RUSSIA NEWS & INFORMATION – Johnson’s Russia List contents & links :: JRL 2021-#46 :: Thursday, 4 March 2021

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Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2021-#46 :: Thursday, 4 March 2021
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. Kremlin.ru: Extended meeting of Russian Interior Ministry Board – en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/65090
2. TASS: Putin says pandemic in Russia develops downturn, but many challenges remain – tass.com/politics/1262669
3. TASS: Putin blasts ‘monsters’ who drive kids to commit suicide, goad teens into lawless rallies – tass.com/politics/1262757
4. Russia Matters: Online News Resources Continue to Chip at TV’s Hold on News in Russia.
5. The National Interest: Nikolas K. Gvosdev, Joe Biden’s Risky Russia Sanctions Game. How will U.S. action towards Moscow affect two more critical relationships for Washington: the ones with Berlin and Beijing?
6. Intellinews: Ben Aris, Russian government may cut borrowing this year by RUB0.5-1 trillion over more US sanctions fears. Russia hiked borrowing in 2020 from its regular circa RUB2 trillion a year to RUB5.2 trillion in 2020 to fight the coronacrisis. It had planned to borrow RUB3.7 trillion this year, but may now cut those plans back due to fears of more sanctions.
7. Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Comment by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on new US anti-Russia sanctions – mid.ru/en/foreign_policy/news/-/asset_publisher/cKNonkJE02Bw/content/id/4605069
10. Washington Post editorial: For Putin, it wasn’t enough to smear, harass and poison Navalny.
11. Paul Goble: Political Correctness Not Principles Dominates West and Weakens Its Influence in Russia and Other Authoritarian Countries, Shelin Says
12. rt.com: Paul Robinson, Russian withdrawal from Council of Europe over perceived Human Rights court bias would be a lose-lose situation for everyone – rt.com/russia/517168-withdrawal-council-europe-lose/
13. Russian International Affairs Council: Mark Entin and Ekaterina Entina, The European Vector of Russia’s Foreign Policy: On the Anniversary of Russia’s Accession to the Council of Europe – russiancouncil.ru/en/analytics-and-comments/analytics/the-european-vector-of-russia-s-foreign-policy-on-the-anniversary-of-russia-s-accession-to-the-counc/
14. Intellinews; Dmitry Dolgin, ING: higher oil does not mean better outlook for Russia’s ruble. The $9/bbl upgrade in ING’s 2021 oil price forecast boosts Russia’s annual exports by $25bn. But it will be sterilised by an additional $15bn of FX purchases leaving a small impact on exchange rates.
15. Vogue Business: Lucy Maguire, Will young Russians shop consciously?
16. TASS: Nezavisimaya Gazeta: China reluctant to join military alliance with Russia.
17. Forbes.com: David Axe, American Bombers Blaze Toward Russia In Provocative Show Of Force
18. Russian International Affairs Council: Alexey Khlebnikov, New US Administration Approach to Syria: How Different Could It Be? – russiancouncil.ru/en/analytics-and-comments/analytics/new-us-administration-approach-to-syria-how-different-could-it-be/
19. Carnegie Moscow Center: Sergei Markednov, Does Georgia’s Latest Crisis Have Global Implications? In Russia—both in expert circles and in the corridors of power—the possibility of Saakashvili reentering Georgian politics, never mind returning to power, is seen as little short of a catastrophe. But putting emotions to one side, it’s clear that Georgian Dream’s foreign policy differs little from its predecessor’s. – carnegie.ru/commentary/84005
20. New York Times: U.S. Prosecutors Call Him a Murderer. To Ukraine He’s an Asylum Seeker. A complex legal battle in Kyiv is shedding light on the Americans who seek battle experience with far-right paramilitary units in Ukraine — and on the F.B.I.’s efforts to monitor them. (excerpt)
21. The National Interest: Aleks Zivic, Putin and the Russian Dilemma. Russia will likely remain on its current path, but it does not have continue to feel like it must embrace China.
22. The Spectator (UK): Rodric Braithwaite, Why autocracy in Russia always fails in the end. Mark Galeotti describes the unresolved problem for all Russia’s strong rulers — how to combine modernisation with stability in a vast, sprawling empire.
23. The BlogMire: Rob Slane, The Disappearing Spy – theblogmire.com/the-disappearing-spy/

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