in jail. His defence had been arguing against the potential full 3.5 year term, as he had already served a year under house arrest, saying he should serve 2.6 years.
4. TASS: Media: Navalny’s suspended sentence turns into actual prison term.
5. The National Interest: Mark Episkopos, What Russia’s Navalny Affair is Really About. As with last week’s actions, the demonstrators were united less by their political support for Navalny than by their shared opposition to the Kremlin.
6. Meduza: ‘Vladimir the Poisoner’ A translation of Alexey Navalny’s speech in court on February 2
7. rt.com: Paul Robinson, ‘MI6 collusion’ video: Like many Americans believe Trump colluded with Moscow, plenty in Russia see Navalny team as Western agents – rt.com/russia/514488-trump-moscow-navalny-western-agent/
8. TASS: ‘Way over the top’: Lavrov lambasts West’s hysteria over Navalny case – tass.com/politics/1252255
9. Moscow Times: Mark Galeotti, Navalny Also Needs to Reach Russia’s ‘Men in Grey Suits’. Street protests rarely bring about political change in isolation, actual change usually comes from self-interested elites.
10. Tribune (UK): Eliot Rothwell, Aleksei Navalny: Man for All Seasons. Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny is lionised by the Western press, but his actual politics are rarely interrogated – allowing him to align with hardline nationalists while appealing to a liberal audience – tribunemag.co.uk/2021/02/aleksei-navalny-man-for-all-seasons
11. Washington Post editorial: Navalny’s fiery indictment of the ‘small man in a bunker’ could rattle Putin’s autocracy.
12. New York Times editorial: Aleksei Navalny Is Resisting Putin, and Winning. The opposition leader was sentenced to prison, but he has mobilized a vast movement that’s not done growing.
13. New York Times: Navalny Supporters Aim to Seize Momentum in Challenging Putin. The Russian opposition movement senses that it has new strength after drawing out large crowds for protests in support of Mr. Navalny over the past few weeks.
14. The Hill: Stephen Blank, Alexei Navalny’s challenge to the Biden administration.
15. Antiwar.com: Doug Bandow, Everybody Wants Action on Putin and Russia: But To Do What? – original.antiwar.com/doug-bandow/2021/02/02/everybody-wants-action-on-putin-and-russia-but-to-do-what/
16. Intellinews: US investor Michael Calvey’s embezzlement trial begins despite the resolution to the commercial dispute between partners. US private equity investor Michael Calvey was in court on February 2 as an embezzlement case against him got under way, despite the resolution of the commercial dispute believed to be behind the case.
17. rt.com: Russian grain exports hit historic high.
18. Kennan Institute: Zachary Paikin, Kennan Cable No. 63: From Primacy to Preeminence: Managing the U.S.-Russia Rivalry during the Biden Administration.
19. Responsible Statecraft: Paul Welch Behringer, Why it’s a bad idea to close US consulates in Russia – responsiblestatecraft.org/2021/01/29/why-its-a-bad-idea-to-close-us-consulates-in-russia/
20. rt.com: New START treaty with US officially extended until February 2026 as Moscow hopes for new chapter in global stability – rt.com/russia/514498-start-officially-extended-till-2026/
21. AP: Russia hints it may return to overflight treaty if U.S. does
22. Asia Times: Pepe Escobar, Xi, Putin make the case for win-win vs zero-sum. Xi and Putin’s Davos speeches were de facto complementary emphasizing sustainable, win-win economic development.
23. International Security: Marc Trachtenberg, The United States and the NATO Non-extension Assurances of 1990: New Light on an Old Problem?
24. Valdai Discussion Club: Ivan Timofeev, Why Russia-EU Relations Remain Stable Against All Odds – valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/russia-eu-stable-relations/