June 21:
Russia could soon become a “third partner” at a key U.S. and NATO base used for Coalition operations in Afghanistan, acting as the chief fuel supplier for the U.S. Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan. Eurasianet reports that a deal on the arrangement, now in the works, is backed by the Kyrgyz provisional government, which hopes that a U.S.-Russian fuel agreement will encourage the Kremlin to revoke the punitive fuel-import duty imposed on the former Soviet republic back in April. The companies previously responsible for supplying jet fuel to Manas are currently under investigation by the U.S. Congress for dubious contracting practices, with the reexportation of fuel reportedly “one aspect of the congressional investigation.”
June 23:
While the latest UN sanctions against Iran have called Moscow's defense trade with Tehran into question, the Kremlin's arms deals with Syria are not. According to Geostrategy Direct, Moscow plans to continue sales of “weapons and combat platforms” to Syria, including MiG-29 and MiG-31 fighter jets, Pantsyr-S1E air defense systems and BMP-2 armored vehicles. Analysts believe arms trade was a major topic of discussion during President Medvedev’s visit to Damascus this past May, as was the potential expansion of the Russian military presence in Syria.
If a bill currently facing the Russian Duma is passed, Russia's intelligence services could soon wield power on a level not seen since the Soviet era. The proposal grants the FSB the ability to summon individuals in advance for “questioning,” the BBC reports, and caution them against “extremist activity” or possible crime, with a penalty for ignoring the warning of up to 15 days in prison. Government officials insist the legislation is “needed to tackle extremism.” But, according to Allison Gill, director of the Russia office of Human Rights Watch, “Giving security forces this kind of control over lawful, civic activity is not a sign of a country that is trying to modernize.”
In an effort to “disrupt, dismantle, and defeat” the threat posed by the Chechnya's lingering insurgency, the U.S. State Department has designated its titular leader, Doku Umarov, as a terrorist. The designation, made under the Presidential Executive Order 13224, is intended to target “terrorists and those providing support to terrorists or acts of terrorism.” State Department officials have hailed the designation as the first step toward stemming the flow of financial assistance to the Chechen insurgency and degrading Umarov’s “ability to exert operation and leadership control over Caucasus Emirates.”
June 24:
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has continued his efforts to attract American investors to Russia, using his recent visit to the United States to promote Skolkovo, the Russian version of Silicon Valley now under construction outside of Moscow. According to the Voice of America, the Russian government has already invested hundreds of millions of dollars into the project, and has even designed a special tax code and set of regulations specific to the area to alleviate investor concerns about entrenched bureaucracy and corruption. “There will be special tax regime-implemented preferences, special procedures of registration, special procedures of control, even special jurisdictional procedures,” Mr. Medvedev told an audience at Stanford University. Before leaving the United States, Medvedev secured the support of Cisco Systems, Twitter, and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger for the project.
June 25:
Moldovan officials have stepped up their campaign to compel Russia's withdrawal from Transdniester. According to the Associated Press, Chisinau has for the first time directly demanded the withdrawal of the 1,500 Russian troops still situated in the region. The country's interim President, Mihai Ghimpu, has reportedly asked the Kremlin to “unconditionally, urgently, and transparently,” move the troops out of Transdniester, where they have been deployed since 1991.