Original Contributions – Johnson’s Russia List

Nicola Avery: Re: “Our occasional blog about climate science in/around Russia” [“More Than Bears: News From Climate Scientists Around Russia”]

September 9, 2021 JRL Russia List Environment, Science, Technology, Engineering

File Photo of Polar Bear on Snow with Bare Ground in the Background, adapted from image at nasa.gov with photo credit to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/Eric Regehr

Subject: Our occasional blog about climate science in/around Russia Date: Wed, 08 Sep 2021 From: Nicola Avery <nicolaavery@protonmail.com> We started a climate science blog a year or so ago, profiling scientists, mostly in Russia. We are developing the blog on a voluntary basis so only posting occasionally which is managed by Alina Bychkova at Nottingham Trent University, cc’d. We have […]

Tom Beyer: “[SEELANGS] The John Glad interviews”

March 8, 2021 JRL Russia List Education, Academia, Life in Russia, Culture, Arts

Bookcase file photo, adapted from image at nlm.nih.gov

Subject: [SEELANGS] The John Glad interviews Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2021 From: Tom Beyer <beyer@MIDDLEBURY.EDU> In the early 1980’s John Glad who was then working at the Kennan Institute in Washington D.C. recorded a series of videotaped interviews with leading Russian writers. The original video recordings were deposited with the University of Maryland. Professor Glad himself retained his own copies […]

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Leave a comment Academia, Books, Literature, Original Contribution, Original Contributions, Russia, Russian News, Slider

Eliot Borenstein: “The Saker and Unz Review”

January 29, 2021 JRL Russia List Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Russian News

File Image of Laptop Computer, Tables and Mobile Device, adapted from image at energy.gov

Subject: The Saker and Unz Review Date: Thu, 28 Jan 2021 From: Eliot Borenstein <eb7@nyu.edu> Dear David, As you know, I’ve been an avid reader of Johnson’s List for over two decades, and I really appreciate all that you do. But I continue to be puzzled by your editorial policy. While I understand and applaud the desire to go beyond […]

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Leave a comment Media, Original Contribution, Original Contributions, Russia, Russian News, Slider

Mark Galeotti: “Re: Subject: A comment on Galeotti” [re: UK-Russian Relations, U.S.-Russian Relations, Nicolai Petro]

July 24, 2020 JRL Russia List Britain, UK, United Kingdom, Europe, EU, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

File Photo of British Parliament Building, Big Ben, Thames, adapted from image at loc.gov

It’s always great when something you write receives a thoughtful response, but I did feel I needed make a couple of responses to Nicolai Petro’s open reply to my short commentary in The Spectator […]

Nicolai Petro: “A comment on Galeotti” [re: U.S.-Russian Relations]

July 23, 2020 JRL Russia List United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

Vladirmir Putin and Donald Trump Sitting in Chairs with Flags Behind, adapted from image at whitehouse.gov

Subject: A comment on Galeotti Date: Wed, 22 Jul 2020 From: Nicolai Petro <npetro@uri.edu> Nicolai N. Petro Professor of Political Science University of Rhode Island “Our beef is with Putin, his thugs, spies and oligarchs, not Russia – and we need to make sure that while we win today’s struggle, we don’t waste the chance for better relations with a […]

“New book: SOVIET JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG – A New History of the International Military Tribunal // Pub. July 2020” – Sarah Payne, Oxford University Press

July 9, 2020 JRL Russia List Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

Nuremberg Trials Courtroom Scene, adapted from image at archives.gov

Subject: New book: SOVIET JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG – A New History of the International Military Tribunal // Pub. July 2020 Date: Tue, 7 Jul 2020 15:05:20 +0000 From: PAYNE, Sarah <Sarah.Payne@oup.com> Amazon: https://amzn.to/3ffJmId Standard Western accounts of The Nuremberg Trials fixate on key figures like Justice Robert H. Jackson, the U.S. chief prosecutor and Supreme Court judge, as well as […]

Luis Alcalá: “Re: ‘Three Russian doctors fall from hospital windows'”

May 8, 2020 JRL Russia List Coronavirus, Covid-19 Pandemic, Health, Epidemics, Substance Abuse, Middle East, North Africa, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

Medical Symbol with Pole, Serpents, Wings

Subject: [UTExpertsDiscGrp] Re: “Three Russian doctors fall from hospital windows” Date: Thu, 7 May 2020 From: Luis Alcalá <luismalcala@gmail.com> It is a waste of time to comment on these news. In England and the USA, medical personnel commit suicide and nobody says it is the fault of Trump or Boris, but in the news about Russian suicides or accidents they […]

From: Jessica Pisano: “Correction: Re: 2019-#187-Johnson’s Russia List/#20”

November 21, 2019 JRL Russia List Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

Historic Washington Post Masthead, adapted from image at nlrb.gov

Subject: Correction: Re: 2019-#187-Johnson’s Russia List/#20 Date: Mon, 18 Nov 2019 From: Jessica Pisano <pisanoj@newschool.edu> To: davidjohnson@starpower.net Dear David, I hope all is well with you. There is a line in your reproduction of my WaPo piece (#20) below that was not part of my article: “the Republicans say that Trump’s quid pro quos are normal. Here’s why they’re wrong.” […]

Elena Gapova: “Re: [SEELANGS] Russian Scientists Instructed to Report on Foreign Colleagues”

August 23, 2019 JRL Russia List Race, Ethnic, Extremism, Xenophobia, Science, Technology, Engineering

File Photo of Test Tubes with Algae Displaying Different Colors, Part of U.S. Energy-Related Research; from nrel.gov

Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] Russian Scientists Instructed to Report on Foreign Colleagues Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2019 From: Elena Gapova <e.gapova@GMAIL.COM> Reply-To: SEELANGS: Slavic & East European Languages and Literatures list <SEELANGS@LISTSERV.UA.EDU> Ministerstvo Justicii announced that this ‘ruling” had never been submitted for expertise (and without the verdict of the Ministry, laws pertaining to citizens rights cannot be adopted), while the […]

Andrei Liakhov: “RE: FT Article on Sheremetievo disaster (JRL May 22)”

May 28, 2019 JRL Russia List Aviation, Drones, Disasters, Transportation

File Photo of Airplane Approaching Runway About to Land

Subject: RE: FT Article on Sheremetievo disaster (JRL May 22) Date: Thu, 23 May 2019 From: Andrei Liakhov <gaffriloff@yahoo.co.uk> I am a certified aircraft accident investigator. I have read all reports about the Sheremetievo crash which were published in the Russian press and a fair number of professional and not very much so commentaries. I have also watched three videos […]

Kirk Bennett: “Tying Up the Loose Ends of Russiagate”

April 5, 2019 JRL Russia List Spies, Spy Allegations, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

File Photo of White House with South Lawn and Fountain

Subject: TYING UP THE LOOSE ENDS OF RUSSIAGATE Date: Thu, 4 Apr 2019 From: Kirk Bennett <kirkbennett7@yahoo.com> TYING UP THE LOOSE ENDS OF RUSSIAGATE The unfinished business of Russiagate consists of clearing the names of innocent people; holding senior bureaucrats to account for errors of judgment and abuses of power; and restoring the tarnished image of democratic governance. By Kirk […]

Yermolai Solzhenitsyn: “Re: Some information on SolzhenitsynCenter.org”

March 28, 2019 JRL Russia List History, Soviet Union, In Memoriam, Life in Russia, Culture, Arts

Subject: Some information on solzhenitsyncenter.org Date: Tue, 26 Mar 2019 From: Yermolai Solzhenitsyn <yermolai_solzhenitsyn@mckinsey.com> To: davidjohnson@starpower.net Dear David, We saw recently a piece on JRL Russia Insider, russia-insider.com, March 18, 2019 Great Russian Documentary on Life of Alexander Solzhenitsyn (Video) [https://russia-insider.com/en/great-russian-documentary-life-alexander-solzhenitsyn-video/ri26536], where the authors were wondering whether there were English language copies of all the three films in question. We […]

Steve Shabad: “Response to Matt Bivens [Re: Russiagate]”

March 28, 2019 JRL Russia List Spies, Spy Allegations, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

Subject: Response to Matt Bivens Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2019 From: Steve Shabad <steve.shabad@gmail.com> To: davidjohnson@starpower.net Response to Matt Bivens (JRL #50 “Russiagate: The Great Tragic Comedy of Modern Journalism”) From Steve Shabad [Bivens: blog.usejournal.com/russiagate-the-great-tragic-comedy-of-modern-journalism-fd2a451aaa25][russialist.org/jrl-newswatch-russiagate-the-great-tragic-comedy-of-modern-journalism-matt-bivens/] Matt Bivens’ essay on what he calls the “tragic comedy of modern journalism” made for provocative reading, and I agreed with some of his points. […]

Sharon Tennison: “Video: Russian Journalist Dimitri Babich Speaks to CCI Group”

January 24, 2019 JRL Russia List Life in Russia, Culture, Arts, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

Map of Russia and Russian Flag adapted from images at state.gov

Subject: Video: Russian Journalist Dimitri Babich Speaks to CCI Group Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2019 From: Sharon Tennison <sharon@ccisf.org> Video: Russian Journalist Dimitri Babich Speaks to CCI Group: youtube.com/watch?v=Np0XktwyekQ&feature=youtu.be I want to share with you my favorite young news journalist in Moscow, Dmitri (Dima) Babich. He is one of our “CCI Experts.” I’ve known Dima a long, long time. He […]

Sarah Lindemann-Komarova: “Russia’s Happy Ending”

January 24, 2019 JRL Russia List Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Life in Russia, Culture, Arts, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

[originally posted 12.6.18] Subject: Russia’s Happy Ending Date: Thu, 6 Dec 2018 From: Sarah Lindemann-Komarova <echosiberia@gmail.com> Russia’s Happy Ending By Sarah Lindemann-Komarova [Founder, Siberian Civic Initiatives Support Center 1995 – 2014. Helped to establish this as the hub for the first civil society development support network in the former Soviet Union.] Link for article with pictures and video medium.com/@ECHOSiberia/russias-happy-ending-c77b332a6eec How […]

Alexander Domrin: RE: 2019#1 (#4 Moscowexile – On New Year’s Eve, TV channel “Rain” showed a speech made by Akhedzhakova instead of Putin)

January 3, 2019 JRL Russia List Media, Internet, Social Media, Television

Subject: RE: 2019#1 (#4 Moscowexile – On New Year’s Eve, TV channel “Rain” showed a speech made by Akhedzhakova instead of Putin) Date: Thu, 3 Jan 2019 From: Домрин Александр Николаевич <domrin@hse.ru> To: davidjohnson@starpower.net Dear David – Happy New Year to you and JRL readers! “Panorama” is a satire web site. The same web site has just reported that on […]

John Helmer: “Book announcement: The Man Who Knows Too Much About Russia”

December 27, 2018 JRL Russia List Assassinations, Beatings, Threats, Books, New Books, Book Releases, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Sanctions, Spies, Spy Allegations, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

Subject: Book announcement Date: Wed, 26 Dec 2018 From: John Helmer The Man Who Knows Too MuchAbout Russia By John Helmer THE GENUINE GOLDEN SHOWER – JOHN HELMER’S MEMOIRS OF VLADIMIR PUTIN FROM 1991 TO 2018 John Helmer is the longest serving foreign correspondent in Russia; he has been reporting from Moscow since 1989, and on Wednesday, December 19, […]

Nick Magliato: “Re: New book Stephen F. Cohen, War With Russia? From Putin & Ukraine to Trump & Russiagate”

November 29, 2018 JRL Russia List Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

File Photo of U.S. Embassy Moscow, with Russian Foreign Ministry Building in Distance

From: Nick Magliato <nmagliato@skyhorsepublishing.com> Subject: New book Stephen F. Cohen, War With Russia? From Putin & Ukraine to Trump & Russiagate Date : November 15, 2018 War With Russia? From Putin & Ukraine to Trump & Russiagate By Stephen F. Cohen Hot Books paperback, also available as an ebook On Sale: November 27, 2018 / $18.99 ISBN: 9781510745810 Amazon: https://amzn.to/2P4KsZr […]

David Malaher: “Re: Oct. 16, 2018 #41: IMF ranks Ukraine as Europe’s poorest country”

October 19, 2018 JRL Russia List Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

Subject: Oct. 16, 2018 #41: IMF ranks Ukraine as Europe’s poorest country Date: Thu, 18 Oct 2018 From: David Malaher <david@malaher.org> To: David Johnson <davidjohnson@starpower.net> I try to follow Ukraine news through the Johnson List, among other sources. I visited Ukraine in June, touring through nine cities from Liviv to Odessa via a combination automobile and boat (on the Dnieper […]

Applications open – American Councils Russian study abroad programs + financial aid

September 12, 2018 JRL Russia List Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

File Photo of Russian Orthodox Church at Kremlin, adapted from defense.gov Image

Subject: Applications open – American Councils Russian study abroad programs + financial aid Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2018 From: Elliott Kaduck <EKaduck@americancouncils.org> Program website: http://acstudyabroad.org/rlasp/ Dear Colleagues, American Councils for International Education is currently accepting applications for Spring 2019 semester Russian language study-abroad programs. The application deadline is October 15, 2018 for the following programs: Applications: https://americancouncils-horizons.symplicity.com/index.php?s=programs&mode=form&id=bb7e0d8cd1ba264823238be9da64773d&au=&ck= Advanced Russian Language […]

“Sara’s Century” Podcast

August 31, 2018 JRL Russia List History, Soviet Union, Human Rights, Religion

Subject: “Sara’s Century” podcast Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2018 16:43:23 +0000 From: BARBARA T NORTON <btnorton@widener.edu> I wanted bring to your attention a fascinating new podcast serial, “Sara’s Century,” by a colleague at Rutgers U-Camden. The description below is from the website http://sarascentury.blogs.rutgers.edu/: “Sara’s Century” is a 12-episode podcast serial about Sara Mebel, a nearly 100-year-old Jewish woman who left […]

Andrei Liakhov: “Short comment on Weir/Galeotti (Re: 2018-#157–Johnson’s Russia List item #1)” [Re: re New York Times: “Kremlin Sources Go Quiet, Leaving C.I.A. in the Dark About Putin’s Plans for Midterms”]

August 30, 2018 JRL Russia List Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Spies, Spy Allegations, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

Stylized Artist's Depiction of Shadowy Figures in Dark Coats and Dark Hats, One Carrying a Briefcase

Subject: Short comment on Weir/Galeotti (Re: 2018-#157–Johnson’s Russia List item #1) Date: Wed, 29 Aug 2018 From: Andrei Liakhov <gaffriloff@yahoo.co.uk> Short comment on Weir/Galeotti What these two gentlemen miss in their assessment of the NYT totally improbable story is this: NYT was asked to publish this totally as a diversion for the Russian counter intelligence in an attempt to divert […]

Maria Trofimova: “[SEELANGS] European University at Saint Petersburg Reopens Its International Programs”

August 15, 2018 JRL Russia List Education, Academia, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

Subject: [SEELANGS] European University at Saint Petersburg Reopens Its International Programs Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2018 From: Maria Trofimova <mtrofimova@EU.SPB.RU> Dear SEELANGers, I am happy to let you know that on August 10 2018 European University at Saint Petersburg has received a new educational license. After a forced year without students we are opening our doors for them again. This […]

Nigel Gould-Davies: “BOFIT Policy Brief: Assessing Western Sanctions”

August 14, 2018 JRL Russia List Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Europe, EU, Sanctions, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

Diverse Paper Currency, Coins, Line Graph

Subject: BOFIT Policy Brief: Assessing Western sanctions Date: Tue, 14 Aug 2018 From: Nigel Gould-Davies <nigelgd.office@gmail.com In case of interest to JRL, my policy brief for the Bank of Finland’s Institute for Economies in Transition (BOFIT) on “Economic effects and political impacts: Assessing Western sanctions on Russia”, just published: helda.helsinki.fi/bof/bitstream/handle/123456789/15832/bpb0818.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y Abstract: This brief assesses the effectiveness of Western sanctions on […]

Angus Roxburgh: “The real facts about the Putin-Trump press conference”

July 26, 2018 JRL Russia List United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

File Photo of Donald Trump and Putin Standing Side-by-Side at Helsinki Summit, adapted from image at whitehouse.gov

Subject: The real facts about the Putin-Trump press conference Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2018 From: Angus Roxburgh <angus.roxburgh@gmail.com> There has been much discussion, rightly, of Rachel Maddow’s sensational allegation that the White House intentionally doctored both the transcript and the video of the Putin-Trump press conference. Philip Bump in the Washington Post washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/07/25/no-the-white-house-didnt-intentionally-edit-a-question-to-putin-out-of-a-video/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.2e9618f92cac tries to dissect what happened. But neither […]

George Beebe: Subject: Correction re article in The National Interest (JRL #132 item 9)

July 20, 2018 JRL Russia List United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

Subject: Correction re article in The National Interest (JRL #132 item 9) Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2018 From: George Beebe <gsbeebe@me.com> The folks at The National Interest bungled the authorship of the “Trump-Putin/Cold War” article attributed to me. It was, in fact, written by Daniel McCarthy. I have a separate article on the subject that should be online soon. [Re. […]

Ira Straus: “Correction to my note on Pipes”

May 22, 2018 JRL Russia List In Memoriam, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

File Photo of Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan at Table Signing Documents

Subject: Correction to my note on Pipes Date: Tue, 22 May 2018 From: Ira Straus <irastraus@aol.com> I’d like to clarify that my note was not meant to be a comprehensive appraisal of Richard Pipes and his work, and all the good and bad points I might find in it. I do note with concern that I’ve been taken to task […]

Gilbert Doctorow: “From a chance meeting in Widener to today [re: Richard Pipes]”

May 22, 2018 JRL Russia List History, Soviet Union, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

File Photo of Library at Harvard University with Banners and Persons Walking on Quad, from image at state.gov

Subject: Fw: from a chance meeting in Widener to today (re Richard Pipes) Date: Sat, 19 May 2018 From: Gilbert Doctorow <gdoctorow@yahoo.com> Since you carried the obits of Richard Pipes yesterday, my exchange with Francis Boyle may be of interest to you. No one, NO ONE has raised the issues about Pipes as an historian of Russia that flagged. They […]

Andrei Liakhov: Re: “Cohen on Putin”

January 18, 2018 JRL Russia List Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

File Photo of Kremlin Tower, St. Basil's, Red Square at Night

Subject: Cohen on Putin Date: Wed, 17 Jan 2018 From: Andrei Liakhov <gaffriloff@yahoo.co.uk> [Andrei Liakhov has over 20 years of experience with leading international law firms, private companies and government institutions in the United Kingdom, the Russian Federation, Lithuania, Canada, and Ukraine.] Brilliant analysis, I can subscribe to every word. Pity the video is cut short and we do not […]

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Leave a comment EU, Foreign Policy, NATO, Original Contributions, Putin, Russia, Russian News, Slider, U.S.-Russian Relations

Lucy Komisar: Re: “Developments re Browder”

December 31, 2017 JRL Russia List Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

Subject: Developments re Browder Date: Sat, 30 Dec 2017 From: Lucy Komisar you might be interested in one of these 1 About the new Magnitsky List – Browder targeted a lawyer involved in the $230 million tax refund fraud ten years ago who he had ignored since then. the man was put on the list exactly 2 months after he […]

Re: Freedom of speech in rusology

December 18, 2017 JRL Russia List Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia file photo, adapted from image at dc.uscourts.gov

Subject: Freedom of speech in rusology Date: Sat, 16 Dec 2017 From: GORDON HAHN <gordon-hahn@sbcglobal.net> The following seems to be a rather ominous development for freedom of speech in academia and journalism an attempt to discredit all dissenters from the Washington consensus on Russia. If there are people in academia willing to sign on to such a ‘brief,’ we can […]

Pavel Koshkin: “The Review on Zygar’s Book — The Empire Must Die”

November 9, 2017 JRL Russia List Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

File Photo of Revolutionaries Marching in Moscow in 1917, adapted from image at state.gov

Subject: the review on Zygar’s book — The Empire Must Die Date: Thu, 9 Nov 2017 From: Pavel Koshkin <pkoshkin.russia.direct@gmail.com> The Empire Must Die: Understanding Russia’s political theater between 1917 and 2017 The main goal of Mikhail Zygar’s new book is to prove that every member of society can contribute to the development of a country’s history and make difference. […]

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Leave a comment 1917, Bolsheviks, Communists, History, New Books, Original Contributions, Russia, Russian News, Slider, Soviet History

Ellen Mickiewicz: Re: “New York Times on RT and YouTube”

October 25, 2017 JRL Russia List Media, Internet, Social Media, Television

Subject: New York Times on RT and YouTube Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2017 From: Ellen Mickiewicz <ellen.mickiewicz@duke.edu> New York Times on RT and YouTube Ellen Mickiewicz James R. Shepley Professor of Public Policy and Political Science Duke University In the New York Times of October 24, 2017, a front-page story repeats some of the errors about the U.S. audience for […]

Subject: Recommending JRL

July 31, 2016 JRL Russia List Media, Internet, Social Media, Television

Subject: Recommending JRL Date: Wed, 27 Jul 2016 From: An American professor expert on Russia I’ve been a JRL fan for many years, and have recommended it to students and friends as the best way to follow commentary on Russia. At times, however, JRL seems to tilt toward non-substantive pro-Russian propaganda articles. Today’s post (#139) led with articles claiming that […]

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Leave a comment Information War, JRL, Media, Original Contributions, Russia, Russian News, Slider