RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2016-19 :: Wednesday, 27 January 2016

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Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2016-#19
Wednesday 27 January 2016
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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RUSSIA

1. Russia Insider: Alexander Mercouris, The Litvinenko Inquiry: London’s Absurd Show Trial. Despite twisting the evidence and throwing legal procedure out of the window it failed to show the Russian authorities killed Litvinenko. It could only say ‘probably’ – an absurd verdict the evidence contradicts.
2. Russia Beyond the Headlines: 9 lingering myths about Russia. We are often held prisoner by imposed stereotypes and opinions about countries, people and events. RBTH has collected nine myths about Russia that are far from accurate.
3. Russia Insider: Jacob Dreizin, Counterview: Don’t Blame ‘Fifth Column’ for Putin’s Failings. Witch-hunts for scapegoats will get Russia nowhere.
4. Kremlin.ru: Working meeting with Economic Development Minister Alexei Ulyukayev.
5. Interfax: Russians suggest state should save money on officials, not on social policy.
6. Forbes.com: Kenneth Rapoza, Russian Economy Holding On For Dear Life.
7. Sputnik: Russia’s Not Afraid of Crisis ‘Because Its Economy Is Unsinkable’
8. Reuters: Tough Russian budget rhetoric masks laxer reality.
9. Forbes.com: Tim Forstall, The Ruble’s Fall Is Just What Russia Needs To Deal With Oil Price Collapse.
10. http://readrussia.com: Mark Adomanis, Thoughts on Ruble.
11. Newsweek.com: Owen Matthews, THE STRANGE, DELIGHTFUL RENAISSANCE OF MOSCOW CUISINE. Russia’s ban on Western food imports has sparked a revival of locally sourced delicacies.
12. www.rt.com: Witnesses confirm Khodorkovsky’s role in assassinations – attorney.
13. Moskovskiy Komsomolets: Rights activist predicts rise in protests in Russia despite official crackdown. (Lev Ponomarev)
14. Human Rights Watch: Russia: Growing Human Rights Crackdown. Government Demonizes Critical Voices.
15. Moscow Times: Article on Russian-Chechen Tensions Draws Chechen Ire.
16. Russia Direct: Yury Korgunyuk, Why Kadyrov poses a threat to the Kremlin. The increasing political activity of Chechnya’s Ramzan Kadyrov should worry the Kremlin and the opposition.
17. Carnegie Moscow Center: Andrey Pertsev, Kadyrov’s Calculated Provocation.
18. Russia Insider: Fritz Morgen, Thinking About Moving to Russia? Here’s Some Food for Thought. More Russian emigrės are considering returning home. This is what they ought to know.
19. The Unz Review: Israel Shamir, Moscow Snowbound, Litvinenko Poisoned, and the Syrian War.
20. Vedomosti: Russian National Security Strategy “disconnected from reality” – editorial.
21. The National Interest: Dave Majumdar, Is Russia’s Military Really Punching Above Its Weight?
22. www.rt.com: Washington seeks to weaken Moscow as much as possible – Russian security chief.
23. Interfax: Putin wealth claim will damage US Treasury Department’s reputation – Kremlin.
24. BBC: Russia BBC Panorama: Kremlin demands ‘Putin corruption’ proof.
25. Sputnik: Obstinacy Worthy of a Better Cause: US Keeps Labelling Russia as Its Enemy.
26. Reuters: NATO Looks to Combat Russia’s ‘Information Weapon’: Document.
27. Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Sergey Lavrov’s remarks and answers to media questions at a news conference on Russia’s diplomacy performance in 2015, Moscow, January 26, 2016.
28. New York Review of Books: Richard Pipes, Stalin: ‘He Couldn’t Have Done It Without Them.’ (re On Stalin’s Team: The Years of Living Dangerously in Soviet Politics by Sheila Fitzpatrick)