RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents :: JRL 2018-156 :: Tuesday, 28 August 2018

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Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2018-#156
Tuesday, 28 August 2018

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. TASS: Permafrost’s temperature on Arctic peninsula 2-3 degrees up, say scientists.
2. The Blog Mire: Rob Slane, The 10 Main Holes in the Official Narrative on the Salisbury Poisonings: #5 – The Feeding of the Ducks. [theblogmire.com/the-10-main-holes-in-the-official-narrative-on-the-salisbury-poisonings-5-the-feeding-of-the-ducks/]
3. TASS: Putin calls for humane, fair approach towards pension reform in Russia.
4. Novaya Gazeta: Paper warns Russian opposition against ‘black-and-white’ thinking. (Vladimir Pastukhov) [novayagazeta.ru/articles/2018/07/08/77081-totalnyy-diktat]
5. Financial Times: How Chechnya’s Ramzan Kadyrov could destabilise Russia. Former warlord who answers only to Putin runs republic as personal fiefdom.
6. TASS: Telegram will not consider Russian intelligence agencies’ requests to provide users’ data.
7. www.rt.com: Watchdog to consider de-blocking Telegram in Russia if service provides encryption keys to FSB.
8. TASS: Putin: Russia affirms status of one of leaders on global energy market.
9. Bloomberg: Russia Inc. Isn’t Waiting for Central Bank to Brave a Rate Hike.
10. Intellinews.com: Ben Aris, Busting Nord Stream 2 myths.
11. Bear Market Brief: Moody’s says effect of recent sanctions will be limited.
12. Russia Beyond: 10 American habits that shock Russians.
13. Defensenews.com: Matthew Bodner, Russia, the victim? Opposite NATO’s eastern flank, it’s an expansionist West causing anxiety.
14. www.rt.com: ‘US didn’t expect Russia to grow so strong in Arctic’: Why Pentagon is rebuilding Cold War-era fleet. [rt.com/news/437001-us-second-fleet-arctic-atlantic/]
15. Wall Street Journal: Moscow Postpones Afghan Peace Talks. Decision comes after Afghan government declined an invitation to meet the Taliban.
16. TASS: RBC: Brussels seeks to break away from US hegemony.
17. Asia Times: Pepe Escobar, Putin’s wedding trip seals marriage of convenience with Merkel. Meeting in Berlin could signal a switch in strategy for Germany when it comes to the US dollar and energy security.
18. TASS: Izvestia: Russia beefs up Mediterranean might to shield Syria.
19. www.rt.com: McCain’s passing will not diminish anti-Russian sentiment in US – diplomat.
20. Sputnik: John McCain: Top-7 Controversial Statements by High-Profile Anti-Russia Crusader. [sputniknews.com/us/201808261067478421-russia-statements-john-mccain-death/]
21. Interfax-Ukraine: Three fourths of Ukrainians believe military conflict in Donbas most urgent problem for country.
22. Paul Goble: Sociological Portrait of Ukraine after 27 Years of Independence Extremely Complex, Nikitina Says.
23. The Guardian (UK): ‘They wanted to kill us’: masked neo-fascists strike fear into Ukraine’s Roma. After a spate of brutal attacks on Roma settlements by far-right groups, authorities have been accused of failing to act. As the violence escalates, human rights groups are suing the police for failing to protect families from raids by masked men.
24. TASS: Blame Russia game: Lavrov blasts West for projecting its election meddling guilt on Moscow.
25. Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s interview with Pravda, Slovakia, published on August 28, 2018. (excerpt re meddling)
26. The National Interest: James Walker, China-Not Russia-Elected Trump. China’s economic attack on America caused U.S. voters to turn to Trump.
27. Wall Street Journal editorial: A Dossier Debunking. His lawyer says the Steele claims about Michael Cohen are false.
28. The Independent (UK): Mary Dejevsky, Donald Trump angered the establishment – through Manafort and Cohen, Washington is putting him back in his place.[independent.co.uk/voices/trump-manafort-cohen-washington-pardon-mueller-investigation-a8504636.html]
29. www.rt.com: RT Editorial. Atlantic Council accuses RT of pro-Republican bias in midterm election coverage: That’s fake news. [rt.com/op-ed/436989-atlantic-council-rt-bias/]
30. Consortiumnews.com: Diane Johnstone, The Real Russian Interference in US Politicse. If Russia were trying to interfere in U.S. domestic politics, it wouldn’t be attempting to change the U.S. system but to prevent it from trying to change Russia’s.[consortiumnews.com/2018/08/27/the-real-russian-interference-in-us-politics/]
31. Paul Goble: Moscow has Complex System to Run Agents of Influence Abroad, Khmelnitsky Says.

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