RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents & links :: JRL 2020-#47 :: Monday, 16 March 2020

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Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2020-#47 :: Monday, 17 March 2020
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1. Rossiyskaya Gazeta: Psychologist explained the absence of coronavirus panic in Russia – rg.ru/2020/03/15/psiholog-obiasnil-otsutstvie-paniki-v-rossii-iz-za-koronavirusa.html
2. TASS: Putin says Europe hit harder from sanctions than Russia.
3. Kremlin.ru: Sanctions as an economic booster (interview to TASS) – en.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/62991
4. TASS: Number of coronavirus cases in Russia up to 93.
5. Interfax: Almost 110,000 coronavirus tests carried out in Russia.
6. Meduza: Here’s Russia’s plan for facing the coronavirus crisis and preventing new infections, point by point.
7. Meduza: Moscow extends coronavirus measures to ban outdoor events, close schools, and isolate all U.S. and European arrivals.
8. www.rt.com: Covid-19 vaccine: Difficult, uncertain and far-off, microbiologist says – rt.com/news/483236-coronavirus-vaccine-mers-moderna/
9. https://thesaker.is: How to treat Coronavirus infection COVID-19. Interview with the member of the Russian Academy of Science Alexander Chuchalin – thesaker.is/how-to-treat-coronavirus-infection-covid-19/
10. Reuters: Russia Builds Coronavirus Hospital in Moscow as Cases Rise.
11. TASS: Amendments bill consistent with articles 1, 2 and 9 of Russia’s Constitution – court.
12. Meduza: Putin reportedly plans to address the nation and postpone Russia’s constitutional plebiscite, though the Kremlin currently denies it.
13. Washington Post: Samuel A. Greene and Graeme B. Robertson, So much for Putin’s promise he’d abide by term limits. Here’s what’s happening. Will this latest twist keep him in power through 2036?
14. RFE/RL: Russian Scholars, Legal Experts Sign Up Against ‘Constitutional Coup’
15. Financial Times editorial: Oil price war complicates Vladimir Putin’s political plans. Russia’s president is positioning himself to remain in the post until 2036.
16. Opendemocracy.net: Rachel Denber, Russia’s political and constitutional drama. As Putin prepares to extend his rule once again, the future for human rights in Russia looks bleak.
17. TASS: Vedomosti: Russian government drafts plan to support economy amid coronavirus spread.
18. RFE/RL: Russia Announces $4 Billion Fund To Help Economy Cope With Oil Plunge, Virus Impact.
19. Intellinews.com: Ben Aris, To hike or not to hike? CBR faces tough choice this month. Inflation is expected to rise this year following the devaluation of the ruble in the last weeks, but economic growth is also anticipated to stall. What should the Bank of Russia do to deal with these conflicting changes?
20. Oilprice.com: Why Didn’t Russia Just Cut Oil Production?
21. The Bell: Does Russia’s reasoning for abandoning OPEC stand up? – thebell.io/en/does-russia-s-reasoning-for-abandoning-opec-stand-up/
22. Bloomberg: Russia Sees No Need for Talks With Saudis Even as Oil Tumbles.
23. Moscow Times: Russian Priests, Cossacks Negotiated Ukraine’s Surrender During Crimean Annexation – Meduza.
24. Russian International Affairs Council: Hunter Cawood, Five Reasons Why It’s Time to #RecognizeСrimea – russiancouncil.ru/en/analytics-and-comments/columns/political-life-of-usa/five-reasons-why-it-s-time-to-recognizesrimea/
25. Kyiv Post: George Woloshyn, Zelensky’s road to capitulation.
26. Kyiv Post: Congressional hearing seeks ways to stop Russia’s war against Ukraine.
27. Dances With Bears: John Helmer, BRITISH CHEMICAL WARFARE LABORATORY ADMITS IT WAS PRODUCING AND TESTING NOVICHOK IN 2014, FOUR YEARS BEFORE SERGEI SKRIPAL “DISCOVERED” IT – johnhelmer.net/british-chemical-warfare-laboratory-admits-it-was-producing-and-testing-novichok-in-2014-four-years-before-sergei-skripal-discovered-it/print/
28. Dances With Bears: John Helmer, THE FACE OF DUTCH JUSTICE LAUNCHES A THOUSAND SLIPS. (excerpt) – johnhelmer.net/the-face-of-dutch-justice-launches-a-thousand-slips/print/
29. The National Interest: Ted Galen Carpenter, Neo-McCarthyism Is Spreading Faster than the Coronavirus. The drumbeat of allegations from the intelligence bureaucracy and its media allies about Russian activities designed to aid Donald Trump and Trump’s complicity in those activities has not abated despite the tepid outcome of the Mueller investigation and the failed impeachment campaign to oust the president.
30. Just the News: Ex-Trump adviser: Brits hinted they assisted Team Obama on Russia collusion probe. K.T. MacFarland also says she believes James Comey’s alert to Trump about Steele dossier was akin to blackmail – justthenews.com/politics-policy/all-things-trump/former-trump-adviser-uk-intelligence-told-me-they-were-working
31. Bloomberg: Russian Oligarchs Dismiss Kremlin Links in Trump Dossier Case.
32. CNN: How Trump’s presidency has played for Russia.
33. PBS Newhour: What’s being done to stop Russia’s election interference?
34. New York Times: Can Russia Use the Coronavirus to Sow Discord Among Americans? Conditions are ripe: The pandemic is sweeping right into campaign season, and Trump’s response is highly contested.