Tag: Russia

Interfax: Kremlin aide: Ukrainian economy faces collapse, GDP could plummet 50 percent

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Ukraine Map and Flag

(Interfax – October 9, 2014) The Ukrainian economy is in a catastrophic state and the country could need hundreds of billions of dollars to stabilize it, Russian presidential aide Sergei Glazyev said at a Eurasian Economic Integration conference in Moscow. “Ukraine has entered into a phase of economic catastrophe. Calculations by the Eurasian Development Bank show that Ukraine would have […]

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RIA Novosti: Russia-NATO Dialogue Would Be Hard to Resuscitate: Moscow

NATO
File Photo of Official at Podium in Front of Large NATO-Russia Council Signage

MOSCOW, October 9 (RIA Novosti) – It would be extremely difficult to revive constructive dialogue between Russia and NATO as bilateral relations have deteriorated to a great extent this year, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Thursday. “The atmosphere [of bilateral cooperation] that has been respected by the alliance for a long time has dissipated in a blink of an eye. […]

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Little Hope for Improved US-Russia Relations, Analysts Say

Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Photo of Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama Seated Before Russian and U.S. Flags

(Voice of America – Andre de Nesnera – October 8, 2014) Recent statements at the United Nations by President Barack Obama and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov indicated things are not well between Washington and Moscow. President Obama said the international community must urgently address what he called “Russian aggression in Europe” — a reference to Moscow’s annexation of Crimea […]

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Interfax: Georgian president hopes to restore relations with Russia

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Tblisi, Georgia, File Photo with Building with Tower on Hillside and City Buildings in Valley in Distance

TBILISI. Oct 8 (Interfax) – Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili thinks the relations between Tbilisi and Moscow will improve and does not fear aggression from Russia. “Vladimir Putin seems to me an interesting person who is capable of really solving issues of utmost complexity for Georgia,” Margvelashvili said in an interview with Forbes Georgia. “I have not met him in person […]

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Interfax: Muscovites say food embargo doesn’t hamper food quality or assortment – poll

Agriculture, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade
Aerial View of Moscow From Beyond Stadium, file photo

(Interfax – October 7, 2014) Food quality and assortments have not changed amid Russia’s retaliatory “food embargo” but prices have gone up, Muscovites told the Public Opinion Foundation. Two-thirds (66 percent) of 1,000 Muscovites polled over the phone on September 28 approved of the ban on food imports from a number of Western countries, 21 percent criticized that step and […]

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Interfax: Russia “moving along crisis trajectory” due to trade barriers – experts

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Truck at Russian Border Crossing

(Interfax – October 7, 2014) The risk of the Russian economy moving from stagnation to a full-scale recession “has become slightly higher” in the short run, privately-owned Russian news agency Interfax reported on 7 October, quoting the latest study carried out by a group of Russian researchers. The research headlined “Comments on the state and business” for the period from […]

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Putin Aloof as Russia’s Economic Troubles Close In

Budget, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Vladimir Putin Seated at Desk

(Moscow Times editorial – themoscowtimes.com – October 8, 2014) Official documents published Monday show the Kremlin has scrapped the president’s annual budget address. President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS that the set piece speech would, from now on, be folded into the state-of-the-union address, usually given in December. While Putin floated the idea of combining the two speeches […]

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RIA Novosti: Russia’s Ethnic Tensions Drop Due to Crimea Reunification, President’s Approval: Kremlin

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Race, Ethnic, Extremism, Xenophobia
Kremlin and Saint Basil's

MOSCOW, October 8 (RIA Novosti) – Interethnic tensions have reduced significantly this year in Russia as a result of the country’s reunification with Crimea and President Vladimir Putin’s high approval ratings, the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office, Magomedsalam Magomedov said Wednesday. “The main factors for the significant reduction in interethnic tension was rallying people around such […]

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Russia Beyond the Headlines: What is democracy? A third of Russians don’t know

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Arm and Torso of Person in Brown Sweater Placing Paper Ballot into Ballot Box

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Darya Lyubinskaya, special to RBTH – October 8, 2014) Results of a recent poll indicate a discontinuity between views on the meaning of democracy and what constitutes democratic leadership. A recent poll conducted by the Public Opinion Foundation (FOM) provided new insight into how Russians feel about democracy – and what they think […]

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RIA Novosti: Kiev Preparing Border Control Proposals for Russia, International Community: Nuland

Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Ukraine Map and Flag

KIEV, October 8 (RIA Novosti) – Ukraine will present Russia and the international community with proposals regarding the restoration of control over Ukraine’s eastern border, US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland said Wednesday. “The Ukrainian side is now articulating a very concrete proposal for international monitoring for restoration of the sovereignty of the international […]

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RIA Novosti: “Less Than Half of Europeans Favor EU Involvement in Ukraine Crisis Settlement: Poll”

Europe, EU, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
EU Map

MOSCOW, October 8 (RIA Novosti) – Less than half of the population of the United Kingdom, France and Germany think that the European Union should participate in the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis while supporting humanitarian aid deliveries and a peacekeeping mission, with some also suggesting the provision of financial aid for the Kiev government, an ICM poll commissioned by […]

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TRANSCRIPT: Assistant Secretary Victoria Nuland’s Remarks at Shevchenko University in Kyiv

Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Victoria Nuland file photo

(US Embassy Ukraine – October 7, 2014) Assistant Secretary Victoria Nuland Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv Thank you Rector Huberski, thank you students. I am so sorry to be late, I am so sorry to keep you waiting. I am so delighted to be here with the future of Ukraine. You know, every […]

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RIA Novosti: Lavrov on Western Sanctions: Lifting Them Is Up to Those Who Imposed Them

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Europe, EU, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Truck at Russian Border Crossing

MOSCOW, October 8 (RIA Novosti) – Speaking about the possible removal of sanctions against Russia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday that the matter was for Western states to decide. “Sanctions is the business of our western colleagues, the business of the countries that decided to use this illegal instrument for some reason, possibly just to take their frustration […]

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Ukraine Wants New IMF Bailout as War Squeezes Economy

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade
Ukraine Map and Flag

(Voice of America – Henry Ridgwell – October 7, 2014) As the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank gets underway in Washington, Ukraine wants to adjust the terms of its $17 billion bailout. Kyiv says the country is now at war and needs to build new armed forces. But some analysts say the terms of […]

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Business New Europe: Ukraine fails to gain from EU free trade over six months

Europe, EU, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
EU Map

(Business New Europe – bne.eu – October 8, 2014) A report by Ukraine’s Alfa Bank argues that Ukraine has failed to gain from unilateral free trade with the European Union over the first six months. Exports have indeed grown but this has little to do with the free trade zone, says the report. In April 2014 the EU unilaterally removed […]

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Refugees in Russia from Ukraine in Increasingly Desperate Straits, Experts Say

Human Rights, Population Disaster, Demographics, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Map of Commonwealth of Independent States, European Portion

(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, October 8, 2014) Many Russian regions now have more refugees from Ukraine than they had expected or can handle, and officials suggest that more are likely to arrive as Ukraine’s economy and weather deteriorate. As a result, the situation of these refugees is “becoming critical,” according to experts. In today’s “Novyye izvestiya,” […]

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Business New Europe: More Donbas residents want to remain in the Ukrainian state than separate

Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Ukraine Map and Flag

(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Concorde Capital – October 8, 2014) More than 49% of the residents of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions (collectively known as Donbas) want to remain in the Ukrainian state, compared to 42% who are opposed, according to a poll released on Oct. 7 that was conducted by the Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Fund and the […]

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RIA Novosti: UN Needs Access to Mass Graves in Donetsk: Official

Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United Nations
UN Building file photo

GENEVA, October 8 (RIA Novosti) – UN observers need access to mass graves discovered near the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, a senior official with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said Wednesday. Gianni Magazzeni, chief of the OHCHR Americas Europe and Central Asia Branch, told reporters that any reported violation of human rights needs […]

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RIA Novosti: Nearly 1,000 Servicemen Killed in East Ukraine Hostilities: Military Prosecutor

Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Ukraine Map and Flag

KIEV, October 7 (RIA Novosti) – A total of 953 Ukrainian servicemen have been killed and 3,627 injured since the Kiev government started a military operation to crack down on independence supporters in the east of the country, Ukraine’s chief military prosecutor said Tuesday. Speaking at a press conference, Anatolii Matios, who also serves as the country’s deputy prosecutor-general, said […]

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Moscow Compensating for Economic Weakness by ‘Harsh’ Foreign Policy Moves, Lukyanov Says

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Kremlin and Saint Basil's File Photo

(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, October 8, 2014) The Russian Federation is seeking a revision in the international system but lacks the economic strength to be a new pillar, according to Fedor Lyukanov. And as a result, Moscow will seek to make up for that shortcoming by sudden and dramatic foreign policy moves as it has been […]

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Eight Years on From Politkovskaya’s Murder, Questions Remain

Assassinations, Beatings, Threats
File Photo of Mourners with Photo of Anna Politkovskaya

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Allison Quinn – October 8, 2014) Memorial events were held in various Russian cities on Tuesday to honor the eight-year anniversary of the murder of Novaya Gazeta journalist Anna Politkovskaya. Members of human rights organization Amnesty International held a memorial service in front of the Novaya Gazeta building in Moscow, where a plaque was set […]

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RUSSIA & UKRAINE: JRL 2014-#210 table of contents with links :: Wednesday 8 October 2014

JRL Tables of Contents, Russian News, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
St. Basil's file photo

[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List JRL 2014-#210:: Wednesday 8 October 2014 E-Mail: davidjohnson@starpower.net A project of the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George  Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs: www.ieres.org JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist  JRL on Twitter: twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: russialist.org/funding.php  Ukraine 1. Interfax: Poroshenko Administration: Ukraine to apply for EU membership in […]

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Interfax: Poroshenko Administration: Ukraine to apply for EU membership in 2020

Europe, EU, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
File photo of Barack Obama and Petro Poroshenko facing one another, with Obama gesturing

KYIV. Oct 8 (Interfax) – The Reform Strategy 2020 put forward by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko envisages Ukraine’s application for European Union membership in 2020, first deputy head of the Ukrainian Presidential Administration Hennadiy Zubko said. Zubko made the statement at a meeting with Zhytomyr region officials as he was presenting the reform program, the presidential press service said on […]

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Critic of Russian Economic Policy Ejected From Influential Journal

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Cash, Coins, Line Graph

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Delphine d’Amora – October 8, 2014) Prominent economist and Kremlin critic Sergei Alexashenko says that political pressure has forced him to surrender his post as editor and contributor to a respected macroeconomic bulletin published by Moscow’s Higher School of Economics. “Someone doesn’t like what I write, what I do, where I live. And I have […]

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Gazprom proposes to pay for gas transit with Ukrainian debt

Oil, Gas, Energy, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Gas Facility file photo

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Alexei Lossan, RBTH – October 6, 2014) Russian gas monopoly Gazprom has proposed to pay for gas transit through Ukraine using debt owed by Ukraine’s national oil and gas company Naftogaz. According to experts, this decision is advantageous for Kiev, since it will speed up the renewal of gas supplies to Ukraine. Gazprom […]

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Business New Europe: Ukraine’s refugee flood to Russia accelerates demographic hemorrhage

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Map of Commonwealth of Independent States, European Portion

(Business New Europe – bne.eu – October 7, 2014) Hundreds of thousands of refugees who have fled from the conflict in Ukraine’s Donbass region to Russia may never return. Despairing of peace in Donbass, and with unemployment in Russia at a historic low, the population movement may exacerbate Ukraine’s already disastrous demographics. According to United Nations figures, more than 1m […]

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RIA Novosti: Proposal to Change Administrative Borders of Luhansk Region Baseless: LPR

Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Ukraine Map and Flag

LUHANSK, October 7 (RIA Novosti) – The Ukrainian president’s initiative to change administrative borders of the Luhansk region, which declared itself an independent state in May, is baseless, the head of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) said Tuesday. “Poroshenko may dream of anything he wants,” LPR chief Igor Plotnitsky said. On October 6 Petro Poroshenko made a proposal to […]

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Interfax: “DPR again suspends POW swap with Ukraine”

Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Ukraine Map and Flag

MOSCOW. Oct 7 (Interfax) – Prisoner exchanges between the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and the Kyiv authorities have been suspended for now, DPR POW Committee Chairperson Darya Morozova has told Interfax. “The exchanges have been suspended until the Ukrainian side draws up and presents identification documents of the persons pending exchange in Kharkiv. We reject the practice in which people […]

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Interfax: Nineteen Donetsk residents killed in 24 hours – Donetsk republic

Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Ukraine Map and Flag

DONETSK. Oct 7 (Interfax) – Nineteen civilians have been killed in shelling attacks in Donetsk over the past 24 hours, an Interior Ministry spokesman of the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic told Interfax. “According to our sources, 19 civilians have been killed,” he said. He said shells hit the city’s Kuibyshevsky, Kirovsky and Kiyevsky districts. “Regarding the Kuibyshevsky and Kiyevsky districts, […]

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RIA Novosti: Ferocious Fighting in Donetsk Inflicts Heavy Civilian Casualties: UK Journalist

Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Ukraine Map and Flag

MOSCOW, October 7 (RIA Novosti) – Graham Phillips, a freelance journalist, spoke with Radio VR live from Donetsk, where the second battle for Donetsk Airport has been taking place over the last 10 days, saying that the city and the airport have turned into a massive battlefield despite the truce concluded earlier in September, with the full-scale war bringing enormous […]

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NEW BOOK – Ukraine Crisis: What it Means for the West

Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Ukraine Map and Flag

Subject: NEW BOOK – Ukraine Crisis: What it Means for the West Date: Tue, 07 Oct 2014 From: Andrew Wilson <andrew.wilson@ecfr.eu> My latest book Ukraine Crisis: What it Means for the West has just been published – the first major work on the crisis, its background and broader implications. The main thesis is that a triple crisis is still unfolding: […]

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Interfax: Tymoshenko and Nuland discuss implementation of Minsk protocol for Ukraine

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Victoria Nuland file photo

(Interfax – October 7, 2014) Ukraine’s Batkivshchyna party leader Yulia Tymoshenko and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland met in Kyiv recently to discuss the implementation of the September 5 Minsk agreements offering steps to settle the conflict in south-eastern Ukraine. Gazprom proposes to pay for gas transit with Ukrainian debt Gazprom proposes to pay for gas transit with […]

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Dmitry Gudkov, L’Enfаnt Terrible of the State Duma

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Russian State Duma Building file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber – October 7, 2014) In a Russian parliament filled with yes-men, Dmitry Gudkov is Mr. Nyet. Since his election to the State Duma in 2011, the 34-year-old deputy has opposed many legislative initiatives of symbolic importance to the Kremlin. Gudkov – who has served as an independent since being ousted from the A […]

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Russia Spends Up to $1.75 Billion in Two Days on Buoy Ruble

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade
File Photo of Cash, Coins, Line Graph

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Vladimir Kuznetsov – October 7, 2014) Russia’s central bank spent as much as $1.75 billion to prop up the ruble over the last two trading days, its biggest market intervention since President Vladimir Putin’s incursion into Ukraine in March. Russia’s central bank spent the equivalent of $980 million to shore up the ruble on Oct. 3, […]

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Record fall in oil prices threatens Russian budget

Budget, Oil, Gas, Energy
Oil Well file photo

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Alexei Lossan, RBTH – October 7, 2014) The price of Brent oil has tumbled to $92.2 a barrel, placing the Russian federal budget in jeopardy. Russian analysts believe that the decrease in oil prices is related to demonstrations in Hong Kong, the strengthening of the dollar, as well as the drastic growth in […]

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RIA Novosti: Russia Needs to Create Domestic Credit System to Survive Sanctions: Presidential Aide

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade
File Photo of Stack of Credit Cards, adapted from image at fdic.gov

MOSCOW, October 7 (RIA Novosti) – Russia needs to establish a system of domestic credit and improve the efficiency of public administration, so that the economy could successfully develop amid Western sanctions, Russian Presidential Aide Sergei Glazyev said Tuesday. “If we want to survive the war that is being waged against Russia, we need to create an internal system of […]

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Russian companies’ failures to adopt effective sanctions policies worsen sanctions’ impact

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Truck at Russian Border Crossing

Subject: Sanctions, Part 2. Date: Tue, 7 Oct 2014 From: Paul Backer <pauljbacker@gmail.com> Part 2. Russian companies’ failures to adopt effective sanctions policies worsen sanctions’ impact. Russian companies failed to address key aspects of sanctions: 1. Large law firm incentives are against giving operationally useful sanctions advice and 2. Nature and enforcement of sanctions differ from traditional law. Transacting with […]

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Russia’s Nuclear Euphoria Ignores Reality

Nuclear, Missile Defense, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Russia ICBM on Mobile Launcher

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Alexander Golts – October 7, 2014) Muscovites are staging a campaign against Western sanctions called: “Fighting sanctions with fashion.” Participants trade in their old T-shirts with Western slogans for new shirts bearing such inscriptions as: “Sanctions? My Iskander laughs at sanctions,” or “The Topol couldn’t care less about sanctions” – references to Russia’s Iskander and […]

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Russia Eyes Nobel Prize in Physics

Science, Technology, Engineering, Space
Space

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – October 7, 2014) Soviet scientists may be among the laureates for the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics for promulgating a theory on “the first tremors of the Big Bang” that was empirically proven this Marсh, Rosbalt news agency reported. Soviet physicist Alexei Starobinsky was the first to introduce the theory of an inflationary era of […]

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Ruble’s Fall and Food Import Bans Send Inflation Ever Higher

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade
File Photo of Cash, Coins, Line Graph

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – October 6, 2014) Year-on-year inflation hit 8 percent in September, driven up by the plummeting value of the ruble and Russia’s bans on many food imports from the United States and European Union, according to data from state statistics service, Rosstat. Rising food prices were the main driver, climbing 11.4 percent year-on-year in September, up […]

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Business New Europe: Russians march for peace in Ukraine

Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Map of Western CIS/FSU and European Environs

(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Julia Reed in Moscow – October 6, 2014) Et tu, Ukraine? To many Russians, and certainly to most Russian politicians, the issue of Ukraine seems as touchy as the subject of teenagers leaving the nest feels to some parents: what’s wrong with their home? Aren’t they happy with their parents? Why now, at this […]

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Russia Beyond the Headlines: Russia to continue on economic course despite restrictions, says Putin

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade
File Photo of Cash, Coins, Line Graph

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Alexei Lossan, RBTH – October 3, 2014) Speaking at the Russia Calling Investment Forum, Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the main direction in the development of Russia’s economy. Analysts believe that Russia’s main challenge will be keeping inflation under control – inflation that was partly brought about by the ban on food imports […]

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RIA Novosti: Draft Three-Party Gas Deal Ready, Moscow Waiting for Kiev’s Answer: Novak

Oil, Gas, Energy, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
File Photo of Blue Flame from Natural Gas

MOSCOW, October 6 (RIA Novosti) – The three-party gas protocol of Russia, Ukraine and the European Union is ready and Moscow is currently waiting for Kiev to answer, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said Monday. “A draft protocol to be signed by the three sides – Russia, the European Union and Ukraine – has been prepared. Currently, our joint proposal […]

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Not the best of presents for a Presidential birthday

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Verkhovna Rada File Photo

(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Nikolai Holmov, OdessaTalk – October 6, 2014) Tuesday 7th October is Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin’s 62nd birthday. It is now, also to be the date where in all probability, the currently sitting Verkhovna Rada will formally put an end to the legally held non-aligned status of the nation. (At the same session that […]

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RUSSIA & UKRAINE: JRL 2014-#208 table of contents with links :: Monday 6 October 2014

JRL Tables of Contents, Russian News, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
St. Basil's file photo

[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List JRL 2014-#208:: Monday 6 October 2014 E-Mail: davidjohnson@starpower.net A project of the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George  Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs: www.ieres.org JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist  JRL on Twitter: twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: russialist.org/funding.php  Ukraine 1. Zerkalo Nedeli (Kyiv) : About 50 per cent of Ukrainians […]

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How to Become a Russian Spy

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Spies, Spy Allegations
Stylized Artist's Depiction of Shadowy Figures in Dark Coats and Dark Hats, One Carrying a Briefcase

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Ivan Nechepurenko – October 3, 2014) When a young Vladimir Putin decided to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming a spy, he headed to the local branch of the KGB in Soviet Leningrad. Wary of unsolicited applicants, the KGB officers turned Putin away, but not without some valuable advice: Go get an education, preferably in […]

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RIA Novosti: Russia to Develop School Exchange Programs With Europe, Asia: Education Ministry

Education, Academia, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas
Eurasia Map

MOSCOW, October 3 (RIA Novosti) – Russia is set to develop exchange programs for schoolchildren with countries in Europe and Asia, Deputy Minister of Education Veniamin Kaganov said on Friday. “We have sufficient [student] exchange with many countries. Agreements on cooperation in the educational field are signed with over 70 countries across the world. Quite a few international exchange programs […]

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Interfax: Russia not planning to limit internet traffic, nationalize domains – minister

Media, Internet, Social Media, Television
File Image of Stylized Eye Surrounded by Binary Code

(Interfax – October 2, 2014) The Russian authorities have no plans to limit the number of trans-border internet exchange points (IXP) or to regulate the management of the country’s local domains, privately-owned Russian news agency Interfax reported on 2 October. “Such an idea is not on the agenda,” Russian Telecommunications Minister Nikolay Nikiforov told journalists answering a question as to […]

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Sberbank’s Gref: Inefficiency Crippling Russia’s Development Efforts

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of German Gref Shaking Hands with U.S. Official

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Delphine d’Amora – October 3, 2014) German Gref, head of Russia’s biggest lender Sberbank, on Friday castigated systemic inefficiencies in the Russian government that, he said, waste trillions of rubles and threaten to drag Russian society back into Soviet times. “We have inconceivable social costs in the area of public administration,” Gref said in a […]

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The problem with Russia’s investment story is there isn’t one

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade
File Photo of Outdoor Electronic Sign with Russian Exchange Data

(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Ben Aris – Moscow, October 2, 2014) Leading Russian investment bank VTB Capital held a slimmed-down version of their annual investment conference on October 1-2. The event, “Russia Calling! 6th Annual VTB Capital Investment Forum” at the World Trade Center Moscow didn’t look cut down from the point of view of the number of […]

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