Russo-Ukrainian War – Page 13 – Johnson's Russia List

Russia Understanders” in Europe (excerpt)

August 18, 2016 JRL Russia List Europe, EU, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

(PONARS Eurasia – Andrey Makarychev, Stefano Braghirolil, University of Tartu (Estonia) – August 16, 2016) [Full text here http://www.ponarseurasia.org/sites/default/files/policy-memos-pdf/Pepm435_Makarychev-Braghiroli_August2016.pdf] The Ukraine conflict reinforced the desire of Kremlin policymakers to establish connections with a range of anti-status-quo groups in Europe. Moscow’s broad aim is to catalyze support for and legitimize Russian sovereignty (and hegemony) and, perhaps, even the dissolution of the […]

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Leave a comment EU, Europe, Military, Russia, Russian News, Russo-Ukrainian War, Slider, Ukraine, Ukrainian News, Ukrainian Separatists

It’s Security, Stupid: How Putin Manipulates National Emergencies

August 18, 2016 JRL Russia List Military, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Spies, Spy Allegations, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

Map of Commonwealth of Independent States, European Portion

(Moscow Times/Kennan Institute – wilsoncenter.org/program/kennan-institute – Maxim Trudolyubov – August 15, 2016) Maxim Trudolyubov is a Senior Fellow with the Kennan Institute and editor-at-large with Vedomosti. Vladimir Putin is both feared and admired for his signature move of creating suspense to keep everybody on their toes. He knows how to make sure his next move is unpredictable. And yet, he […]

The Putin Doctrine

August 17, 2016 JRL Russia List Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Georgia, Military, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Brian Whitmore – August 17, 2016) Eight years ago, Georgia’s government apparently started a war with Russia — even though Georgian troops never left Georgian territory. Two and a half years ago, the Ukrainian people apparently started a war with Russia — by overthrowing a corrupt and autocratic ruler in a popular uprising. You really gotta […]

NEWSLINK Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: “Foreign Ministry comment on statements by Georgia and Ukraine regarding the anniversary of August 2008 events”

August 17, 2016 JRL Russia List Georgia, Military, Newslinks, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

NEWSWATCH: “Putin underestimated Ukrainians and overestimated his ability to divide NATO – Pyatt” – Ukraine Today

August 17, 2016 JRL Russia List JRL NewsBlog, Military, NATO, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

‘Implementation of Minsk-2 means all the Russian troops go out; it means Ukraine’s control over the international border is restored; it means all the hostages are released; it means all of the tanks, and BMPs, and GRAD missiles, and mortars, all of these heavy weapons go back. The first point of the Minsk agreement was a comprehensive ceasefire, and the […]

NEWSWATCH: “While the world is distracted, Putin escalates his war in Ukraine” – Washington Post

August 15, 2016 JRL Russia List Europe, EU, JRL NewsBlog, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Spies, Spy Allegations, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

… The … FSB, claimed … one of its officers was killed … near the de facto border between Crimea and Ukraine. Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in early 2014, then backed a violent uprising in … Donetsk and Luhansk. … According to the FSB … a second attempt occurred … with support from Ukrainian artillery, killing a Russian … […]

NEWSLINK Anders Åslund/Project-Syndicate.Org: “The Putin Question”

August 15, 2016 JRL Russia List Newslinks, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

As war fever returns in Ukraine, the question of why Russian President Vladimir Putin went from would-be modernizer to aggressive autocrat is being revived. Whatever the reason – fear for his safety, a sense of historical grievance, or both – Putin’s inability to reform Russia’s economy seems certain to be his downfall.

NEWSWATCH: “Russian reshuffle claims another big name: Putin’s chief of staff”

August 15, 2016 JRL Russia List JRL NewsBlog, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

File Photo of Sergei Ivanov, adapted from defense.gov image

… Putin has abruptly sacked his longtime aide and confidant, Kremlin Chief of Staff Sergei Ivanov, amid what appears to be a major reshuffling within the ranks of Russia’s ruling elite. … the Kremlin website says … Ivanov asked to retire, and requested that his trusted deputy, Anton Vaino, replace him. Even if wholly accurate, it does little to explain […]

NEWSWATCH: “Russia’s Foreign Minister Says No Plan to Break Diplomatic Ties with Ukraine” – Wall Street Journal

August 15, 2016 JRL Russia List JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

… Lavrov said Russia had no intention of breaking diplomatic ties with Ukraine and was discussing the possibility of organizing joint talks with Ukrainian, Russian, French and German officials aimed at resolving the conflict in eastern Ukraine. … Lavrov’s comments … come after … Putin blamed Ukraine … for incidents in #Crimea that left two Russian service members dead and […]

NEWSWATCH: “No evidence so far to corroborate Russia allegations over Crimea: U.S.” – Reuters

August 11, 2016 JRL Russia List JRL NewsBlog, Military, Sanctions, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

The United States has seen nothing so far that corroborates Russian allegations of a Ukrainian incursion into Crimea … U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Geoffrey Pyatt, said …. [along with promises that] U.S. sanctions in relation to Russia’s annexation of Crimea would remain in place until the territory was returned to Ukraine. … Putin accused Kiev … of … terrorist tactics […]

NEWSWATCH: “Russia’s Vladimir Putin may believe time is ripe for another invasion. The Crimea crisis has come from nowhere but the Russian president has form for military adventures in Olympic years, says Luke Harding” – The Guardian (UK)

August 11, 2016 JRL Russia List JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

The situation in Crimea looks ominous. Russia’s FSB … said … it … foiled a series of attacks by armed Ukrainians on the peninsula. … Putin accused Kiev[] … of choosing terror over peace. Meanwhile, largely unnoticed by the outside world, Russia has been stealthily shipping military vehicles to Crimea, which Putin annexed … 2014. … two years after Putin […]

Guns Of August: Fears Of Full-Scale War Return As Casualties Mount In Ukraine

August 10, 2016 JRL Russia List Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Christopher Miller – MARYINKA, Ukraine – August 9, 2016) Framed by a tiny cutout in the fortified bunker, this particular piece of no-man’s land is tinted a blood-reddish orange by the setting summer sun. It’s hot as hell, and it’s about to get hotter. When the sun goes down, the guns start blazing. And all that […]

NEWSWATCH: “Putin’s tanks spark fears of European invasion after giant convoy is spotted massing on Ukrainian border” – The Daily Mail (UK)/Abe Hawken

August 9, 2016 JRL Russia List JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

Russian tanks have been spotted on the northern Crimea border which has sparked fears that an invasion is imminent. Witnesses described seeing Russian military hardware and trucks arrive near the towns of Armyansk and Dzhankoy – 25 miles south of the Ukrainian border. … video footage also appears to show a fleet of Russian armoured trucks driving down a street […]

Russia’s Moves, Terrorism Fuel Talk of War in Europe – The Daily Signal [also appeared as “Europeans are quietly preparing for war with Russia” at Newsweek.com]

August 8, 2016 JRL Russia List Europe, EU, Military, NATO, Terrorism, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

[article also appeared at Newsweek.com as “Europeans are quietly preparing for war with Russia”] (Nolan Peterson – @nolanwpeterson – The Daily Signal – dailysignal.com – The Heritage Foundation – heritage.org – KYIV, Ukraine, Aug. 3, 2016) Whether referring to Russian aggression in the east or to the threat of Islamist terrorism in the West, Europe’s political, media, and religious elite […]

Will Putin Again Use the Olympics as Cover for New Aggression, This Time in Ukraine?

August 8, 2016 JRL Russia List Georgia, Military, Sports, Olympics, World Cup, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

Olympic Rings Lit at Night, adapted from image at state.gov

(Paul Goble – Staunton, August 8, 2016) Eight years ago today, when the world was focusing on the Olympics in Beijing, Vladimir Putin used this distraction as the occasion to launch his invasion of Georgia. Now, there are both indications and fears that he may use the world’s focus on the Olympiad in Rio to reignite Russian aggression in Ukraine. […]

U.S. Official: Annexing Crimea, Russia Broke All Rules of ‘World Order’

August 8, 2016 JRL Russia List NATO, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

(Voice of America – voanews.com – August 5, 2016) Russia’s actions against Ukraine and the potential threat it poses to other countries in its neighborhood has become an issue in the U.S. presidential race, thanks largely to comments made by Donald Trump. The Republican candidate told a U.S. television interviewer late last month that the people of Crimea, which Russia […]

Ukrainians Parroting Moscow’s Line More Dangerous than Russians who Do, Portnikov Says

August 8, 2016 JRL Russia List Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, August 6, 2016) The Kremlin understands that most Ukrainians distrust Russian media outlets and so has made a major effort to find Ukrainians who will parrot the Moscow line, Vitaly Portnikov says, helping Vladimir Putin to destabilize Ukraine and making it far more difficult for Kyiv to counter what he is doing […]

Coup talk in Ukraine

August 2, 2016 JRL Russia List Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

The war in the east, the rise of paramilitaries and polarised public opinion are feeding fears of a violent seizure of power in Kyiv. Could Ukraine follow in Turkey’s footsteps? (opendemocracy.net – Denys Gorbach – August 2, 2016) Denys Gorbach is a leftist activist and researcher working on the Ukrainian labour movement. Once again, Ukrainians are discussing the possibility of […]

Ukraine has Almost Exhausted ‘Anti-Russian Model’ of Behavior, Kyiv Analyst Suggests

July 21, 2016 JRL Russia List Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, July 20, 2016) Russia’s aggression in Ukraine will make it difficult for Kyiv to find a modus vivendi with Moscow, Anatoly Oktsiyuk says; but “sooner or later,” Ukraine will have to do so and with a recognition of the fact that both domestically and internationally, it has almost exhausted the “anti-Russian model” […]

NEWSLINK: Serhiy Kudelia/Russian Politics and Law: “The Donbas Rift”

July 19, 2016 JRL Russia List Military, Newslinks, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

In Ukraine, not only heroes deserve justice; A Ukrainian blogger sentenced for his scandalous views on the conflict in the Donbas has just been released. Whatever his shortcomings, Ruslan Kotsaba deserved our solidarity.

July 19, 2016 JRL Russia List Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Human Rights, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

(OpenDemocracy – opendemocracy.net – Maxim Edwards and Thomas Rowley – July 17, 2016) Maxim Edwards is Commissioning Editor at oDR. Tom Rowley is Lead Editor at oDR. He is currently finishing a PhD on Soviet dissent at the University of Cambridge. Last Thursday, Ruslan Kotsaba addressed journalists in a west Ukrainian courthouse, tears running down his face. “This is a […]

NATO-Russia Council: From High Hopes To Broken Dreams

July 15, 2016 JRL Russia List Europe, EU, Military, NATO, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Charles Recknagel – July 12, 2016) When the NATO-Russia Council meets in Brussels on July 13, it will be as a shadow of its former self. As ambassadors gather at NATO headquarters, their agenda will be limited to discussing only political issues because all the council’s cooperative programs have been suspended. And where once the talk […]

NEWSWATCH: “Factbox: Main Decisions of NATO’s Warsaw Summit” – Reuters

July 11, 2016 JRL Russia List Baltics, Europe, EU, JRL NewsBlog, Military, NATO, Nuclear, Missile Defense, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

* NATO agreed to deploy military forces to the Baltic states and eastern Poland from January 2017 to deter Russia, a response to Moscow’s 2014 seizure of Crimea from Ukraine. … four battalions totaling between 3,000 and 4,000 troops will be led by Britain in Estonia, the United States in Poland, Canada in Latvia and Germany in Lithuania. * NATO […]

Interfax: DPR reports dozens of destroyed houses in latest Ukraine’s army shell attacks

July 11, 2016 JRL Russia List Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

DONETSK. July 10 (Interfax) – Ten houses were destroyed and over 70 buildings were damaged in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) due to the Ukrainian army shell attacks over the past 24 hours, senior officer with the DPR Defense Ministry Eduard Basurin said. “In the shell attacks on Zaitseve, Horlivka and Donetsk ten houses have been destroyed and nearly […]

NEWSWATCH: “Pyatt: High hopes, some regrets, one big question” – Kyiv Post/Brian Bonner

July 8, 2016 JRL Russia List Britain, UK, United Kingdom, Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Europe, EU, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

Pyatt is part a big turnover … coming in the Western diplomatic corps, as ambassadors who served during the EuroMaidan Revolution and the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine are being reassigned …. * * * It was in support of Ukrainians’ fight against their corrupt authorities that Pyatt took one of his stronger and more memorable stands. … * […]

Shellings in Donbas increase threefold in past week – OSCE SMM

July 8, 2016 JRL Russia List Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

KYIV. July 8 (Interfax) – The number of shellings in Donbas has significantly increased in the past week, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Special Monitoring Mission (OSCE SMM) Principal Deputy Chief Monitor Alexander Hug said at a briefing in Kyiv on Friday. He said that the number of shellings has increased threefold in comparison with the previous […]

Ira Straus: Re: 2016-#123-Johnson’s Russia List. (re: Breedlove)

July 6, 2016 JRL Russia List Military, NATO, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

Subject: Re: 2016-#123-Johnson’s Russia List. (re Breedlove) Date: Tue, 5 Jul 2016 15:00:17 -0400 From: IRASTRAUS@aol.com Re: 2016-#123-Johnson’s Russia List, 4. The Intercept: Hacked Emails Reveal NATO General Plotting Against Obama on Russia Policy. (Breedlove) 5. www.rt.com: Breedlove’s war: Emails show ex-NATO general plotting US conflict with Russia. Here we go again, into the fantasyland of anti-Russian conspiracies. No “plotting” […]

Ukraine’s authoritarian signals

July 6, 2016 JRL Russia List Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

Recent unconstitutional legislation is smoothing the way for direct rule in Ukraine – and repeating past mistakes. (opendemocracy.net – MYKHAILO MINAKOV, TYMOFIY MYLOVANOV – July 5, 2016) Mykhailo Minakov is Associate Professor at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and President of the Foundation for Good Politics, Kyiv. He is also director of the Krytyka Institute, and editor-in-chief of the journal Ideology and Politics. […]

RBTH: Russia to open new naval base in Black Sea to counter NATO

June 29, 2016 JRL Russia List Military, NATO, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

The Russian Navy is to open a new base on the Black Sea coast in Novorossiysk hosting Varshavyanka class Project 636.6 diesel-electric submarines with Kalibr cruise missiles. However, there are still some weather-based issues to be resolved. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – NIKOLAI LITOVKIN, RBTH – June 29, 2016) The Russian Defense Ministry is completing the construction of […]

Interfax: Basurin reports over 800 attacks in DPR territory, injury of three civilians in past 24 hours

June 29, 2016 JRL Russia List Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

DONETSK. June 29 (Interfax) – The self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) saw 830 attacks of the Ukrainian army in the past 24 hours; three civilians were injured, Eduard Basurin, a senior official of the DPR Defense Ministry, told the press. “The situation in the Donetsk People’s Republic remains critical. The number of shelling incidents grew over the past day. The […]

The trap of “countering Russia”; Across eastern Europe, U.S. engagement against Russia is having an adverse effect on grassroots protesters – and no easy solution is forthcoming

June 23, 2016 JRL Russia List Europe, EU, Military, NATO, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

(opendemocracy.net – Tom Junes – June 23, 2016) Tom Junes is a historian and post-doctoral researcher focusing on protest movements in eastern Europe. He is a member of the Human and Social Studies Foundation Sofia and currently a visiting fellow at the Centre for Advanced Study in Sofia, Bulgaria. He is the author of Student Politics in Communist Poland: Generations […]

Ukraine’s struggle with the past is ours too

June 17, 2016 JRL Russia List Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

What happens in Ukraine does not stay in Ukraine – uncritical glorification of Ukrainian nationalism is the west’s problem too. (opendemocracy.net – PER RUDLING, TARIK AMAR, and JARED MCBRIDE – June 15, 2016) Per Anders Rudling is associate professor at the department of history, Lund University and senior visiting fellow at department of history, National University of Singapore. Tarik Cyril […]

RBTH: Is Nadia Savchenko Putin’s secret weapon?

June 17, 2016 JRL Russia List Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

Nadiya Savchenko file photo, adapted from image at osce.usmission.gov

Savchenko, who recently returned to Kiev after two years in a Russian prison, has been accused of promoting Kremlin interests in Ukraine. According to Russian experts, these accusations are related to the fact that part of the Ukrainian establishment sees the pilot as a potential rival and seeks to discredit her. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – ALEXEY TIMOFEYCHEV, […]

Interfax: Attitude to Ukraine improves in Russia over past year although 36% still want closed border, visa regime – poll

June 16, 2016 JRL Russia List Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

MOSCOW. June 16 (Interfax) – More than a third of Russians (36%) want closed borders, visas and customs for Ukraine (30% a year ago), the Levada Center told Interfax, adding that was the highest indicator since March 2008. The share of respondents who see Russia and Ukraine as two independent, friendly nations with open borders and without visas or customs […]

VIDEO & TRANSCRIPT: Russian Violations of Borders, Treaties, and Human Rights – U.S. Senate Testimony by Assistant Secretary Victoria Nuland

June 8, 2016 JRL Russia List Middle East, North Africa, Military, NATO, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Syria, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

Russian Violations of Borders, Treaties, and Human Rights Testimony, Victoria Nuland, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Statement Before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Washington, DC, June 7, 2016, As prepared [Video of hearing also appeared here http://www.c-span.org/video/?410738-1/federal-officials-testify-human-rights-violations-russia][Video includes all speakers and some lawmakers; Nuland testimony transcript follows below] Thank you Chairman Corker, Ranking Member Cardin, and members […]

Russian Elite Not Only Believes Its Own Propaganda But is Basing Its Actions on It, New Russian Document Shows

June 8, 2016 JRL Russia List Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, June 7, 2016) The Moscow Council on Foreign and Defense Policy released at the end of May a document describing Russian foreign policy for the remainder of this decade. It is filled with propagandistic shibboleths heard every day on Russian TV, and the policies that it recommends flow from them rather than […]

Fewer than Half of Ukrainians Blame Moscow Alone for War in the Donbass, New Survey Finds

June 8, 2016 JRL Russia List Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, June 8, 2016) Forty-eight percent of Ukrainians blame Moscow for the war in the Donbas, while 33 percent blame both Moscow and Kyiv and nine percent blame only Kyiv, according to polls conducted by Ukraine’s Razumkov Center for a report on the evolution of Ukrainian identity. That report, now available online at […]

Savchenko Says Willing To Hold Peace Talks With Separatists

June 8, 2016 JRL Russia List Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

(RFE/RL – rferl.org – June 8, 2016) Ukrainian airwoman Nadia Savchenko says she is willing to talk with Russia-backed separatist leaders in eastern Ukraine to try to end the nation’s two-year-old conflict. Savchenko told Ukrainian media on June 7 she believes direct peace talks with separatist leaders would be more effective than the current, unproductive talks that have included Russia, […]

NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine Declares War on Journalism” – New York Times/IAN BATESON

June 1, 2016 JRL Russia List Assassinations, Beatings, Threats, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

…. We were collectively labeled “terrorist collaborators” for gaining accreditation from the separatists. The list’s publishers claimed not to know what the consequences would be of releasing this information, but it seemed clear that the intent was to encourage people to take action against the journalists on their own. * * * trying to encourage ‘patriotic’ journalism, in which the […]

NEWSWATCH: “Step-by-Step Rapprochement. Germany Considers Easing of Russia Sanctions. Standing tough on Russia remains official policy, but Germany has begun working on the careful easing of sanctions imposed following Moscow’s aggression in Ukraine. The US is opposed, but many in the EU could support the new approach.” – Der Spiegel

May 31, 2016 JRL Russia List Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Europe, EU, Germany, JRL NewsBlog, NATO, Sanctions, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

… What Merkel didn’t say … is that behind the scenes, her government has long since developed concrete plans for a step-by-step easing of the sanctions against Russia and that the process could begin as early as this year. … the message has been that the trade and travel restrictions will only be lifted once all the provisions foreseen by […]

NEWSLINK TASS: “Moscow has no plans of recognizing Ukraine’s self-proclaimed republics – Lavrov”

May 31, 2016 JRL Russia List Newslinks, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

NEWSWATCH: “Surveys show Russian nationalism is on the rise. This explains a lot about the country’s foreign and domestic politics.” – Washington Post/Richard Arnold

May 31, 2016 JRL Russia List JRL NewsBlog, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Race, Ethnic, Extremism, Xenophobia, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

… annexing Crimea, Putin managed to steal the thunder of … supremacist Russian nationalists. But as long as waves of migrants … perceived as culturally alien keep coming … storm clouds will still exist and influence Russian politics. The regime will have the unpalatable choice of allowing the growth of radical forces vehemently opposed to democracy, even its ‘managed’ variety, […]

NEWSWATCH: Freed by Russia, Ukraine’s ‘Joan of Arc’ may be thorn in own leaders’ side – Reuters/Pavel Polityuk

May 30, 2016 JRL Russia List JRL NewsBlog, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

Securing … Savchenko’s release from Russian captivity was a PR coup for … Poroshenko but the outspoken woman … may ultimately prove a thorn in his side. … in jail, Savchenko was named a lawmaker in … the main opposition party at a time of growing disillusion with the slow pace of reforms and … corruption. She … condemned a […]

Kremlin Says Russia ‘In Favour’ of Returning Donbass to Ukraine

May 27, 2016 JRL Russia List Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – May 27, 2016) The Kremlin is ready to support the return of Ukraine’s troubled eastern regions to Kiev government control, according to President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the RIA Novosti news agency reported on Thursday. In a move some have interpreted as an invitation to dialogue, and others as bluff, Peskov said on Thursday […]

Geopolitics versus the political marketplace: the origins of the war in Ukraine

May 27, 2016 JRL Russia List Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

These two books on the war in Ukraine open up fresh questions into how we interpret the causes of conflict. (opendemocracy.net – Mary Kaldor – May 27, 2016) Mary Kaldor is Professor of Global Governance at the London School of Economics and Political Science and author of ‘New and Old wars: Organised Violence in a Global Era’ 3rd edition, 2012 […]

Savchenko ready to become Ukraine’s president if people want it

May 27, 2016 JRL Russia List Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

KYIV. May 27 (Interfax) – Nadiya Savchenko said she was ready to become Ukraine’s president if citizens of the country wanted it. “Ukrainians, if you want me to become the president, I will be the president,” Savchenko said at a press conference in Kyiv on Friday. Savchenko also said she was not sure that “people have already learned not to […]

Ukraine’s New Hope

May 26, 2016 JRL Russia List Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Brian Whitmore – May 25, 2016) So after holding her in captivity for 708 days, the Kremlin has finally released its most famous hostage. And as a result, Ukraine might have gained something it has long lacked — and badly needs: a political figure with clear and unambiguous moral authority; someone unsullied by the past and […]

What is causing the conflict in Ukraine?

May 26, 2016 JRL Russia List Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Europe, EU, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

Understanding the economic roots of rebellion in eastern Ukraine suggests that the resolution to the crisis must address restoring economic and political justice. (opendemocracy.net – Tymofiy Mylovanov – May 25, 2016) Tymofiy Mylovanov is the interim President of the Kyiv School of Economics, and Associate Professor at University of Pittsburgh. He received his economics PhD from the University of Wisconsin, […]

‘I Will Never Return To Donetsk’ — Conflict Reduces One Woman’s Life To Rubble

May 25, 2016 JRL Russia List Human Rights, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

Former Donetsk resident Nadia Zaslavska spoke to Dmitry Volchek from RFE/RL’s Russian Service about why the conflict in eastern Ukraine drove her from the city even though she had spent many happy years living there. (RFE/RL – rferl.org – May 24, 2016) I was born in the Dnipropetrovsk region but I spent more than 30 years in Donetsk. I built […]

‘Reintegration of Donbass Will Be Impossible After Five Years,’ Senior Kyiv Official Says

May 25, 2016 JRL Russia List Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, May 24, 2016) Ukraine must move quickly to promote the reintegration of the Donbass because “five years from now,” Georgy Tuka, the deputy head of the Kyiv ministry responsible for overseeing such plans, says, “it will already be impossible” to do so because the region will have been so affected by the […]

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