Russia in Review

Russia in Review: a digest of useful news from U.S.-Russia Initiative to Prevent Nuclear Terrorism for August 16-23, 2013

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

Nuclear security agenda:

Working in top secret over a period of 17 years, Russian and American scientists collaborated to remove hundreds of pounds of plutonium and highly enriched uranium — enough to construct at least a dozen nuclear weapons — from a remote Soviet-era nuclear test site in Kazakhstan, according to a report released last week by the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard. The report sheds light on a mysterious $150 million cleanup operation paid for in large part by the United States, whose nuclear scientists feared that terrorists would discover the fissile material and use it to build a dirty bomb. (New York Times, 08.19.13).

Iran nuclear issues:

Moscow and Tehran come out for an early resumption of the talks on Iran’s nuclear program, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated on Thursday, commenting on the results of a telephone conversation between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and new Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. (Itar-Tass, 08.22.13).

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

No significant developments.

Missile defense:

No significant developments.

Nuclear arms control:

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov met Acting Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security Rose Gottemoeller in London on August 20 to discuss strategic stability, including missile defense and the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. (Itar-Tass, 08.21.13).
Russian military experts carried out a secret inspection of the Vandenberg missile defense base in California as part of the New START arms treaty. (Interfax, 08.23.13).
The U.S. Defense Department is mulling an expansion of a system that essentially eavesdrops on the environment for indications of foreign nuclear tests. (Nextgov.com, 08.20.13).

Counter-terrorism cooperation:

No significant developments.

Cyber security:

A separate branch dedicated to cyber warfare is being created in the Russian Armed Forces as the Internet could become a new “theater of war” in the near future, said Andrei Grigoryev, the head of the recently-created Foundation for Advanced Military Research. (RIA Novosti, 08.20.13).

Energy exports from CIS:

Rosneft and ExxonMobil have begun preliminary work on a joint liquefied natural gas plant to be built in the Far East by 2018. (The Moscow Times, 08.23.13).

Bilateral economic ties:

No significant developments.

Other bilateral issues:

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher said Wednesday that Washington would be "shooting itself in the foot" if it allows the row with Russia over US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden to further sour relations between the two countries. He slammed as "ridiculous and absolutely absurd" calls by some US lawmakers for a boycott of the upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi, adding: "People should be talking about boycotting something put on by the NSA or US federal government for trying to expand the arena of surveillance in a free state." (RIA Novosti, 08.21.13).
Fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden was not interrogated by special services after his arrival to Russia, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange said. (RIA Novosti, 08.17.13).
Five of Russia's extradition requests sent to the United States in the past few years have been left unanswered, a deputy Russian prosecutor general said. (RIA Novosti, 08.21.13).
Russian Foreign Ministry envoy for human rights Konstantin Dolgov has described as unjustifiably tough the sentence of Bradley Manning, a U.S. army soldier and informer of Wikileaks, who was sentenced to 35 years of jail. (Interfax, 08.21.13).
Convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout has asked a U.S. federal appeals court to overturn his conviction on charges of conspiring to kill Americans in a case he calls politically motivated. (RIA Novosti, 08.23.13).
Retired U.S. Navy submarine specialist Robert Patrick Hoffman II, 40, has been found guilty of attempted espionage for Russia. (RFE/RL, 08.21.13).
When asked about their attitude toward U.S. President Barack Obama, 33 percent respondents of the poll conducted by the Public Opinion Foundation in Russia said they think that the Russian-U.S. relations are currently deteriorating, 12 percent think they are improving and 40 percent think they remain the same. Russians blame the United States for the deterioration more than they do Russia (19 percent against 2 percent) and 9 percent said both countries were equally responsible, according to the poll. (Interfax, 08.23.13).
According to a poll conducted by Levada Center in Russia, over a quarter (27%) of Russians assume that in 50 years science, technology and armaments in Russia will be similar to Western, 15% more expect that Russia will be as rich and developed as Western states. (Interfax, 08.21.13).
A U.S. investigation into Microsoft Corp's relationships with business partners that allegedly bribed foreign officials in return for contracts includes activity in Russia and Pakistan, a sign that the probe is wider reaching than previously known, according to people familiar with the matter. (Wall Street Journal, 08.22.13)

II. Russia news.

Domestic politics, economy and energy:

Russia's economy minister will probably have to downgrade the 2013 growth forecast for the second time in months because of a poor first-half performance. Russia's economy expanded by just 1.4 percent of gross domestic product compared to the first six months of 2012. The Central Bank of Russia is also pessimistic about prospects for economic growth. It expects the GDP growth to stall at around 2 percent by the end of the year. (AFP, 08.22.13, RBTH, 08.19.13).
Foreign direct investment in Russia grew 59.8% year-on-year in H1 2013 to $12.139 billion, the Federal State Statistics Service said. (Interfax, 08.22.13).
India and Turkey have seen steep falls in their currency over recent weeks, but the Russian rouble has stayed stable and the stock market flat, which analysts attribute mainly to the stubbornly high price of oil in the face of a dip overall in commodity prices. (Financial Times, 08.23.13).
One year after Russia’s entry into WTO, the effects of the membership are largely disappointing. Trade turnover shrank 0.7 percent in the first half of 2013. Exports fell by 3.8 percent, while imports increased by 4.4 percent. (Russia Today, 08.22.13).
Over 50,000 people have now been affected by devastating floods in Russia’s Far East, the country’s Far East Development Ministry said Friday. (RIA Novosti, 08.23.13).
Japanese and South Korean energy companies have begun shipping oil products along Russia’s so-called Northern Sea Route. (Wall Street Journal, 08.21.13).
Mass searches of NGOs across the country have helped to detect 22 "foreign agents," a top official from the Prosecutor General's Office said. (Moscow Times, 08.22.13).
At least 39 State Duma deputies were supposed to make decisions regarding their foreign assets and real estate abroad before August 19. Federation Council has no more senators with foreign accounts and assets, Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko said. (Interfax, 08.19.13, 08.22.13).
Former Deputy Prime Minister Vladislav Surkov has denied reports that he will rejoin the government as a presidential aide for innovation development. (Moscow Times, 08.20.13).

Defense:

Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN) hope to carry out at least six intercontinental ballistic missile launches in 2013, RVSN Commander Sergey Karakayev said. Earlier, Karakayev has approved a program of modernization of the automated guarding systems at RVSN facilities that includes replacement of technical detection, alarm and protection means. The 12th Main Directorate of the Defense Ministry will participate in improvement of the automated guarding systems at five RVSN facilities for the first time. (Interfax, 08.21.13. WPS, 07.30.13).
As of August 22, 2013, over 76 percent chemical weapons stockpile or 30,500 tonnes out of 40,000 Russia had from the Cold War of the entire chemical weapons arsenal of Russia have been destroyed safely. (Interfax, 08.22.13).
A team of Russian naval engineering specialists will take part in an investigation to find out why a Russian-built Indian navy submarine blew up and sank in harbor on Wednesday, killing 18 crew members. (RIA Novosti, 08.16.13).
Russian and French Air Force pilots have started a four-day joint exercise in central Russia, a Defense Ministry spokesman said Monday. (RIA Novosti, 08.19.13).

Security, law-enforcement and justice:

Security forces in Russia's North Caucasus Republic of Dagestan say they have killed nine militants, including a prominent commander, in the city of Buinaksk. (RFE/RL, 08.20.13).

Foreign affairs and trade:

Moscow and Washington are demanding an "unbiased" investigation into the alleged nerve gas attack near Damascus, the Russian Foreign Ministry said after the top Russian and U.S. diplomats discussed the issue in a phone conversation. (RIA Novosti, 08.23.13).
An effort by the Obama administration to reinforce the powers of U.N. chemical weapons inspectors in Syria Wednesday evening foundered in the face of Russian and Chinese opposition in the U.N. Security Council. (Foreign Policy, 08.21.13).
A leading diplomat from the U.S. State Department and the U.S. ambassador to Syria will meet with a Russia delegation in The Hague next week to discuss plans for a peace conference to end the civil war in Syria. (Reuters, 08.21.13).
The Russian-Chinese exercise Peace Mission 2013 has ended. "We maintain successful military-technical and military cooperation. The exercise, which has ended recently, proves this," Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the meeting with member of the Chinese State Council Yang Jiechi. Putin will meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 summit in St. Petersburg. (Itar-Tass, 08.19.13).
Russian and Japanese diplomats held talks in Moscow on Monday in a bid to restart stalled negotiations over a territorial row that has kept the two neighbours from signing a World War II peace treaty and rejuvenating economic ties. (AFP, 08.19.13).
Russia accused Britain on Wednesday of failing to live up to its own declarations on human rights by forcing the Guardian newspaper to destroy materials leaked by fugitive former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden. (Reuters, 08.22.13).
Two Russian bombers briefly entered Japan’s air space near its major southern island of Kyushu on Thursday, prompting Japan to scramble its fighter jets and lodge a protest, the Japanese defense and foreign ministries said. (Reuters, 08.23.13).

Russia's neighbors:

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that if Ukraine signs a free-trade agreement with the European Union, the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan might have to consider adopting "protective measures." Russia will clamp down on imports from Ukraine if its ex-Soviet neighbor signs the agreement with EU, according to Putin’s advisor Sergei Glazyev. On Tuesday, Russia lifted harsh customs checks that were seen as an effective ban on Ukrainian imports. (RFE/RL, 08.22.13, Vedomosti, 08.20.13, Wall Street Journal. 08.18.13).
Around 41.6 per cent of Ukrainian citizens are in favour of Ukraine's entry into the EU and 31 per cent back entry into the Customs Union of the Single Economic Space of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia. (BBC, 08.21.13).
Georgian government would like to resume defense cooperation with Russia but it thinks that conditions for it have not been set up yet, Defense Minister Irakly Alasiania, who is visiting Washington, said Wednesday. (Itar-Tass, 08.22.13).
An Armenian soldier has reportedly been shot dead along the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan's Naxcivan Autonomous Republic. (RFE/RL, 08.23.13).
Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian has said a victory by Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev in the country's October presidential election would be the best outcome for resolving the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. (RFE/RL. 08.18.13).
Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov says he is stepping down as leader of the ruling party to promote a multiparty system. (RFE/RL. 08.17.13).

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