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NEWSLINK The National Interest/Zalmay Khalilzad: “Face-to-Face: Obama Meets Putin. ‘The likelihood of negotiating settlements in Ukraine and Syria could be increased if President Obama uses the meeting with Putin to underscore a reality to Putin: Russia is exposed.'”
NEWSLINK Washington Post/Andrew Roth: “Live from New York: It’s Putin Speech Bingo”
NEWSLINK Washington Post/James Hohmann, Elise Viebeck: “The Daily 202: Putin trolls Obama ahead of United Nations showdown”
[featured image is file photo] Washington Post: James Hohmann and Elise Viebeck, The Daily 202: Putin trolls Obama ahead of United Nations showdown[featured image is file photo].
» Read moreThe opposition’s last mandate
Deputies of the Pskov regional assembly are attempting to remove a colleague from their ranks-opposition lawmaker and journalist Lev Shlosberg (opendemocracy.net – Svetlana Prokopyeva – September 23, 2015) Svetlana Prokopyeva is a journalist from Pskov, Russia and former editor in chief of Pskovskaya Guberniya. When the regional assembly of Russia’s north-western Pskov region convenes on 24 September, it promises to […]
» Read moreResearch on tsarist family assassination case goes on actively – senior criminal investigator
MOSCOW. Sept 25 (Interfax) – The active stage of the new genetic tests in the assassination case of the tsarist family has begun, senior criminal investigator of the Main Criminal Directorate of the Russian Investigative Committee Vladimir Solovyev told Interfax on Friday. “Experts are doing very active work. Everything necessary is being done,” he said. The investigative committee resumed an […]
» Read morePutin looking limber for his UN Syria leap
(Business New Europe – bne.eu – MOSCOW BLOG: Ben Aris in Moscow – September 25, 2015) Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with US President Barack Obama on the sidelines of a UN general assembly to be held in New York on September 28, their first meeting since 2013. The White House said Russian sanctions will be high on the […]
» Read morePutin Praises American Qualities in Interview with U.S. Television
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Anna Dolgov – September 25, 2015) In excerpts from an upcoming American television interview, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said he admired American creativity and open-mindedness – a break from his usual anti-U.S. rhetoric ahead of a planned meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama. CBS network’s “60 Minutes,” an American TV news program, posted an interview […]
» Read moreCrimean Tatars blockade border posts over political discrimination
For the last several days Crimean Tatar demonstrators have been refusing to allow trucks with Ukrainian goods into Crimea and are putting forward political demands, calling for an end to discrimination by the peninsula’s Russian authorities. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Yekaterina Sinelschikova, RBTH – September 24, 2015) The import of Ukrainian goods into Crimea is currently at […]
» Read moreEnergy Sector Accounts for 98% of Russian Corporate Profits
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Peter Hobson – September 25, 2015) Oil and gas companies earned 98 percent of all profits made by large Russian firms last year, a new ranking showed, making a mockery of attempts to wean Russia off its reliance on energy exports. A list by the RBC news agency of the biggest 500 Russian companies – […]
» Read morePutin Pushing New Social Contract Based on Fighting Corruption Rather than Economic Growth, Petrov Says
(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, September 24, 2015) The recent arrests of governors is part of a broader effort by Vladimir Putin to create a new social contract with the population, Nikolay Petrov says. In the old one, he offered stability and economic growth; now that he cannot offer those things, he is pushing himself forward as […]
» Read moreRussia Plans $3.6 Billion Food Stamp Program as Poverty Rises
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – September 25, 2015) The Russian government may spend 240 billion rubles ($3.6 billion) on a national food stamp program to support an estimated 15-16 million Russian citizens whose poverty has deepened amid an economic slump, the RIA Novosti news agency reported Thursday. To deal with an economic shock that has spurred inflation into double digits […]
» Read moreUkraine reforms national security sector for future membership in EU, NATO – military doctrine
KYIV. Sept 24 (Interfax) – Kyiv considers as a priority task the deepening of cooperation with NATO and the attainment of full compatibility between the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the relevant forces of the alliance’s states by 2020. This is determined by the new version of the Military Doctrine, the text of which was posted on the official website of […]
» Read more[Ashton] Carter Reaffirms U.S. Commitment to Ukraine
(US Department of Defense – defense.gov – Terri Moon Cronk, DoD News – WASHINGTON, September 24, 2015) The United States will continue to back the Ukrainian military’s right to defend itself when Russian-separatist forces attack its positions, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said today. In a joint news conference with Ukrainian Defense Minister Col.-Gen. Stepan Poltorak following their meeting during Poltorak’s […]
» Read moreRUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#187 :: Friday 25 September 2015
[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#188 Friday – 25 September 2515 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 moreSaakashvili’s personal agreement is needed to launch procedure of appointing him as Ukrainian PM – Poroshenko
KYIV. Sept 24 (Interfax) – Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has responded to an online petition asking him to appoint the Odesa region’s Governor Mikheil Saakashvili Ukraine’s prime minister. “The candidate’s personal agreement to take on this post is a necessary condition for launching the aforementioned procedure of appointing the prime minister of Ukraine. However, Saakashvili has not offered any comments […]
» Read moreInterfax: Up to 150,000 ethnic Russians may relocate from Ukraine to Russia in 2015 – migration service chief
MOSCOW. Sept 24 (Interfax) – Russia’s Federal Migration Service (FMS) expects the arrival of up to 150,000 ethnic Russians from Ukraine in 2015, and 2.6 billion rubles has been allocated from the federal budget for these purposes, FMS director Konstantin Romodanovsky has said. “Since September 2014, regional programs have been confirmed in the Rostov region and the Stavropol territory as […]
» Read moreInterfax: Kiev, unrecognized republics should discuss elections in east Ukraine – Kremlin
(Interfax – September 23, 2015) The implementation of the Minsk agreements with regard to local elections in Donbass, among other things, should be discussed via a direct dialogue between Kiev, Donetsk and Luhansk, presidential spokesman Dmitriy Peskov has said as reported by privately-owned Russian news agency Interfax on 23 September. This is how Peskov answered a question about whether Moscow […]
» Read moreFive facts about Moscow’s new central mosque
Ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice) on September 23, a new central mosque was thrown open to the public after a special ceremony in Moscow. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Galina Babich, special to RBTH – September 23, 2015) [Photos here asia.rbth.com/society/2015/09/23/five_facts_about_moscows_new_central_mosque_49461.html] 1. One of the largest mosques in Russia The central Moscow […]
» Read moreDesign Chosen for Moscow Monument Commemorating Gulag Victims
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Anna Dolgov – September 24, 2015) The winner of a public initiative competition to design a Moscow monument honoring victims of the gulags has been chosen from 336 entries by a jury and team of experts. Sculptor Georgy Frangulyan, announced Wednesday on his website that his proposal, a large-scale relief of human figures, symbolizing gulag […]
» Read morePlayground politics in Ukraine and Syria
(Business New Europe – bne.eu – MOSCOW BLOG: Ben Aris in Moscow – September 24, 2015) We learn everything we need to know about how to treat our fellow human beings at school. You are supposed to be polite, share your toys, call the nurse when your schoolmates fall down and graze their knees, and do what the teachers tell […]
» Read moreRussia’s banking pain is forcing long-overdue sector consolidation
(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Ben Aris in Moscow – September 24, 2015) Russian banks are in a world of pain. Real incomes are falling for the first time since President Vladimir Putin has been on the job, and sanctions have cut banks off from their main source of long-term cheap financing. The upshot is that Russia’s financial sector […]
» Read moreMoscow Times: “Middle East Leaders Line Up for Putin”
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Howard Amos – September 24, 2015) Turkish President Recep Erdogan on Wednesday became the third Middle Eastern leader in as many days to hold talks with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow as the Kremlin appears to be building its military capability inside war-torn Syria and looks for a more assertive role in the region. Putin […]
» Read moreRussia’s Last Tsar Exhumed as Murder Case Reopened
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Vasily Kolotilov – September 24, 2015) Russian investigators on Wednesday exhumed the remains of Russia’s last tsar and his wife, who were slaughtered by the Bolsheviks in 1918 together with their children and servants, after reopening the investigation into the century-old murder. The Investigative Committee said in a statement Wednesday it was reopening the probe […]
» Read moreAchieving balanced budget at cost of its quality unacceptable – PM
MOSCOW. Sept 24 (Interfax) – Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev believes that the structure and effectiveness of budget expenditures are no less important than balancing the budget. “The creation of comfortable conditions begins with ensuring macroeconomic stability. Low inflation and a balanced budget remain priorities for the country’s sustainable development. Inflation must be reduced to the level of 4% in […]
» Read moreMost Russians Not Saving Money, Poll Shows
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – September 24, 2015) Almost a quarter of Russians know someone who lost their job in recent months, but 80 percent of people are not saving any money, a survey published by the state-run VTsIOM pollster on Wednesday showed. Twenty-seven percent of Russians know at least two people who lost their jobs in the last two […]
» Read moreRussian Orthodox Church condemns participation by Ukrainian police in conflicts between religious organizations
MOSCOW. Sept 23 (Interfax) – Vladimir Legoida, head of the synodal information department, has condemned the takeover by schismatics in Ukraine of the Church of St. George and called on the administration of Ukrainian law enforcement agencies to investigate police involvement in violence against believers. On September 21, the Day of Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, representatives of the Kyiv […]
» Read moreEU-Russia food fight masks business as usual
(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Liam Halligan in London – September 22, 2015) For several days in late July and early August, thousands of farmers across North East France used tractors to obstruct roads from Germany. The aim was to prevent trucks carrying agricultural goods from crossing the Rhine. In South West France, too, more Gallic protesters, similarly mounted […]
» Read moreCommander-in-Chief Poroshenko’s shipyard to play key role in rebuilding Ukraine’s navy
(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Graham Stack in Kyiv – September 22, 2015) A shipyard owned by President Petro Poroshenko, commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s military, is taking on a major role in rebuilding the country’s decimated navy, as the defence sector gears up to meet the Russian challenge. The Poroshenko-owned shipyard and engineering plant Leninska Kuznya is taking the first […]
» Read moreMoscow’s Amfest Film Festival Goes Off the Beaten Track
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Andrei Muchnik – September 21, 2015) Amfest, the American film festival organized by the Cool Connections agency with the support of the U.S. Embassy, is once again taking over the halls of the Formula Kino Gorizont theater. This is the festival’s 10th year in Russia. The festival prides itself on showing movies that have never […]
» Read morePutin calls on CSTO to fight terrorist threat in Central Asia
The Collective Security Treaty Organization Summit, which took place in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe on Sept. 14-15, was chiefly devoted to countering the threat of Islamist terrorism in Central Asia. However, Russian experts believe that corruption and poverty are a greater threat to the region than terrorism. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Oleg Yegorov, special to RBTH […]
» Read moreRUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#186 :: Thursday 24 September 2015
[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#186 Thursday – 24 September 2015 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 morePope Francis Says Russia Is Needed to Solve World Problems
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – September 23, 2015) Pope Francis has said Russia plays a crucial role in solving the world’s problems, a TASS news agency report said. “Without Russia, not one of today’s most pressing global problems can be solved,” the pontiff was cited Tuesday as telling a TASS reporter aboard a flight to Cuba. The pontiff continued his […]
» Read moreRussian Options Narrow as Putin Looks to Exporters’ Windfall
(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Olga Tanas, Andrey Biryukov – September 22, 2015) Russian President Vladimir Putin’s promises made as recently as last year may be the latest casualty of the collapse in oil prices. Putin instructed the government on Tuesday to study the possibility of steering into the budget some of the gains by exporters from ruble devaluation, without losing […]
» Read moreRBTH: Russia’s opposition denies waning influence as protests shrink
In the wake of the low turnout to a Sept. 20 protest in Moscow, sources polled by RBTH say that the protest did not appear convincing and conclude that for the time being the opposition does not have very bright prospects. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Yekaterina Sinelschikova, RBTH – September 22, 2015) Despite claims by leading liberal […]
» Read moreRUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#185 :: Wednesday 23 September 2015
[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#185 Wednesday – 23 September 2015 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 moreNEWSLINK Sarah Lindemann-Komarova: “Running for Office in Siberia: And the winner is….Last in a series covering the District #35 Novosibirsk City Council election.”
Interfax: Moscow concerned by plans to modernize U.S. nuclear weapons in Germany
(Interfax – September 22, 2015) Moscow is troubled by plans to modernize U.S. nuclear weapons in Germany, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has said. “Such plans on the part of the U.S. cause our concern,” Zakharova said in an interview with Germany’s ZDF television station. The text of the interview was published on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website on […]
» Read moreAfter the Boom: Moscow Malls Struggle With Fewer Customers
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – September 22, 2015) Twenty-eight percent fewer customers are walking through the doors of the average Moscow shopping center than two years ago, according to data from market researchers Watcom cited by the Kommersant newspaper. The slump in visitor numbers comes after years of expanding consumer spending in Russia as an oil boom fueled an emerging […]
» Read moreRussian Senator Introduces Bill Criminalizing Pro-Stalin Propoganda
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Anna Dolgov – September 22, 2015) A high-ranking Russian senator has sought to combat the increasing promotion of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin in the country by introducing a bill that would criminalize attempts to justify the dictator’s totalitarian regime and political purges, state-run TASS news agency reported Tuesday. The bill introduced in the State Duma […]
» Read moreA Loyal Governor Feels Putin’s Wrath
(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Leonid Bershidsky – September 21, 2015) Russia has never seen a corruption case like this. The successful governor of the Komi Republic, who was faultlessly loyal to President Vladimir Putin, has been accused of leading a criminal organization that allegedly included a number of his region’s top officials. As cheap oil forces Russians to tighten their […]
» Read moreWhy Russia Is Expanding Its Naval Base in Syria
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Matthew Bodner – September 22, 2015) The Russian military is expanding its tiny naval facility at Tartus on the Syrian coast to handle bigger warships and transport vessels amid a general buildup of Russian forces in territory controlled by Syrian President Bashar Assad, the Kommersant newspaper reported Monday, citing military sources. The news broke as […]
» Read morePoll: Most Russians do not want to live in Moscow
According to a poll conducted by the All-Russia Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM), only 13 percent of Russians would like their children to live in Moscow. The most popular option among those polled (23 percent) would be to live in a small town. According to another poll, the Siberian city of Tyumen rates highly among Russian urban areas. (Russia Beyond […]
» Read moreRussia to Conduct ‘Micro-Census’ in October
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – September 22, 2015) Russia is to conduct a “micro-census” next month involving 2.5 million people that will have a broader scope than an ordinary census, the State Statistics Service, or Rosstat, said in a statement. The population survey will take place in all regions of Russia between Oct. 1 and Oct. 31, according to Rosstat. […]
» Read moreRUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#184 :: Tuesday 22 September 2015
[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#184 Tuesday – 22 September 2015 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 moreNEWSWATCH Wall Street Journal: “U.S. Weighs Talks With Russia on Military Activity in Syria. Pentagon leaders grilled over strategy to deal with regime of Bashar al-Assad.”
The Wall Street Journal reports on U.S. military and foreign policy responses to stepped-up Russian activity in Syria, including Congressional criticism of the Obama administration. The Obama administration is considering discussions with Russia on military activities Syria in what would mark a shift in approach as U.S. policy comes under growing criticism at home. * * * In a scorching […]
» Read moreRussia refuses to accept ‘restructuring’ of Ukrainian debt
The Kremlin is refusing to accept proposals by Kiev to restructure $3 billion worth of bonds and demands full payment on the debt. Experts point out that this is an economic as well as a political issue and it could become a bargaining chip in the ongoing negotiations over a bilateral gas deal. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – […]
» Read more‘Team Georgia’ graftbusters open container of worms in Odesa clean-up
(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Graham Stack in Odesa – September 21, 2015) Odesa region governor Mikheil Saakashvili wants to crack down on corruption and the shadow economy in Odesa’s ports, and with the appointment to the post of regional prosecutor of Davit Sakvarelidze he now has the power to do this. After intense lobbying in Kyiv, the former […]
» Read moreInterfax: Half of Russians back independence of South Ossetia, Abkhazia, Transdniestria
(Interfax – September 21, 2015) Half of Russians deem Abkhazia and South Ossetia to be independent states and think that these republics and Transdniestria should have formal independent status, the Levada Center has told Interfax. According to the poll of 800 respondents held in 134 populated localities in 46 regions on August 21-24, practically half (47 percent) of respondents see […]
» Read moreRussia to Ban Genetically Modified Organisms in Food Production
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – September 21, 2015) The Russian government will ban production of goods using genetically modified organisms (GMOs), Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich was quoted as saying Friday. “The question is complicated, but the decision was made: We are not going to produce any food products using genetically modified organisms,” Dvorkovich said at an agricultural forum, the […]
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