Russia in Review - Harvard Tuesday July 28th, 2015 at 1:24 PM
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A 75-year-old employee of a research branch of Russia's Space Agency (Roskosmos) has been placed under house arrest on suspicion of passing classified data to a foreign state.
The press service of Moscow's Lefortovo district court announced on July 28 that Vladimir Lapygin faces charges of high treason in connection with an investigation that has been ongoing since May, and will be under house arrest until September 13.
Few details regarding the case, which has been categorized by the court as classified, have emerged.
Lapygin's case is one of several in recent years in which academics have been accused of disseminating sensitive information.
In April, officials in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod arrested a 66-year-old nuclear physicist, Vladimir Golubev, for allegedly divulging classified material during a scientific conference in Prague in 2013.
Golubev, a retired employee of the Federal Nuclear Center in the town of Sarov, denied wrongdoing, saying the information in his report was freely available in open sources and could not be considered classified.
Another Russian scientist, Igor Sutyagin -- who worked as an arms control and nuclear weapons expert at the Institute for U.S. and Canadian Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow -- spent almost 11 years in jail after he was detained in 1999 and accused of passing classified data to foreign nationals. He was found guilty in 2004, but was released in 2010 in exchange for the release of a group of Russian spies arrested in the United States.
Sutyagin denied any wrongdoing, saying that as a civil employee he did not have any access to classified documents. He currently resides in the United Kingdom.
In 2012, Russian physicist Valentin Danilov was released from jail after serving 11 years for spying.
Danilov was arrested in February 2001 and sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment in November 2004 for passing classified information to Chinese nationals. His sentence was shortened in 2012 and he was released that year.
Danilov maintained his innocence, also saying the information he provided came from open sources.
With reporting by TASS and Interfax
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If you believe all the talk out there lately, Vladimir Putin is not only duplicitous and hypocritical -- he's also been pretty damn busy lately. Busy cutting secret deals with the same Europeans and Americans he has been vilifying for years.
And if you believe the rumors, the Europeans and Americans have also been busy selling out Ukraine to the Russians.
Not that any of this would be unusual or particularly surprising. Cynicism, duplicity, and hypocrisy are often the reserve currencies of politics, where interests tend to trump values.
There have long been suspicions out there that the United States and Europe might give Ukraine up in exchange for Moscow's support in securing a deal to curb Iran's nuclear program.
Additionally, Washington has been seeking Moscow's backing in securing a managed, orderly, and negotiated exit for Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, which would go a long way toward ending the conflict in that country.
And over the past two weeks, speculation has intensified that some kind of quid pro quo has in fact been reached with Putin. It began in earnest on July 14 when U.S. President Barack Obama praised Moscow's role in securing a deal to curb Iran's nuclear program.
The suspicion only increased two days later, on July 16, when U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland traveled to Kyiv to persuade lawmakers to include language in amendments to the Ukrainian Constitution recognizing the special status of separatist-held areas of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.
This is something Moscow has long sought, but that Ukraine had been resisting.
And the speculation reached a fever pitch when people began connecting the last couple months' data points: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry traveled to Sochi on May 12 for talks with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin on Iran, Syria, and Ukraine; a bilateral diplomatic channel on the Ukraine conflict was subsequently opened between Nuland and Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin; Obama and Putin had two long phone conversations, on June 25 and July 15.
Moreover, in addition to the Iran deal, Moscow also appears more open to helping broker Assad's exit in Syria, The Wall Street Journal reported.
"A deal was cut without Ukraine, and at Ukraine's expense," Andrei Illarionov, a former Putin adviser turned critic, wrote in Kasparov.ru.
Likewise, political analyst Vladimir Socor wrote that "the White House has reordered its policy priorities toward working with Russia on the Middle East, correspondingly becoming more accommodating to Russia’s position on implementing the Minsk armistice in Ukraine."
A Quid Pro Quo?
It's tempting, it's elegant, and it seems to fit. But is it true?
Asked about a potential quid pro quo in Kyiv, Nuland said it was "offensive to suggest that the U.S. does tradeoffs."
Offensive or not, it's worth asking, what exactly has Russia gained? Two things, actually -- but neither really qualifies as a wholesale sellout of Kyiv.
Establishing the Nuland-Karasin diplomatic channel gives Moscow something it has always craved: a bilateral format to decide the Ukraine crisis with the United States -- one that doesn't include the Ukrainians. It's exactly the kind of great-power politics -- where big countries decide the fates of small ones -- that the Kremlin loves.
And with all the predictable echoes-of-Munich allusions, it is also horrible optics. But in and of itself, the Nuland-Karasin channel doesn't really give Moscow anything deliverable.
The second thing Moscow has gained came on July 16, when the Ukrainian parliament passed the first reading of constitutional amendments that would grant more power to the country's regions.
After intense lobbying from Nuland, the legislation included the line that: "The particulars of local government in certain districts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions are to be determined by a special law."
This was widely interpreted as giving Moscow what it really wants in Ukraine: a dysfunctional federalized state where its proxies in the separatist-held areas of Donbas will be able to paralyze decision making in Kyiv.
The United States and the European Union have been pushing Ukraine to grant greater autonomy for Donetsk and Luhansk and the legalization of separatist forces, as stipulated by the Minsk cease-fire, before Moscow and its proxies cease military operations and pull back heavy weapons.
"Western powers are increasingly pressuring Ukraine to fulfill the [Minsk agreement's] political clauses unilaterally, without seriously expecting Russian compliance with the military clauses," Socor wrote.
But the legislation that passed its first reading on July 16 doesn't actually give Moscow anything -- at least not yet.
The amendments still need to win a two-thirds majority in parliament in their final reading, far from a certainty -- especially given the mood of the Ukrainian public, which is strongly opposed to granting autonomy to the rebel-held areas and legal recognition to their leaders.
And even then, the separate law that will determine Donetsk and Luhansk's status won't be drafted and debated until the autumn.
And even then, the separate law that will determine Donetsk and Luhansk's status won't be drafted and debated until the autumn.
Moscow's Dirty Little Secret
Which effectively leaves us pretty much where we were before -- in a stalemate. Ukraine insists that Moscow fulfil the military end of the Minsk deal before it fulfils the political end; and Russia insists Kyiv deliver the political changes first.
Writing in the pro-Kremlin daily Izvestia, Russian political commentator Aleksandr Chalenko wrotethat "the Minsk process is deadlocked" and Moscow should just consider annexing the separatist-held territories.
Similarly, a recent article by defense analyst Valery Afanasyev in the influential military journal Voennoye Obozreniye argued that the rebel territories should be turned into "a second Belarus...an autocratic state completely dependent on Moscow."
This could be seen as an implicit threat to annex these territories of turn them into a protectorate. But Russia's dirty little secret is that these are the last things it wants. Who, after all, would want to be saddled with the cost of rebuilding and the hassle of administering these places?
And Russia's dirty little secret is no longer so secret. It's clear to anybody paying attention that Moscow's endgame is to embed these territories back into Ukraine as a Trojan horse. And it is desperate to cut a deal to secure this result.
"As long as Putin is in Ukraine, he is dependent on others. And this dependence can be used," Ukrainian political analyst Petr Oleshchuk wrote.
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The EU has warned of increased tensions amid claims that Russia has redrawn a section of Georgia’s border with South Ossetia. Georgia says Russian troops installed signs marking the “state border” of the breakaway region of South Ossetia further inside Georgian territory. An EU foreign policy spokesperson has said that the installation of new signposts “had led to tension in the area, with potentially negative effects on the local population, their livelihood and freedom of movement.” Mogherini’s office said in a statement: “Steps that could be perceived as provocative must be avoided. The EU reaffirms its full support for Georgia’s territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders.”
July 24, 2015
Belfer Center Programs or Projects: The US-Russia Initiative to Prevent Nuclear Terrorism
Russia in Review: a digest of useful news from U.S.-Russia Initiative to Prevent Nuclear Terrorism for July 17-24, 2015.
I. U.S. and Russian priorities for the bilateral agenda.
Nuclear security agenda:
- Two suspected terrorists arrested by the Italian police allegedly were planning an attack against the nuclear weapons base at Ghedi. The base stores 20 US B61 nuclear bombs earmarked for delivery by Italian PA-200 Tornado fighter-bombers in war. (Federation of American Scientists, 07.22.15).
Iran nuclear issues:
- Russia would like the experience of joint actions taken to find a solution to the situation with the Iranian nuclear program to be used in other crisis situations as well, Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vitaly Churkin said. (Interfax, 07.20.15).
NATO-Russia relations:
- U.S. General Mark Milley, who was nominated to be the next Army chief of staff, said he agreed with Marine Corps Commandant Joe Dunford that Russia poses the greatest threat to the United States because of its large nuclear arsenal and its "very, very aggressive" behavior since 2008. "They've attacked and invaded Georgia, they've seized the Crimea, they've attacked into the Ukraine," he told the Senate Armed Services Committee. "I would be in favor of [providing Kyiv with] lethal defensive equipment,” Miley said. (RFE/RL, 07.22.15).
- “Good morning, American pilots. We are here to greet you on your Fourth of July Independence Day." That was the message two Russian bombers delivered while flying within tens of miles of the California coast this month to the U.S. fighter jets that intercepted them, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command. Russian flights into U.S. Air Defense Identification Zone are intercepted about 10 times a year. “We’ve seen these flight profiles before,” NORAD’s Michael Kucharek said. “If a country has a military, they have to exercise their capabilities.” “I don’t think they want to fight us,” Marine General Robert Neller told the Senate Armed Services Committee Thursday. “Right now I don’t think they want to kill Americans.” (CNN, 07.23.15, Time, 07.23.15).
- One of the most important US Army units in Europe — the Stryker-equipped 2nd Cavalry Regiment — is outgunned by its Russian counterparts, Army officials say, and needs a fast-track upgrade. (Defense News, 07.23.15).
- Some 800 troops from Moldova, the U.S., Romania, Poland and Georgia are taking part in joint military exercises in Moldova, a former Soviet republic that borders Ukraine. (AP, 07.19.15).
Missile defense:
- The overall number of interceptor missiles installed onboard U.S. ships equipped with air defense systems may reach approximately 200 by 2020, Oleg Pyshny, who heads a department at the 4th Central Scientific Research Institute of the Russian Defense Ministry, has said. The strengthening of the U.S. missile defense shield poses certain threats "both to the maritime component of the Russian strategic nuclear forces and RVSN, in particular certain European position areas," he said. (Interfax, 07.21.15).
- Russia’s Ministry of Defense could send Tupolev Tu-22M3 supersonic long-range strategic bombers to Crimea as part of the Kremlin’s response to the increasing U.S. military buildup in Eastern Europe, especially the deployment of the Aegis missile defense system in Romania. (International Business Times, 07.23.15).
- US anti-missile systems will be placed in Poland despite world powers reaching an agreement on Iran’s nuclear program, John A. Heffern, US Deputy Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia, said. “The deal with Tehran doesn’t include missiles, therefore the threat remains,” Heffern said. (Russia Today, 07.22.15).
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has reacted with surprise to statements from the White House that the U.S. does not intend to curtail plans to establish anti-ballistic missile (defense systems in Europe following the historic deal agreed with Iran over Tehran’s nuclear program. (RBTH,07.21.15).
Nuclear arms control:
- No significant developments.
Counter-terrorism agenda:
- Russian authorities say security forces have killed six militants in the restive North Caucasus republic of Kabardino-Balkaria. (RFE/RL, 07.23.15).
- Russia's Federal Security Service estimates that Russian passport-holders could account for as many as 8% of IS fighters. (BBC, 07.24.15).
- Russian prosecutors will not be filing any criminal case against Varvara Karaulova, the Moscow student who may have been recruited to the Islamic State militant group. (RFE/RL, 07.23.15).
- A former Kyrgyz lawmaker suspected of supplying weapons to militants linked to the Islamic State group has been detained while attempting to fly out of the country. (RFE/RL, 07.20.15).
- Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has been transferred to a high-security prison in Colorado. (RFE/RL, 07.18.15).
Cyber security:
- New York prosecutors charged Yuri Lebedev and Anthony Murgio with running an unlicensed bitcoin exchange. Both men were arrested at their homes in Florida on Tuesday, prosecutors said. The pair allegedly operated Coin.mx which allowed customers to exchange cash for virtual currency. (Wall Street Journal, 07.21.15).
Energy exports from CIS:
- Russia's plans to drop Ukraine as a route for pumping natural gas to Europe will still leave state-run Gazprom facing about $1 billion in annual transit fees to Slovakia and Bulgaria for years to come. (Reuters, 07.16.15).
- Russian gas monopoly OAO Gazprom still aims for an amicable settlement of the European Union's antitrust case against the company, Deputy Chairman Alexander Medvedev said Thursday following a meeting with the EU's competition commissioner.(Wall Street Journal, 07.23.15).
- Gazprom has filed a lawsuit against Turkmenistan's Turkmengaz at an international arbitration court in Stockholm. Officials from the Russian gas giant said on July 24 that the lawsuit was filed over the price in a supply contract, but gave no details.(RFE/RL, 07.24.15).
- Russia's largest oil producer Rosneft has asked the government to end Gazprom's decade-long exclusive right to export pipeline gas. (Reuters, 07.23.15).
Bilateral economic ties:
- No significant developments.
Other bilateral issues:
- Senior U.S. officials have drawn up proposals to further close off credit in the West for Russia if the country does not end fighting in Eastern Ukraine. Under current sanctions, Russian companies in the US can only borrow credit for a maximum of 30 days, contrary to typical lending periods which can last years for other nationals. However, sanctions could now be escalated so that Russian companies would only be able to borrow money for a maximum of 7 days. (The Independent, 07.18.15).
- Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has said that the United States can help the peace process in Ukraine, and that he welcomes contact between Moscow and Washington on the issue. (RBTH, 07.24.15).
- The Russian government has accepted a NASA-led proposal to extend the life of the International Space Station to 2024. (Moscow Times, 07.23.15).
- Russia's space agency is planning to move training for space missions to the International Space Station to abandoned facilities in Crimea, a senior agency official said, potentially forcing the United States to send astronauts to the territory annexed by Russia last year. (Moscow Times, 07.20.15).
- The United States and Russia have introduced visa-free travel to the indigenous inhabitants of the Chukotka and Alaska. The new law came into effect on July 17. (RBTH, 07.23.15).
- The MacArthur Foundation says it has decided to close its branch office in Moscow because the new regulations make it "impossible to operate effectively" in Russia. (RFE/RL, 07.22.15).
- Russian President Vladimir Putin was of deep interest to American intelligence even when he was deputy mayor of St Petersburg in the 1990s. (The Times of London, 07.18.15).
II. Russia news.
Domestic politics, economy and energy:
- Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said he expects Russia's recession-hit economy to start growing again at the end of the year. (RFE/RL, 07.24.15).
- In nominal terms, Russia’s benchmark Micex Index has advanced 18 percent this year, 5 percentage points lower than the Shanghai Composite Index. A record drop in Russian volatility, combined with an increase in Chinese price swings, left returns adjusted for such fluctuations superior for Moscow by a factor of 1 to China’s 0.6, according to the data. That was also the best gain in the BRICS universe. (Bloomberg, 07.19.15).
- Russia is on course for its widest budget deficit in five years. (Bloomberg, 07.22.15).
- The number of Russians living on less than 9,662 rubles ($169) a month -- the official poverty line -- surged to nearly 23 million at the end of March, according to official data. That's three million more than last year. (CNN, 07.23.15).
- When adjusted for inflation, wages in Russia were in worth 14 percent less in May this year than in the same month in 2014. (Moscow Times, 07.20.15).
- The debt load of Russia’s more than 80 regions has doubled to 2.4 trillion rubles ($42 billion) in the past five years. (Bloomberg, 07.19.15).
- “We have 319 monocities, and 94 of them are classified as in crisis,” Economy Minister Alexey Ulyukayev said at a meeting led by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. “According to our estimates, the funds allocated in the budget for four years will be enough for 20-30 monocities.” (Bloomberg, 07.22.15).
- A new Russian national ratings agency will be launched next year with investment of 3 billion rubles ($52 million).The move would address longstanding gripes against the three U.S.-based ratings agencies that dominate the global market. (Moscow Times, 07.23.15).
- Hundreds of Russian scientists say companies abroad are refusing to sell them scientific equipment they need to do their work and Western publications are curtly turning down their research papers. (AP, 07.20.15).
- Since January 2014, 41 percent of Spanish nationals, 38 percent of British nationals, 36 percent of U.S. nationals and 31 percent of German nationals have left Russia. (Moscow Times, 07.20.15).
- The Russian Justice Ministry has developed a bill according to which any state’s property in Russia can be seized in proportion to the volume of Russian assets frozen in that country. (RBTH, 07.23.15).
- Russia's Justice Ministry says it has issued warnings to 12 nongovernmental organizations that the Kremlin has deemed as "foreign agents," saying the groups face "administrative liability measures" – fines severe enough to shut down almost any Russian NGO. (RFE/RL, 07.22.15).
- Since President Vladimir Putin signed a law last summer requiring Russians with dual citizenship to register with the authorities, upward of 975,000 Russians have come forward to do so. (Moscow Times, 07.22.15).
- The head of Russia's Investigative Committee has called for scrapping from the country's Constitution all mentions of adherence to international law. (Moscow Times, 07.24.15).
- The Kremlin believes that the recent interview with Mikhail Khodorkovsky, where he speculated about the Russian president’s possible successor was not worthy of comment, government spokesman Dmitry Peskov said . In the interview, Khodorkovsky said that Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev and Kremlin Chief of Staff Sergei Ivanov were considered to be potential candidates in the 2018 presidential election. (Sputnik, 07.23.15).
- Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny has accused First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov of hiding his ownership of a London apartment valued at $18 million dollars. Shuvalov's spokesman, Aleksandr Machevsky, said that the revelation is "nothing new." (RFE/RL, 07.23.15).
Defense and Aerospace:
- Three new crew members arrived in Russia's Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station Thursday, after an almost six-hour journey from Kazakhstan. (Orlando Sentinel, 07.22.15).
Security, law-enforcement and justice:
- A court in Moscow has sentenced Russian ultranationalist leader Ilya Goryachev to life in prison for organizing several high-profile killings. (RFE/RL, 07.24.15).
- The St. Petersburg prosecutor's office has approved the indictment in the case of the 1998 murder of Russian politician Galina Starovoitova, the lawyer of former member of Russia's State Duma Mikhail Glushchenko who is accused of the murder. (Tass, 07.20.15).
Foreign affairs and trade:
- Russia will supply 100 civilian aircraft Sukhoi Superjet to China over the next three years. (RBTH,07.21.15).
- The new BRICS bank has opened for business in Shanghai. (RFE/RL, 07.21.15).
- Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev sees no danger for Russia from its closer relationship with China. "There is no such threat, of course. We maintain equitable and friendly relations with China," Medvedev said. (Interfax, 07.24.15).
- Tokyo and Moscow are negotiating a visit by Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida to Russia in late August to discuss the countries' conflicting claims over a string of islands and organize a possible visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Japan by the end of 2015. (RFE/RL, 07.19.15).
- Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev reaffirmed that Russia will launch a civilian and military build-up on the Kuril Islands. "We’re restoring both the civilian and defense infrastructure of the Kurils," Medvedev said. (National Interest, 07.23.15).
- Russia says that it has introduced an alternative UN Security Council resolution that is opposed to creating a tribunal that would prosecute those responsible for shooting down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17. (RFE/RL, 07.21.15).
- Russia wants the United Nations to play a greater role in supervising an investigation into what caused the downing of the MH17 passenger plane. (RFE/RL, 07.21.15).
- Dutch flowers represent a sanitary "threat" to Russia and could be banned, the Russian agricultural safety regulator said July 21. (RFE/RL, 07.22.15).
- A group of French parliamentarians has decided to visit Crimea on their own, and this decision has no relation to Paris's official position, says Thierry Mariani, the head of the delegation of French lawmakers planning a trip to Crimea. (RBTH, 07.22.15).
- King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia might visit Russia in 2015, and Chechnya also expects visits from three delegations from the country as well, head of the Chechen republic Ramzan Kadyrov said when sharing impressions from his recent trip to Saudi Arabia on Instagram. (Interfax, 07.22.15).
- India plans to buy 48 new Russian-made Mi-17 military helicopters. (Moscow Times, 07.21.15).
Russia's neighbors:
- Russian President Vladimir Putin in a two-hour telephone meeting July 17 with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and the leaders of France and Germany, said proposed changes in Ukraine's constitution don't meet the terms of the agreement because they were made without consulting with the Russian-backed rebel leaders in eastern Ukraine. While Russia maintained the changes are not adequate, the United States and France endorsed them as a good "starting point" for carrying out the Minsk agreement. (RFE/RL, 07.18.15).
- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held separate talks via phone on July 18 with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin, Germany's Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, calling for Ukrainian forces to "to begin the demilitarization" of the southeastern village of Shyrokyne. Lavrov also reportedly called on Klimkin to "resolve questions concerning the constitutional reform project," aimed at offering more autonomy to the rebel-controlled areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. (RFE/RL, 07.19.15).
- The leaders of France, Germany, Russia, and Ukraine have agreed to accelerate the pullback of heavy weapons in east Ukraine and talk next week about holding local elections as Ukraine decentralizes its government. (RFE/RL, 07.24.15).
- Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists have reached a preliminary agreement to extend a pull-back of weapons in east Ukraine to include tanks and smaller weapons systems. (Reuters, 07.21.15).
- Three civilians and one Ukrainian soldier have been reported killed in fighting in the country’s east, the Ukrainian army said on July 18. (RFE/RL, 07.18.15).
- Since counting began on Sept. 1 last year until June 1 this year, the European monitoring mission on the Russian side of the border has recorded 20,021 men in military uniforms crossing to and from rebel-controlled eastern Ukraine. (New York Times, 07.20.15).
- Over half of all Ukrainians (56.8 percent) surveyed by the Kiev International Institute of Sociology believe the best solution to the military conflict in Donbass would be through further peace talks and a peaceful settlement on the basis of the Minsk agreements. The poll shows that 28.3 percent of the respondents believe that the territory of Donbas should be liberated by the Ukrainian army. (Interfax,07.21.15).
- Up to 6,000 supporters of Ukraine’s ultranationalist Right Sector movement gathered in central Kiev on Tuesday, calling on authorities to resign. (Russia Today, 07.21.15).
- Russian Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said that Ukrainian government officials could at some unspecified future time face an international tribunal established by the UN Security Council to try them for their role in the conflict. (Moscow Times, 07.24.15).
- Ukraine's Justice Ministry has barred Communists from running in the upcoming local elections after the passage of new legislation. (RFE/RL, 07.24.15).
- The FBI will train a small police unit in Odessa. (Russia Today, 07.24.15).
- Ukraine will ramp up the security of its nuclear installations and materials “in the face of the changed security situation caused by the ‘Russian aggression,'” the NSDC's press service said on Tuesday. (Sputnik, 07.21.15).
- Armenia's prime minister has confirmed a 10-year life extension of the country's only operating nuclear power plant and that negotiations are being held on the construction of new nuclear capacity. (World Nuclear News, 07.23.15).
- The Kyrgyz government on July 21 formally terminated a 1993 agreement on cooperation with the United States. Kyrgyzstan also said USAID will lose its privileged status in the country. The United States said on Wednesday it was disappointed by Kyrgyzstan's decision, but it would continue to provide assistance to the ex-Soviet republic despite a diplomatic row over a jailed dissident. (RFE/RL, 07.21.15, RFE/RL, 07.23.15, Reuters, 07.22.15).
- China has become Georgia's third largest source of annual foreign direct investment ($195 million in 2014) after the Netherlands and Azerbaijan, according to the Georgian economy ministry. (Eurasianet, 07.24.15).
- Georgia's defense minister called for greater integration with the European Union on Wednesday — the same day Russia's foreign ministry issued a statement denying claims that it had violated Georgian territory. (MT/Reuters, 07.23.15).
- Three pro-European parties have agreed to form a ruling coalition to produce a government to pilot Moldova toward integration with the European Union. (RFE/RL, 07.22.15).
Back issues of Russia in Review are available here. If you wish to either unsubscribe from or subscribe to Russia in Review, please e-mail Simon Saradzhyan atsimon_saradzhyan@hks.harvard.edu.
For more information about this publication please contact the The US-Russia Initiative to Prevent Nuclear Terrorism at 617-496-0518.
For Academic Citation:
"Russia in Review.", July 24, 2015.
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