RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents & links :: JRL 2019-#121 :: Wednesday, 31 July 2019

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Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2019-#121 :: Wednesday, 31 July 2019
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1. Intellinews.com: Chris Weafer, August in Russia: What could possibly go wrong?
2. Le Monde diplomatique: Christophe Trontin, Dachas fall from favour as holiday homes. Russia’s vanishing summerfolk. The dacha, so familiar from Chekhov’s plays, has lost its appeal for most Russians, who now don’t have to grow their own produce and can often holiday abroad. Can the new downshifters save these unloved summer houses?
4. Irrussianality: Paul Robinson, NO BETTER NATURE. (re Russophobia) – irrussianality.wordpress.com/2019/07/30/no-better-nature/#comments
5. www.rt.com: Danielle Ryan, ‘Russia doesn’t have a good side’: More xenophobic bile spewing forth from Western ‘experts’ – rt.com/op-ed/465423-russia-xenophobia-keir-giles/
6. In Moscow’s Shadow: Mark Galeotti, Some thoughts on the security side of Saturday’s Moscow crackdown.
7. Meduza: Opinion: Three things you gotta understand about the Kremlin (Tatyna Stanovaya)
8. Meduza: Fact-checking the Moscow mayor’s first extensive comments about opposition ‘rioting’ on July 27.
9. Moscow Times: Michele Berdy, Russian Men in Black. The way things are going, I thought a primer in protest-talk might come in handy.
10. Wall Street Journal: Russian Activist Navalny Wasn’t Poisoned, Say Officials. Results of toxicology tests show no traces of poison.
11. Moscow Times: 1 in 4 Russians Are Seeing Their Wallets Shrink – Poll.
12. Paul Goble: Russians Living on Loans Face Credit Crunch This Fall, Financial Analyst Says.
13. Moscow Times: Russia Could Re-Criminalize Domestic Violence After European Court Ruling, Senator Says.
14. Financial Times: Siberian wildfires prompt Russia to declare state of emergency. Blaze across forest in 5 regions raises concern over Moscow’s commitment to tackling climate change.
15. www.rt.com: Massive wildfires continue to rage in Siberia, emergency declared in several regions (VIDEO) – rt.com/russia/465314-massive-wildfires-siberia-smoke/
16. www.opendemocracy.net: Liliia Zemnukhova, The Kremlin is pushing for a “sovereign internet”. But at what cost? As Russia’s moves towards a “sovereign internet” gather speed, Russia’s IT sector is weighing up the cost of isolation.
17. TASS: Most Russians believe Russian Navy is world’s strongest – poll.
18. New York Times: Yulia Latynina, Putin’s Fancy Weapons? Everything Old Is New Again. The super-destructive weapons touted by Russia’s president aren’t as original, or functional, as he claims.
19. Russia in Global Affairs: Fyodor Lukyanov, The Church at a Historical Crossroads. – eng.globalaffairs.ru/book/The-Church-at-a-Historical-Crossroads-20127
20. The Hill: Landmark US-Russia arms control treaty poised for final blow.
21. Russia Matters: Is Nuclear Arms Control Dead or Can New Principles Guide It? (expert views)
22. www.rt.com: Bolton says ‘flawed’ New START treaty with Russia unlikely to last past 2021. – rt.com/news/465438-new-start-bolton-dismantle/
23. Asia Times: M.K. Bhadrakumar, Militaries of Russia, China getting closer. Joint air patrol over disputed islands in East Sea highlights strategic cooperation, plus tension between Korea and Japan.
24. TASS: Media: Russia seeks to establish foothold in China-US dominated region.
25. The National Interest: Dimitri Alexander Simes, Is Russia Worried About China’s Military Rise? Strained relations between Moscow and Washington are making Russians more accepting of Chinese military power.
26. Nikkei Asian Review (Japan): Russia and China romance runs into friction in Central Asia. U.S. strategists call for driving wedge between the traditional rivals.
27. Indian Punchline: M.K. Bhadrakumar, Russia wades into oily waters of East Mediterranean.
28. Valdai Discussion Club: Konstantin Truevtsev, The Russia-Iran-Turkey Triangle and the Astana Format: No Expected Breakthrough on Syria, but Cooperation Will Be Extended – valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/russia-iran-turkey-triangle-and-astana-format/
29. TASS: President Zelensky’s spin-doctor tells his party’s MPs they are ‘nobody’
30. Interfax: Significant progress on security issue since truce began – DPR.
31. www.rt.com: Poisoning that shaped 15 years of Ukraine politics never happened – prosecutor on Yushchenko case. – rt.com/news/465419-ukraine-prosecutor-yushchenko-poisoning/
32. Russia in Global Affairs: Sergei Karaganov, A Predictable Future? How Self-Deception Replaced Profound Analysis. – eng.globalaffairs.ru/number/A-Predictable-Future-20114