RUSSIA & UKRAINE: JRL 2015-#92 table of contents with links :: Johnson’s Russia List – Friday, May 8, 2015

Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#92 :: Friday 8 May 2015
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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RUSSIA

1. Rossiyskaya Gazeta: West’s “revision” of postwar order fuels Russia’s “turn towards Asia.” (Fedor Lukyanov)
2. Moscow Times: More Than 80% of Russians Favor State Censorship of Literature, Film, Art.
3. Moscow Times: Russian Government Boasts Timely Completion of More than 80 Percent of Putin’s May 2012 Orders.
4. Kremlin.ru: Commission for Monitoring Targeted Socioeconomic Development Indicators.
5. Moscow Times: Russia’s Biggest Social Network VK Beats Television in Battle for Viewers.
6. Wall Street Journal: Russians Dig Through Past in Search of Fallen World War II Soldiers. Hundreds of volunteers scour country’s western regions for bones of the missing.
7. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Moscow to hold largest military parade since end of Soviet Union.
8. Washington Post: Ishaan Tharoor, Don’t forget how the Soviet Union saved the world from Hitler.
9. Valdai Discussion Club: Richard Sakwa, A Bitter Anniversary.
10. Business New Europe: Ben Aris, MOSCOW BLOG: Victory Day network session.
11. Moscow Times: Peter Zwack, An American Longs for Past Victory Days.
12. The Nation: Martin Sieff, Why Is the US Failing to Honor Russia’s Victory Day Anniversary? Instead of honoring shared sacrifice in the fight against the Nazis, the president has taken another cheap shot at Russia over Ukraine.
13. Russia Direct: Ivan Krilla, Victory Day and the shared history of the US and Russia. As Russia gears up to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Victory Day, it’s time to remember the long-standing historical ties that have existed between Russia and the United States.
14. www.rt.com: ‘WWII victory doesn’t bring Russia, Ukraine together as Kiev turned war criminals into heroes.’ (interview with Arch Getty)
15. www.project-syndicate.org: Angela Stent, The Rain on Russia’s Parade.
16. The International New York Times: Mikhail Shishkin, How Russians Lost the War.
17. Wall Street Journal: Russia Hedges Over Stalin’s Legacy. Seventy years after victory over Nazism, Putin and others aren’t sure whether to praise the Soviet tyrant for his wartime leadership or condemn him for his repression.
18. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Russians tightening purse strings as GDP decline gathers pace. New data shows that Russia’s economic slump is continuing to snowball, with GDP falling by 3.4 percent in March 2015, up from 1.2 percent in February. As real salaries shrink, the population is cutting spending and looking to safeguard savings. Economists predict that Russia will not be able to arrest the slump in the economy until the end of 2015.
19. www.rt.com: 27 Russian firms among world’s most powerful companies – Forbes.
20. Business New Europe: Artem Toropov, Russia’s road to deoffshorisation and capital amnesty still ‘under construction’
21. Russia Direct: Ivan Tsvetkov, ‘The President’ and the cult of personality 2.0. A recently aired documentary film about Vladimir Putin – “The President” – raises concerns that a new “cult of personality” is already starting to emerge within the Kremlin.
22. Consortiumnews.com: Robert Parry, Gifting Russia ‘Free-Market’ Extremism.
23. Reuters: Russia and China deepen ties with new economic deals.
24. The Wilson Center: Robert Daly and Matthew Rojansky, Engage China and Russia with Issues, Not Scolding.
25. The Economist: Russia and China. An uneasy friendship. The crisis in Ukraine is drawing Russia closer to China. But the relationship is far from equal.
26. Russia Beyond the Headlines: TROIKA REPORT: West’s boycott of Victory Day unhelpful; another piece in the puzzle for BRICS global finance system; Russia and China as the new G2?
27. The Economist: The Economist Explains. How Russians see the West.
28. The Atlantic Council: Stephen Blank, When the Kremlin Makes An Offer You Can’t Refuse.

UKRAINE

29. www.rt.com: US NATO envoy: ‘I get most info on Ukraine conflict from social networks.’ (Douglas Lute)
30. Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks and answers to media questions at a joint press conference following talks with Federal Minister for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs of Austria Sebastian Kurz, Moscow, May 5, 2015. (Excerpt re Ukraine)
31. Kyiv Post: Poroshenko address nation, chastises Putin on 70th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day.
32. Russia Direct/Handelsblatt: Ukrainian Men Avoiding the Army at All Costs. Whether hiding at home, fleeing abroad, or paying a bribe, Ukrainians desperate to escape from the army.
3. Moscow Times: Donetsk and Lugansk Theaters to Tour Russia.
34. Counterpunch.org: Yegor Voronov, ‘Sinn Fein’ Solution for Donbas. In Horlovka, Eastern Ukraine, a Donetsk Republic Rises.
35. Wall Street Journal: Ukraine’s U.S. Backers Use Cold-War Playbook. Pair who helped arm Afghans against Soviets find new cause.
36. The Unz Review: Anatoly Karlin, Vita Zaverukha, Heroine of the ATO.
37. Sputnik: Origins of Hate: Pre-Maidan Textbook Teaches Youth to Hate ‘Subhumans’
38. Vedomosti: Gazprom has “no alternative” to Ukrainian market, experts tell Russian daily.
39. Oilprice.com: Punitive Tax Regime Is Crushing Ukraine’s Oil And Gas Sector.
40. Bloomberg: Billionaire No More: Ukraine President’s Fortune Fades With War.
41. Russia Insider: The Saker, Novaya Gazeta Report on MH17 Shootdown: The Actual Proof. Ballistics tell no lies, and give a fairly clear account as to what happened.
42. Interfax: Ukrainian army shells DPR territory – militia.
43. Brookings Institution: Steven Pifer, What’s next in eastern Ukraine? More of the same.