RUSSIA & UKRAINE: JRL 2015-#7 table of contents with links :: Monday 12 January 2015

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Johnson’s Russia List
JRL 2015-#7 :: Monday 12 January 2015
E-Mail: davidjohnson@starpower.net
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Russia

1. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Russian 7th graders struggle to count and solve math problems, says study. RBTH spoke to experts about the results of the National Study of Education Quality (NIKO), recently carried out in Russia. They illustrated the roots of the problems the country is experiencing with mathematics at school and explained why it is not worth relying on the international PISA assessments.
2. The Nation: David Kotz, Plummeting Oil Prices Could Bring Radical Change to Russia. What Comes Next? The weakness of the petrostate economy could jolt Russia’s political elites-or its ordinary citizens-to take action.
3. Moscow Times: In Russia, Tears and Jeers After Charlie Hebdo Massacre.
4. Komsomolskaya Pravda: Russian commentators see ‘hypocrisy’ in Western reaction to Paris attack.
5. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Can Europe learn from Russia’s experience with Islam? A modicum of self-governance and a bureaucratization of religious governing bodies are both part of Russia’s policies aimed at curbing radical Islam.
6. Moscow Times: Rating Downgrade Set to Scare More Capital Out of Russia.
7. www.rt.com: ‘Negative press about Russia affects Fitch ratings.’ (interview with Ben Aris)
8. Russia Insider: Alexander Mercouris, Russia Credit Rating Downgrade Is Blatantly Political. Here’s Why. Decision has no economic Justification. Russia is in a very strong financial position and is fully able to meet its debt obligations
9. Eurasianet.org: Russia: Orphanages Are a Life Sentence for Children with Disabilities.
10. Yezhednevnyy Zhurnal: Anti-Kremlin commentator: 2015 could be Putin’s last year in power. (Georgiy Satarov)
11. Moscow Times: Opposition Posterboy Navalny Defies House Arres–Again.
12. www.rt.com: Sexual disorders listed as contradictions to driving in Russia.
13. Facebook: Joshua Kucera re driving controversy.
14. Kennan Institute: Blair Ruble, Theater and the Heart of a City: Moscow’s Teatr.doc’s Confrontation with Authority.
15. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Rouslan Krechetnikov: “What is missing now is pure curiosity-driven research.” In 2014 Russian scientist Rouslan Krechetnikov received the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists for his work in the United States. He talked to RBTH about his research and aspirations, as well as his reasons for leaving Russia.
16. www.opendemocracy.net: Vyacheslav Kozlov, Working in the Gulag. Russia’s Prison Service, the FSIN, wants to put inmates’ employment on a more businesslike footing, but their working conditions are still more like slave labour.
17. www.rt.com: NATO expansion in E. Europe ‘destroys EU security order’ – Gorbachev.
18. Paul Goble: Gorbachev’s Call for ‘Perestroika’ of International Relations His Latest ‘Cynical Scam,’ Ikhlov Says.
19. Rossiyskaya Gazeta: Russian foreign policy pundit sums up results of 2014. (Fyodor Lukyanov)
20. Carnegie Moscow Center: Dmitri Trenin, The Russian Military in the Ukraine Crisis.
21. Moscow Times: Mark Adomanis, Russia’s Foreign Policy Is Full of Contradictions.
22. Russia Insider: Patrick Armstrong, Why Should Moscow Trust Anything NATO Says? It’s learned NATO’s words have a “best before” date.

Ukraine

23. Valdai Discussion Club/Gazeta.ru: Fyodor Lukyanov, Ukraine’s Crossroads.
24. Wall Street Journal: Ukraine’s International Reserves Hit Lowest Level Since 2004. Additional Financial Aid From West Needed as Reserves Fall to $7.5 Billion.
25. Sputnik: Normandy Format’ Talks on Ukrainian Crisis Begin in Berlin.
26. Russia Direct: Brian Milakovsky, Should the US reconsider the Ukraine Freedom Support Act? Here is how the Ukraine Freedom Support Act and House Resolution 758 can affect U.S.-Russia relations and the endgame of the Ukrainian crisis in 2015. Instead of leading to peace, they could lead to an intensification of the conflict and a hardening of negotiating positions.
27. www.phillip-butler.com: Phillip Butler, When will “we the people” stop the killing in Donbass?
28. Bloomberg: Leonid Bershidsky, Soros’s Terrible Plan to Throw Money at Ukraine.
29. Moscow Times: Vladislav Inozemtsev, Russia Must Stop Glorifying War in Ukraine.
30. www.rt.com: West has forgotten MH17 Ukraine crash probe – Lavrov.
31. Russia Insider: Mark Nicholas, The New York Times Explains Why Kiev Sniper Massacre Was Likely a False Flag. Describes Yanukovich as a flabby leader whose willingness to appease his opponents demoralized his police.
32. www.thedailybeast.com: Anna Nemtsova, Is This The End of Putin’s ‘New Russia’ Fantasy? Infighting, corruption and murder. Novorossia is falling prey to Russia’s old demons.
33. Facebook: Ivan Katchanovski and others discuss Russian military role in eastern Ukraine.
34. Interfax: Ukrainian military are bombing Zasyadko mine – Zakharchenko.
35. Kyiv Post: Ukraine seals off roads to Donbas as fighting intensifies.
36. Fort Russ: Ukrainian Armed Forces are bombing the Right Sector; Batman update.
37. Sputnik: Edward Lozansky, In Search of Lost Western Values. In a recent interview with the German ARD channel Arseniy Yatsenyuk, prime minister of post-coup Ukraine, said: “All of us still clearly remember the Soviet invasion of Ukraine and Germany. We need to avoid it.”
38. The Straits Times (Singapore): Irvin Studin, Why Asia is the key to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
39. New York Times: Seizing Assets in Crimea, From Shipyard to Film Studio.