The U.S. and Global Security Review - Blog by Michael Novakhov

New York Daily News

Russia's Red Army Choir adds 'Happy' to its repertoire
New York Daily News
Quirky covers of Pharrell William's "Happy" are far from over. Russia's Red Army Choir recently uploaded a music video cover of the gleeful, yet catchy tune on YouTube. The choir, which has been around for 76 years, has performed other pop songs like ...

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Page 2

US Defends Cuba Policy in Wake of Dissident Arrestsby webdesk@voanews.com (Bill Rodgers)
Tuesday January 6th, 2015 at 11:18 AM

Cuban dissidents say last week’s detention of activists by Cuban authorities demonstrates what they call the fallacy of U.S. President Barack Obama’s recent decision to re-establish diplomatic relations with the communist nation and relax some restrictions on travel and trade. The Obama administration maintains its new policy eventually will help bring change to Cuba. Cuba’s “Ladies in White” are demanding the release of political prisoners and improved human rights. But they don’t believe the U.S. president's opening to Havana will bring freedom, says leader Berta Soler. “Obama thought this would favor the Cuban people, but that’s not the case," she said. "Everything that comes out of this renewal of ties will benefit the Cuban government and not the Cuban people.” Dissidents say the arrest of Cuban performance artist Tania Bruguera last week is an example of the continuing repression. Bruguera - and some 50 others - were detained for planning an event in Havana’s Revolution Square to push for freedom of expression. Authorities later released her and some of the other activists. Washington condemned the detentions. But State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki was pressed Monday to defend the new U.S. policy. "One of the reasons why we moved forward with the change in policy is because we want to empower Cuban citizens to give them greater ability to promote positive change going forward," she said. "And a critical focus of our announced actions include continued strong focus on improved human rights conditions, of which we know that the situation in Cuba remains poor." Yet she acknowledged to reporters there is still no word on the release of 53 Cuban political prisoners Havana promised would be freed following President Obama's announcement normalizing relations. Critics of the opening include prominent U.S. lawmakers of both parties who say Obama got little in return from Havana in exchange for easing parts of the decades-long economic embargo, including allowing U.S. telecommunications investments. An editorial in the Washington Post newspaper pointed to Bruguera’s detention as evidence the president should have demanded protections for pro-democracy activists in return for his overture. But it is in Cuba where dissidents, such as Elizardo Sanchez, feel most discouraged. “We do not see any sign that the government is willing to make the reforms the country needs….so everything will continue more or less the same as it has been in previous years,” he said. January 1 marked 56 years since Fidel Castro swept into power and launched the Cuban Revolution. Today, ordinary Cubans are waiting to see if the new U.S. policy will have any impact on their daily lives or on the Caribbean island's communist government.

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US Ski Team Members Killed in Austrian Avalancheby webdesk@voanews.com (VOA News)
Tuesday January 6th, 2015 at 11:17 AM

The U.S. Ski Team is in shock after an avalanche in the Austrian Alps took the lives of two members of the team's developmental program. Monday's incident took place near the Rettenbach glacier in the mountains at the western Austrian resort of Soelden, which is the venue for the annual season-opening World Cup races. Ronnie Berlack, 20, and Bryce Astle, 19, were caught by the avalanche while free-skiing in Soelden, in the Tyrol region, U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) said in a statement. Four other team members skiing with them survived. No coaches were with them at the time. The Austrian broadcaster ORF said neither man was wearing avalanche emergency gear. An avalanche alert had been in effect for the area after days of heavy snowfall and mild temperatures. Berlack, from Franconia, New Hampshire, had been on the U.S. development team since 2013 and Astle, from Sandy, Utah, had been invited to train with it this season. "Ronnie and Bryce were both outstanding ski racers who were passionate about their sport - both on the race course and skiing the mountain," USSA President Tiger Shaw said in a statement. "Both of them loved what they did and conveyed that to those around them." U.S. alpine ski director Patrick Riml says senior team members who decide to compete in World Cup races Tuesday in Zagreb, Croatia plan to wear mourning bands. Some information in this report provided by Reuters.

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Russia's Gov't Wrong Again On Ruble - Forbes
Tuesday January 6th, 2015 at 11:17 AM

The Nation.

Russia's Gov't Wrong Again On Ruble
Forbes
Russia's Minister of Economic Development, Alexey Ulyukayev, said two weeks ago that the ruble would be less volatile in January. On Monday, the first active trading day of the year following the long New Year's holiday in the U.S., the Russian ...
Plummeting Oil Prices Could Bring Radical Change to Russia. What Comes Next?The Nation.
The Russian ruble's tumultuous historyRT
Russia Has Again Failed To Halt The Collapse Of The RubleBusiness Insider
Reuters-The Moscow Times
all 45 news articles »

Syria Tells UN That McCain, Former Diplomats Visited Illegallyby webdesk@voanews.com (Reuters)
Tuesday January 6th, 2015 at 11:16 AM

Syria has complained to the United Nations that U.S. Senator John McCain, former French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and former U.S. diplomat Peter Galbraith entered the country without visas in separate visits in violation of its sovereignty. Syria's U.N. ambassador, Bashar Ja'afari, called on U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the 15-member Security Council to pressure governments to take "the necessary measures against their nationals who enter Syrian territory illegally." "Such actions are a blatant violation of Syria's sovereignty and of the resolutions of the Security Council concerning Syria," Ja'afari wrote in a letter dated Dec. 30 and seen by Reuters on Monday. He complained generally about "certain journalists and prominent figures" entering Syria illegally but singled out McCain for entering Syria in June 2013. McCain, a former Republican presidential candidate, visited Syria in May 2013 and met with some Syrian rebels, his spokesman said at the time. Ja'afari also cited Kouchner for visiting in November 2014, Galbraith for traveling to Syria in December 2014 with other U.S. political and military leaders, and former Kuwaiti politician Walid al-Tabtaba'i for entering Syria in September 2013. In response, McCain said in a statement: "It is a sad but unsurprising truth that the Assad regime is less concerned with its massacre of more than 200,000 men, women and children than it is my visit with those brave Syrians fighting for their freedom and dignity. "The fact that the international community has done virtually nothing to bring down this terrible regime despite its atrocities is a stain on our collective moral conscience," McCain added.

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French Leader Urges End to Sanctions Against Russia Over Ukraine - New York Times
Tuesday January 6th, 2015 at 11:15 AM

New York Times

French Leader Urges End to Sanctions Against Russia Over Ukraine
New York Times
MOSCOW — Western nations should stop threatening Russia with new sanctions and instead offer to ease off on existing restrictions in exchange for progress in the peace process in Ukraine, President François Hollande of France said in an interview on ...
France seeks end to Russia sanctions over UkraineBBC News
Hollande: Russia sanctions should end 'if Ukraine progress'Yahoo News
France, Germany concerned about Russia sanctions policyEurActiv
Daily Mail
all 567 news articles »

US Coast Guard Reports Surge of Cuban Immigrantsby webdesk@voanews.com (VOA News)
Tuesday January 6th, 2015 at 11:13 AM

The U.S. Coast Guard says the the number of Cubans picked up at sea trying to reach the United States has surged since President Barack Obama announced plans to restore diplomatic relations with Havana. Coast Guard officials say vessels picked up 121 Cuban migrants at sea last week and returned them to the island. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Jake Korn said Monday there is no change in U.S. immigration policy regarding Cuba. He said only Congress can change the so-called "wet foot, dry foot" act, which allows Cubans who reach the United States to stay. Some Cubans say they are afraid that diplomatic relations with the United States will mean tighter immigration restrictions. The Coast Guard has increased patrols in the waters between Cuba and the Florida keys and discourages everyone from trying to make the dangerous crossing. It says any Cubans picked up at sea will be sent back. President Obama made history last month when he announced plans to ease the more than 50-year-old economic embargo on Cuba and restore diplomatic ties cut in 1961, two years after Fidel Castro seized power.

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Page 3

Broadway Attendance Up 13 Percent in 2014, Highest Grossing Year by webdesk@voanews.com (Reuters)
Tuesday January 6th, 2015 at 11:12 AM

Broadway had its best-attended and highest grossing calendar year in 2014 with 13.1 million people seeing shows that brought in $1.36 billion, according to figures released on Monday. The Broadway League, which represents producers and theater owners, said attendance was up 13 percent and grosses rose 14 percent over the 2013 calendar year. “For the last 12 months, we've seen an exciting increase of 13 percent in Broadway attendance,” said Charlotte St. Martin, executive director of The Broadway League. “Season-to-date, attendance is up 14 percent, following last year's end-of-season audience increase of 5.6 percent,” she added in a statement. With 36 shows, the week ending Sunday, Dec. 28 was the best-attended and highest grossing Christmas week on Broadway in recorded history. The following week was the highest grossing New Year's week and the best attended and highest grossing week overall to date, according to the league figures. “Wicked,” “The Lion King” and “Book of Mormon,” were among the top grossing shows, with each pulling in more than $2.2 million for the week. Nearly 20 new shows are scheduled to open on Broadway, beginning with “Constellations,” starring actor Jake Gyllenhaal on Jan. 13.

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Genocide Retrial of Guatemala Ex-dictator Rios Montt Suspended
Tuesday January 6th, 2015 at 11:12 AM

Guatemala's Supreme Court on Monday began a retrial of former dictator Efrain Rios Montt for genocide, but in a fresh twist to a bizarre legal saga suspended it as the defense sought the removal of one of the judges hearing the case. Rios Montt's opponents accuse him of implementing a scorched earth policy in the bloodiest phase of the country's 36-year civil war. The 88-year-old was found guilty in May 2013 of overseeing the killings by the armed forces of at least 1,771 members of the Maya Ixil population during his 1982-83 rule. However, his 80-year jail sentence was thrown out less than two weeks later by the country's Constitutional Court on a legal technicality after persistent efforts by Rios Montt's defense team to derail the trial with complex appeals. Rios Montt's defense lawyers argue one of the three judges hearing the new trial is biased. Rios Montt attended the hearing, brought in on a stretcher after his lawyers sought to excuse him on medical grounds. The fresh trial delay stoked fears that justice may ultimately not be served. “[It] is not only extremely frustrating but also is revealing of the lack of solid independence of the judiciary in Guatemala, which is clearly sensitive to political pressure,” said Jose Miguel Vivanco, Americas executive director at Human Rights Watch. “Their record has been quite unimpressive particularly regarding efforts to nullify and stop the criminal prosecution of this dictator,” he added. Rios Montt's conviction was hailed as a landmark for justice in the Central American nation, where as many as 250,000 people were killed in a bloody civil war lasting from 1960 to 1996. During his rule, his government launched a fierce offensive in which soldiers raped, tortured and killed tens of thousands of Maya villagers suspected of helping Marxist rebels. Thousands more were forced into exile or had to join paramilitary forces fighting the insurgents.

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Intel Shuts Down Russian Developer Forums To Comply With Russia's 'Blogger ... - TechCrunch
Tuesday January 6th, 2015 at 11:08 AM

TechCrunch

Intel Shuts Down Russian Developer Forums To Comply With Russia's 'Blogger ...
TechCrunch
Add Intel to the growing list of U.S. tech companies that are changing up some of their policies and business in Russia as a result of the government's tightening reign on Internet use. CitingRussia's new “Blogger Law” that was first introduced last ...

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Russia's Oscar Hopeful Is Dark, Critical -- And Patriotic - RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
Tuesday January 6th, 2015 at 11:08 AM

RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty

Russia's Oscar Hopeful Is Dark, Critical -- And Patriotic
RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
In the film Leviathan, a drunken mechanic in a far northern Russian town clashes with a greedy, drunken mayor who is determined to expropriate the man's land for his own mansion. The mayor contemptuously refers to his subjects as "insects" and, in a ...

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Двух полицеских ранили во время перестрелки в нью-йоркском Бронксе - Комсомольская правда
Tuesday January 6th, 2015 at 11:08 AM

Комсомольская правда

Двух полицеских ранили во время перестрелки в нью-йоркском Бронксе
Комсомольская правда
В Нью-Йорке двое полицейских были госпитализированы в больницу с огнестрельными ранениями. Стрельба произошла в понедельник поздно вечером в районе Бронкс. Как сообщили в полицейском управлении Нью-Йорка, двое стражей порядка выехали на вызов о совершенной ...
В районе Бронкс Нью-Йорка ранили двоих полицейскихУНИАН
Двое полицейских получили огнестрельные ранения в Нью-ЙоркеРоссийская Газета
В Нью-Йорке грабитель расстрелял двух полицейскихПолит.ру
Аргументы и факты -НТВ.ru -Вести.Ru
Все похожие статьи: 27 »

U.S. Military Says No Change In Afghan Withdrawal Timeline
Tuesday January 6th, 2015 at 11:07 AM

The U.S. military says the timeline for further decreases in troop numbers in Afghanistan has not changed after President Ashraf Ghani suggested the plans should be "reexamined."

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"Универсального" батальона не будет: "Правый сектор" не захотел подчиняться Минобороны - Московский комсомолец
Tuesday January 6th, 2015 at 11:07 AM

Europe News: News And Headlines From Europe - The Washington Post

Московский комсомолец

"Универсального" батальона не будет: "Правый сектор" не захотел подчиняться Минобороны
Московский комсомолец
Радикалы «Правого сектора» не захотели действовать на Украине легально – они отказались от сотрудничества с Минобороны Украины, хотя им предлагали различные варианты. фото: youtube.com. Радикальная организация "Правый сектор" отказалась перейти на службу по ...
"Правый сектор" отказался подчиняться Минобороны УкраиныРИА Новости
"Правый сектор" не собирается подчиняться Минобороны УкраиныУра-Информ
«Правый сектор» отказался подчиняться минобороны УкраиныКоммерсантъ Санкт-Петербург
Search News
Все похожие статьи: 78 »

Armenia picks Russian economic ties, but tries to keep foot in the West by Karoun Demirjian
Tuesday January 6th, 2015 at 11:06 AM

YEREVAN, ARMENIA — When Armenia broke ranks last year with other former Soviet states marching toward Europe and pledged to join Russia’s new customs union instead, the goal of keeping a foothold in both the East and the West didn’t seem all that challenging.Read full article >>

«Правый сектор» не будет подчиняться Минобороны Украины - Комсомольская правда
Tuesday January 6th, 2015 at 11:06 AM

Комсомольская правда

«Правый сектор» не будет подчиняться Минобороны Украины
Комсомольская правда
Радикальная организация "Правый сектор" не захотела подчиняться Министерству обороны Украины и не приняли схему легализации своего движения. Как сообщил советник президента Украины Юрий Бирюков, члены "Правого сектора" отказались перейти на службу по контракту в ...
"Правый сектор" отказался подчиняться Минобороны УкраиныРБК
Бойцы «Правого сектора» отказались подчиниться Минобороны УкраиныНТВ.ru
Отряды "Правого сектора" отказались подчиняться властям УкраиныПравда.Ру
Взгляд -Вести.Ru -Lenta.ru
Все похожие статьи: 201 »

Ex-Soviet countries on front line of Russia's media war with the west by Alec Luhn in Moscow
Tuesday January 6th, 2015 at 11:05 AM

Russia | The Guardian

The Kremlin’s plans for the global expansion of state media have been greeted with suspicion, especially in the countries of the former USSR

When Dmitry Kiselyov, the Russian state television presenter known for his scandalising monologues, announced the opening of the Kremlin’s new website and radio service Sputnik News, he stressed that it would continue the tradition of Soviet propaganda to counter what he called the “aggressive” pro-American bias of the western media.

Unveiled as a replacement for the government’s international radio broadcasting service Voice of Russia, Sputnik News primarily differs from its predecessor in sheer size – the new outlet’s content will be produced in 130 cities in 34 countries around the globe, according to Kiselov.

I consider the coming of Sputnik to our region to be a twist in the overall propaganda strategy

Broadcasting in the languages of its neighbours is an absolutely logical part of Russia’s open, transparent foreign policy

Previously, you didn’t hear as much of this intonation that takes you back to the Soviet Union

МИД Украины: встреча контактной группы пройдет на этой неделе в Киеве - РИА Новости
Tuesday January 6th, 2015 at 11:04 AM

The Moscow Times Top Stories

РИА Новости

МИД Украины: встреча контактной группы пройдет на этой неделе в Киеве
РИА Новости
Официальный представитель МИД Украины Евгений Перебийнис уточнил, что группа встретится в составе Украина, Россия, ОБСЕ. Ранее в Минске прошло несколько раундов переговоров между представителями Украины и самопровозглашенных народных республик Донбасса при ...
Встреча контактной группы по Украине пройдет в Киеве без представителей ДонбассаВнешнеэкономические связи
Власти Украины готовы встретиться с представителями сепаратистов в КиевеИнтернет-газета Гарри Каспарова
В Киеве в ближайшее время может пройти встреча трехсторонней контактной группы, - МакеевУра-Информ
ИА REGNUM -РИА Новости Украина
Все похожие статьи: 53 »

Russian Ruble Plunges as Oil Prices Hit Five-Year Lowby Reuters
Tuesday January 6th, 2015 at 11:03 AM

The ruble fell more than 4 percent on Tuesday in thin, volatile holiday trading as oil prices hit a new 5-1/2-year low.

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Page 5

Russian Arrested In Thailand, Accused Of Holding Family Hostage
Tuesday January 6th, 2015 at 11:03 AM

A Russian man has been arrested in Thailand after allegedly holding his common-law wife and her year-old son hostage for several hours.

Pakistani Lawmakers Approve Plan for Military Terrorism Courts by webdesk@voanews.com (VOA News)
Tuesday January 6th, 2015 at 11:03 AM

Window On Eurasia -- New Series

Pakistani lawmakers have passed a constitutional amendment that would allow the military to set up courts to try terrorism cases for two years. The lower house of parliament overwhelmingly approved the measure Tuesday. It goes next to the upper house and is expected to become law later this week. The measure is the latest government push to combat terrorism following last month's Taliban massacre at a military-run school in Peshawar that left 150 people dead, mostly children. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif also reinstated the death penalty after the attack. Authorities have already hanged several terrorism convicts and plan to execute hundreds more. Sharif has said Pakistan faces an existential threat from extremist and terrorist forces, and "extraordinary" measures are required to meet the challenge.

'Racism got me here': Israeli victim of anti-semitic attack in Germany speaks out against being used as 'channel' for right-wing extremism
Tuesday January 6th, 2015 at 11:02 AM

- Europe RSS Feed

A young Israeli man involved in an apparent anti-Semitic attack by seven “Arabic speaking” men in Berlin has spoken out to The Independent against being used as a “channel” for the extreme right-wing.

Ukrainian Crisis Disappears from Western News Giving Putin a Victory by paul goble (noreply@blogger.com)
Tuesday January 6th, 2015 at 11:02 AM

Paul Goble

Staunton, January 6 – Vladimir Putin’s aggression in Ukraine has largely disappeared from the front pages of Western newspapers and the lead stories of Western news broadcasts, a development reflecting the short attention span of many people but one that gives the Kremlin leader a victory because this lowers pressure on governments to oppose Russia’s actions.

That has profoundly frustrated those who find themselves in a situation in which any of their efforts to raise the issue are met with the dismissive suggestions of others that this is old news and that the world has moved on – even among those who recognize that aggression which goes unpunished will be repeated.

In an interview given to Gordonua.com, Syuzanna Dostaleva, a native of Odessa who has lived and worked in the Netherlands for 20 years and now collects money to help Ukrainians at home, discusses this situation (gordonua.com/publications/Volonter-iz-Niderlandov-Ukraina-davno-ne-na-pervyh-polosah-zapadnyh-SMI-V-Evrope-bolshe-govoryat-ob-Islamskom-gosudarstve-i-viruse-Ebola-59311.html).

She told her interviewer, Natalya Dvali, that “the Dutch understand that in the Ukrainian conflict, Russia is the aggressor, and they say that Putin has gone out of his mind. But they don’t have sufficient information from Ukraine even in English,” something she hopes to remedy by creating an information agency in Europe.

The situation has become more critical in recent weeks, Dostaleva says. In the last month or so, there is “either nothing or 30-second reports” about what is going on in Ukraine. The country and its problems “for a long time have not been in the first columns of the Western media. Instead, those outlets talk about ‘the Islamic State’ or the Ebola virus.”

In some ways, this is nothing new. At the end of February 2014, for example, “when activists in Kyiv were being beaten and shot, in the Netherlands, they showed the Olympics in Sochi! In protest,” she says, she “declared a hunger strike.” That got some media attention, but it says something that this was the only way to get the media to cover Ukraine.

Now, the situation is even worse, Dostaleva says. Asked how she thinks the war in Ukraine will end, the activist responds: “Either by yet another Maidan or … People are very tired. The Ukrainian authorities must do everything so that the people will not be disappointed in them.”

The Verkhovna Rada votes on measures but few of these are fully carried out, she says. “We in the West see this very well even with the insufficient information from Ukraine that we have. Despite being tired, Ukrainians living abroad all the same will help.” As for herself, she adds, “I cannot not help Ukraine.”

But if Ukraine is disappearing in the Western media, it is still a central focus for outlets in Russia. And a new survey using Yandex data for the period from January 1 to December 15, 2014 shows that some outlets mentioned Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko more often than Vladimir Putin -- and Ukraine more often than Russia (meduza.io/galleries/2015/01/06/samoe-ukrainskoe-smi-v-rossii).

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U.S. Bashing Takes Center Stage at Holiday Show for Russian Kids by By Anna Dolgov
Tuesday January 6th, 2015 at 11:01 AM

The Moscow Times Top Stories

Russian holiday shows typically revolve around fantasy characters, but this year some children have been treated to new themes: sanctions, Russia's nuclear arsenal and the "stupidity" of the United States.

Video: Incredible footage released of Northern Lights over Russia
Tuesday January 6th, 2015 at 11:01 AM

- Europe RSS Feed

A cameraman has captured the Northern Lights in all its glory above northern Russia in an amazing new video.

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Page 6

New Abkhaz Leader Accused Of Failing To Deliver On Election Promises
Tuesday January 6th, 2015 at 11:01 AM

January 3 marked 100 days since the inauguration of Raul Khajimba as de facto president of the largely unrecognized Republic of Abkhazia.

Ruble Falls As Oil Prices Drop To New Lowsby noreply@rferl.org (RFE/RL)
Tuesday January 6th, 2015 at 11:00 AM

Window On Eurasia -- New Series

The ruble was falling on January 6 as world prices for oil, a key Russian export, dropped to their lowest point in more than five years.

Muslims in the North Caucasus Now have Five Times as Many Mosques Per Capita as Russian Orthodox There Doby paul goble (noreply@blogger.com)
Tuesday January 6th, 2015 at 10:59 AM

Paul Goble

Staunton, January 6 – There are now five times as many mosques for every 1000 Muslims in the North Caucasus as there are churches for every 1000 Russian Orthodox, the result of an explosion in mosque construction since the end of Soviet times and something Orthodox leaders hope to correct, according to Svetlana Bolotnikova.

They see this as important not only for the revival of their own faith but also as an important means to promote the survival of Russian communities in the region and the return of Russians who earlier left and to defend the national security of the country as a whole, the Kavpolit.com journalist says (kavpolit.com/articles/pravoslavnyj_nash_kavkaz-12689/).

According to church leaders, Bolotnikova says, “Orthodoxy is being reborn in the North Caucasus albeit not so actively as Islam.” The most important participants in this process, she and they say, are young people and Cossack communities who are focusing on the social and political meaning of the Russian faith.

According to tradition, Christianity first came to the North Caucasus shortly after the death of Jesus with the visit by Apostle Andrey, but it assumed a more regular existence a millennium ago with the formation of the Alan bishopric. Indeed, Bolotnikova says, that area was baptized “a half century earlier than Kyivan Rus” and has a longer history there than Islam.

At the present time, the Russian Orthodox Church in the North Caucasus is divided into four bishoprics under the supervision of Metropolitan Kirill of Stavropol and Nevinnomyssk. He is actively promoting missionary work and church construction but says his first tasks are to get Russians there to return to the church and Russians from there to return to the region.

In these tasks, Bolotnikova says, he has the support of Moscow, the heads of the federal subjects in the North Caucasus, and Russian activists. The last have been especially active in arguing that the church must expand in the region in order to oppose foreign and domestic threats to the territorial integrity of the country.

But at the same time, the Russian Orthodox face challenges from within the Christian community. There are numerous Old Believers among Cossack groups in the region, something Metropolitan Kirill says should not be allowed to continue because they are “connected with the work of foreign special services” and seek “the destruction of the spiritual ties of our state.”

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Водолазы МЧС России засекли сигнал от крупного объекта на месте крушения А320 - РБК
Tuesday January 6th, 2015 at 10:58 AM

Window On Eurasia -- New Series

Правда.Ру

Водолазы МЧС России засекли сигнал от крупного объекта на месте крушения А320
РБК
Водолазы МЧС России, которые работают на месте крушения лайнера AirAsia, засекли сигнал от крупного объекта на дне. Координаты уже передали поисково-спасательному управлению Индонезии. Это не первый значимый результат работы российских спасателей. Накануне наш ...
Российские водолазы зафиксировали сигнал от крупного объекта в зоне крушения самолета Air AsiaГазета.Ru
Российские водолазы помогают искать обломки самолета AirAsiaПравда.Ру
Число опознанных жертв крушения AirAsia достигло 16Аргументы и факты
РИА Новости -Интерфакс
Все похожие статьи: 188 »

Pursuing PR Victories, FSB Part of Russian Intelligence Failure in Ukraine, Soldatov and Borogan Sayby paul goble (noreply@blogger.com)
Tuesday January 6th, 2015 at 10:58 AM

Paul Goble

Staunton, January 6 – Despite its much ballyhooed success in preventing any attack on the Sochi Olympics, the FSB has not had a good year in Ukraine, where its military competitor the GRU played the dominant role in the annexation of Crime and where its inability to predict developments in Ukraine constituted an intelligence failure of the first magnitude.

In today’s “Yezhednevny zhurnal,” Andrey Soldatov and Irina Borogan, two of the most prominent independent commentators on the Russian intelligence services, say that given the FSB’s responsibilities to monitor Ukraine, many in the Russian capital last spring were asking how it could have performed so poorly (ej.ru/?a=note&id=26788).

People asked “how such a special service which so self-confidently conducted itself in Ukraine – and only by such an attitude can one explain the arrival in Kyiv at the time of the Maidan events of a group of highly placed officers under their own names – in fact did not understand anything about what was going on and could not predict anything, including the disappearance from [Kyiv] of the president under their control.”

Moreover, the two say, “judging from the fact that so many people came out of nowhere to become leaders of the pro-Russian party in Crimea, the FSB did not have any serious intelligence positions even on the peninsula, otherwise the selection of politicians [there] would have been more sensible.”

“The war which began in the east of Ukraine,” they write, “from the very beginning” featured PR specialists and propagandists “in key positions,” and thus “for the Russian special services, it began a PR war,” perhaps even more than an intelligence one. This reality was highlighted by the fact that the Russian media “for months” discussed whether the leader of the pro-Moscow militants was working for the GRU or the FSB.

According to Soldatov and Borogan, “this discussion lasted so long that it degenerated into a farce at the end of December when on the eve of the Day of the Chekist an interview appeared in ‘Nezavisimoye voennoye obozreniye’” in which an anonymous FSB general said he had recruited Girkin (Strelkov) in 1995.

But it was not only in Ukraine that the FSB’s involvement with PR seemed to get the best of it, the two say. They say that the spy scandal which occurred when Russian border guards seized an Estonian “was unique because it was played out according to the rules of propaganda which in that case contradicted the traditions of the special services.”

Initially, it all looked normal enough. The Russians said he was a spy but as more facts came out, “many journalists began to suspect that the entire history was a put up job and the spy not a real one.” That led to a response: NTV put out a film entitled “Our Man in Tallinn” whose hero said he had worked 20 years for the Russians.

But what was “curious” about all this is that he said he worked all that time “not for the SVR or the GRU,” the two agencies it would have been most appropriate for such a spy to be employed by but rather “for the FSB.” Moreover, Soldatov and Borogan say, “in violation of all unwritten rules,” the film showed “even the officer who ran him, “a completely unbelievable thing for the Russian special services.”

Even more intriguing, they write, “in fact for the first time, the FSB acknowledged [by so doing] that it was involved in foreign intelligence activities.” That is because, despite the FSB handler’s assertions that the man provided information on foreign intelligence operations against Russia, it is clear, “the field of [his] activity was broader” than that.

Such public relations efforts reflect “the far reaching ambitions of the FSB” to play a bigger role abroad, something that Soldatov and Borogan say was also confirmed by the new treaty between South Osetia and the Russian Federation according to which the State Security Committee of the former becomes part of the FSB.

Read the whole story

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Ghosts Of Sochiby noreply@rferl.org (Craig Shaw, Roman Anin, Lina Vdovii)
Tuesday January 6th, 2015 at 10:55 AM