(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Graham Stack in Kyiv – April 1, 2015) The war between Ukraine’s government and the oligarchs has reached into the fragile banking system, as the central bank felt moved to reassure depositors in Privatbank, the country’s largest, after allies of President Petro Poroshenko made murder allegations regarding its owner, Ihor Kolomoisky. The National Bank […]
» Read more
(Voice of America – voanews.com – Lisa Schlein – March 31, 2015) The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported that more than 150 children have been killed and maimed by landmines and unexploded ordnance during the past year in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine. According to the United Nations, the number of people killed in eastern Ukraine […]
» Read more
A recent statement by a prominent Russian opposition figure is testament to an unpalatable truth: Crimea’s annexation is popular with Russia’s ‘liberal elite.’ (opendemocracy.net – Daniel Kennedy – March 31, 2015) Daniel Kennedy is an Associate Editor at oDR. He is an Associate at Global Partners Digital, a social purpose company working to protect and promote human rights values online Even […]
» Read more
For people in rebel-held territory, the destruction of infrastructure and a cut-off of government support along with the legal limbo created by the separatist takeover have left once-flourishing cities in dire straits. http://news.yahoo.com/russia-steps-job-losses-closures-ravage-east-ukraine-043432796.html
» Read more
[“All terrorist attacks in Ukraine coordinated by Russian special forces – Nalyvaichenko” – Interfax-Ukraine – April 1, 2015] Citing a published account by the “Den” (Day) newspaper, Interfax-Ukraine reports on declarations by the head of Ukraine’s SBU security service that Russian special forces are coordinating terrorist attacks out of headquarters in Luhansk and Donetsk. Russian special forces and their representatives have […]
» Read more
[“Russia Has Ukraine’s Economy in a Choke Hold” – Moscow Times – Josh Cohen – Mar. 31, 2015] Writing in The Moscow Times, Josh Cohen considers Russia’s impact on Ukraine’s economy, including within the context of Russia’s impact on efforts to restructure Ukraine’s debt in connect with bailout financing. … to paraphrase Clausewitz, while the Minsk II cease-fire continues to hold in […]
» Read moreJohnson’s Russia List JRL 2015-#63 :: Tuesday 31 March 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 JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: russialist.org/funding.php RUSSIA 1. Russia Direct: Yemen, Nemtsov, Ukrainian oligarchs: Top Russian news from last week. 2. TASS: Putin’s rating up more than 50% […]
» Read more
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Anna Dolgov – March 31, 2015) A report being prepared by supporters of slain opposition leader Boris Nemtsov claims that Moscow has started discharging its soldiers from the army before sending them to Ukraine and then denying compensation to the families of men who were killed in order to cover up Russia’s involvement in the […]
» Read more
KYIV. March 31 (Interfax) – A constitutional commission being formed in Ukraine will comprise of 72 members, among them 13 experts from international organizations, says President Petro Poroshenko’s decree posted on his website on Tuesday. Constitutional amendments are expected to strengthen the role of territorial communities and lift parliamentary and judicial immunity, the decree says. “I am convinced that following […]
» Read more
KYIV. March 31 (Interfax) – Boris Kolesnikov, a former MP (Party of Regions faction), has headed up Ukraine’s opposition government, an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent has reported, citing a statement made by Yuriy Boiko, the head of the parliamentary faction Opposition Bloc, at a presentation of the opposition government in Kyiv on Tuesday. He said he is confident that this government will […]
» Read more
KYIV. March 31 (Interfax) – Militia forces attacked the Ukrainian army’s positions in the south-east of Ukraine 11 times from 6:00 p.m. to midnight on March 30, the army operation press center reported on Tuesday morning. “The situation in the east of Ukraine did not change drastically overnight. The number of shelling instances on the part of illegal armed units […]
» Read more
(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Kateryna Choursina, Daryna Krasnolutska – March 31, 2015) Clashes in Ukraine’s easternmost regions abated further as the government saw fewer rebel attacks and a three-party envoy group prepared talks with pro-Russian insurgents on deescalating the yearlong conflict. Rebel “provocations” with small arms and mortars continued, though no artillery fire was recorded for several days, National Security […]
» Read more
(Interfax – Moscow, March 30, 2015) The situation in Ukraine has divided the ranks of Russian extremists and nationalists and the police are trying to prevent their participation in the armed conflict on the Ukrainian territory, Vladimir Makarov, deputy head of the Main Anti-Extremism Directorate of the Russian Interior Ministry, has said during a meeting of the Presidential Council for […]
» Read more
The former governor of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, businessman Igor Kolomoisky, appeared on the political talk show “Pravo na vladu” on 1+1 TV channel on March 26 in a sort of farewell address after his high-profile resignation. He stepped down from his post in the early hours of March 25 after a dramatic showdown with the government that saw Kolomoisky twice dispatch […]
» Read more[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List JRL 2015-#62 :: Monday 30 March 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 JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: russialist.org/funding.php RUSSIA 1. Forbes.com: Mark Adomanis, 10 Charts That […]
» Read more
(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Ben Aris in Moscow – March 27, 2015) A confusing argument has broken out over the crucial question of whether Ukraine’s $3bn worth of bonds held by Russia and due in December are “official” debt or not. The answer is important because if the bonds are “official” and Ukraine doesn’t pay them, the International […]
» Read more
(Interfax – March 29, 2015) Ukraine’s Opposition Bloc plans to form a shadow government, says a posting on the opposition party’s website. “I will be responsible for industry, new industrialization and rehabilitation of Donbas as deputy prime minister,” vice chairman of the Opposition Bloc’s parliamentary faction Oleksandr Vilkul was quoted as saying. Vilkul said that [ex-deputy prime minister] Borys Kolesnykov […]
» Read more
(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Alexei Timofeichev, RBTH – March 24, 2015) Amnesty International has released a report on the human rights situation in Crimea, timing it to coincide with the first anniversary of the peninsula’s takeover by Russia. The report speaks of abductions and torture, attacks on the media and NGOs, violations of the rights of Crimean […]
» Read more
With the Minsk II agreement stalled and EU sanctions tied to its full implementation, it is getting increasingly hard to see Moscow’s endgame in Ukraine. Minsk II contains a set of conditionalities that provided the Kremlin with non-lethal means to realize its objectives in Ukraine — a new constitutional setup that would give the Donbass republics a special status with a veto over Kiev’s policies. But this will not materialize. … http://www.themoscowtimes.com/opinion/article/what-will-the-kremlin-do-next-in-ukraine/518190.html
» Read more
Week of March 20-27 Insider and Ukrainska Pravda reconstructed six days which lead to dismissal of Ihor Kolomoisky as governor of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. Zerkalo Nedeli has reported that hot phase of the conflict has subsided due to the intervention from West and effective mediation of Boris Lozhkin. However, it seems premature to conclude that de-oligarchization process has started in Ukraine, […]
» Read more
Dmitro Yarosh, one of the Ukrainian parliament’s neo-fascists and leader of the Right Sector (RS) party and volunteer battalions, has suggested “deportation, deprivation of civil rights, etc.” for the residents of the Donbass who oppose “ukrainization” in the breakaway region. Without coercion, the next stage of “soft ukrainization,” in which “sovok” or the alleged remnants of ‘Soviet’ (read: Russian) culture […]
» Read moreJohnson’s Russia List JRL 2015-#61 :: Friday 27 March 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 JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: russialist.org/funding.php RUSSIA 1. Moscow Times: Putin Urges FSB: Harder, Faster, Stronger. 2. Kremlin.ru: Federal Security Service board meeting. 3. Business New Europe: Ben […]
» Read more
KYIV. March 27 (Interfax) – The Ukrainian State Border Service will speed up the construction of a security line along the Russian border, including Crimea, in April to fulfill Project Stina (Wall). “An active phase of engineering works on the border will resume in early April. In all, the project will take three years,” service spokesman Oleh Slobodyan said at […]
» Read more
(Business New Europe – bne.eu – bne IntelliNews – March 26, 2015) Support for Ukraine’s pro-Western government is plummeting, with nearly 70% of Ukrainians believing the country is going in the wrong direction, one year after the change of regime in Kyiv. The plunge in confidence mirrors the economic collapse in the wake of the conflict in East Ukraine and rising tensions with […]
» Read moreJohnson’s Russia List JRL 2015-#60 :: Thursday 26 March 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 JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: russialist.org/funding.php RUSSIA 1. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Brighter future beckons for Russians with Down’s syndrome. 2. Russia Beyond the Headlines: HIV is not […]
» Read more
(Voice of America – voanews.com – Adam Bailes – DEBALTSEVE, UKRAINE – March 25, 2015) Broken tanks sit on the edge of Debaltseve, remnants of retreating Ukrainian government forces. Hundreds of buildings lie in ruin. Heavy shelling and GRAD rockets pounded this strategic eastern Ukraine town for weeks as the military tried to fight off advancing Russian-backed separatists. The separatists […]
» Read more
Special status within the Ukrainian state for separatist-held territory in the east, envisioned in Minsk II agreement, is an incongruously crude attempt to undermine stability and make turmoil in Ukraine. It was Vladimir Putin’s script, accepted by the shameless Barack Obama-Angela Merkel-Francois Holland trio, even if the U.S. president was not there in person. It was their alternative to offering […]
» Read more
[“Fragile truce brings limited respite to war-weary people of eastern Ukraine: The population of eastern Ukraine faces a humanitarian crisis with an acute lack of basic amenities and mental health problems taking a heavy toll” – The Guardian – Clár Ní Chonghaile -March 25, 2015] The Guardian reports on the humanitarian impact of conflict in eastern Ukraine. Just over a month after […]
» Read more
[“Ultra-nationalist Ukrainian battalion gears up for more fighting” – Reuters – Gabriela Baczynska – March 25, 2015] Reuters reports on the conflict in Ukraine, including activities by the far-right Azov battalion in eastern Ukraine. The far-right Azov battalion, whose symbol resembles a black swastika on a yellow background, is preparing to defend the port city of Mariupol in southeastern Ukraine against a […]
» Read more[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List JRL 2015-#59 :: Wednesday 25 March 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 JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: russialist.org/funding.php 1. CNBC.com: Falkland Islands’ fears for Russia-backed invasion. […]
» Read more
[“Ukraine’s latest challenge: oligarchs with private armies; Gov. Igor Kolomoisky, who was given political power and the right to create a private army last year, last week used that power to seize the state oil company’s headquarters in Kiev” – Christian Science Monitor – Fred Weir – March 25, 2015] The Christian Science Monitor reports on developments in Ukraine surrounding billionaire […]
» Read more
(©2015 Ukrainian Magazine (Chicago) – ukrainianchi.com – Rev. Myron Panchuk, M.A. – March 24, 2015 – article also appeared at ukrainianchi.com/vladimir-putin-reincarnation-dracula/ – reprinted with permission) In August of 1991 a miracle occurred: Ukraine declared its independence. I remember the joy, the euphoria felt in our Ukrainian-American community in Chicago. People greeted each other in the streets as if it was Easter Day, and on […]
» Read more
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Ivan Nechepurenko – March 25, 2015) When the incoming Ukrainian government faced the threat of sweeping separatism in the country’s eastern regions one year ago, pugnacious billionaire Ihor Kolomoisky was the only oligarch to help. As other tycoons hovered on the fence, unsure of how the ongoing fighting between pro-Russian rebels and government troops in the country’s […]
» Read more
(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Mark Adomanis in Philadelphia – March 25, 2015) As the Soviet Union collapsed in both Russia and Ukraine, small groups of extremely clever and even more ruthless men “privatized” (or if you prefer less exalted language “stole”) all of the prize industrial assets. Virtually overnight, these formerly mid-ranking bureaucrats and functionaries became billionaires, some […]
» Read moreJohnson’s Russia List JRL 2015-#58 :: Tuesday 24 March 2015 A project of the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: russialist.org/funding.php 1. New York Review of Books: Tim Judah, Ukraine: Divided and Bitter. 2. The Kremlin Stooge: Mark Chapman, Oh Lord, Please Don’t […]
» Read more
(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, March 20, 2015) Since the Maidan, a new Kyiv poll shows, the share of Ukrainians favoring EU integration has risen from 41 percent to 47.2 percent since the Maidan, while the share of those backing integration with Moscow has fallen from 35 percent to 12.3 percent. At the same time, the portion […]
» Read moreJohnson’s Russia List JRL 2015-#57 :: Monday 23 March 2015 A project of the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: russialist.org/funding.php 1. Kyiv Post: Bernard Casey, Last chance for peace in Ukraine. 2. UNICEF: In eastern Ukraine children suffer as fighting breaks water […]
» Read more
[“Debunked: Why There Won’t Be Another Cold War. The new generation doesn’t believe in a ‘New Cold War.’” – National Interest – Matthew Rojansky, Rachel S. Salzman – March 20, 2015] Writing for The National Interest, Matthew Rojansky and Rachel S. Salzman address the status of U.S.-Russian relations and whether they could be deemed a new Cold War or turn into one. They also consider […]
» Read more
[“The Ukraine Invasion and Public Opinion” – Georgetown Journal of International Affairs – Harley Balzer – March 20, 2015] Writing in the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, Professor Harley Balzer examines various aspects of Russian involvement in the Ukraine conflict, such as Ukrainian and Russian public opinion, foreign policy considerations and the relevance of Russian public opinion to Russian policymaking. […]
» Read more
[Ukraine: Voices from the Front Line – Doctors Without Borders – doctorswithoutborders.org – March 19, 2015] Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) relates experiences of civilians encountered during MSF’s humanitarian relief efforts in war-torn Ukraine. Since May 2014, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has supported around 100 medical facilities on both sides of the front line in Ukraine with medical supplies, in […]
» Read more
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Peter Spinella – March 23, 2015) Only 7 percent of the survey’s 1,600 respondents said they personally know someone who has gone to fight in east Ukraine as a volunteer. Sixty-five percent of Russians are supportive of their countrymen who are volunteering to fight alongside the rebels of eastern Ukraine, a recent survey by state pollster […]
» Read more
(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Ben Aris in Moscow – March 19, 2015) March will be a tense month as Russia has decided to poke its finger in Nato’s eye again. Russia’s Armed Forces are holding for the first time Arctic military exercises, which kicked off on March 16 and will last through March 21. The exercises are massive. The […]
» Read more
[note from web editor: originally posted Aug. 26, 2014] DJ: On rare occasion “Russian lies” show up in a few of these sources but for the most part you are safe. All of these have appeared in JRL and have achieved a greater coherence of message than, say, Russia Direct or the Valdai Discussion Club. Apologies if your publication has […]
» Read more
Johnson’s Russia List JRL 2015-#56 :: Thursday 19 March 2015 A project of the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: russialist.org/funding.php 1. Foreign Affairs: Olena Lennon, Ukrainian Politics Abroad. How the Ukrainian Diaspora Sees the Homeland. 2. The Intercept: Marcin Mamon, THE CROSS […]
» Read more
(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Lyubov Pronina, Krystof Chamonikolas – March 17, 2015) The jockeying has begun in Ukraine’s debt restructuring talks. The government’s notes slid below 42 cents on the dollar on Tuesday as Russia said it wouldn’t budge on being paid back a $3 billion loan in full on time and the Financial Times reported Franklin Templeton won’t accept a […]
» Read more
(Interfax – Moscow, March 18, 2015) Donetsk and Luhansk say that henceforth they will not be able to find any compromise with Kiev until “yesterday’s shameful decisions by [Ukrainian President Petro] Poroshenko and Verkhovna Rada [Ukrainian parliament]” are cancelled, according to the joint statement by the leaders of the two self-proclaimed republics, Oleksandr Zakharchenko [Russian: Aleksandr Zakharchenko] and Ihor Plotnytskyy [Russian: […]
» Read more
(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Anna Kravchenko in Moscow and Nick Allen in Berlin – March 18, 2015) A year on from its whirlwind absorption by Russia, Crimea’s change of flag was on March 18 celebrated with a ‘rebranding’ and a splash of festivities across the world’s largest country. “I’d like to congratulate people in Crimea and all Russian […]
» Read more
DONETSK. March 19 (Interfax) – Thirty-five railroad bridges have been blown up in the hostilities in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). “Ukraine continues to wage a railroad war on the DPR. The Yasynuvata-Skotovata railroad is the only stretch connecting the DPR to Ukraine. It has been bombed over 30 times,” DPR Transport Minister Semyon Kuzmenko told reporters on Thursday. […]
» Read more
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Ivan Nechepurenko – March 19, 2015) With the Kremlin walls glowing crimson in the background Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin praised tens of thousands of adulating fans for their support of Russia’s annexation of Crimea one year ago. He acknowledged that issues have mounted since the annexation, but assured the cheering crowd – the size of […]
» Read more
[“Foul stench in rebel-held east Ukraine as war hits water treatment” – Reuters – Gabriela Baczynska – Donetsk, Ukraine, March 18, 2015] Reuters reports on damage to water treatment infrastructure in war-torn Ukraine. Fighting in east Ukraine has interfered with water treatment, producing a foul stench from the taps that aid workers say could bring health risks. * * * The water supply system […]
» Read more