RUSSIA & UKRAINE: JRL 2015-#14 table of contents with links :: Wednesday 21 January 2015

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Johnson’s Russia List
JRL 2015-#14 :: Wednesday 21 January 2015
E-Mail: davidjohnson@starpower.net

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Russia

1. Sputnik: Putin Says Russia Should Boost Economic Sovereignty.
2. Interfax: In 2008 crisis also came from abroad, Russia resolved problems by itself – Putin.
3. Sputnik: Russia Requires $21 Bln for Anti-Crisis Measures. (Igor Shuvalov)
4. Moscow Times: Ten New Laws That Will Affect Your Life in Russia in 2015.
5. Russia Direct: Andrei Yermolaev, How far Russia’s economy can stretch without breaking. Russia’s current economic situation poses complex problems for the Kremlin, but it might hypothetically lead to a more competitive and diversified market economy based around technology, innovation and valued-added manufacturing.
6. Moscow Times: A Tour Through Russia’s Five Poorest Cities.
7. Interfax: Russia in for recession, high inflation even if oil rebounds to $80-$90 – RenCap.
8. Russia Direct: Eugene Bai, Putin’s Orthodox conservatives vs. Russia’s unorthodox liberals. The conservative-patriarchal conception of life, featuring a strong leader and state, still dominates the consciousness of the overwhelming majority of Russians – much to the chagrin of the nation’s liberals.
9. Moscow Times: Georgy Bovt, Why Putin Isn’t Worrying About the Ruble.
10. Levada.ru: Most Russians approve Stalin, disapprove Yeltsin – poll.
11. Jamestown Foundation Eurasia Daily Monitor: Analyst Provides Insider View of Russian Government Think Tank. (Alexander Sytnik)
12. Moscow Times: Russia To Face Same Old Questions at Davos In Chillier Atmosphere.
13. www.rt.com: Davos participants not interested in higher oil price – ex-Russian finance minister. (Kudrin)
14. Russia: Other Points of View: Gordon Hahn, WHEN NO MEANS YES: HOW MOSCOW LEARNED TO LOVE NATO EXPANSION AND ITS BORDERS.
15. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Lack of U.S. interest in Russia felt in speeches. Comments by both U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Tefft and U.S. President Barack Obama indicate that the U.S. has little motivation to lift sanctions against.
16. TASS: Russian economists disagree with Obama’s gloom prophecies.
17. Sputnik: Summing Up 2014: Top Diplomat Says Russia Open to Dialogue, Not Isolated.
18. Russian Foreign Ministry: Interview by Ambassador to China Andrey Denisov with the Chinese newspaper Global Times, 19 January 2015.
19. US Embassy Moscow: Speech to the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia Ambassador John F. Tefft.
20. Russia Direct: Richard Weitz, Russia and US can’t let nukes become a victim of Ukraine crisis. Warnings from Moscow that cooperation on nuclear arms control could be reduced in the future could at some point lead to results that both Russia and the United States would prefer to avoid.
21. United States Department of State: International Security Advisory Board, Report on U.S.-Russia Relations (excerpt). (DJ: Best to read this in the PDF version. You will find the members of this panel and who they talked with in the appendicies of the report. Well worth attention as perhaps the state-of-the-art of American expertise on Russia these days.)

Ukraine

22. AFP: Father buries his 4-year-old son and curses Ukraine’s war.
23. Kyiv Post: In Davos, Poroshenko presents Ukraine as nation making right moves.
24. Christian Science Monitor: Fred Weir, New fighting in Ukraine: A prelude to peace talks? The surge in violence around Donetsk’s airport between government forces and Russia-backed rebels looks like a return to war. But analysts say it may actually be diplomatic positioning ahead of future talks.
25. Interfere: Ukrainian army admits retreat from 31st roadblock near Luhansk.
26. Reuters: Putin not flinching on Ukraine despite economic crisis.
27. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Press Digest: Kiev and Moscow blame each other for the failed peace process and argue over demarcation lines.
28. Interfax-AVN: Kiev claims of Russian troops inside Ukraine “hallucinations” – Defence Ministry.
29. TASS: Accusations of Russia’s alleged military presence in Ukraine need proof – Russian FM.
30. RIA Novosti: Russia doing all it can to help Ukraine – Putin’s spokesman.
31. Moscow Times/Vedomosti: Vasily Kashin, There Are No Winners in the Ukraine Conflict.
32. Business New Europe: Ben Aris, Ukraine investment case depends on peace, aid and unity, says Weafer.
33. www.opendemocracy.net/Politcom.ru: Sergei Markedonov, The Crimean ‘question.’ There are more questions than answers to the Crimean ‘question’.
34. Novaya Gazeta: Andrey Sambros, Crimea is ours or is it Crimea is destitute? – 2014 results and 2015 Forecasts.
35. Counterpunch.org: Andrey Manchuk, Not All Are Equal in Death. Ukraine’s Lower Class Military.
36. Daily Mail (UK): Granbo! Ukrainian grandmother, 68, signs up to train alongside army cadets who nickname her ‘The Punisher’ after she passes military tests.
37. Consortiumnews.com: Robert Parry, The Danger of an MH-17 ‘Cold Case.’

Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia Map of Commonwealth of Independent States, European Portion

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