Military – Page 24 – Johnson's Russia List

AUDIO JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia Denies Allegations It Paid Militants To Kill U.S. Troops As ‘Nonsense'” – NPR/ Lucian Kim

July 9, 2020 JRL Russia List Afghanistan, JRL NewsBlog, Military, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

“… The Russian Foreign Ministry said the initial … New York Times [story] demonstrated the ‘low intellectual abilities of U.S. intelligence propagandists.’ … Putin[] spokesman[] Dmitry Peskov[] called subsequent reports ‘hoaxes’ … damag[ing] the reputation of the media that publish them. Russian officials spend a lot of time refuting allegations of malfeasance, from the poisoning of a former Russian spy […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Famous ex-defence reporter arrested, accused of treason” – bne Intellinews

July 8, 2020 JRL Russia List JRL NewsBlog, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Military, Spies, Spy Allegations

“In what appears to be an escalating crackdown on Russian journalists by the Federal Security Service (FSB), famous defence reporter Ivan Safronov was arrested … and charged with treason. He faces up to 20 years in jail if convicted. The arrest is only the latest of a series of arrests and cases brought against leading Russian journalists who have simply […]

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Leave a comment FSB, Journalists, JRL NewsBlog, Media, Military, Prosecutions, Repression, Russia, Russian News, Security Services, Slider, Spies

JRL NEWSWATCH: “How Putin Views the Iranian Role in Syria: Insights from Bolton’s Memoir” – Mark N. Katz

July 7, 2020 JRL Russia List JRL NewsBlog, Military, Syria, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

“[According to Bolton’s new book] … Putin … told Bolton to convey … to Trump [that –] … Moscow did not need Iranian forces … in Syria… [and gained] no advantage [from it] …. Iran’s policy agenda … regard[ing] … Lebanon and the Shi’a were not [Russia’s] … [and] Iranian policy was causing problems …. Russia [wanted] … an Iranian […]

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Leave a comment Assad, Iran, ISIL, Islamic State, John Bolton, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Newswatch, Putin, Russia, Russian News, Slider, Syria, U.S. Military

JRL NEWSWATCH: “How Kremlin’s View of U.S.’s War in Afghanistan Has Shifted” – Wall Street Journal/ Alan Cullison

July 6, 2020 JRL Russia List Afghanistan, Military, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

File Photo of U.S. NATO Troops Atop Ridge in Afghanistan

“Deteriorating U.S.-Russian ties adversely affect a once-shared goal, leading to a U.S. intelligence assessment of bounties paid to Taliban.” “For years … the U.S. and Russia shared a goal of deposing the Taliban government and hunting down its remnants …. [T]hat … crumbled … amid mutual suspicion and U.S. plans to leave Afghanistan with the Taliban undefeated. Today… [there is] […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Intelligence officials cast doubt on Times’ Russia-Taliban bounty scheme: report” – New York Post/ Ebony Bowden

June 30, 2020 JRL Russia List Afghanistan, Assassinations, Beatings, Threats, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Spies, Spy Allegations, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

“Intelligence officials say a news report about Russia paying the Taliban to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan does not match ‘verifiable’ Taliban activity and was never presented to … Trump because it was not deemed credible. The National Security Agency reviewed the claims contained in the New York Times report but found it did ‘not match well established and verifiable […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Return to Kabul? Russian Policy in Afghanistan” – David G. Lewis/ George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies

June 30, 2020 JRL Russia List Afghanistan, Central Asia, History, Soviet Union, JRL NewsBlog, Military, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

“… Moscow has publicly supported the current U.S.-Taliban peace talks … [yet] has a very different perspective from the U.S. … influenced by geography and history. Russia’s current strategic posture is informed by a long history of relations with Afghanistan and above all … the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan in 1979, a strategic and military failure … still fresh in […]

Russia and the West

June 29, 2020 JRL Russia List Europe, EU, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Military, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Russia & the West, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

From: David C. Speedie <davidcspeedie@gmail.com> Date: Sun, Jun 28, 2020 Subject: Russia and the West To: <letters.editor@ft.com> (Financial Times) Philip Stephens [“Russia cannot afford a war with the west”, 26 June] contains some home truths about Russia under Vladimir Putin, but comes significantly short of the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. To focus on but a few illustrations: […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia’s New Nuclear Doctrine: Don’t Mess With Us – But Let’s Talk” – World Politics Review/ Richard Weitz

June 23, 2020 JRL Russia List Europe, EU, JRL NewsBlog, Military, NATO, Nuclear, Missile Defense, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

“… Why did Russia decide to publish its deterrence policy now? In part, it could be to dispel alleged Western misperceptions about when Russia might use nuclear weapons, specifically the Pentagon’s assessment that Moscow would threaten to use nuclear weapons – or actually do so – to intimidate an adversary into yielding in a major crisis. Previously referred to […]

Kremlin Denies Eyeing Territorial Claims After Putin’s Comments In Documentary

June 23, 2020 JRL Russia List Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, History, Soviet Union, Military, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

Map of Commonwealth of Independent States, European Portion

The Kremlin has denied it has any territorial claims on former Soviet republics after … Putin appeared to question the redrawn borders of Russia after the breakup of the Soviet Union […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Putin heightens the strategic role of the Northern Fleet” – Barents Observer/ Thomas Nilsen

June 11, 2020 JRL Russia List Arctic, JRL NewsBlog, Military

File Photo of Russian naval vessel on Arctic Ocean

“In an early June decree, President Vladimir Putin de facto equals the Northern Fleet with a military district” “… [Starting in] 2021, the Northern Fleet will have the same status as Russia’s four other military districts … the Western, Southern, Central and Eastern. … [T]he Republic of Komi, Arkhangelsk Oblast, Murmansk Oblast and the Nenets Autonomous Okrug will be part […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Pentagon announces $250 million in security assistance to Ukraine” – CNN/ Ryan Browne

June 11, 2020 JRL Russia List Arms Trade, Military Aid, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

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

“… ‘[DOD] announced … plans for $250 million in Fiscal Year 2020 Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) funds for additional training, equipment, and advisory efforts to strengthen Ukraine’s capacity to more effectively defend itself against Russian aggression,’ the Pentagon said in a statement …. the ‘funds — $125 million of which was conditional on Ukraine’s progress on defense reforms — […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia’s new nuclear policy could be a path to arms control treaties” – Defense News/ Sarah Bidgood

June 10, 2020 JRL Russia List JRL NewsBlog, Military, Nuclear, Missile Defense, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

… the U.S. and Russia have traditionally been able to work together to mitigate mutual threats even when their bilateral relationship is in crisis […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “U.S., Russia to Start Nuclear Arms Control Talks This Month” – AP

June 9, 2020 JRL Russia List China, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Nuclear, Missile Defense, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

“The U.S. and Russia have agreed to start arms control talks this month as the only remaining treaty between the two largest nuclear powers is poised to expire in less than a year … Russia has offered to extend the New [START] Treaty … expir[ing] in February, but Trump wants to see a three-way nuclear arms treaty that includes China. […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Putin’s Global Ambitions Are Upended by Coronavirus’s Heavy Toll in Russia” – Wall Street Journal/ Yaroslav Trofimov, Thomas Grove

June 8, 2020 JRL Russia List Coronavirus, Covid-19 Pandemic, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Health, Epidemics, Substance Abuse, JRL NewsBlog, Military, NATO, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

Russian president’s efforts to showcase the country’s strength abroad backfired amid virus troubles at home […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “A brazen foray into the Barents yields predictable Cold War-type friction” – Responsible Statecraft/ Lyle J. Goldstein

June 5, 2020 JRL Russia List JRL NewsBlog, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Military, NATO, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

File Photo of U.S. Naval Ships in Joint Exercises with UK in Barents Sea, adapted from defense.gov image with photo credit to U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Anthony Nichols

” … [M]ilitary escalations in the High North need more attention … [not] the [U.S.] media focus … on … Russian trolls, social media influence peddlers, spies, and various ‘useful idiots.’ … [W]hen the New York Times … seemingly … tr[ied] to investigate what might actually be going on under the … waters of the Barents and off the Norwegian […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia’s New Nuclear Deterrent Policy Allows Nuclear Strikes Against Non-Nuclear Threats” – AP

June 4, 2020 JRL Russia List JRL NewsBlog, Military, Nuclear, Missile Defense, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

“… Putin … endorsed Russia’s nuclear deterrent policy which allows him to use atomic weapons in response to a conventional strike targeting … critical government and military infrastructure. … including a non-nuclear attack as a possible trigger for Russian nuclear retaliation … The new expanded wording reflects Russian concerns about the development of prospective weapons that could give Washington the […]

RUSSIALINK: “Russia publishes list of key dangers due to which nuclear deterrence may be used” – Interfax

June 2, 2020 JRL Russia List Military, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

MOSCOW. June 2 (Interfax) – Russia may employ its nuclear deterrence capabilities in case of threats of aggression against it resulting from certain actions by potential adversaries, according to the fundamentals of Russia’s state nuclear deterrence policy, which were endorsed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday. The presidential decree lists the key dangers which, depending on changes in the […]

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RUSSIALINK: “Russia Says Only ‘Coronavirus Immune’ Troops Will March at Victory Day Parade” – Moscow Times

June 2, 2020 JRL Russia List Coronavirus, Covid-19 Pandemic, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Health, Epidemics, Substance Abuse, Military, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – June 2, 2020) The Russian military will march asymptomatic troops and those who have developed immunity to coronavirus at its landmark parade marking the 75th anniversary of the Soviet victory in World War II later this month, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday. President Vladimir Putin ordered the military to hold the previously postponed Victory […]

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Leave a comment Coronavirus, Covid-19, Epidemics, Government, Health, Military, Politics, Public Health, Russia, Russian News, Slider

Interview: Russia And Turkey Kick A ‘Wasp’s Nest’ In Libya

June 1, 2020 JRL Russia List Middle East, North Africa, Military, Syria, Turkey

File Photo of Ancient Roman Arch in Libya Framing Minaret and Palm Trees, adapted from image at cia.gov

Russia and Turkey seem to be on the brink of a serious confrontation in Libya, while simultaneously supporting opposing sides in the civil war in Syria. […]

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Leave a comment Khalifa Haftar, Libya, Middle East, Military, North Africa, Russia, Russian News, Slider, Syria, Turkey

RUSSIALINK: “NATO holds first post-Cold War exercise in Barents Sea – Russian Defense Ministry” – Interfax

June 1, 2020 JRL Russia List Arctic, Military, NATO, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

NATO has stepped up military activity in the Arctic and has begun practicing intercepting Russian ballistic missiles in this area, head of the Russian General Staff’s Main Operative Directorate Sergei Rudskoi said […]

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RUSSIALINK: “Russia Is a ‘Distinct Civilization,’ Putin Says” – Moscow Times

May 18, 2020 JRL Russia List Health, Epidemics, Substance Abuse, Military, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Science, Technology, Engineering

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – May 18, 2020) Russia is a distinct civilization that must be protected through genetics and other advanced technologies, President Vladimir Putin said in an interview that aired Sunday. Putin told state television that “it would be impossible to secure the future of our civilization” without artificial intelligence, genetics and unmanned vehicles, as well as hypersonic […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Moscow’s War in Syria” – CSIS

May 15, 2020 JRL Russia List Middle East, North Africa, Military, Syria

“… Russia’s military and diplomatic campaign in Syria [has been] the largest and most significant Russian out-of-area operation since the end of the Cold War. … and will shape [Russia’s] military thinking, influence promotion and personnel decisions, impact research and development for its arms industry, and expand its influence …. [D]espite the importance of Russia’s involvement in Syria – especially […]

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Leave a comment JRL NewsBlog, Middle East, Military, Newswatch, Russia, Russian News, Slider, Syria, U.S.-Russian Relations

Arms Control in the COVID-19 Era: No Next Step without New START

May 9, 2020 JRL Russia List Military, Nuclear, Missile Defense, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

… another urgent existential threat is quietly growing in the background: the steady termination of nuclear arms control treaties between the United States and the Russian Federation and the absence of new arms control negotiations. ..

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Poll: Majority of Young Russians Distrust NATO, Don’t Consider Russia a European Country

May 6, 2020 JRL Russia List Europe, EU, Military, NATO, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org – Thomas Schaffner, Angelina Flood – May 5, 2020) A majority of young Russians distrust NATO more than any other organization and disagree that Russia is a European country, according to a recent poll conducted by Russia’s independent Levada Center and Germany’s Friedrich Ebert Foundation. These organizations’ research on the opinions of Russia’s “Generation Z” (aged […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “New evidence reinforces the suspicion that Russia was behind the downed MH17 plane” – Washington Post Editorial

May 5, 2020 JRL Russia List Assassinations, Beatings, Threats, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Terrorism, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

Ukraine Air Crash Scene with Uniformed Security Personnel, Flames, Smoke

…. The findings suggest … Putin’s regime was overseeing the separatists at the time the Russian missile was fired at the airliner. …

U.S.-Russia Deconflicting 75 Years Ago: Flares and Friendly Fire at the Elbe

May 3, 2020 JRL Russia List History, Soviet Union, Military, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

File Photo of American Soldier Meeting Soviet Soldiers in Berlin in 1945, adapted from image at army.mil

… 75 years ago, U.S. and Soviet forces linked up on the Elbe River in Germany at the end of the European phase of World War II. The anniversary prompted current leaders of the U.S. and Russia to transcend … frosty relations … and issue a rare joint declaration ….

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “With the World Distracted by Coronavirus, Hopes for Peace in Ukraine Are Dimming” – Wall Street Journal/ Ann M. Simmons

May 1, 2020 JRL Russia List JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

“Sound of gunfire and shelling has become part of everyday life in the city of Mariupol as hopes fade for an end to the war.” “… in eastern Ukraine … hopes for an end to the long-running war between Russian-backed separatists and Kyiv have faded since this winter’s tentative detente between … Putin and … Zelensky. … The conflict has […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Putin Has a Syria ‘Headache’ and the Kremlin’s Blaming Assad” – Bloomberg/ Henry Meyer, Ilya Arkhipov

April 28, 2020 JRL Russia List JRL NewsBlog, Middle East, North Africa, Military, Syria

“… Putin is … impatien[t] … with Syrian ally Bashar al-Assad, who isn’t … [sufficiently] grateful for being kept in power by Russian intervention …. Consumed … by … twin shocks of collapsing oil prices and the coronavirus epidemic … eager to wrap up his Syrian military adventure by declaring victory, Putin is insisting that Assad show more flexibility in […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia Is Testing US Military for Weaknesses Amid Pandemic, General Says” – Military.com/ Gina Harkins

April 24, 2020 JRL Russia List Coronavirus, Covid-19 Pandemic, Health, Epidemics, Substance Abuse, JRL NewsBlog, Military, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

File Photo of F-22 Fighter and Ground Crew

“Russia is testing whether the U.S. military has developed any weaknesses during the novel coronavirus crisis, a top general said, noting three run-ins with that country’s planes over a two-month period. ‘We just want to make it very clear to them … there are no vulnerabilities as a result of COVID-19,’ Air Force Gen. Terrence J. O’Shaughnessy, head of U.S. […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “NATO enlargement: evaluating its consequences in Russia” – International Politics/ Kimberly Marten

April 21, 2020 JRL Russia List Europe, EU, JRL NewsBlog, Military, NATO, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

“… There is no question that Russia – its leaders, expert analysts, and public – reacted negatively to NATO enlargement right from the start. … But …. Russia’s unhappiness is overdetermined, and there is no evidence that if NATO enlargement had been avoided, delayed, or altered (while nothing else changed), that Russia could have been reconciled to the idea of […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “U.S. should revive Lend-Lease to contain Russia” – Atlantic Council/ Stephen Blank

March 3, 2020 JRL Russia List Europe, EU, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Poland, Romania, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

“… Moscow’s hybrid war against the Western world continues unabated. … There are many advantages to a modern-day revival of the Lend-Lease concept. Firstly, it materially strengthens Ukraine by demonstrating growing U.S. support …. Secondly, this plan would help increase allied security and capabilities in threatened areas such as Romania in the Black Sea region and Poland in the north. […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Memory wipe: Vladimir Putin wants to rehabilitate Stalin’s pact with Hitler; Russia’s latest disinformation campaign is aimed at Poland and the EU” – The Economist

January 24, 2020 JRL Russia List Europe, EU, History, Soviet Union, Human Rights, Military, Poland, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

File Photo of Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler Riding in Convertible

“… Antipathy between Poland and Russia is ancient. But … Putin has fanned the flames by launching one of the biggest propaganda offensives of his 20-year hold on power …. This time he tried to upend the entire history of Soviet aggression towards eastern Europe. A key moment … August 1939, when Hitler and Stalin signed a non-aggression pact and […]

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RUSSIALINK: “Mechanism for settling incidents between Russian, U.S. militaries in Syria working without failures – Russian military expert” – Interfax

January 24, 2020 JRL Russia List Military, Syria, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

MOSCOW. Jan 23 (Interfax) – Moscow and Washington have achieved a practically ideal level of interaction in preventing clashes between the Russian and United States militaries on the Syrian territory, Vladimir Batyuk, the head of the Center for Military and Political Studies of the Institute of U.S. and Canadian Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said. “Incidents can be […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia Reaffirms Its Global Ambitions After Political Transition” – Wall Street Journal/ Thomas Grove

January 18, 2020 JRL Russia List Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

“Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticizes the West’s ‘aggressive stance’ on the world stage” “… Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov … said the Kremlin would continue work to boost Russia’s global influence, while countering the U.S. and Europe. Russia’s growing sway on the world stage has reinvigorated Russians’ patriotism and contributed to the backbone of support for … Putin at home, even […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “NATO Outmaneuvers Russia in Balkans” – Wall Street Journal/ James Marson

January 10, 2020 JRL Russia List Balkans, Military, NATO

Albanian Air Base Gets NATO Upgrade as Alliance Plays to Its Strengths in Balkans. Graveyard of obsolete MiGs to become refueling station for NATO planes projecting power eastward. “[NATO] is spending €50 million ($56 million) to upgrade the six-decade-old base [in Kucova, Albania], further cementing its foothold … The alliance also aims to project power from here into the Mediterranean […]

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RUSSIALINK: “Common interests should prevail in Russian-NATO relations – Putin” – Interfax

December 3, 2019 JRL Russia List Military, NATO, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

BOCHAROV RUCHEI, Sochi. Dec 3 (Interfax) – Russia stands ready for cooperation with NATO and expects that common security interests will prevail in its dialogue with the alliance, Russian President Vladimir Putin said. “London is hosting a NATO summit marking the 70th anniversary of the alliance’s foundation right now, on December 3-4,” Putin said, opening a regular conference on defense […]

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Leave a comment Europe, Military, NATO, Putin, Russia, Russia and the West, Russian News, Slider, U.S.-Russian Relations

RUSSIALINK: “Kremlin wants to ‘understand’ Ukrainian leader’s approach to conflict settlement” – Interfax

December 2, 2019 JRL Russia List Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

(Interfax – Dec. 1, 2019) Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman has said that the expected meeting between Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in Paris would be “very useful” for understanding the Ukrainian leader’s vision for the implementation of the east Ukraine conflict settlement plan known as the Minsk accords. The meeting will “certainly be very useful because we […]

RUSSIALINK: “Putin urges Interior Ministry employees to thwart toughly any attempts to split Russian society” – Interfax

November 11, 2019 JRL Russia List Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Military, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

MOSCOW. Nov 10 (Interfax) – Employees of the Russian Interior Ministry must counter resolutely the corruption and other crimes, fight strongly terrorism and extremism, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a festive concert on the occasion of the Day of the Employee of the Russian Internal Affairs Bodies on Sunday. “Today, the bodies of internal affairs, each of their employees […]

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Forget U.S.-Russian Friendship: Let’s Foster ‘Predictable Competition’ [re: George Beebe]

October 18, 2019 JRL Russia List Military, Nuclear, Missile Defense, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

Vladirmir Putin and Donald Trump Sitting in Chairs with Flags Behind, adapted from image at whitehouse.gov

(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org – Thomas Schaffner – Oct. 16, 2019) The U.S. and Russia have reduced their nuclear arsenals by about 70 and 80 percent, respectively, since the peak of the Cold War, according to the Federation of American Scientists, and the two countries remain committed to bilateral and multilateral documents meant to prevent either intentional or accidental war […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “12 Hours. 4 Syrian Hospitals Bombed. One Culprit: Russia.” – New York Times

October 16, 2019 JRL Russia List Military, Syria

The Russians saved Bashar al-Assad’s government. A trove of Russian Air Force recordings obtained by The Times shows how bombing Syrian hospitals helped them do it. “The Russian Air Force has repeatedly bombed hospitals in Syria in order to crush the last pockets of resistance to President Bashar al-Assad, according to an investigation by The New York Times. An analysis […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Is Russia Winning the Ukraine Scandal?” – Council on Foreign Relations/ Stephen Sestanovich

October 9, 2019 JRL Russia List JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

File Photo of Zelenskiy Extending Handshake, adapted from image at a subdomain of senate.gov

“U.S. military and economic support for Ukraine has so far weathered the widening impeachment inquiry into … Trump’s contacts with Kyiv. This backing could strengthen Ukraine in the next round of diplomacy with Russia. … Trump’s suspension of military aid to Kyiv was opposed both within his own administration and by Congress, and the move was reversed even before details […]

Kremlin Sees Role For U.S. In Helping Resolve Conflict With Ukraine

October 8, 2019 JRL Russia List Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

(Article text ©2019 RFE/RL, Inc., Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – rferl.org – Oct. 8, 2019 – article text also appeared at rferl.org/a/kremlin-sees-role-for-u-s-in-helping-resolve-conflict-with-ukraine/30205596.html) The Kremlin says the United States could play a role in helping resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict given Washington’s influence in Kyiv. “The U.S. can undeniably use the influence it has over Kyiv to make Ukraine fulfill its Minsk […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Kremlin Rejects Idea of U.S. Role in Ukraine Conflict Talks” – Reuters

October 8, 2019 JRL Russia List JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

Dmitry Peskov file photo adapted from image at kremlin.ru/wikimedia commons

“Russia … rejected the idea of involving the United States in talks to help resolve the conflict between the Kiev government and pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine’s east. Kremlin spokesman … Peskov said there was no support for the idea of Washington joining the Normandy Format talks … involv[ing] Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France. … Peskov did say … that the […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine-Russia Prisoner Swap: Necessary, Not Sufficient” – International Crisis Group

September 12, 2019 JRL Russia List JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

“… Moscow released 35 Ukrainian citizens. … includ[ing] four Crimeans arrested shortly after Russia’s … takeover of the peninsula, along with 24 sailors … Russian security forces apprehended [on] the Black Sea …. Russian courts had charged them with crimes including terrorism, espionage, conspiracy to violate state borders, and, most bizarrely, killing Russian troops in Chechnya in the mid-1990s. Human […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “The unraveling of Vladimir Putin” – Joseph Dresen/ The Hill

September 10, 2019 JRL Russia List Environment, Health, Epidemics, Substance Abuse, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Nuclear, Missile Defense, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

“… as tens of thousands of protesters once again took to the streets in Moscow to protest upcoming municipal elections, Russian state television showed a smiling … Putin riding with … [a] motorcycle club in Crimea. … a typical scene … the president doing tough guy stuff at the location of his most popular act of [the] annexation of Crimea. […]

After Ukraine-Russia Prisoner Swap, Can Zelenskiy Capitalize On Momentum?

September 9, 2019 JRL Russia List Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

(Article text ©2019 RFE/RL, Inc., Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – rferl.org – Christopher Miller- KYIV, Sept. 7, 2019 – article text also appeared at rferl.org/a/after-ukraine-russia-prisoner-swap-can-zelenskiy-capitalize-on-momentum-/30151851.html) “Our guys are home.” As those words were shared by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on September 7, the Ukrainian nation simultaneously celebrated and breathed a collective sigh of relief upon learning that 35 of their compatriots […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Trump slow-walks Ukraine military aid meant to contain Russia” – Politico/ Caitlin Emma, Connor O’Brien

August 29, 2019 JRL Russia List JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

“The Trump administration is slow-walking $250 million in military assistance to Ukraine, annoying lawmakers and advocates who argue the funding is critical to keeping Russia at bay. … Trump asked his national security team to review … the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative … to ensure the money is being used in the best interest of the United States, a senior […]

Molotov-Ribbentrop What? Do Russians Know Of Key World War II Pact?

August 23, 2019 JRL Russia List History, Soviet Union, Military, Poland, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

(Article text ©2019 RFE/RL, Inc., Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – rferl.org – Tony Wesolowsky, Matthew Luxmoore – August 22, 2019 – article text also appeared at rferl.org/a/molotov-ribbentrop-what-do-russians-know-of-key-wwii-pact/30123950.html) It’s an anniversary few in the Kremlin, or elsewhere in Russia for that matter, are keen to talk about — let alone remember in some way. Eighty years ago, on August 23, 1939, […]

RUSSIALINK: “Russia Says It Won’t Share Rocket Explosion Data as Suspicions Swirl” – Moscow Times

August 20, 2019 JRL Russia List Environment, Military, Nuclear, Missile Defense

Montage of Radioactivity Symbol and Russian Map with Russian Flag, adapted from images at .gov sites

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – August 20, 2019) Russia told an international organization set up to verify a ban on nuclear tests that a military testing accident in northern Russia earlier this month was none of its business and that handing it radiation data was entirely voluntary. Russia has acknowledged that five nuclear workers were killed in the explosion on […]

U.S. Special Envoy To Ukraine Says Russian Propaganda Hindering Peace Efforts

August 16, 2019 JRL Russia List Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

File Photo of Kurt Volker and W. Bruce Weinrod, adapted from image at defense.gov with photo credit to Senior Airman Nathan Lipscomb

(Article text ©2019 RFE/RL, Inc., Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – rferl.org – WASHINGTON, Aug. 16, 2019 – article text also appeared at rferl.org/a/u-s-special-envoy-to-ukraine-says-russian-propaganda-hindering-peace-efforts/30112993.html) The U.S. special peace envoy to Ukraine, Kurt Volker, says Russian propaganda is making it a challenge to solve the conflict in the east of the country. Speaking to RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service in Washington, Volker said Moscow’s […]

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