(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber – June 10, 2014) President Vladimir Putin has not shied away from expressing his preferences about the future of Ukraine, suggesting the country should refrain from federalization and joining Western political and military alliances in order to give more power to the Russian-speaking regions of eastern Ukraine and normalize relations with Russia. These […]
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(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Daria Marchak, Daryna Krasnolutska, Volodymyr Verbyany – June 10, 2014) Russian, German and Polish officials met in St. Petersburg to advance Ukraine peace talks after President Petro Poroshenko called for an evacuation corridor so civilians can flee fighting in the country’s battle-torn east. A day after Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said peace talks with Russia were yielding […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Alexey Eremenko – June 10, 2014) There are a few key components that make a Ukrainian separatist, among them Kalashnikov rifles, Cossack hats, golden crosses around their necks, America bashing, orange-and-black “World War II” ribbons … and Dixie flags. You did not misread that: pro-Russian separatists have adopted the Confederate flag. The flag of the […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Yuri Paniyev, special to RBTH – June 9, 2014) After meeting his French and German counterparts, Vladimir Putin held informal talks with Petro Poroshenko in Deuville, France, and the two sides agreed that a Russian representative would visit Ukraine to work on resolving conflicting issues Ahead of last week’s celebrations in Normandy to […]
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ST. PETERSBURG. June 10 (Interfax) – The militia in southeastern Ukraine will reciprocate if Kyiv ends the military operation against them, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. “An end to the military operation against protesters is the key to the settlement, in our opinion. If this is done the people you call separatists will reciprocate,” he said after informal talks […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Fyodor Lukyanov, special to RBTH – June 10, 2014) Fyodor Lukyanov is the editor-in-chief of Russia in Global Affairs and chairman of the board of the Foreign and Defense Policy Council. The Russian leadership has been more accommodating to the new president of Ukraine than many anticipated. What will it take for Kiev […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Mark Lammey – June 10, 2014) Demolition men have flattened 1,451 of Moscow’s Khrushchevki – cheaply built 1950’s apartment blocks that were never meant to make it into the 21st century – in the last 15 years, as part of a foundering plan by ex-Mayor Yury Luzhkov to freshen up residential areas, the head of […]
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KIEV, June 10 (RIA Novosti) – The United States does not plan to establish an anti-missile defense system in Georgia or Ukraine, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland said Tuesday. “There are no plans to place missile defense systems in Georgia or in Ukraine, either now or in the future,” she said at a briefing […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Viktor Litovkin, special to RBTH – June 10, 2014) The Russian Ministry of Defense has issued a statement questioning Western policy on the development of a European missile defense system (EuroPRO). Russia’s comments came in response to the refusal by the organizers of the 10th International Conference on Missile Defense to allow Russian […]
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(Interfax – Moscow, June 9, 2014) Russian President Vladimir Putin has not voiced his preferences and has not specified whether he supports the idea of renaming Volgograd Stalingrad or stands for keeping its name, presidential spokesman Dmitriy Peskov has said. “Answering a question from veterans in Normandy, Putin said that changing the name of a city or a settlement is […]
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WASHINGTON, June 10 (RIA Novosti) – It isn’t too surprising that the US refuses to even look into the fact that the government in Kiev is responsible for committing atrocities against civilians in eastern Ukraine, said Michael Hughes, a Washington D.C.-based journalist and foreign policy analyst. “The administration and State Department continue to redefine reality on the ground to justify […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Matthew Bodner – June 10, 2014) Anatoly Chubais, head of the state-owned technology investment firm Rusnano and architect of Russia’s chaotic 1990s privatization, has dismissed allegations of fraud and embezzlement levied against him by State Duma Deputy Oksana Dmitriyeva, who has asked Russia’s Prosecutor General to investigate the company’s activities and leadership, Izvestia reported Monday. […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Ivan Nechepurenko – June 10, 2014) Bulgaria’s decision to suspend construction of the Russia-led South Stream pipeline project on its territory, undermining Russia’s efforts to diversify its gas transportation infrastructure to Europe away from Ukraine, is an underhanded economic sanction thrust on Russia by the West, a top Russian diplomat and Russian industry analysts said […]
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(Interfax – Moscow, June 9, 2014) Russia sees the NATO build-up near its borders as a display of hostile intentions, views the deployment of additional forces in central and eastern Europe as a breach of the Founding Act [between Russia and NATO], and warns that it will not let this pass without responding. “We cannot view this sort of military […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – John Freedman – June 10, 2014) In “1968. Novy Mir” at the Taganka Theater, Dmitry Volkostrelov shrewdly found a way to combine aesthetics, artistic methods and themes that are capable of unifying that distant era with the world we inhabit. Someone may think he did not do much, just put five actors on chairs and […]
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(Interfax – Archangelsk, June 9, 2014) Other countries benefit from cooperation with the Russian Federation in the energy sector, Russian President Vladimir Putin believes. “Nobody is going to give up energy cooperation (with Russia – Interfax) voluntarily,” Putin said at a meeting with students in Arkhangelsk. Speaking about this, the head of state pointed out in particular that there was […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – June 10, 2014) The number of households whose wealth exceeds $1 million in Russia has grown by 18,5 percent in 2013, reaching 213,000 last year, the Boston Consulting Group said in a report. Russia thereby maintained the position it held in 2012, ranking 13th worldwide in terms of the number of millionaire households, the consulting […]
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… 9. Reuters: Russia, Ukraine to hold gas crisis talks as deadline looms.
10. Wall Street Journal: Ukraine President Takes On Other Crisis: a Broken Economy. Poroshenko Accuses Separatists of Damaging Economy, Says Violence Must Stop This Week.
11. Reuters: Ukraine’s Poroshenko plans new team to take on Putin, build ties with West.
12. Kyiv Post: English-language translation of Poroshenko’s inaugural address on June 7. …
MOSCOW. June 9 (Interfax) – The Golos (Voice) association said it intended to contest in court the fact that the Russian Justice Ministry included it on the registry of non-governmental organizations (NGO) – foreign agents. “This will not affect our work in any way. The association is in the process of liquidating itself. As to the regional organization, it has […]
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MOSCOW. June 9 (Interfax) – Non-governmental organizations listed as “foreign agents” have been compelled to post regular reports about their activities and expenditures, in particular, in the media, the Russian Justice Ministry press service said. “As soon as the aforementioned organizations are added to the register of “foreign agent” NGOs, they become subject to relevant provisions of the Federal Law […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Delphine d’Amora – June 9, 2014) From next year, responsibility for Russia’s special economic zones – key institutions that have proved an invaluable boon to domestic and international companies investing in Russia – may be transferred from the federal to regional governments, a news report said Friday. The decision to delegate management of the zones […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Alexander Panin – June 9, 2014) Start-ups, business angels and venture funds – these terms have become part of the Russian language, although just a few years back they were almost completely absent from the local dialect. High-tech business in Russia is expanding rapidly and being part of it is now considered “cool” as thousands […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber – June 9, 2014) More than 1,000 candidates participated in the Moscow City Duma’s first ever nonbinding primaries on Sunday. The results of Sunday’s poll will have no effect on the Moscow City Duma election, which will be held on Sept. 14. Muscovites were invited to cast their ballots in one of the […]
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MOSCOW, June 9 (RIA Novosti) – The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) new envoy to Ukraine should actively engage in reconciliation efforts and promote dialogue, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Monday. The ministry reiterated Russia’s support for the OSCE Ukrainian conflict settlement roadmap, based on the April 17 Geneva agreements. “We assume that Heidi Tagliavini will actively […]
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MOSCOW, June 9 (RIA Novosti) – The majority of Russians see Ukraine’s new President Petro Poroshenko as promoting mainly the interests of the US, the EU and big business, a public-opinion poll by the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM) showed Monday. Some 43 percent of those surveyed said Poroshenko was lobbying for Western interests, while 37 percent said the […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Georgy Manaev, RBTH) On June 1, 2014, Russian lawmakers banned smoking in trains, hotels, cafes, and playgrounds. For a country where tobacco has been popular for more than 400 years, this is not the first action taken to restrict smoking. RBTH takes a trip back in time to uncover the history of smoking […]
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MOSCOW. June 7 (Interfax) – Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has assumed a position leading to a deadlock by rejecting Ukraine’s federalization and official status for the Russian language in his inaugural speech, which shows his inability to settle the conflict and signals that he might lose presidency in a foreseeable future, says Yevgeny Minchenko, the general director of the International […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Joy Neumeyer, special to RBTH – June 8, 2014) Tomatoes, bikes and boyfriends: Russians and Americans share their dacha memories When Natalia Filonova talks about her dacha, she can’t talk quickly enough. She rattles off the most recent improvements she’s made with breathless pride: 23 new trees, a shower, hand-sewn curtains. “At the […]
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MOSCOW, June 9 (RIA Novosti) – A Moscow City Court prosecutor said on Monday the life sentence handed down to those found guilty of Anna Politkovskaya’s murder was the highest achievement of Russian justice, but the outcome will only satisfy the complainants when the mastermind of the murder is established. “We find the sentence lawful, founded and just. This is […]
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(opendemocracy.net – Ilya Vasyunin – June 6, 2014) Ilya Vasyunin is an independent journalist, he previously worked at TV Rain and at Russkaya Planeta. People are not yet calling the situation in Eastern Ukraine a ‘civil war,’ but the battle for Donetsk might change that. During the two months of fighting between pro-Russian separatists and the Ukrainian army in Slovyansk, Donetsk, […]
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KYIV. June 9 (Interfax) – A hundred percent of the combat and patrol units of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry will be involved in the operation in eastern Ukraine, Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said. “I have decided that a hundred percent of combat and patrol units of the Interior Ministry will take part in the antiterrorism operation. This is not only […]
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… 1. Kyiv Post: Billionaire Kolomoisky takes over in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, blasting Putin and Yanukovych.
2. Kyiv Post: Kolomoisky promises cash rewards for fighting pro-Russian separatists.
3. Financial Times: Ukraine governor offers bounties to keep separatists at bay. …
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – June 5, 2014) Russia’s global reputation has deteriorated markedly in the past year, according to the results of a poll published Wednesday. Across 23 countries, 45 percent of respondents viewed Russia in a negative light, according to a survey commissioned by the BBC World Service and conducted by consulting firm GlobeScan/Pipa. Negative views of Russia […]
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(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, June 5, 2014) The much-ballyhooed gas deal Vladimir Putin signed with Beijing will only have an “insignificant” impact on Russia’s economic development and state revenues, according to an analysis by experts at the Center of Development of the Moscow Higher School of Economics. Their 43-page report is available at opec.ru/data/2014/06/04/1233922990/KGB_70f.pdf. Its main […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Allison Quinn- June 5, 2014) Your beloved mother has died, leaving you in a state of grief just short of catatonic. Who do you call? Many Muscovites will tell you it was not really who you call that matters – it was who the police, the dispatcher or the medics call: the funeral agents. Because […]
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(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, June 5, 2014) Having seen his original social compact with the Russian population become shaky – deference to his unrestricted power in exchange for a guarantee of rising incomes – Vladimir Putin has assembled a new majority, according to Igor Bunin, head of the Moscow Center for Political Technologies. The wave of […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – David Miller, special to RBTH – June 4, 2014) Russia is far more integrated into the world economy today than its Soviet predecessor was, making sanctions a more challenging proposition than when the Soviet Union faced them in the 1980s. The standoff over Ukraine has pushed tensions between Russia and the West to […]
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(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Lyubov Pronina – June 4, 2014) Denis Ichetkin’s decision to get a mortgage for a one-bedroom apartment on the outskirts of Moscow in late January couldn’t have been better timed, he said. The 30-year-old journalist and his wife Veronika secured a 15-year loan from VTB Group with a 12 percent interest rate before Russia’s March incursion […]
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(opendemocracy.net – Diana Quirmbach – June 3, 2014) Diana Quirmbach is a PhD candidate at University College London. More people smoke in Russia than almost anywhere else in the world, but the government is finally catching up, in clamping down. On 1 June 2014, the landscape of smoking changed dramatically in Russia. While efforts to control tobacco are not new […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – June 5, 2014) President Vladimir Putin signed a law allowing the Justice Ministry to register nongovernmental organizations as “foreign agents” without their consent, Interfax reported Wednesday. A law that entered into force in 2012 required all NGOs engaged in “political activity” to formally register as “foreign agents.” The designation itself carries strong, negative associations with […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – June 5, 2014) Citizens unhappy with all available candidates for city office can now let their discontent be known by ticking off the “against all” option when casting ballots for municipal elections in accordance with a new law signed by President Vladimir Putin. A bill pushing for a return of the “against all” option, which […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – John Naughton, special to RBTH – June 5, 2014) By weakening the German army and keeping it occupied on the Eastern Front, Soviet Russia prepared for the way for the Allied success of D-Day in the West. The retired Royal Navy cruiser the HMS Belfast fired its six-round salute at midday on June […]
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VIENNA, June 5 (RIA Novosti) – Moscow has raised the issue of Kiev using heavy armaments in its special operations against independence supporters in eastern Ukraine at OSCE session, Russia’s envoy Andrei Kelin said on Wednesday. “The punitive operation led by Ukrainian forces reflects signs of an international human rights violation, in particular, of the Geneva convention of 1949,” Kelin […]
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MOSCOW, June 5 (RIA Novosti) – US Secretary of State John Kerry has urged Ukrainian President-elect Petro Poroshenko prove that Russia is involved in the independence movement in the eastern regions of Ukraine, according to The New York Times. During a meeting in Poland on Wednesday, Kerry asked the newly elected president to provide evidence of a connection between Moscow […]
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MOSCOW, June 5 (RIA Novosti) – Ukraine’s President-elect Petro Poroshenko plans to “do the dirtiest work” in the eastern parts of the country before his inauguration, Denis Pushilin, one of the leaders of the self-proclaimed People’s Republic of Donetsk, told the BBC Wednesday. “The presidential election took place, Poroshenko came to power but in overall the situation hasn’t changed [sic]. […]
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MOSCOW. June 5 (Interfax) – Disarming militia fighters in east Ukraine is not the first priority, said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. “What they should be doing now is not treating symptoms or knocking down the temperature but looking for the origins of the conflict, which are fairly obvious, and deal with them. Then it will be easier to […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Ivan Nechepurenko – June 5, 2014) As diplomatic tensions reached a boiling point over Russia’s annexation of Crimea, President Vladimir Putin was rejected in March as host of the Group of Eight summit in Sochi, while his country was excluded altogether from the group of leading industrialized nations. But Putin’s arrival in Normandy on Thursday […]
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(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – James G. Neuger, Thomas Penny, Kateryna Choursina – June 5, 2014) The U.S. and its allies embarked on two days of contacts with Russian leaders in a bid to resolve the crisis in Ukraine, giving the Kremlin another chance to cut support to pro-Moscow rebels seeking to break up the country. U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron […]
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MOSCOW, June 5 (RIA Novosti) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his US counterpart, John Kerry, are due to meet in Paris on Thursday to discuss Syria and Ukraine, two countries that both have recently held presidential ballots amid what is largely described as a civil war. The two foreign policy officials have a long history of talks, having […]
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SOCHI. June 5 (Interfax) – Russian President Vladimir Putin has disagreed with suggestions alleging the existence of the “Putin regime”, adding that Russia has standard democratic institutions, which, however, have their own specifics and traditions. “The current regime is not connected to any particular person, including the incumbent President. We have common democratic state institutions, although they reflect Russia’s needs,” […]
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