Tag: Russian News
NEWSLINK Russia Beyond the Headlines/RBC Daily: “Davos experts warn Russia about threat of hyperinflation. In 2016 the main risks for Russia and its neighbors will be budget deficits, hyperinflation and unemployment.”
NEWSLINK TASS: Russia’s GDP declined 3.9% in 2015 according to preliminary estimates – minister.
NEWSWATCH: “Russia’s pensioners squeezed as recession bites” – Financial Times
The Financial Times covers the impact of Russia’s economic downturn on older Russians. Several Russian regions have over the past year been forced to suspend benefit payouts or stop the inflation indexing of public sector wages. … The dramatic slide in crude prices has slashed revenues from the export of oil and gas which account for more than half Russia’s […]
» Read moreAgents of Change: Promoting Tolerance and Acceptance in Russia
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Vasily Kolotilov – January 18, 2016) A rehearsal is being held in a large hall – light streaming in through floor-to-ceiling windows onto the performers. Some dance, some sit sprawled across the floor watching their compatriots. “Kostik, stand up, you’re going to get cold,” the choreographer scolds. A young man slouched on the wooden parquet […]
» Read moreNEWSWATCH: “Backed by Russian air power, Syria’s army builds on gains.” – Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times covers unfolding evens in the Syrian civil war, including Russian involvement. … Moscow’s air onslaught appears to be gaining effectiveness as Russian commanders grow more familiar with the conflict and with the capabilities of allied Syrian ground forces, observers say. … Russia’s involvement has also led to a new calculation by Syria’s neighbors …. Click here […]
» Read moreHidden Sting Raises Costs for Ukraine in Russian Trade War
(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Daryna Krasnolutska – January 14, 2016) [Charts here bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-13/hidden-sting-drives-up-costs-for-ukraine-in-russian-trade-war] With the conflict in Ukraine already having ravaged bilateral trade, Russia canceling a free-trade pact with its former ally wasn’t seen as a big danger. But there was a twist. On top of annulling the accord, a response to Ukraine’s trade agreement with the European Union, Russia […]
» Read moreTerritorial battalions uncontrolled by Kyiv breaking truce in Donbas – Pushilin
DONETSK. Jan 15 (Interfax) – Self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) negotiator, Denis Pushilin, has blamed territorial battalions uncontrolled by Kyiv for the increased number of shelling incidents in Donbas, after a ceasefire deal was signed at the latest Minsk meeting. “The reason is that provocations are being staged by territorial battalions which are not fully controlled by Kyiv. There are […]
» Read moreUKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2016-9 :: Friday PM, 15 January 2016
[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2016-#8 Friday 15 January 2016 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. JRL homepage: russialist.org – JRL […]
» Read moreIn Russia’s updated national security strategy NATO not named a ‘threat’
(Interfax – January 14, 2016) Russian Foreign Ministry official Maria Zakharova has called the information reported by the Western media stating that NATO is called a “threat” to Russia’s national security in Russia’s updated national security strategy “unscrupulous speculation.” “As to the wording that defines NATO as a ‘threat,’ the document doesn’t have them […] It is enough to read […]
» Read moreNew Russian security strategy views use of military force as “extreme measure”
(Interfax – Moscow, January 13, 2016) According to the new national security strategy, the use of military force by Russia is viewed as an extreme measure, Russian Security Council Deputy Secretary Mikhail Popov told journalists. “The use of military force is viewed as an extreme measure. It can only be used once political, economic, diplomatic and other avenues have been […]
» Read moreChina’s Economic Turmoil Ruins Russia’s New Year
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Peter Hobson – January 14, 2016) New fears over China’s economy and sharp falls in the price of oil have worsened the outlook for Russia as it tries to emerge from recession. The price of crude, the linchpin of Russia’s economy, fell almost 20 percent in the first two weeks of January to just above […]
» Read moreRussian Ministry Predicts More Recession, Lower Incomes and Less Employment
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 15, 2016) New falls in the oil price mean that Russia’s economy will likely shrink again in 2016, as incomes continue to fall and unemployment rises, according to a draft outlook prepared by the Economic Development Ministry. Officials had hoped for an end to recession this year, but a near 20 percent decrease in […]
» Read moreTRANSCRIPT: [Medvedev at] The 7th Gaidar Forum [excerpts]
(Government.ru – January 13, 2016) The theme of the 2016 Gaidar Forum is “Russia and the World: Looking to the Future.” The Gaidar Forum is an annual international academic and practical conference in the field of economic policy. It was first held in 2010 in memory of Yegor Gaidar, an outstanding academic and economist and the architect of Russian reforms […]
» Read moreRussian Culture Minister Says Burning Books ‘Completely Unacceptable’
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 15, 2016) Russian Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky has denounced an incident in which 53 publications funded by the George Soros Foundation were reportedly incinerated in northern Russia’s Komi region. Medinsky told the Meduza news portal on Thursday that the burning of books and the destruction of monuments, is “completely unacceptable” because it “looks terrible […]
» Read moreRussians Increasingly Pessimistic About Job Prospects – Poll
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 15, 2016) The number of Russians that believe they would be able to find a good job if they lost their current position fell by 10 percent last year, the results of the poll published Friday revealed. Only 25 percent of Russians think they would manage to find a position similar to the one […]
» Read morePutin urges government to be ready for any economic scenario
(Interfax – January 13, 2016) Russian President Vladimir Putin has told the government to closely monitor changes in the economic situation and be ready for any turn. “We should be ready for any scenario,” he said at a meeting with Cabinet members. The president drew attention to how the situation changes on the markets. “I know that the government has […]
» Read more[NATO Expansion and International Law] Re: 2016-#7-Johnson’s Russia List/Mercouris re NATO
Subject: Re: 2016-#7-Johnson’s Russia List/Mercouris re NATO Date: Wed, 13 Jan 2016 From: Timothy Stubbs <timothy.stubbs@dentons.com> As regards Mr. Mercouris’s article of today: In any legal system, agreements intended to be treated as binding and enforceable must meet certain customary formal and substantive requirements for the parties thereto to have a reasonable expectation that such agreements will be treated as […]
» Read moreRUSSIA – Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2016-8 :: Friday AM, 15 January 2016
[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2016-#8 Friday 15 January 2016 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. JRL homepage: russialist.org – JRL […]
» Read moreHow ‘eastern Ukraine’ was lost
Nearly two years after the outbreak of fighting, nearly 9,000 people have died in eastern Ukraine. To understand how this war ends, we need to understand how it began. (opendemocracy.net – Andrii Portnov – January 14, 2016) Andrii Portnov is director of the Berlin-Brandenburg Ukrainian Initiative at the Forum Transregionale Studien, as well as visiting professor at Humboldt University, Berlin. […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK Christian Science Monitor: “Could 2016 see Ukraine crisis resolved? Russian moves hint yes. The halting Minsk process, meant to peaceably reunite Ukraine with its restive eastern regions, got a big boost in recent weeks with the assignment of two top Putin officials to key positions in the Russian team.”
NEWSLINK AFP: “U.S., Kremlin officials meet at Russian border for Ukraine talks”
NEWSLINK AP: “Ukraine Expects to Restore Control Over Rebel East This Year”
NEWSLINK The Atlantic/Cari Romm: “A Mammoth, a Spear, and a New Timeline for Humans in the Arctic. A new paper uses prehistoric animal injuries to argue that people populated the region thousands of years earlier than previously believed”
Putin’s Power Failure: He’s had Time and Resources to Transform Russia but has Failed to Do So, Inozemtsev Says
(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, January 12, 2016) Vladimir Putin has had the time and resources “to transform Russia if not into the next China then into a new Emirates by laying the foundations for economic growth over several decades,” Vladislav Inozemtsev says. But he didn’t do so and as a result, these years for Russia were […]
» Read moreWhat’s so Russian about Russian food?
Blogger offers cultural insights to the country’s cuisine. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – ALEKSANDRA EFIMOVA, SPECIAL TO RBTH – January 12, 2016) [Photos here rbth.com/blogs/leadership._inspiration._achievement/2016/01/12/whats-so-russian-about-russian-food_558755] On a recent trip to Russia, I picked up three cookbooks dating back to the 1800s that were originally written for housewives of that time. Although updated for the modern cook, these books […]
» Read moreWhy Vladimir Putin won’t go to Davos
The Russian delegation at the Davos Forum will be headed by Yury Trutnev, a deputy prime minister and the Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Far East. According to experts, this means that Russia will primarily focus on the presentation of Asian projects at the forum. Neither the president nor the prime minister will travel to Switzerland. (Russia Beyond the Headlines […]
» Read moreRussia to take no part in Nuclear Security Summit in Washington – Foreign Ministry
MOSCOW. Jan 13 (Interfax) – Nuclear Security Summits “have played their role” and their political agenda has been exhausted; Russia has stopped preparing for the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit in Washington DC, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said. “Our country has taken part in three Nuclear Security Summits, those held in Washington (2010), Seoul (2012) and the Hague (2014). […]
» Read moreRussian-Chinese Trade Plummets in 2015
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 13, 2016) The volume of Chinese exports to Russia fell by 34.4 percent last year to $32.9 billion, the TASS news agency reported Wednesday, citing China’s customs department. Trade turnover between China and Russia dropped by 27.8 percent to $64.2 billion in 2015. The volume of Russia’s exports to China declined last year by […]
» Read moreWhat’s new with the Russian army?
RBTH has investigated how public attitudes to army service have changed and what kinds of reforms to military training, procurement, research and military education have been carried out in the last three years. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – VADIM MATVEYEV, TATYANA RUSAKOVA, RBTH – January 13, 2016) During the military campaign in Syria, the Russian armed forces has […]
» Read moreA Fallen Russia Oligarch Sends Warning to Rest of Putin Insiders
(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Irina Reznik – January 12, 2016) He was one of the most powerful men in Russia for a decade, an old pal of the president who oversaw a million workers and a rail network spanning 11 time zones. But then Vladimir Yakunin was suddenly out, ending a career that included a stint as an intelligence officer […]
» Read morePamfilova criticizes Kadyrov’s words about non-system opposition
MOSCOW. Jan 13 (Interfax) – Russian human rights ombudsman Ella Pamfilova has criticized the statement made by Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of Chechnya, saying that representatives of the non-system opposition are “enemies of the people” who should face trial for sabotage. “Such statements are not only pointless, but also harmful because they render a disservice to the country’s president and […]
» Read moreRussian Finance Minister: Oil prices could continue to slide
(Interfax – January 13, 2016) Oil prices are likely to go on sliding in the near future, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said. “Today there’s a very tight balance on the oil market, we’re seeing that nobody is cutting oil production. We’re likely in the short term to see further decline in prices for this commodity,” he said. “Indicators for […]
» Read moreRussian Ruble Crashes to 77 Per Dollar Amid Oil Price Slump
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 13, 2016) The Russian ruble fell to 77 against the U.S. dollar on Tuesday for the first time since December 2014 as global prices for oil continue to slide, the RIA Novosti news agency reported. As of Tuesday morning, the Russian currency had slipped to 77.01 against the U.S. dollar and 83.80 against the […]
» Read moreHow Russians see themselves and Russia’s role in world – poll
(Interfax – January 12, 2016) Two-thirds of people in Russia believe that Russia’s influence in the world has been growing in recent years and only 3 per cent hold the opposite view, while 22 per cent believe it hasn’t changed, according to a poll conducted by Russian polling organization Public Opinion Foundation (FOM) on 26-27 December, as reported by privately-owned […]
» Read moreRUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2016-7 :: Wednesday 13 January 2016
[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2016-#7 Wednesday 13 January 2016 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. JRL homepage: russialist.org – JRL […]
» Read moreVideo cameras mounted near Shyrokyne for OSCE round-the-clock monitoring in conflict area
KYIV. Jan 12 (Interfax) – Modern video surveillance cameras, which will help Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) monitors conduct round-the-clock monitoring and record shellings in the populated area of Shyrokyne in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, have been installed, the press service of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said. “On January 12, modern video monitoring cameras, which will […]
» Read moreInterfax: Moscow dismisses Ukrainian official’s idea for new format for talks
(Interfax – Moscow, January 11, 2016) The statements by a representative of Ukraine in the political sub-group of the Tripartite Contact Group, Roman Bezsmertnyy, regarding the launch of a new Minsk 3 process from 1 January appears incompetent, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mariya Zakharova announced. “The statement by a representative of Ukraine in the political subgroup about the launch from […]
» Read moreWho is happy to see Russian pilots in Syria?
The arrival of the Russian Air Force in Syria has upset the figures on the board of the “Great Chess Game” in the Middle East and has given hope to supporters of al-Assad for personal survival, although perhaps not a quick conclusion to the war. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – DMITRY VINOGRADOV, SPECIAL TO RBTH – January 12, […]
» Read moreInterfax: Russian air force operates in interest of 11 Syrian opposition units
(Interfax – January 11, 2016) The Russian Aerospace Forces aviation group has carried out dozens of air strikes in support of the offensive conducted by 11 detachments of the Syrian democratic opposition fighting against terrorists in Syria, head of the Main Operative Department of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi told reporters on Jan. 11. “Russian […]
» Read moreTRANSCRIPT: [Putin] Interview to German newspaper Bild. Part 2
(Kremlin.ru – January 12, 2016) The final part of Vladimir Putin’s interview to the German newspaper Bild is being published. The interview was recorded on January 5, 2016, in Sochi. Question: Mr President, will you take any steps to re-establish the G7 format as the G8? And another question: what did you think when the US President said that Russia […]
» Read moreSeven powerful politicians from around the world that speak Russian
Russian is considered one of the most difficult languages to learn yet there are many influential politicians around the world that have taken it up. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – NATALIA MASHINISTOVA, SPECIAL TO RBTH – January 12, 2016) [Videos with Michael McFaul and Condoleezza Rice here: rbth.com/arts/lifestyle/2016/01/12/7-powerful-politicians-from-around-the-world-that-speak-russian_558729] Most Russian-speaking politicians live in former Soviet republics and other […]
» Read morePopular Decisions, Unpopular Outcomes
(Kennan Institute – wilsoncenter.org/program/kennan-institute – Maxim Trudolyubov – January 11, 2016) Maxim Trudolyubov is a Senior Fellow at the Kennan Institute and the Editor-at-Large of Vedomosti, an independent Russian daily. Mr. Trudolyubov was the editorial page editor of Vedomosti between 2003 and 2015. He has been a contributing opinion writer for The International New York Times since the fall of […]
» Read morePutin talks about possibility of granting asylum to Assad in Russia
(Interfax – January 12, 2016) It is premature to discuss if Russia should grant asylum to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said. “I think it is quite premature to discuss this. We granted asylum to Mr. Snowden, which was far more difficult than to do the same for Mr al-Assad,” he said in an interview with […]
» Read moreHalf of Russians Think ‘Hardest Times’ Ahead – Poll
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 12, 2016) More than half of Russians – 52 percent – believe that the “hardest times” for the country are yet to come, a poll by state-run pollster VTsIOM revealed on Tuesday. It is the highest percentage of people that are pessimistic about Russia’s future since 2009, when 30 percent claimed the hardest times […]
» Read moreRUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2016-6 :: Tuesday 12 January 2016
[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2016-#6 Tuesday 12 January 2016 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. JRL homepage: russialist.org – JRL […]
» Read moreRussians Thinking about Future after Putin Too Often Include Putin Elements in It, Kashin Says
(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, January 9, 2016) Ever more Russians are thinking about a future for themselves without Vladimir Putin, a positive development because it shows that they no longer imagine he will be as eternal as he thinks and because it is allowing them to consider many issues now that will have to be addressed […]
» Read morePutin: Constitutional reform should underlie peace process in Ukraine
(Interfax – January 11, 2016) German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Holland, who are part of the Normandy Quartet, should pay more attention to implementation of the Minsk agreements on Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said. Speaking in an interview with the German Bild newspaper, Putin said that the constitutional reform in Ukraine should underlie the political […]
» Read moreMoscow homeless treated to free film shows
“Cinema for the homeless” was born in the summer: the homeless were shown French film 1+1 and classical Soviet comedy Operation Ы. The screenings are organized by volunteers from the Friends on the Street Movement, which since 2002 has been helping people without a home of their own. The movement feeds them, helps them socialize and carries out various events. […]
» Read moreTRANSCRIPT: [Putin] Interview to German newspaper Bild [Part 1]
(Kremlin.ru – January 11, 2016) [As published in Bild: bild.de/politik/ausland/wladimir-putin/russian-president-vladimir-putin-the-interview-44092656.bild.html] The interview was recorded on January 5, in Sochi. Question: Mr President, We have just marked the 25th anniversary of the end of the Cold War. Last year, we witnessed a great number of wars and crises across the world, something that had not happened for many years. What did […]
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