Russia in Review

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

Nuclear security agenda:

No significant developments.

Iran nuclear issues:

No significant developments.

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

A joint Norwegian-U.S. mission will conduct an observation flight over Russian territory in an An-30 Romanian observation plane in the period between April 27 and April 30 under the Open Skies Treaty, Sergei Ryzhkov, the head of the Russian national nuclear threat reduction center, said. (Interfax, 04.27.15).

Nuclear arms control and missile defense:

Five nuclear-weapon states said Thursday that an incremental approach is the "only practical option" in moving ahead with nuclear disarmament, distancing themselves from calls to seek a nuclear weapons ban treaty. “We continue to believe that an incremental, step-by-step approach is the only practical option for making progress towards nuclear disarmament, while upholding global strategic security and stability," Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States said in a joint statement at the 2015 Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference. (Philippines News Agency, 05.01.15).
"We have reduced our nuclear weapons stockpiles to minimal levels, thereby making a considerable contribution to the process of comprehensive and complete disarmament. We plan to continue this work," Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a message to the 2015 Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference. (Interfax, 04.28.15).
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said at the 2015 Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference: “I want to emphasize our deep concerns regarding Russia’s clear violation of its obligations under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. We are urging Russia to return to compliance.” He also said that “Russia’s current approach to the Budapest Memorandum – disregarding it – is extraordinary.” (U.S. State Department, 04.27.15).
Mikhail Ulyanov, the director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s department for nonproliferation arms control, turned down the charges with violation of international treaties, including the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, which U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry aired at the UN earlier on Monday. "The American side has again made totally unfounded charges against us claiming we're violating the INF," Ulyanov said. He also told the 2015 Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference that the U.S. policy in the field of antiballistic missiles puts up a serious obstacle to a further slashing of nuclear armaments arsenals. (Trends.az, 04.27.15).
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry disclosed new information about the size of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile. The U.S. stockpile as of September 2014 included 4,717 nuclear warheads. That is a reduction of 87 warheads since September 2013. As of September 2014, the United States had approximately 2,500 additional warheads that have been retired and awaiting dismantlement. (Federation of American Scientists, 04.28.15).
Rose Gottemoeller, the U.S. under secretary of state for arms control and international security, criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for threatening to use nuclear weapons during the Ukraine crisis in February of last year. "There is no threat out there that would warrant talking about a role for nuclear weapons." Gottemoeller was likely referring to comments Putin made in February 2014 indicating that Moscow would have to “point its warheads” at Ukraine should the country decide to join NATO. (National Interest, 04.27.15).
According to a report published by the disarmament group Global Zero, Russia and the U.S. face a serious risk of “accidental” nuclear confrontation. The report was authored by James Cartwright, the former vice chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff and retired Russian Major General Vladimir Dvorkin. They have appealed the United States and Russia to “de-alert” their nuclear arsenals. (ValueWalk, 04.30.15).
The U.S. House of Representatives’ Armed Services Committee passed a nearly $612 billion defense policy bill early Thursday. Even though the Pentagon doesn't think it's needed, the committee set aside $30 million for planning, designing and constructing what would be a multibillion-dollar missile battery on the East Coast. (AP, 04.30.15).

Counter-terrorism agenda:

In a new documentary, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russian intelligence agencies had "intercepted direct contacts" between separatists and U.S. intelligence officials in Azerbaijan in the early 2000s, proving that Washington was helping the insurgents. Putin said he raised the issue with President George W. Bush, who Putin said promised to "kick the ass" of the intelligence officials in question. But in the end, Putin said, the Russian intelligence agency FSB received a letter from its "American counterparts" saying they had the right to "support all opposition forces in Russia," including the separatists in the Caucasus. (Washington Post, 04.27.15).
Hoping to save Dzhokhar Tsarnaev from the death penalty, lawyers for the convicted Boston Marathon bomber aggressively portrayed his older brother, Tamerlan, as the brains and muscle behind the 2013 terrorist attack, revealing for the first time that Tamerlan initially planned to strike in Russia but returned to this country because he could “not find a holy war” there. (LA Times, 04.27.15).
A Russian national charged with leading a Taliban attack against U.S. forces in Afghanistan has again pleaded not guilty. Irek Hamidullin was arraigned on a new 15-count indictment in U.S. District Court in Richmond on April 28. (RFE/RL, 06.29.15).
The list of the Islamic State’s inventory reads like a roll call of arms-exporting nations: cartridges from Russia and the United States; rifles from Belgium and a host of formerly Eastern bloc states; guided anti-tank missiles from MBDA, a multinational firm with offices in Western Europe and the United States. (New York Times, 04.27.15).

Cyber security:

Some of U.S. President Barack Obama’s email correspondence was swept up by Russian hackers last year in a breach of the White House’s unclassified computer system that was far more intrusive and worrisome than has been publicly acknowledged, according to senior American officials briefed on the investigation. The hackers do not appear to have penetrated closely guarded servers that control the message traffic from Mr. Obama’s BlackBerry. (New York Times, 04.27.15).

Energy exports from CIS:

Russian state-owned oil pipeline monopoly Transneft said on Monday that deliveries of Russian oil to Europe via the Druzhba pipeline had been reduced because of an accident in neighboring Belarus. The company said it may fail to meet its supply plan for April. (RBTH, 04.27.15).

Bilateral economic ties:

U.S. billionaire David Bonderman said: “Returns tend to be better in places where either the troops are in the street, or the prices are low. If you're a mid-to-long term investor, the Russian market has some attractions to it." "Sanctions are perfectly set up not to work at all but to make a political statement," the billionaire said. (CNN, 05.01.15).

Other bilateral issues:

Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter says he is pleased with Russia's commitment to implement the Minsk agreement. Carter and other former global leaders met with Russian President Vladimir Putin for 2.5 hours Wednesday in Moscow. The group, called the Elders, visited at a time when Russia's relations with the West are severely strained. (Voice of America, 04.30.15).
In a recent phone call, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry discussed problems surrounding efforts to resolve the conflict in the south-east of Ukraine. (Interfax, 04.30.15).
The Clinton Foundation on Sunday offered its first response to an allegation that it failed to report $2.35 million in donations from a Canadian foundation run by the chairman of a uranium company who was seeking U.S. approval to sell his firm to the Russian nuclear agency. In a statement, Clinton Foundation acting chief executive Maura Pally said the donations went to a separate Clinton charity, the Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership-Canada. (Wall Street Journal, 04.27.15).
A number of commemorative events were organized in Moscow to mark the 70th anniversary of the meeting on the Elbe River between Soviet and American soldiers. “The spirit of Torgau is a reminder for all of us of mutual hopes in the midst of grim realities,” U.S. Ambassador to Moscow John Tefft, remembering how the Soviet and American soldiers shared souvenir dollars and rubles, “smoked cigarettes together and toasted one another with liberated beer.” Only jointly can Russia and the United States tackle present-day global challenges, Russian Ambassador at Large Vladimir Vinokurov said. (Russia Direct, 04.24.15, Interfax, 04.28.15, RBTH, 04.29.15).
U.S. news giant CNN began broadcasting again in Russia on Wednesday after leaving the country when a restrictive advertising law came into force at the beginning of the year. (The Moscow Times, 04.29.15).

II. Russia news.

Domestic politics, economy and energy:

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the economy had easily weathered the crisis, deepened by Western sanctions imposed to punish Moscow over its policies in Ukraine. "After the fall in oil prices from $100 a barrel to 50, 160 billion out of 500 did not come into the economy," he said, apparently counting in dollars. Putin did not make clear what he included in his calculations. Russia has lost income because of a fall in export revenues in dollar terms, a sharp decline in foreign investment and capital flight. (Reuters, 04.27.15).
The ruble has gained 17.5% in 2015 against the U.S. dollar, according to financial-data provider CQG. It has soared 46% from an intraday record low set in December. Russia's stock index denominated in the ruble has soared 20% this year through Monday, after losing 7.15% for the whole of 2014, according to FactSet. The nation's sovereign bonds denominated in the local currency have returned 16.86% this year through Monday, according to data from Barclays PLC. (Wall Street Journal, 04.29.15).
Russia's gold and forex reserves rose by $3 billion in the week to April 24, the Central Bank said in a statement. (Reuters, 04.30.15).
The Bank of Russia cut its key rate by 1.5 percentage points to 12.5% and said more rate cuts are likely to stimulate the economy as inflation slows. (Wall Street Journal, 04.30.15).
The net outflow of capital from Russia reached $32.6 billion during the first quarter of 2015, according to the nation's Central Bank. The bank is now forecasting that capital flight may reach $131 billion by the end of the year. (EurasiaNet, 05.01.15).
Gas giant OAO Gazprom on Wednesday said its profit fell by 86%, or nearly $20 billion, in 2014 due to the weakness of the ruble and one-time charges, but analysts said excluding those effects earnings looked strong. (Wall Street Journal, 04.30.15).
"Investment has already fallen in 70 percent of regions," Dmitry Kabalinsky, head of the corporate ratings department at Expert RA, said. According to state statistics agency Rosstat, investment fell 6.3 percent in the first three months of 2015. (The Moscow Times, 04.27.15).
“In 2008-2009, the last crisis, we saw a drop in trips [organized by tour operators] of about 25-30%, and we thought that was a catastrophe," said Irina Tyurina, a spokeswoman for the Russian Tourism Union. “In 2014, we have up to 80% drops in demand for certain trips abroad—about 60-70% on average. This is totally unprecedented." (Wall Street Journal, 04.27.15).
Russia's Justice Ministry has cancelled the legal registration of the Party of Progress, the ministry said Tuesday, blocking the group's plan to run for parliament in alliance with another anti-Kremlin party. (The Moscow Times, 04.29.15).
Over the first three months of 2015, the birth rate in Russia was down by almost 5%, according to Rosstat's latest data. Meanwhile the death rate was about 2% higher. Overall, then, Russia is on track to record the worst year-over-year change in its demography since the 1998-99, when it suffered through a ruinous government debt default and financial crisis. (Forbes, 04.28.15).
Russia is beefing up the law it uses to tackle online piracy. The updated law has been expanded to cover sites that share links to pirated music, books and software. It does not cover images. (The Moscow Times, 05.01.15).
A Finnish media company on Thursday said it would sell its one-third stake in Vedomosti, Russia's most influential business newspaper, as well as ownership of The Moscow Times, the country's only English-language daily, to a Russian buyer. (New York Times, 05.01.15).

Defense and Aerospace:

With Russian strategic bomber patrols already raising hackles in the West, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Wednesday called for renewed production of Russia's long-range supersonic Tu-160 bomber. (The Moscow Times, 04.29.15).
Russia will roll out the Armata T-14 tank, in what's expected to be the largest ever military parade held in the Red Square on May 9. The new tank is one of the world's most sophisticated, with an unmanned turret and the capability to fire a range of heavy-caliber munitions. The Russian military expects delivery of some 32 T-14s this year, and some 2,300 by 2020. (Washington Post, 04.29.15).
Russia has launched what it claims to be the “quietest submarine in the world.” This week, Admiralty Shipyards—a Russian defense company— held a ceremonial launching for its newest Varshavyanka-class diesel-electric submarines. (National Interest, 04.29.15).
Russia's top space officials announced Wednesday that they would scuttle an unmanned cargo spacecraft that is orbiting the Earth after it malfunctioned on its way to resupply the International Space Station. (New York Times, 04.30.15).

Security, law-enforcement and justice:

The authorities in Chechnya have opened a criminal case against two Chechen men suspected of fighting alongside militants in Syria. The men were named as Ilyas Mezhiyev, 24, and Ibragim Mezhiyev, 22, both from the village of Burunskoye in the Shelkovskoy district in northeastern Chechnya. The two men are brothers who allegedly went to Syria last year and fought "in the ranks of one of the Islamist groups" there, a spokesman for the Investigative Committee of Russia said. (RFE/RL, 04.27.15).
A Dagestani militant commander believed to have joined forces with terrorist organization the Islamic State has been killed by Russian security forces, according to a statement released by the National Anti-Terrorism Committee. Khasmagomed Charanov had been the head of Aukhov, an insurgent group active in Dagestan's Khasavyurt district, according to the statement. (The Moscow Times, 04.27.15).
Over 250 members of illegal armed units were killed in antiterrorism and special police operations in the North Caucasus in 2014, the Russian Prosecutor General's office said in the 2014 report. (Interfax, 04.28.15).
Corruption has cost the Defense Ministry more than 7 billion rubles, Prosecutor General Yury Chaika said. On Friday, prosecutors asked the court to give former high-profile defense ministry Yevgenia Vasilyeva a suspended sentence for her involvement in fraud schemes that cost the state some 3 billion rubles (The Moscow Times, 04.28.15).
Former Soviet dissident Vladimir Bukovsky has denied British charges of making indecent images of children. Bukovsky, who will face 11 charges of making and holding indecent images of children in court on May 5. (RFE/RL, 04.28.15).

Foreign affairs and trade:

In a new documentary, Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated his fears that the West wishes Russia harm, recalling how some world leaders told him that they would not mind Russia's disintegration. “Political elites of those countries love us when we're penniless and are begging with an outstretched hand," he said. “Then everything is all right and they send potatoes to us." He also said there was no point in counting on radical changes in the West's attitude to Russia after the fall of the Communist regime, as each country has its own geopolitical interests not linked to ideology. (Interfax, 04.26.15, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, 04.27.15).
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping met five times last year and "will meet at least as many times this year," said Andrey Denisov, Russia's ambassador to Beijing. "Russia and China are now becoming, as we wanted, not only neighbors but deeply integrated countries," Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin told reporters on a trip to the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou this week. (Washington Times, 04.30.15).
The Chinese Navy will hold joint exercises with Russia in the Mediterranean in May, China's Defense Ministry said Thursday. Nine ships from the two countries will participate in the drills, Defense Ministry spokesman, Geng Yansheng, said. The drills will focus on navigation safety, at-sea replenishment, escort missions and live-fire exercises, he said. (New York Times, 05.01.15).
The number of Chinese tourists who visited Russia in the first quarter of this year was 2 1/2 times more than in the same period last year. About 23,500 Chinese tourists came to Russia in the first three months of this year, Russian travel association World Without Borders told the news agency. (The Moscow Times, 04.26.15).
Russia could become the third largest participant in the China-led Asian Infrastructure and Investments Bank and enter its board of directors, Russian Deputy Minister of Economic Development Stanislav Voskresensky said. (Interfax, 04.30.15).
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said Tuesday that Greece was hoping for a 3 billion to 5 billion euro advance from Russia if it struck a deal with Moscow on the Turkish Stream pipeline project. (Reuters, 04.28.15).
Russian President Vladimir Putin invited 68 world leaders to attend the May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow. In all, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday said on Thursday that 30 heads of state, prime ministers and leaders of international organizations confirmed their participation. Besides Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, the leaders of the BRICS states have confirmed they will attend the parade. Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, will not attend the celebration. Head of the EU Delegation to Russia Vygaudas Usackas will represent the European Union at the May 9 events. (Interfax, 04.28.15, International Business Times, 04.30.15, New York Times, 04.30.15).
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier will travel on May 7 to the Russian city of Volgograd to commemorate the end of World War II, a ministry spokeswoman said Sunday. Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Moscow on May 10, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed Wednesday. (Sputnik, 04.29.14, Reuters, 04.26.15).
Russia looks likely to extend a ban on Western food imports beyond an Aug. 7 deadline, with a lack of incentive to lift its embargo due to the prospect of extended European sanctions. "We are not currently considering canceling the ban,” Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich told reporters on Wednesday. (Moscow Times, 04.30.15).
Russia and France are close to reaching an agreement for Paris to cancel a frozen contract on the sale of Mistral helicopter carriers and reimburse Moscow, a Russian source close to talks indicated. (Reuters, 04.24.15).
Rosatom has 29 nuclear reactors in various stages of planning and construction in more than a dozen countries, the largest number of nuclear reactors being built internationally. In contrast, Areva, though largely owned by the French state, has not sold one reactor since 2007. (Reuters, 04.29.15).
US and European Union-imposed economic sanctions on Russia have had no direct impact on Rosatom, but the state nuclear corporation "regularly faces pressure" from Western governments and negative publicity in the media, its director general has said. Rosatom's foreign orders for its reactor technology and related services now exceed $100 billion, Sergey Kirienko said (World Nuclear News, 04.28.15).
Finnish utility Fennovoima said Thursday it has awarded the main contract for constructing a nuclear plant in Finland to the Russian company Titan-2. (AP, 04.30.15).
Russia's Rosatom has released details of an inter-governmental agreement to build Argentina's sixth nuclear power reactor. The memorandum of understanding establishes a "framework for cooperation" for construction of a 1200 MWe VVER unit in the South American country, the state nuclear corporation said. (WNN, 04.24.15).
The United States and seven other Arctic nations vowed Friday to work together to combat climate change at the top of the world and put aside tensions over Ukraine and Russian military activities. (Washington Post, 04.26.15).
Nicaragua's parliament has authorized the establishment of a ground station in the Central American country for a Russian satellite network. (RFE/RL, 04.30.15).

Russia's neighbors:

France and Russia said Thursday that working groups from opposing sides in the conflict in eastern Ukraine will meet within a week to discuss reconstruction, security and how to deal with refugees who have fled the fighting in recent months. “This step will mark the beginning of a political phase" in the implementation of cease-fire agreements, French President François Hollande's office said after a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. (Wall Street Journal, 04.30.15).
Russia would be willing to discuss proposals for the United States to join the Normandy Format but can see no need to enlarge the latter at the moment, Russian deputy foreign minister Grigory Karasin said on Monday. (Interfax, 04.28.15).
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow's seizure of Crimea righted a historical injustice, according to news agency reports on Sunday citing a new documentary film. "It's not because Crimea has a strategic importance in the Black Sea region. It's because this has elements of historical justice. I believe we did the right thing and I don't regret anything," the RIA news agency quoted Putin as saying in the documentary "The President." (Reuters, 04.27.15).
The association agreement between Ukraine and the European Union is to enter force in full from January 1, 2016, said European Commission President Jean-Claude Junker. President Petro O. Poroshenko said Monday at a high-level meeting with European Union officials that Ukraine would be able to meet the conditions to apply for membership in the bloc within five years. (New York Times, 04.28.15, Interfax, 04.28.15).
One senior EU official said Monday that the bloc's continued financial support for Ukraine depended on continued momentum in Kiev in driving the domestic reforms. The official also said that Ukraine must be “beyond reproach" on fulfilling its obligations under the cease-fire agreement so as not to give any room for Russia to renege on its commitments. That includes amending Ukraine's constitution to allow greater autonomy for the east. (Wall Street Journal, 04.27.15).
The European Union will send a team to Ukraine to assess a possible new mission for the bloc there, European Council President Donald Tusk said Monday. EU officials have disclosed privately that a full-fledged EU peacekeeping mission for eastern Ukraine is not on the table. (Wall Street Journal, 04.27.15).
Ukraine's leaders believe Russia is preparing a broad attack on their country, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said Tuesday. Mr. Juncker said he had advised the country's President Petro Poroshenko to ease tensions by avoiding comments on a possible bid to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. His advice, he acknowledged, received short shrift. (Wall Street Journal, 04.28.15).
"The threat of war is still hanging over us. It is our reality. War may erupt at any moment, but we are prepared to do everything we can to erase any possibility to doubt or retreat," Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on Tuesday. (Interfax, 04.28.15).
The top U.S. commander for NATO says Russian forces have used a recent lull in fighting in Ukraine to reposition for a possible offensive. “Many of their actions are consistent with preparations for another offensive," Philip Breedlove told the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee on April 30. Breedlove said "it would not make sense" for Washington to "unnecessarily" take any of its options -- including providing weapons to Ukraine -- off the table. (RFE/RL, 04.30.15).
The U.S. House of Representatives’ Armed Services Committee passed a nearly $612 billion defense policy bill, which includes provisions to provide lethal weapons to Ukraine forces fighting Russian-backed separatists. The bill authorizes $200 million to do more to provide Ukraine with military training and assistance (AP, 04.30.15).
The California Highway Patrol has recently collaborated with the Ukrainian Ministry of Interior Affairs on a four-week training session for 30 Ukrainian law enforcement officers. (U.S. State Department, 04.28.15).
Over 400 U.S. military sites have been deployed in countries surrounding Russia, and the Pentagon will open its bases in Ukraine if American peacekeepers are sent there, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov has said. (Interfax, 04.30.15).
In a rebuke to Washington, an Austrian court refused Thursday to extradite a Ukrainian billionaire to the U.S., ruling that the federal bribery case against him was politically motivated. Dmytro Firtash, co-owner of a gas trader that made hundreds of millions of dollars selling Russian gas to Ukraine, is widely influential among Ukraine's top politicians. (Wall Street Journal, 05.01.15).
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has secured the funding required to complete the Chernobyl New Safe Confinement by the end of 2017. German Environment Minister Jochen Flasbarth said a meeting of the Group of Seven had secured "concrete pledges" for 530 million euros of the remaining 650 million euros needed to complete the reactor's "sarcophagus." The Russian government has decided to contribute an extra ten million euro to the Chernobyl Shelter Fund. (RFE/RL, 04.29.15, Interfax, 04.30.15, World Nuclear News, 04.30.15).
Forensic experts have completed their search for the remains of the 298 people who died on Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in eastern Ukraine more than nine months after the plane was downed. (Wall Street Journal, 04.30.15).
Ukrainian lawmakers recently passed a controversial law that honors dozens of nationalist organizations — including far-left socialists, monarchists, and neo-fascists — as “fighters for Ukrainian statehood.” (Foreign Policy, 04.27.15).
Ukraine plans renouncing a joint project with Russia, under which the two countries were to build a factory for the production of nuclear fuel, the Minister of Energy and Coalmining, Vladimir Demchishin said Wednesday. (TASS, 04.27.15)
French engineering company Areva has for the first time signed a contract with Energoatom for the supply of enriched uranium to be used at Ukraine's nuclear power reactors. The first batches will be delivered in 2015. (WNN, 04.27.15)
Russian authorities have seized the assets of a confectionery factory owned by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in the Russian city of Lipetsk in order to block their sale, parent company Roshen said on Tuesday. (Reuters, 04.28.15).
The Russian Army's Railroad Forces have begun laying an 18-kilometer line to enable trains running between central and southern Russia to bypass Ukraine on their journeys. (Interfax, 04.25.15).
Election officials in Kazakhstan announced on Monday that voters had re-elected incumbent . Nursultan A. Nazarbayev, 74, won his fifth successive term in a snap presidential election, taking a whopping 97.7 percent of the vote. ‘I apologize if these numbers are unacceptable for the super democratic countries, but there was nothing I could do,'' Nazarbayev said. (Wall Street Journal, 04.28.15).
Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka says his country "remains an island of stability and order" even as it "smells of war again in Europe." Lukashenka, in his annual address to the nation in parliament on April 29, said the level of tension between countries in Europe is the "same as during the Cold War." (RFE/RL, 04.29.15).
Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has said that all Jews in Belarus should be taken "under control." Lukashenka has made anti-Semitic remarks in the past. (RFE/RL, 04.29.15).
Kyrgyzstan's ruling three-party coalition has nominated acting Economy Minister Temir Sariev as the Central Asian nation’s new prime minister. (RFE/RL, 04.29.15).

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