(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Ben Aris in Moscow – May 7, 2014) Russian President Vladimir Putin extended an apparent olive branch on May 7, as he announced he will respect the presidential elections planned in Ukraine for May 25, called for secessionist militia in the Donbass region to postpone a planned referendum on independence, and claimed Russian troops […]
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KIEV, May 8 (RIA Novosti) – The Kiev authorities’ special operation in southeastern Ukraine will continue regardless of the decision of the Donetsk People’s Republic to hold a referendum on the region’s status, a senior Ukrainian official said Thursday. Andriy Parubiy, the Secretary of the Committee on National Security, said that according to the country’s laws, the DPR does not […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Timothy Misir – May 8, 2014) A young woman attempting to pull out a tablecloth from a dining table, littering the floor with broken tableware in the process, a naked and blindfolded lady guided by a remote-controlled tank mounted on her head wandering the gallery and the students of Strelka Institute performing an interpretive dance […]
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(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Ben Aris in Moscow – May 8, 2014) Russia’s economy is slowing dramatically, but the pain is not evenly spread. While a few Russian regions are making rapid progress and modernising, the bulk are getting into deep financial trouble. “Since the 2009 financial crisis, the Kremlin has allowed Russia’s regions to take the brunt […]
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(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Henry Meyer, Ilya Arkhipov – May 8, 2014) Vladimir Kiriyev says he was walking with his children near their apartment in Odessa when he saw an attack on a pro-Russia camp as the assailants backing Ukrainian unity set tents on fire and beat everyone who tried to flee. That was just one in a series of […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Alexander Panin – May 8, 2014) Despite the White House’s calls for major firms to boycott the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum, Russian officials said Wednesday that the forum would go on as U.S. CEOs bow out but send their deputies. The most prominent international economic meeting in Russia, chaired by President Vladimir Putin, the […]
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(Interfax – May 8, 2014) Ukraine is prepared to complexly settle its debt for Russian gas within 10 days after Russian gas giant Gazprom agrees to return the price to $268 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas and sign the corresponding supplementary agreement, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk said. “As soon as such a price is set and an additional […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – May 8, 2014) Ukraine’s presidential front-runner Petro Poroshenko said he supported President Vladimir Putin’s call to postpone a referendum in eastern Ukraine as pro-Moscow separatists in the region reported a ceasefire on Wednesday in the first fledgling signs of easing tensions. Poroshenko, the leading candidate in the May 25 election, said Wednesday that he “welcomed […]
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(Business New Europe – bne.eu – May 8, 2014) Reaction in the West to President Vladimir Putin’s statements on May 7 suggesting Russia is ready to help reduce the tension in Ukraine have been mixed, as the US and EU scramble to work out how serious the offer may be. Meanwhile, the EU moved to expand sanctions against Moscow. Putin […]
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(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Charles Recknagel – May 7, 2014) The European Union gets about one-third of its natural gas from Russia, and about half of that gas arrives in Europe via pipelines passing through Ukraine. Moscow is threatening to cut off natural-gas deliveries to Ukraine unless Kyiv promptly pays its outstanding bills. And that means the EU could potentially be caught in the […]
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(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Ott Ummelas – May 7, 2014) NATO is prepared to counter non-conventional warfare used by Russia to annex Crimea, Estonian Defense Minister Sven Mikser said. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s 1949 founding treaty “can be effectively used to counter new threats” and doesn’t need to be revised, Mikser said in an interview yesterday in the Estonian […]
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Hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee “Ukraine – Countering Russian Intervention and Supporting a Democratic State” Testimony by David J. Kramer President, Freedom House May 6, 2014 Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Corker, Members of the Committee, it is an honor to appear before you once again, this time to discuss what I consider to be the greatest global challenge […]
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(RFE/RL – Luke Johnson – WASHINGTON, May 6, 2014) Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina from the Pussy Riot art collective walked out of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee meeting room to the snapping of cameras from the major television networks as around 20 reporters waited to hear them speak. “We have to talk about these people, we have to talk […]
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MOSCOW. May 7 (Interfax) – Russian citizens characterize Russian President Vladimir Putin as competent and focused, the All-Russia Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM) sociologists said. According to the poll results released on Wednesday, 21% of respondents consider Putin to be competent, decisive and focused (20%), while last year such responses were given by 10% and 14% respectively. Twelve percent said […]
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MOSCOW. May 7 (Interfax) – Victory Day is one of the most significant holidays for Russian citizens, which is widely supported by people, Levada Center sociologists said citing the results of many years of polls provided to Interfax. According to the information of sociologists, in the past years the majority of Russian citizens, 70-72%, celebrate Victory Day in one way […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Diana Kulchitskaya – May 7, 2014) Visa and MasterCard will hold fast to Russia despite a new law that forces them to pay over $3.8 billion as a security deposit to the Central Bank. Both international firms consider the measures taken as too severe and think that they will not only make work in Russia […]
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KYIV. May 7 (Interfax) – Forty percent of Ukrainians stand for negotiations with the separatist protesters and 35% support the military crackdown, according to a poll conducted by the Rating sociological group and presented at a Wednesday press conference at Interfax-Ukraine. Pro-talks respondents propose partial satisfaction of the protesters’ demands but say the region must remain a part of Ukraine. […]
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VIENNA. May 6 (Interfax) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the West is concealing the true causes of the tragic events in Odesa on May 2 which left at least 46 people killed, and that the investigation will eventually die off. “Although the West condemns the Odesa tragedy, it is turning a blind eye on its true causes, the […]
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(RIA Novosti – May 6, 2014) Russia would like the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to play a more active role in establishing a dialogue between the Kiev authorities and the separatist forces in Ukraine’s southeast, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has said. He went on to say that any format of future international efforts to resolve the […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Alexander Annin – May 7, 2014) On May 10, the Russian Orthodox Church will hold its annual special service in the Church of New Martyrs and Confessors in Butovo, a little-known site that is home to Russia’s largest collection of holy relics. In the forest near old Butovo, about 5 kilometers south of the Moscow […]
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(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Concorde Capital – May 7, 2014) Russia will be ready to consider a discount for natural gas to Ukraine on the second round of negotiations on the gas issue where EU Commission representatives should also be present, Russian Izvestia reported on May 7 citing its source in the government. The “second round” of negotiations […]
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(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Ben Aris in Moscow – May 7, 2014) Nathan Rothschild once famously said, “buy on the sound of canons, sell on the sound of trumpets.” However, the few investors that were still looking at Ukraine are fading away as the cycle of violence escalates and the body count rises. War is close and the […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – May 7, 2014) Ukrainian lawmakers reportedly accused the Communist faction of separatism and expelled it from a closed-door parliamentary hearing on Tuesday, a move that the Communists say is an attempt to stifle dissent. Neither side has provided a detailed account of what happened Tuesday behind closed doors, but the conflicting reports have underscored a […]
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(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – May 7, 2014 – Daryna Krasnolutska, Terry Atlas and Ilya Arkhipov) The U.S. and its European allies urged Ukraine to proceed with its May 25 presidential election, rejecting Russia’s calls to postpone the vote as an offensive against separatists in the country’s east and south continued. Russia hasn’t lived up to its commitments in an accord […]
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Testimony Victoria Nuland Assistant Secretary, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Statement Before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing on the United States, Ukraine and Russia. Washington, DC May 6, 2014 As prepared Chairman Menendez, Ranking Member Corker, thank you for inviting me to testify today on our efforts to counter Russia’s de-stabilizing, provocative actions in […]
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Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing on the United States, Ukraine and Russia. May 6, 2014 Testimony by Dr. Angela E. Stent Director, Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies, Georgetown School of Foreign Service. Chairman Menendez, Ranking Member Corker, Members of the Committee: Thank you for giving me this opportunity to testify before the Foreign Relations Committee at this […]
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[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: 2014-#103 :: 7 May 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 To subscribe to the JRL email version, email David Johnson at davidjohnson@starpower.net 1. Wire Services: Russia […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Howard Amos – LVIV, April 28, 2014) The marginal ultranationalist group so despised in Russia for its dalliance with anti-Semitism and violent role in toppling the legitimate government in Ukraine two months ago has traded in its body armor and ski masks for aprons and paintbrushes in Lviv. Street fighters known for their confrontational stance […]
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KYIV. May 5 (Interfax) – Forty-eight percent of Ukrainian citizens have a negative attitude towards Stepan Bandera (a leader of the Ukrainian nationalist movement, 1909-59) and 31% have a positive attitude, according to a poll, titled “Nostalgia for the USSR and Attitude to Individual Figures”, conducted by the Rating Sociological Group in April. Thirty-one percent of those polled said their […]
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(opendemocracy.net – Marco Siddi – May 5, 2014) Marco Siddi is a DAAD fellow and research associate at the Institute for European Politics in Berlin. Previously, he held a Marie Curie Fellowship at the universities of Edinburgh and Cologne, where he is completing his doctoral dissertation. His research focuses on relations between Russia, the European Union and its member states. […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Alexander Panin – May 6, 2014) Russian industry analysts said Monday that possible involvement of Chinese companies in building a bridge from mainland Russia to Crimea was a solid political and business option in solving the key transportation challenge faced by the Kremlin after absorbing the peninsula. State-owned China Railway Construction Corporation, or CRCC, may […]
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(Business New Europe – bne.eu – MOSCOW BLOG, Ben Aris in Moscow – May 6, 2014) With the violence in eastern Ukraine escalating by the day, the West’s policy of imposing sanctions on Russia is bound to fail. All this policy has done is to paint both the Kremlin and Washington into their respective corners, making the chances of military […]
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KIEV, May 6 (RIA Novosti) – The Ukrainian parliament has voted against holding a decentralization referendum on May 25 in Ukraine, Parliamentarian Alexander Briginec wrote on Facebook Tuesday. “Some 154 members voted for. Did not succeed. Thank God,” Briginec wrote on his Facebook page. “Svoboda, UDAR, and Sovereign European Ukraine [political parties] have a similar stance, so it is unlikely […]
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KIEV, May 6 (RIA Novosti) – The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has pointed out shortfalls in Ukraine’s preparations for the presidential election scheduled for May 25, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday. “The PACE delegation said there were still some shortcomings to be resolved, including campaign fundraising and more transparent media ownership,” the ministry said in a […]
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MOSCOW, May 6 (RIA Novosti) – Tuesday marks the second year of Vladimir Putin’s third term as President of the Russian Federation, an anniversary that comes amid a turbulent time of tensions in Ukraine, a tightening pressure on Russia from the West and soaring approval ratings for Putin at home. Putin’s career at the helm of the Russian government kicked […]
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MOSCOW, May 6 (RIA Novosti) – The next US ambassador to Moscow should not expect his mission to be easy, a Russian deputy foreign minister told RIA Novosti Tuesday. “We had gone through a very difficult period when Michael McFaul was the ambassador. Under present circumstances, the future US ambassador will have a very difficult job, no matter who is […]
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MOSCOW, May 6 (RIA Novosti) – The European Union has hardened its stance on the construction of the South Stream natural gas pipeline amid the Ukrainian crisis, the EU commissioner for energy said in an interview with the Financial Times Tuesday. “These days, with Ukraine, we are more and more defensive related to Russian pipelines than one year ago … […]
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(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Ben Aris in Moscow – May 6, 2014) [Charts here http://www.bne.eu/content/russia-heads-toward-stagnation] The Ukraine crisis has been an economic train wreck for Russia. The outlook for this year was never good, but on April 30 the International Monetary Fund (IMF) argued the Russian economy is already in recession and a growing number of analysts believe […]
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(Interfax – May 6, 2014) Russians keep monitoring Ukrainian events amid growing concerns about the possibility of a military conflict between the two countries, Levada Center told Interfax following an April poll. Sixty percent of the respondents maintain a close interest in the events evolving in the neighboring state (the indicator stood at 64 percent in late March, 60 percent […]
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VIENNA. May 6 (Interfax) – A government order to stop using the Ukrainian Army and the National Guard to suppress protests should be the first step towards de-escalation in Ukraine, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. “As for de-escalation, I have already said that the first and obvious step is to cancel the order to use the army and the […]
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KIEV, May 6 (RIA Novosti) – The Party of Regions, the previous ruling political force under ousted President Viktor Yanukovych, warned the current authorities in Kiev Monday that the process of Ukraine’s disintegration is becoming irreversible. The party, which draws most of its electoral support from rebel eastern and southeastern regions, has laid the blame for mounting tensions in the […]
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(Voice of America – Jamie Dettmer – May 5, 2014) There was heavy fighting Monday on the outskirts of the eastern Ukrainian city of Slovyansk, as government security forces resumed operations aimed at wresting control of the town from pro-Russian militants. But the government lost another helicopter, and it isn’t winning the battle for hearts and minds. The Ukrainian government […]
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(Business New Europe – bne.eu – May 6, 2014) Nearly two dozen people were killed in intense fighting in the eastern Ukraine town of Slavyansk on May 5. This situation spiralling out of control as key of government attempts to retake control of the towns in eastern Ukraine ahead of presidential election slated on May 25. The fighting was heaviest […]
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[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: 2014-#102 :: 6 May 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 To subscribe to the JRL email version, email David Johnson at davidjohnson@starpower.net 1. Reuters: Both sides […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Anna Fefelova, special to RBTH – April 30, 2014) For the past 10 years, schools in Moscow having been providing their pupils with “kindness lessons”. The classes are run by specialists and provide children with a valuable opportunity to communicate with people with disabilities and develop an understanding of their needs. For the […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – John Freedman – May 5, 2014) “Hamlet.” Has there ever been a better play to fall back on when you need to have a chat about Russia? “Words, words, words.” “To be or not to be.” “The rest is silence.” All phrases that sound loaded in many a Russian historical context. These days words get […]
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(Interfax – May 5, 2014) Russia filed a suit with the World Trade Organization on April 30 to begin judicial hearings on the application of the European Union’s Third Energy Package, a source close to the WTO told Interfax. The chief trade negotiator at the Economic Development Ministry, Maxim Medvedkov confirmed that the suit has been filed. He said that […]
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(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, May 5, 2014) Commentators have long celebrated the fact that the USSR broke up with little violence in 1991 – the conflicts in Abkhazia, Tajikistan, Nagorno-Karabakh, Transdniestria and Chechnya typically have been treated as exceptions that prove the rule. But now, many of the unresolved issues from 23 years ago are leading […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines/Interfax – rbth.ru – May 5, 2014) Ahead is a heavy schedule of negotiations aimed at resolving the problem by June, otherwise Europe will be left without the Russian gas it gets through Ukraine. The first round of trilateral gas negotiations between Russia, Ukraine and the European Union were limited to setting out initial, high negotiating positions. […]
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DONETSK REGION. May 5 (Interfax) – The forces used in the military operation in eastern Ukraine are not storming residential quarters and are trying to prevent civilian casualties, Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said. “We are not using anti-terrorist operation forces to storm residential quarters and they have the restriction on attacking places where civilian populations are located,” Avakov told […]
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