RUSSIA NEWS & INFORMATION – Johnson’s Russia List contents & links :: JRL 2021-#34 :: Tuesday, 16 February 2021

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Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2021-#34 :: Tuesday, 16 February 2021
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1. TASS: Mass events in Moscow to resume soon, mayor hopes – tass.com/society/1256701
2. GlobalVoices: Alexey Navalny’s views on migrants run counter to his pro-democracy discourse. A Central Asian perspective on a divisive Russian figure, Part 1.
3. GlobalVoices: Some Western observers share Central Asia’s misgivings about Alexey Navalny. A Central Asian perspective on a divisive Russian figure, Part 2.
4. The New Yorker: Masha Gessen, The Evolution of Alexey Navalny’s Nationalism
5. Spiked: Mary Dejevsky, Putin is not about to fall. Navalny’s appeal has been greatly exaggerated.
6. rt.com: Russian court hears final arguments in Navalny defamation case after activist called WWII veteran a ‘corrupt lackey’ & ‘traitor’ – rt.com/russia/515680-navalny-defamation-case-final-argument/
7. LeftEast: Left perspectives on the protests in Russia and Navalny (excerpt with Katya Kazbek, Ilya Matveev, Ilya Budraitskis and Sean Guillory) – criticatac.ro/lefteast/left-perspectives-on-the-protests-in-russia-and-navalny/
8. Irrussianality: Paul Robinson, CRACKPOT THEORY NO. 11: PASSIONARITY – irrussianality.wordpress.com/2021/02/15/crackpot-theory-no-11-passionarity/
9. Nature: Russian academics decry law change that threatens scientific outreach. Researchers say that a proposed amendment could impede collaboration with foreign speakers and scientific literacy.
10. New York Times: The Haunted House of Soviets Gets a New Life. Residents of Kaliningrad, Russia’s westernmost region, search for meaning in a building many see as an egregious architectural mistake. “It’s ugly, but it’s ours.”
11. Russian International Affairs Council: Kristian Fors, The Role of Ideology in Foreign Policy: Why Contemporary Russia Cannot Be Compared to the Soviet Union – russiancouncil.ru/en/analytics-and-comments/columns/east-west-relations/the-role-of-ideology-in-foreign-policy-why-contemporary-russia-cannot-be-compared-to-the-soviet-unio/
12. Intellinews: Ben Aris, U.S. and EU debate new sanctions on Russia but that will take some time. The West has threatened Moscow with new harsh sanctions. Moscow has threatened to break off diplomatic relations if sanctions are imposed. But what exactly can the West do? There is a lot of talk going on behind the scenes at the moment that may come to a cusp in March.
14. Bloomberg: Germany Seeks Deal With Biden on Controversial Pipeline.
15. Wall Street Journal: Biden Administration Reviews Nord Stream 2 Gas Pipeline. U.S. considers whether to waive or impose sanctions on builders of Russian gas pipeline.
16. TASS: Policy of containment always prevailed in Russian-US relations, says Kremlin spokesman – tass.com/politics/1257019
17. Rossiyskaya Gazeta: Russian experts analyse new US policymakers, policies under Biden. (Igor Dunayevsky and Andrei Shitov)
18. The Power Vertical: Brian Whitmore, The Spoiler: Containing A Revisionist Russia.
19. rt.com: Despite Russian desire for better communication, talks with West impeded by ‘manic insistence’ on sanctions focus, Kremlin says – rt.com/russia/515720-west-sanctions-lack-communication-kremlin/
20. Carnegie Moscow Center: Artyom Shraibman, Is Lukashenko Really Ready to Reform Belarus? Moscow faces the question of how to respond to procrastination over reform in Belarus. On the one hand, it might seem that the crisis there has passed, leaving no leverage over Lukashenko. On the other hand, he is going to need more money.
21. RFE/RL: Justice Or Commemoration? As Maidan Massacre Anniversary Approaches, Both Appear Elusive.
22. Facebook: Ivan Katchanovski, Maidan Massacre.
23. Sergey Lavrov on Maria Pevchikh – mid.ru/en/foreign_policy/news/-/asset_publisher/cKNonkJE02Bw/content/id/4570813
24. Moon of Alabama: New Documents Reveal More British Efforts To Undermine Russia – moonofalabama.org/2021/02/new-documents-reveal-more-british-efforts-to-undermine-russia.html#more