RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents :: JRL 2017-232 :: Wednesday, 13 December 2017

To inquire about a subscription to the full Johnson’s Russia List e-mail newsletter, e-mail David Johnson at davidjohnson@starpower.net

[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter]

Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2017-#232
Wednesday, 13 December 2017
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.
JRL homepage: russialist.org – JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist – JRL on Twitter: @JohnsonRussiaLi
Support for JRL is provided in part by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York to the George Washington University and by voluntary contributions from readers.
Support JRL: russialist.org/funding.php – Donate Online: direct link

1. TASS: Over one-third of Russians optimistic about the future – poll.
2. Bear Market Brief: The long thaw.
3. Wall Street Journal: Western Criticism Bolsters Putin at Home. Allegations that Russian president meddled in U.S. vote feed impression among Russian citizens that he is a political mastermind, Moscow observers say.
4. Washington Post: “The West also should not shrink from the destabilization of Mr. Putin’s regime”
5. Moscow Times: ‘Russian Lessons for Reagan’ Launch at Gorbachev Foundation Reunites Old Friends. Author Suzanne Massie meets with old friends and fellow optimists.
6. TASS: Vladimir Putin’s news conferences in facts and figures.
7. TASS: Putin making preparations for annual news conference ‘from dawn to dusk’ – Kremlin.
8. Sputnik: Putin’s Press Conference May Hail Start of Election Debates in Russia – Analysts.
9. RFE/RL: A Question Of War: Ukrainian Journalist Gears Up (Again) For Putin’s Big Presser.
10. Meduza: A hybrid hunt for criminal journalists Meduza reviews how federal censors monitor and punish Russia’s mass media. (excerpt)
11. www.rt.com: Russia shouldn’t grovel to ‘McDonald’s bas***ds’ – local restaurateur.
12. Asia Times: Pepe Escobar, Silk Road fever grips the Russian Far East and boosts economy. China’s Belt and Road Initiative heralds a new era with mega infrastructure projects dotting the landscape.
13. Wall Street Journal: U.S. Criticizes Germany’s Support of New Russian Natural Gas Line. Top state department official praises Denmark for passing law that could hamper pipeline project.
14. AP: Moscow’s cadet ball mixes pomp, discipline and inclusivity.
15. Reuters: Backed by Putin, Russian Military Pushes Into Foreign Policy.
16. Sputnik: Declassified Docs Prove US Repeatedly Promised Russia No NATO Eastward Expansion.
17. AP: Under Putin, Russia increases clout in the Middle East.
18. Indian Punchline: M K Bhadrakumar, Putin goes to Cairo as Trump ties himself in knots.
19. Moscow Times: Alexei Khlebnikov, Trump’s Decision on Jerusalem Might Open the Door for Russia . Russia is set to make gains by siding against the U.S. move.
20. www.rt.com: Putin drafts bill for expansion of Russian navy base in Syria.
21. TASS: RBC: Damascus’ resistance to reforms remains Moscow’s major headache.
22. Valdai Discussion Club: Alexei Sarabyev, THE SYRIAN CRISIS: TO BE CONTINUED.
23. Russian International Affairs Council: Yulia Sveshnikova, War of Interests for Peace in Syria. (excerpt)
http://russiancouncil.ru/en/analytics-and-comments/analytics/war-of-interests-for-peace-in-syria/24. Valdai Discussion Club: Xing Guangcheng, THE KOREAN PENINSULA CRISIS AND THE ROLE OF RUSSIA.
24. Valdai Discussion Club: Xing Guangcheng, THE KOREAN PENINSULA CRISIS AND THE ROLE OF RUSSIA.
25. www.rt.com: US ready to talk to N Korea: ‘It’s a breakthrough, but many twists & turns might be ahead’
26. Brookings.edu: Strobe Talbott, ORDER FROM CHAOS. U.S.-Russia arms control was possible once-is it possible still?
27. The American Conservative: Scott Ritter, The Nuke ‘Treaty That Ended the Cold War’ is Unraveling. The Trump administration signals a game of chicken with Russia, which could mean the death of arms control.
28. TASS: Georgian mercenaries reveal who fired at protesters during Kiev’s ‘maidan’ in winter 2014.
29. The National Interest: Ted Galen Carpenter, It’s So Embarrassing When U.S. Clients Feud. [re Saakashvili and Poroshenko]
30. Reuters: Cold, hungry and lost: Ukrainian pensioners face fourth winter on the frontline. “We are not living, we are just surviving”
31. www.rt.com: ‘Anything can be fabricated’: Retired Russian general on accusations of involvement in MH17 crash
32. OffGuardian: Denis Churilov, How the West Could Destabilize Russia.
How the West Could Destabilize Russia
33. ABCNews.com: McMaster previews new national security strategy ahead of next week’s official release.
34. Consortiumnews.com: Robert Parry, Russia-gate’s Litany of Corrections. As much as the U.S. mainstream media insists that the Russia-gate scandal is growing, what is undeniably growing is the list of major corrections that news outlets have been forced to issue.
35. Between Two Worlds: The “Art” of an American Surviving in Small Town Russia: Hal Freeman, ARE YOU RUSSIFIED YET? (excerpt)