Category: Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

“Russian presidents could be made immune from criminal prosecution once they leave office under proposed constitutional reforms …. The proposal, made by a parliamentary working group, comes after … Putin … announced sweeping reforms to the political system that would shift some powers away from the presidency. Putin’s initiatives, … followed by a government shake-up, are widely seen as a […]

(Article text ©2020 RFE/RL, Inc., Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – rferl.org – Matthew Luxmoore – MOSCOW, February 17, 2020 – article text also appeared at rferl.org/a/ahead-of-2021-vote-critics-say-kremlin-is-curating-a-new-crop-of-spoiler-parties/30438895.html) On February 1, best-selling author Zakhar Prilepin sat on a stage strapped to a lie detector, its readings projected onto a large screen above his head. The stunt headlined the launch of Prilepin’s new […]

(Article text ©2020 RFE/RL, Inc., Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – rferl.org – January 24, 2020 – article text also appeared at rferl.org/a/russian-activists-launch-public-campaign-against-putin-s-constitutional-coup-/30395186.html) A group of more than 30 activists, public figures and local Moscow politicians have created an online “manifesto” urging Russian citizens to resist President Vladimir Putin’s proposed constitutional amendments. Novaya Gazeta, which published the document late on January […]

Subject: Shake-up in the Kremlin? Putin Selects a New Leader? Date: Fri, 24 Jan 2020 From: Sharon Tennison <sharon@ccisf.org> Shake-up in the Kremlin? Putin Selects a New Leader? By Sharon Tennison Center for Citizen Initiatives I’ve had numerous emails since Putin’s moves to change Russia’s constitution have become public. Like the rest of you, I have no insider track; however, […]

(opendemocracy.net – Ilya Matveev – January 22, 2020) Ilya Matveev is a researcher and lecturer based in St Petersburg, Russia. He is a founding editor of the online publication Openleft.ru and a member of the research group Public Sociology Laboratory. Recent years have shown that the Russian authorities are most comfortable operating in the regime of “special operations” – whether […]

(Article text ©2020 RFE/RL, Inc., Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – rferl.org – Matthew Luxmoore, Mike Eckel – MOSCOW, January 21, 2020 – article text also appeared at rferl.org/a/the-kremlin-releases-constitutional-amendments-but-what-do-they-mean-for-russia-and-putin-s-future-/30389828.html) Last week, President Vladimir Putin sent Russia’s political elite reeling when he abruptly called for a raft of constitutional changes. Hours later, he oversaw the resignation of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and […]

(Kennan Institute – wilsoncenter.org/program/kennan-institute – William Pomeranz – January 16, 2020) William Pomeranz is the Deputy Director of the Wilson Center’s Kennan Institute President Vladimir Putin’s January 15, 2020, annual state of the nation address put forward a burst of proposed constitutional changes. The reforms included rebalancing of the 1993 constitution’s division of powers, expanding the power vertical, and limiting […]

MOSCOW. Jan 21 (Interfax) – Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has declined to comment on media reports that former prime minister Dmitry Medvedev proposed his own draft for constitutional reform, which envisaged a merger between the presidency and the executive authorities, to the president in December. “I am unaware of the sources of these reports, so I cannot tell you anything,” […]

“… Putin has submitted to Parliament …. constitutional amendments widely seen as an attempt to secure his grip on power well after his current term ends in 2024. … first presented … in his state-of-the-nation address … arguing they are intended to bolster the role of Parliament and strengthen democracy. Kremlin critics have argued that they are intended to allow […]

Other opposition figures are planning a Feb. 29 march against the president’s proposed reforms that could keep him in power past 2024. (Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Evan Gershkovich – January 20, 2020) There was deathly silence from Russia’s most prominent opposition politician for days after President Vladimir Putin sent shockwaves through the establishment last Wednesday by proposing a clutch […]

“Mikhail Mishustin never had any political ambitions as a career bureaucrat and his name didn’t came up as a top candidate to become Russia’s next prime minister. But the 53-year-old … longtime chief of Russia’s tax service, was tapped for the post by … Putin. Putin put Mishustin’s candidacy forward … several hours after … Medvedev resigned along with the […]

“Putin has now set out the road map for the transition he wants Russia to make in 2024 … a picture of continuity, in which Putin can still keep a pivotal role …. Planned changes to the constitution will limit the power of the Russian presidency and also mean that Putin himself will not be eligible to run for president […]

(Article text ©2020 RFE/RL, Inc., Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – rferl.org – Mike Eckel – January 16, 2020 – article text also appeared at rferl.org/a/in-putin-speech-glimpses-of-a-new-model-for-russia-isolation-/30381717.html) Midway through the bombshell speech that Russia analysts were already combing for clues to President Vladimir Putin’s political future, he took a small victory lap. Putin touted his accomplishments in stabilizing the country after the […]

“… Medvedev, Russia’s prime minister, resigned … in a dramatic move that he said was aimed at smoothing the way for … Putin to introduce sweeping changes to the constitution. … Medvedev, 54, also said that his entire cabinet was stepping down. His televised announcement … came as a surprise … made shortly after … Putin, 67, … called for […]

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 15, 2020) Putin discussed Russia’s demographic crisis, the poverty level and his vision for the Russian government after he leaves office.Kremlin.ru President Vladimir Putin turned an eye toward Russia’s domestic affairs in his annual state-of-the-nation speech Wednesday, outlining proposals for fixing the country’s political, economic and social problems. Addressing both houses of parliament, the […]

(Kremlin.ru – January 15, 2020 – en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/62582) [Russian text with video: kremlin.ru/events/president/news/62582] About 1,300 people have been invited to attend the ceremony, including members of the Federation Council, State Duma deputies, members of the Government, the heads of the Constitutional and Supreme courts, regional governors, speakers of regional legislatures, the heads of traditional religious denominations, public activists, the heads of […]

(Article text ©2020 RFE/RL, Inc., Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – rferl.org – Lilya Palveleva, Robert Coalson – MOSCOW, January 12, 2020 – article text also appeared at rferl.org/a/russia-demographic-data-dip-as-small-1990s-generation-comes-of-age/30373049.html) Russia’s demographic turbulence, which stretched the length of the last century, is continuing into the third decade of this one. The government’s statistics agency, Rosstat, released figures in December showing a natural […]

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, January 7, 2020) The rising tide of protests in Russia’s regions and republics has prompted some in Moscow and the West to predict that the heads of regions will behave much as their predecessors did in the 1990s and seek to exploit such demonstrations to boost their authority relative to Moscow. That […]

(Article text ©2020 RFE/RL, Inc., Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – rferl.org – RFE/RL Analysis – Todd Prince – January 4, 2020 – article text also appeared at rferl.org/a/analysis-a-beneficiary-of-the-u-s–iran-crisis-could-well-be-russia/30360014.html) Senior Russian officials have publicly condemned the U.S. killing of Iran’s most powerful military commander, joining foreign leaders in warning that it will lead to an escalation of tensions in the already […]

To inquire about a subscription to the full Johnson’s Russia List e-mail newsletter, e-mail David Johnson at davidjohnson@starpower.net Support the JRL: russialist.org/funding.php Donate Online: click here for direct link at GWU [check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2020-#1 :: Thursday, 1 January 2020 A project sponsored through […]

(Article text ©2019 RFE/RL, Inc., Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – rferl.org – Michael Scollon – Dec. 28, 2019 – article text also appeared at rferl.org/a/russia-rubs-its-hands-at-the-prospect-of-profit-from-climate-change/30348840.html) When it wasn’t burning, Siberia was flooding. The permafrost in the Far North continued to melt, and the Arctic ice kept breaking up. But as a year that underscored the troubles in store for Russia […]

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, December 28, 2019) Twenty years after Yeltsin handed him the Russian presidency, Vladimir Putin has achieved remarkable success both by luck – he arrived when the oil boom was coming on line and is up against less than the first string of rulers in the West – and by being the first […]

“Twenty years ago, on December 31, 1999, Vladimir Putin became the acting president of Russia. Now serving his fourth term in office, Putin is dealing with a struggling economy, tough Western sanctions, unpopular government reforms, and a drop in his approval rating.  Let’s take a look at how Russia was doing when Putin took charge and how it’s faring today. […]

Subject: Re: JRL 2020 #1 – Washington Times editorial Date: Sun, 5 Jan 2020 From: William Dunkerley<wd@publishinghelp.com> Washington Times Flimflams Readers on Putin’s “Disastrous” Reign By Willliam Dunkerley JRL 2020 #1 highlights a Washington Times editorial: “Vladimir Putin’s 20-year reign.” The editorial asserts among other things that in the year 2000, at the dawn of the Putin era, the Russian […]

(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org – Thomas Schaffner – December 24, 2019) Thomas Schaffner is a student web assistant with Russia Matters and a graduate of American University. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author[s]. Twenty years ago this month, resigning Russian President Boris Yeltsin tapped Vladimir Putin to be his successor. Unlike Yeltsin, who’d been […]

We talk to five political analysts about how Russian authorities will attempt to maintain stability next year. (Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Evan Gershkovich – December 23, 2019) The year in domestic affairs came to a close just like the year before: with a surprise protest in Russia’s far north, hundreds of kilometers away from the country’s beating political heart […]

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, December 12, 2019) Discussing Russia’s future, including its possible transformation into a federation or confederation or even disintegration, is useful, Pavel Luzin says; but only if those taking part in it are open to considering multiple possibilities. Otherwise, any suggestion, such as radical decentralization of disintegration may only frighten people. The recent […]