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Russia in Review

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Russia in Review: a digest of useful news from U.S.-Russia Initiative to Prevent Nuclear Terrorism for December 20-24, 2013

Russia in Review: a digest of useful news from U.S.-Russia Initiative to Prevent Nuclear Terrorism for December 20-24, 2013

I. U.S. and Russian priorities for the bilateral agenda.

Nuclear security agenda:

  • A facility to reprocess time-expired Topol-M solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles is nearing completion in Russia and is due to start up next year. (Interfax, 12.23.13).

Iran nuclear issues:

  • No significant developments.

NATO-Russia cooperation, including transit to and from Afghanistan:

  • No significant developments.

Missile defense:

  • A decision on whether to deploy tactical ballistic missiles near borders with NATO countries will be made only following a threat assessment by the Russian military, Russia’s top diplomat said Friday.“When such a necessity arises, it’s up to the military to decide,” Sergei Lavrov said. (RIA Novosti, 12.23.13).

Nuclear arms control:

  • No significant developments.

Counter-terrorism cooperation:

  • No significant developments.

Cyber security:

  • No significant developments.

Energy exports from CIS:

  • No significant developments.

Bilateral economic ties:

  • No significant developments.

Other bilateral issues:

  • U.S. President Barack Obama attributed his decision not to attend the Winter Olympics Games in Sochi, Russia, to a busy schedule at home. Asked about his inclusion of gay athletes in the U.S. delegation to the games -- at a time when Russian policies toward homosexuals are attracting global criticism -- he said his delegation “speaks for itself.” (Bloomberg, 12.21.13).
  • Moscow expects U.S. President Barack Obama to take part in a planned summit in Sochi, Russia, in June 2014 of the Group of Eight, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. He added that “a Russian-American summit is on the agenda. At the moment, it's hard to tell when and where it will take place.” (Interfax, 12.23.13).
  • Agreement on destruction of Syrian chemical weapons would not be possible without collaboration with Russia, U.S. National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes said Monday. He noted the positive character of continuing U.S.-Russian cooperation on Afghanistan and struggle with terrorism. The U.S. is also coordinating efforts with Russia in the run-up to the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, he said. On the whole, there have been achievements on some crucial issues regarding Iran and chemical weapons but still there are spheres where progress is absent, he said. (Itar-Tass, 12.24.13).

 

II. Russia news.

 

Domestic politics, economy and energy:

  • Russian President Vladimir Putin and other top officials have sent their condolences to the family of arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov, who died on December 23 after a long illness. (RFE/RL, 12.24.13).
  • Mikhail Khodorkovsky said in Berlin he planned to engage in civic activity on behalf of democracy in his home country, but not directly in business or politics Khodorkovsky has also applied for a visa to Switzerland less than a week after being released from decadelong imprisonment in Russia. (Wall Street Journal, 12.23.13-12.24.13).
  • Russian authorities have dropped criminal charges against the first of 30 people accused of taking part in a Greenpeace protest in the Arctic.  (BBC, 12.24.13).
  • Two women from the punk group Pussy Riot serving two-year prison terms for staging a protest performance against President Vladimir V. Putin in Moscow’s main cathedral were released on Monday under a new amnesty law. (New York Times, 12.24.13).
  • Rusatom Overseas, a division of Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, signed a contract with Finland's Fennovoima for the construction of the Hanhikivi 1 nuclear power plant, Rosatom said. (Interfax, 12.24.13).

Defense:

  • The Strategic Rocket Forces carried out a successful test of the RS-24 Yars ICBM. The missile was launched on December 24, 2013 from a silo at the Plesetsk test site. The warheads were reported to have successfully reached their targets at the Kura site in Kamchatka. (Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces, 12.24.13).
  • The Alexander Nevsky nuclear-powered missile submarine of Project 955 Borei has been delivered to the Russian Navy. (Interfax, 12.23.13).

Security, law-enforcement and justice:

  • No significant developments.

Foreign affairs and trade:

  • The Russian defense minister, Sergei K. Shoigu, said Monday that 50 trucks and 25 armored vehicles had been delivered to the Syrian port of Latakia in recent days to help with the removal of the country's chemical weapons stockpile, the latest sign of progress in that effort despite the grinding civil war. (New York Times, 12.24.13).
  • Moscow has filed its first case with the World Trade Organization against the European Union, saying it was unfairly charging Russian companies hundreds of millions of dollars for allegedly reducing energy prices in global markets. (RFE/RL, 12.23.13).

Russia's neighbors:

  • Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that the final pieces were in place for the 2015 launch of an economic union with Belarus and Kazakhstan that Moscow hopes can also be joined by Ukraine. (Daily Star, 12.24.13)
  • Russia has made its first payment of $3 billion for Ukraine's newly issued Eurobonds, as part of Moscow's bailout package for its struggling neighbor. (Wall Street Journal, 12.24.13).
  • Ukraine's opposition invited anti-government protesters to join a new political movement as it seeks to keep pressure on President Viktor Yanukovych for choosing $15 billion of Russian aid over a European accord.  (Bloomberg, 12.23.13).
  • A newspaper report says the Ukrainian government has banned 36 foreigners from entering the country, including former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili. (RFE/RL, 12.24.13).
  • The Armenian parliament has ratified a controversial natural-gas agreement with Moscow amid protests. The deal gives the Russian energy giant Gazprom, which already owns 80 percent of the ArmRosgazprom Armenian-Russian joint venture, the remaining 20 percent. (RFE/RL, 12. 23.13).
  • A Georgian court has suspended Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava amid ongoing investigations into misuse of funds. (RFE/RL, 12.22.13).
  • Greece's privatization agency says Azerbaijan's state gas operator SOCAR has finalized an agreement to buy 66 percent of Greek gas distributor DESFA.  (RFE/RL, 12.22.13).
  • Gallup released a poll conducted in 11 countries of the former Soviet bloc asked participants whether the "breakup of the Soviet Union benefited or harmed this country?"  Overall statistics revealed that 51 percent of the combined total said that breakup hurt their country's national interest while only 24 percent argued in favor of independence.  Kazakhstanis, Azerbaijanis and Turkmens are more likely to see benefit than harm from the breakup. In Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, and Russia people answered they see "harm" three times more often than "benefit." In Georgia, the people are more or less split. (Russia Today, 12.22.13).

 

The next issue will come out on January 3rd, 2014.

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