RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents & links :: JRL 2020-#117 :: Tuesday, 30 June 2020

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Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2020-#117 :: Tuesday, 30 June 2020
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. Asia Times: M.K. Bhadrakumar, Afghan bounty claim to reset US-Russia relations. Claims that Russia paid rewards to the Taliban to kill US and NATO troops in Afghanistan puts rivals on new strategic edge.
2. New York Post: Intelligence officials cast doubt on Times’ Russia-Taliban bounty scheme: report [DJ: Follow CBS News’ Catherine Herridge to Twitter: @CBS_Herridge]
3. Kremlin.ru: Address to the nation – en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/63584
4. rt.com: Veteran Russian liberals Pozner & Pamfilova reject claims that constitutional changes are solely about a Putin 2036 power grab – rt.com/russia/493356-liberals-constitution-change-putin/
5. TASS: Vedomosti: Russia may carry on practice of days-long vote to include all elections.
6. gilbertdoctorow.com: Gilbert Doctorow, Putin’s referendum – gilbertdoctorow.com/2020/06/30/putins-referendum/
7. AP: Putin a Step Away From Goal as Constitutional Vote Nears End
8. Reuters: Generation Putin comes of age as Russians vote on extending his rule.
9. TASS: Kremlin sees no threats to credibility of vote on Constitution.
10. Wall Street Journal: Q&A: What Does the Russia Vote Mean for Putin? The result of [the] vote isn’t in much doubt, but the outcome could mean far-reaching changes for Russia as he lays plans to prolong his reign.
11. Interfax: Russia reports 6,693 new Covid-19 cases, 154 deaths in past 24 hours – HQ
12. Sputnik: Growing COVID Herd Immunity Shows Russia on Right Path With Its Vaccine Approach, Top Scientist Says – sputniknews.com/science/202006291079749552-growing-covid-herd-immunity-shows-russia-on-right-path-with-its-vaccine-approach-top-scientist-says/
13. AFP: Russian Arctic sets ‘fantastical’ heat records: weather chief
14. Moscow Times: Explainer: Russia’s Arctic Environmental Disasters
15. rt.com: Moscow dismisses claims of ‘nuclear leak’ in Russia after increase in radioactivity over N. Europe – rt.com/news/493306-radiation-incident-russia-blame/
16. Reuters: Russia’s Economic Contraction, Subdued Inflation Suggest More Rate Cuts Likely in 2020.
17. Interfax: Minister sees Russian GDP recovering to 2019 level by Q4 2021, then growing 3%
18. rt.com: 45% of Russians had no savings before coronavirus pandemic led to spike in unemployment – new survey.
19. Paul Goble: Russians Increasingly Angry that They Live in Poverty in a Country So Rich in Natural Resources
20. Valdai Discussion Club: Ivan Timofeev, Post-COVID-19 Sanctions Policies: Are We in for Epidemics of Sanctions? [Report Post-COVID-19 PDF 0.47 MB: valdaiclub.com/files/30728/]
21. Valdai Discussion Club: Anastasia Likhacheva, From Sanctions to Irreconcilable Differences, or Waiting for a New US Sanctions Programme – valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/from-sanctions-to-irreconcilable-differences/
22. TASS: US refuses to ratify CTBT, lays groundwork for resuming nuclear tests, Russia says.
23. Russian International Affairs Council: Alexander Yermakov and Dmitry Stefanovich, Is Non-Nuclear Deterrence Possible? – russiancouncil.ru/en/analytics-and-comments/analytics/is-non-nuclear-deterrence-possible/
24. Russia Matters summary: War on the Rocks: Michael Kofman and Anya Loukianova Fink, Escalation Management and Nuclear Employment in Russian Military Strategy – summary at russiamatters.org/news/russia-analytical-report/russia-analytical-report-june-22-29-2020 citing warontherocks.com/2020/06/escalation-management-and-nuclear-employment-in-russian-military-strategy/
25. Wall Street Journal: Russia Reinforces Foothold in Libya as Militia Leader Retreats. Moscow delivers more support to warlord Khalifa Haftar while talking with other key players in divided country.
26. Awful Avalanche: Breaking News: Fighting Breaks Out On Russia-China Border – awfulavalanche.wordpress.com/2020/06/30/breaking-news-fighting-breaks-out-on-russia-china-border/
28. TASS: Izvestia: Trump accused of betraying US military’s interests.
29. RFE/RL: Explainer: What Does Russia Want In Afghanistan?
31. New York Times Book review: Timothy Naftali, How Generations of Russians Have Tried to Influence American Elections (Re RIGGED America, Russia, and One Hundred Years of Covert Electoral Interference By David Shimer)

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