Month: August 2009

August 25, 2009

Energy Blast – August 25, 2009

Lukoil has received a $1.2 billion loan arranged by 12 overseas and domestic banks to refinance debt.  Russia and Mongolia have agreed to start a joint venture to explore the Dornod uranium deposit.  The deal, which may irk the Canadian ...
August 25, 2009

Today in Russian Business – August 25, 2009

After a second consecutive month of growth in July, when GDP increased by 0.5%, government ministers Igor Shuvalov and Andrei Klepach have felt optimistic enough to suggest Russia’s recession may be over – ‘but the crisis has yet...
August 25, 2009

RA’s Daily Russian News Blast – August 25, 2009

TODAY: Yushchenko hits back; Russia accuses Ukraine of participation in Georgia war.  Medvedev suggests media scaremongering regarding disaster.  Seeks the advice of Buddhists.  Putin visits Kadyrov; Estemirova commemorated. Two can...
August 24, 2009

More Complicated than Separatism

From Masha Lipman in the Washington Post: The upsurge of violence in North Caucasus is a consequence of outrageous abuses of authority by local leaders and the Kremlin’s irresponsible policies. Politically, the Russian government has no worr...
August 24, 2009

Putin Reiterates Backing for Kadyrov

From the Reuters report on Vladimir Putin’s surprise visit to Grozny to stump for the increasingly embattled Chechen appointee Ramzan Kadyrov, and lay flowers at the grave of his father, former Chechen leader Akmad Kadyrov.  Also see th...
August 24, 2009

Grigory Pasko: Accident Prone Russia

For several years now I’ve had to make repeated trips, back and forth, on the same road in Vladimir Oblast.  Over the years the road has gone from lousy to perilously unnavigable. Deep ruts, craters, obstacles, potholes, and huge puddle...
August 24, 2009

Yoga Diplomacy

Our friend and colleague John Lough has a letter published in the Financial Times: Sir, Vladimir Putin’s taut upper body has indeed become a sad symbol of Russia’s increasingly limited ability to impress its neighbours and internationa...
August 24, 2009

Video: Steve LeVine at the World Affairs Council

Before watching this speech, I recommend reading the Richard Pipes piece from over the weekend (which may merit a second posting and commentary as it features great lines such as “One unfortunate consequence of the obsession with “grea...
August 24, 2009

Putinomics vs. Medvednomics

The Lex column in the Financial Times has short piece taking a look at the fiscal and economic policy challenges facing the Russian leadership to use the energy wealth to diversify the economy … so far they have had much less luck on this fr...
August 24, 2009

Reforming Ukraine through Gas Loans

Interesting piece here from Transitions Online about the ERBD loan to Ukraine to help them pay their bill to Gazprom … however this money will only come at the price of Kiev incorporating urgent economic and political reforms. Backed by the ...