RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents & links :: JRL 2020-#118 :: Thursday, 2 July 2020

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Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2020-#118 :: Thursday, 2 July 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. Washington Post: Michael McFaul, Trump would do anything for Putin. No wonder he’s ignoring the Russian bounties.
2. Intellinews: Russian vote through changes to constitution in referendum, Putin cleared to rule until 2036. With 99.9% of the vote counted, 77.93% of Russians voted for changes to Russia’s constitution and 21.26% against in a referendum.
3. Kremlin.ru: Meeting of Pobeda (Victory) Organising Committee – en.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/63591
4. TASS: Media: Most Russians back constitutional amendments paving the way for political reform.
5. Reminiscence of the Future: Andrei Martyanov, Projection – smoothiex12.blogspot.com/2020/06/projection.html
6. rt.com: Vote on amendments isn’t about Putin, it’s the first ever ‘truly Russian constitution’ – leading historian. (Martin McCauley) – rt.com/russia/493469-vote-amendments-russia-constitution/
7. rt.com: Bryan MacDonald, Overwhelming support for Putin’s constitution changes a wake-up call for Westerners who claim Russian system is bound to collapse – rt.com/russia/493536-constitution-changes-vote-west-reaction/
8. Meduza: Six highlights from Russia’s plebiscite on constitutional amendments
9. rt.com: Ernest Reid, Russia has come a long way since 1993; Putin’s constitutional changes reflect the needs of a revitalized state – rt.com/russia/493411-constitution-amendments-russia-putin/
10. Christian Science Monitor: Fred Weir, Putin set to get his new constitution. But Russians ask, ‘Why now?’ Vladimir Putin had a plan to reform the Russian Constitution. Then the pandemic happened. Now he’s changed the plan and is rushing it through a referendum, to many Russians’ confusion. What’s going on?
11. Consortium News: Russians Vote on Amendments to the Constitution. In addition to the controversy over enhanced presidential powers, Natylie Baldwin covers other significant proposals now in front of voters – consortiumnews.com/2020/06/30/russians-vote-on-amendments-to-the-constitution/
12. New York Times: The Theatrical Method in Putin’s Vote Madness. The outcome in Russia’s constitutional “referendum” is preordained, but an elaborate spectacle of public affirmation is vital to the leader’s legitimacy
13. New York Times: Trump’s New Russia Problem: Unread Intelligence and Missing Strategy
14. Stalker Zone: The Truth About Russian Constitution Amendment “Voting Irregularities” – stalkerzone.org/the-truth-about-russian-constitution-amendment-voting-irregularities/
15. Wall Street Journal: Putin’s Landslide Referendum Victory Is Slammed by Critics
16. Moscow Times: Tatyana Stanovaya, The Taming of the Elite: Putin’s Referendum. The Russian president is banning his associates from looking around for a successor
17. Washington Post: Sharon Werning Rivera and Henry E. Hale, Russia’s referendum could keep Vladimir Putin in power until 2036. What do high-ranking Russians think? Here’s why Putin would still have a lame duck problem.
18. Le Monde diplomatique: Estelle Levresse, Inequitable healthcare, insufficient resources. Russian hospitals may not cope. Russia inherited enough hospital beds from the old Soviet health system to cope with Covid-19 patients, though not the medical personnel or critical supplies now needed. With the private sector growing, is state healthcare being dangerously hollowed out?
19. Antiwar.com: NSA Dissents From Other Agencies Over Russian Bounty Intel. Pentagon says ‘no corroborating evidence’ to support NYT’s report – antiwar.com/2020/07/01/nsa-dissents-from-other-agencies-over-russian-bounty-intel/
20. Indian Pucchline: M.K. Bhadrakumar, Russian bounty killing forces Trump’s hands on troop withdrawal from Afghanistan
21. rt.com: New York Times calls for punishing Putin over anonymous bounty claims but advised Trump to let ISIS kill Russian troops in Syria – rt.com/usa/493515-times-taliban-bounty-hypocrisy/
22. Consortium News: Ray McGovern, New York Times Deploys Heavy Gun to Back ‘Intel’ on Russian Bounties. After examining his record, New York Times readers should be skeptical of anything David Sanger writes, including his latest artful works of deception. (Excerpt) – consortiumnews.com/2020/07/01/ray-mcgovern-new-york-times-deploys-heavy-gun-to-back-intel-on-russian-bounties/
23. rt.com: ‘Russian bounty’ story shifts: New York Times now claims Afghan CRIMINALS & not Taliban were paid, cites anonymous sources again – rt.com/news/493407-afghanistan-russian-bounties-shifting-narrative/
24. The American Conservative: Barbara Boland, Three Glaring Problems With The Russian Taliban ‘Bounty’ Story. There seems to be a lack of sourcing and a big whiff of politics, say former intelligence officers.
25. TASS: Izvestia: Germany braces to defend Nord Stream 2 from US sanctions assault.
26. Russia Beyond: E-visas covering all of Russia to be introduced in 2021 – rbth.com/travel/332380-e-visas-covering-all-of-russia
27. Moscow Times: Where Can I Travel in Russia This Summer?
28. Valdai Discussion Club: Andrei Tsygankov, American Oligarchy Virus – valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/american-oligarchy-virus/
29. Awful Avalanche: Zelensky Not Perturbed By Nazi Billboards In Kherson – awfulavalanche.wordpress.com/2020/07/01/zelensky-not-perturbed-by-nazi-billboards-in-kherson/
30. New York Times: Susan Rice, Why Does Trump Put Russia First?
31. Washington Post: David Ignatius, Trump doesn’t understand that Putin is in the payback business
32. Washington Post editorial: The report of Russia putting bounties on U.S. soldiers is disturbing. Trump’s response is stupefying.

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