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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 August 23-30, 2013

Russia in Review: a digest of useful news from U.S.-Russia Initiative to Prevent Nuclear Terrorism for August 23-3

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

Nuclear security agenda:

  • The final shipment of low-enriched uranium (LEU) from TVEL's JSC Electrochemical Plant (ECP) marks the completion of Russia's commitments under the Megatons to Megawatts program. The US-Russian agreement to downblend weapons-grade uranium will expire later this year. (WNN, 08.29.13).
  • Russia’s federal budget is to receive a total of $13 billion in forex revenue from the U.S.-Russian HEU-LEU agreement, according to a report filed by Rosatom’s Techsnabexport.  Last year alone Techsnabexport’s revenues from exports under this accord totalled $1.033 bn, which was 2.4%  more than in 2011. (Rosatom.ru/Interfax, 08.27.13).
  • The United States and Russia are working to craft implementing agreements relative to the new Cooperative Threat Reduction pact bu the end of the year, according to Anne Harrington, deputy NNSA administrator for defense nuclear nonproliferation. “The arrangements that are in the new agreement are satisfactory to us in terms of those sorts of things -- in terms of our access and liability where we need it. I think that’s an important element of the new agreement, and the new way of doing business really on a peer-to-peer basis is that we ask for what’s needed,” she said.(GSN, 08.23.13).
  • The U.S. intelligence community still spends more money fighting WMD than on cybersecurity, according to the community’s $52 billion “black budget” obtained by The Washington Post from former ­intelligence contractor Edward Snowden. Out of the entire budget, 8 percent is devoted to a category called “cybersecurity.” Meanwhile, 13 percent — or 6.76 billion — is spent on counterproliferation. (Washington Post, 08.29.13).
  • The U.S. Air Force has removed the commander of a nuclear weapons unit at a Montana base following a failed safety and security inspection that marked the second major misstep this year for one of the military’s most sensitive missions. (AP, 08.25.13).

Iran nuclear issues:

  • The S-300 surface-to-air missile systems that Russia planned to export to Iran have already been dismantled and partially disposed of, Russian Almaz-Antey weapons producer general director Vladislav Menshchikov said.  (Interfax, 08.29.13).

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

  • The U.S. Defense Department has opened a criminal investigation into an Army aviation unit that awarded tens of millions of dollars worth of contracts to Russian and U.S. firms for maintenance and overhaul of Russian-made helicopters.  (Reuters, 08.29.13).

Missile defense:

  • No significant developments.

Nuclear arms control:

  • No significant developments.

Counter-terrorism cooperation:

  • Russia has joined the United States and Canada in an ‘anti-terror’ exercise reportedly aimed at boosting cooperation and reaction to hijacking of commercial aircraft. Fighter jets from the joint US and Canadian North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and the Russian Air Force have taken part in the maneuver, which began on Monday and is code-named operation “Vigilant Eagle 2013." (RIA Novosti, Press. TV, 08.28.13).
  • The second round of antiterrorism exercises between commandos from Russia and a sub-unit of the American Special Operations Ground Forces is scheduled for the last 10 days of August 2013 in Pskov, on the terrain of the 76th Guard Assault Combat Division. (RBTH, 08.29.13).
  • Robel Phillipos, friend of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has been indicted for allegedly making false statements to investigators. (RFE/RL, 08.30.13).

Cyber security:

  • President Vladimir Putin has approved a proposal by the Federal Security Service to set up an integrated network of communications for the purposes of defense, security and law-enforcement, according to a source close to one of the federal ministries. (Kommersant, 08.28.13).

Energy exports from CIS:

  • No significant developments.

Bilateral economic ties:

  • The Russian consumer rights watchdog Rospotrebnadzor has detected a batch of 24.3 tonnes of chicken legs from the United States infected with salmonellosis in Vladivostok port. (Interfax, 08.29.13).

Other bilateral issues:

  • President Barack Obama will see Russian President Vladimir Putin next week at the G20 summit in St Petersburg, White House spokesman Jay Carney said on Monday, but whether they will hold an individual meeting was unclear. (Reuters, 08.26.13).
  • U.S. counterintelligence operations "are strategically focused against [the] priority targets of China, Russia, Iran, Cuba and Israel,” according to the U.S. intelligence community’s "black budget" for fiscal 2013, obtained by The Washington Post from former ­intelligence contractor Edward Snowden. The governments of Iran, China and Russia are difficult to penetrate, according to the document. In 2011, the budget assessment also referred to so-called blank spots, which include how Russia's government leaders are likely to respond to "potentially destabilizing events in Moscow, such as large protests and terrorist attacks." (Washington Post, 08.30.13).
  • Before American fugitive Edward Snowden arrived in Moscow in June he spent several days living at the Russian Consulate in Hong Kong. Snowden changed his plans of flying from Moscow to a Latin American country after he learned that Cuba had decided to deny landing to an Aeroflot plane carrying him. (Kommersant, Washington Post, Interfax, 08.27.13).
  • Following Atlas Vision 2013 — the summer’s joint Russian-American combined staff peacekeeping exercises that took place in July in Auerbach, Germany — two officers of the reconnaissance sub-unit of the Russian peacekeeping unit received medals from the governor of the American state of Georgia. (RBTH, 08.29.13).

II. Russia news.

Domestic politics, economy and energy:

  • The damage caused by the devastating floods in Russia's Far East may exceed 30 billion rubles ($910 million), the president's deputy envoy to the Far East Vladimir Pysin said. Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in the capital of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, Birobidzhan, as he continues his trip to the regions affected by the floods. (RFE/RL, 08.30.13, Interfax, 08.27.13).
  • The Ministry of Economic Development has lowered its forecast for GDP growth in Russia in 2013 from 2.4 percent to 1.8 percent. Deputy Economic Development Minister Andrey Klepach said that new macroeconomic forecasts for 2013-2016 "significantly do not allow fulfilling the guides in (Putin's) decrees".  In addition, the forecast for growth in industrial production has been reduced from 2 percent to 0.7 percent. The estimate for capital outflow has been downgraded from $30 billion to $70 billion, as well. (Lenta.ru, Kommersant, 08.29.13).
  • The growth of Russia's gross domestic product could quicken to 1.9% in the third and 2.2% in the fourth quarters, Deputy Economic Development Minister Andrei Klepach told the press. (Interfax, 08.27.13).
  • Russia's gold holdings — the seventh-biggest — increased 6.3 tons to 1,002 tons in July , rising for a 10th straight month, the IMF data showed. (Reuters, 08.28.13).
  • Russian inflation in the first seven months of 2013 is fifteen times higher than the European average, speeding up to 4.4% compared to 0.3% in the near-deflationary EU. (Russia Today, 08.26.13).
  • About one million foreigners are officially registered with the migration authorities in Moscow and 1.5 million in surrounding areas as of Tuesday. (RIA Novosti, 08.28.13).

Defense:

  • The Russian Defense Ministry plans to release the White Paper on national defense by the end of 2013 that will cover the period ending in 2020, a Defense Ministry spokesman said. (Interfax, 08.26.13).
  • The S-500 air defense missile weapon system, which will hit ballistic and aerodynamic targets at a distance of 500 km, will be supplied to the Russian army no later than 2018, commander-in-chief of the Russian Air Force said. (Interfax, 08.70.13).

Security, law-enforcement and justice:

  • Akhmed Kotiev, the head of Ingushetia's Security Council, was killed when gunmen ambushed the car he was traveling in near the village of Nizhnie Achaluki early in the morning on August 27. Kotiev's driver was also killed.(RFE/RL, 08.27.13).
  • Russia's Volgograd Oblast Court has sentenced a Georgian citizen to a four-year jail term for being an active member of Al-Qaeda. (RFE/RL, 08.28.13).
  • Four alleged regional leaders of the banned Islamic organization Hizb ut-Tahrir have been arrested in Russia's Republic of Bashkortostan.(RFE/RL, 08.27.13).
  • Russian security officers have detained 21 suspected Islamic extremists in the city of Tobolsk in west Siberia. (RFE/RL, 08.29.13).
  • Public protests in heightened security zones in Sochi will be prohibited during the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games next year, according to a presidential order published Friday. (Moscow  Times, 08.26.13).

Foreign affairs and trade:

  • During his visit to Moscow in July Saudi intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin the potential cooperation between the two countries if an understanding could be reached on a number of issues, especially Syria. He said: “Let us examine how to put together a unified Russian-Saudi strategy on the subject of oil. The aim is to agree on the price of oil and production quantities that keep the price stable in global oil markets.” Bandar also said: “As an example, I can give you a guarantee to protect the Winter Olympics in the city of Sochi on the Black Sea next year. The Chechen groups that threaten the security of the games are controlled by us, and they will not move in the Syrian territory’s direction without coordinating with us. These groups do not scare us. We use them in the face of the Syrian regime but they will have no role or influence in Syria’s political future.” (Al-Monitor, 08.22.13).
  • At a Kremlin briefing Friday, Yuri Ushakov, top foreign-policy aide to President Vladimir Putin, wouldn't be drawn into a discussion of possible Russian reactions to a western strike. "For the moment, Russia is working actively to avoid any kind of scenario involving force," he said. Mr. Putin made that case Thursday in a phone call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. (WSJ, 08.30.13).
  • A Western military attack on Syria would only create more problems in the region, lead to more bloodshed and result in the same sort of "catastrophe" as previous such interventions in Iraq and Libya, Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said Monday. (Washington Post, 08.27.13).
  • Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry discussed the latest tensions surrounding Syria in a telephone conversation late on Tuesday. (Interfax, 08.28.13).
  • Russian officials Wednesday accused Western nations of short-circuiting the work of United Nations weapons inspectors in Syria in their eagerness to launch an attack on Damascus. A British resolution in the U.N. Security Council condemning the Syrian government for using chemical weapons is premature given that the inspectors in Syria have not yet reported back on their findings, Russia's first deputy foreign minister, Vladimir Titov, said.(Washington Post, 08.29.13).
  • President Bashar al-Assad is settling his bills for Russian arms orders through the Russian banking system to try to shore up ties with his most powerful ally, according to a Russian arms industry source. The Russian defense industry source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Assad had started in recent months paying off a nearly $1-billion contract for four S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems and another $550-million order for 36 Yak-130 trainer fighter planes.  (Reuters, 08.29.13).
  • An attack launched by the U.S. and its allies on Syria may fuel the spread of weapons of mass destruction in the Middle and Near East, Andrei Kokoshin, former secretary of the Russian Security Council said. (Interfax, 08.30.13).
  • In case of a military operation in Syria, Western countries will not be able to secure an easy victory since Syrian troops are armed with Russian Buk-M2E air defense systems and other air defense means, a military-diplomatic source said. (Interfax, 08.28.13).
  • It is inadmissible to accuse the Syrian leadership of the use of chemical weapons until the UN investigation is completed, the Russian Security Council believes. (Itar-Tass, 08.29.13).
  • Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said his country will press forward with efforts to ward off military action against Syrian President Bashar Assad. The report said the remarks came late Wednesday during a phone conversation between Rouhani and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.(AP, 08.29.13).
  • Russia is sending two warships to the east Mediterranean, Interfax news agency said on Thursday, but Moscow denied this meant it was beefing up its naval force there as Western powers prepare for military action against Syria. (Reuters, 08.29.13).
  • Only 8 percent of Russians have paid close attention to the recent events in Syria, while 52 percent know "a little" about them and 39 percent know nothing at all, according to a survey by the independent Levada Center pollster. (RIA Novosti, 08.30.13).
  • An official with Russia's Foreign Ministry has criticized Lithuania for extraditing Russian citizen Dmitry Ustinov to the United States on charges of weapons smuggling. (RFE/RL, 08.29.13).
  • India is all set to acquire a second nuclear submarine on lease from Russia. The two sides have had preliminary discussions and a serious push is expected when Indian Defence Secretary RK Mathur meets his Russian counterparts during his visit to Moscow next week. (RIR, 08.27.13).

Russia's neighbors:

  • President Viktor Yanukovych says a referendum will have to decide whether Ukraine joins the European Union or the Russian-led Customs Union. (RFE/RL, 08.30.13).
  • Ukraine's prime minister, seeking to ward off Russian pressure, urged Moscow on Wednesday to accept his country's drive towards a new trade relationship with the European Union as a "reality". (Reuters, 08.28.13).
  • Any pressure on Ukraine related to its desire to sign the Association Agreement with the European Union is unacceptable, EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy Stefan Fule said after meeting Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Andriy Kliuyev in Brussels on Tuesday.(Interfax, 08.28.13).
  • Moscow has urged the European Union not to distort reality, noting that it has never objected to Ukraine's "European choice,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Alexander Lukashevich said. (Itar-Tass, 08.29.13).
  • Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov says Ukraine cannot be in the European Union and the Russian-led Customs Union at the same time. (RFE/RL, 08.26.13).
  • Sergey Glazyev, senior adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned Ukraine that it faces "disaster" if it goes ahead with plans to integrate more closely with the European Union. (Rossiya 24 TV/BBC, 08.27.13).
  • Belarusian authorities plan to launch a criminal investigation of Suleiman Kerimov, who is a major shareholder of Russia's Uralkali potash-producing company. On August 26, Belarusian investigators have filed criminal charges against the general-director of Russia's Uralkali potash-producing company, Vladislav Baumgertner. Following the arrest of Baumgertner Russia ordered a cut in oil supplies to Belarus and questioned the health standards of dairy imports. On Friday Russia banned pork imports from Belarus. (RFE/RL, 08.30.13, Wall Street Journal, 08.29.13, Reuters, 08.30.13).
  • Azerbaijan's Central Election Commission has refused to register the united opposition's single presidential candidate, Rustam Ibragimbekov.  (RFE/RL, 08.27.13).
  • Azerbaijan's Central Election Commission has registered Camil Hasanli as the united opposition's alternative presidential candidate. (RFE/RL, 08.29.13).
  • Georgia's breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia are marking the fifth anniversary of Russia's recognition of their independence. President Vladimir Putin has met with his Abkhazian counterpart Alexander Ankvab.(RFE/RL, RIA Novosti,  08.26.13).
  • Georgia's outgoing President Mikheil Saakashvili said his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin wants him jailed or dead and urged the U.S. to help curb what he says is Russia's rising influence over his country. (Bloomberg, 08.26.13).
  • U.K. Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and U.S. Department of Energy are planning to transfer spent HEU fuel assemblies that are currently stored at Dounreay, Scotland to the Savannah River Site in Aiken, South Carolina. The fuel assemblies are apparently the spent fuel of the IRT-M reactor that operated in the Institute of Physics in Tbilisi, Georgia. (Fissilematerials.org, 08.30.13).
  • Tajikistan's parliament has set November 6 as the date for the country's next presidential elections. (RFE/RL, 08.30.13).

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