RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents :: JRL 2016-38 :: Wednesday, 24 February 2016

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Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2016-#38
Wednesday, 24 February 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
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RUSSIA

1. Irrussianality: Paul Robinson, RUSSIAN STRATEGIC CULTURE 2.0.
2. Russia Direct: Woodrow Clark and Dimitri Elkin, How Russia plans to move forward with the Paris Climate Agreement. Russia is expected to deliver fast ratification for the global climate agreement deal agreed to in Paris in December. Unlike in the U.S., the climate change deal has encountered little or no political resistance within Russia.
3. TASS: Russia FM says arms control issues no less relevant than during Cold War.
4. The Conversation: Kathryn Harriss, Mir set a precedent for collaboration in space – but its legacy is now at risk.
5. TASS: Russia expects upsurge in activity of NGOs registered as foreign agents – lawmaker.
6. RFE/RL: Hate Crimes Said Down In Russia As Kremlin Cracks Down On Nationalist Critics.
7. The Guardian: Alec Luhn, Sex, syringes and the HIV epidemic Russia can no longer ignore. With Russia’s HIV infection rate continuing to spiral, activists say the state can no longer drag its heels over improved treatment and prevention measures.
8. Sputnik: Kremlin Says Final Decision on Russian Economic Action Plan Still Pending.
9. Bloomberg: Can Things Get Any Worse for Russia? You’re About to Find Out. Investors who’ve made a fortune in the country say that with oil’s plunge, the ruble’s collapse, and Putin in power, all bets are off.
10. The Independent (UK): Robert Fisk, Syria civil war: The untold story of the siege of two small Shia villages – and how the world turned a blind eye. Villages that remained loyal to the Syrian regime have paid a steep price.
11. Valdai Discussion Club: Vitaly Naumkin, WHERE THE MIDDLE EAST GOES? Luck or failure of the Syria settlement in a large extent would determine the fate of the entire region, because long ago the internal Syrian conflict acquired the regional and global status.
12. Interfax: Russia-U.S. interaction on Syria improves confidence between them – Kremlin.
13. Russia Beyond the Headlines: How likely is Syria’s ceasefire to hold? While a truce brokered by world powers is due to come into force in Syria on Feb. 27, there are numerous reasons to doubt that such a ceasefire would hold.
14. www.rt.com: Russia role vital to Syrian truce, but US has ‘Plan B’ – Kerry.
15. Wall Street Journal: Kremlin Says Assad Willing to Accept Syrian Cease-Fire Agreement. Russian President Vladimir Putin also speaks with leaders from Saudi Arabia, Israel, Iran and Qatar.
16. Russia Direct: Yury Barmin, Does Assad really want a ceasefire in Syria? The Syrian ceasefire has the support of Moscow and Washington, but it remains to be seen if Damascus is willing to support the deal.
17. Russia Insider: Alexander Mercouris, What Russia Agreed to in Syria Is Not a Ceasefire. The Joint US-Russian Statement on Syria is not a declaration of a ceasefire. It is an attempt by the Russians to split the Free Syrian Army – and its US backers – from the jihadi terrorists Russia is bombing.
18. The Unz Review: The Saker, The Russian-American Agreement on Syria?
19. New York Times: Questions Linger Over Russia’s Endgame in Syria, Ukraine and Europe.
20. TASS: US expert: Russian-US relations will not change only because of changing leadership. (Paul Saunders)
21. Sputnik: Washington Hawks in Panic Over Russia’s Use of the Open Skies Treaty.
22. Reuters: U.S. sanctions on Russia do not bar use of Russian rocket engines: Pentagon.
23. Washington Post: David Ignatius, The exotic new weapons the Pentagon wants to deter Russia and China.
24. RFE/RL: News Analysis: Russian Buildup Focuses Concerns Around The Black Sea.
25. Paul Goble: Russians Adjust to Increasing Poverty like Frogs to Gradually Warming Water, Kirillova Says.
26. Saudi Gazette (Saudi Arabia): Hussein Shobokshi, Russia: The new enemy!
27. New York Review of Books: Amy Knight, Russia: The End of the Illusion?
28. www.rt.com: RT grabs 13 nominations at New York Festivals.

UKRAINE

29. Ukraine Today (Kyiv): Kremlin seeks to reintegrate Donbas into Ukraine to destabilize the country. (Ukrainian Foreign Minister)
30. Interfax-Ukraine: Govt revokes sanitary requirements of Soviet period.
31. Ukrayinska Pravda: TV channel editor says anti-Ukrainian postings “work-related necessity”
32. https://dninews.com: Over 70% of Ukrainians disapprove Poroshenko’s actions.
33. Bloomberg: Orange Revolution Flashback for Tymoshenko as Ukraine Unravels.
34. PRWeek: USAID looks for agency help in Ukraine. The government agency will start an official search this month for a communications firm to boost reform efforts in the country.
35. Stratfor.com: Eugene Chausovsky, A Softer Iron Curtain Falls in Ukraine.
36. IRIN (Geneva): How Ukraine’s war is driving up HIV infections.
37. Salon.com: Patrick Smith, This is how we spooked Putin: What the New York Times won’t tell you about the American adventure in Ukraine. The failure of Washington’s most adventurous power assertion in post-Cold War period can no longer be papered over.
38. www.foreignpolicy.com: Anna Nemtsova, Things Get Ugly as Protesters Call for a New Ukraine Revolution. On the second anniversary of EuroMaidan, right-wing nationalist militias call for a new coup, playing right into the hands of pro-Russian separatists.
39. Carnegie Europe: Judy Asks: Is Ukraine a Lost Cause? A selection of experts answer a new question from Judy Dempsey on the foreign and security policy challenges shaping Europe’s role in the world.
40. Facebook: Ivan Katchanovski, New Revelations Concerning the Conflict in Crimea and the “Euromaidan”
41. Institute for the Study of War (Washington DC): Hugo Spaulding, Ukraine Warning Intelligence Update: Social Unrest Likely as Ukraine’s Ruling Breaks
42. The Globe and Mail (Canada): Ukrainian politician warns Ottawa not to resume ties with Russia. (Andriy Parubiy)
43. Ukraine Today (Kyiv): Bellingcat names those possibly involved in MH17 crash, including Russia Defence Ministry and Putin.
44. Dances With Bears: John Helmer, MH17 – DUTCH PROSECUTOR OPENS DOUBT ON MH17 EVIDENCE.

 

Map of Commonwealth of Independent States, European Portion

Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

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