June 11:
Vladimir Putin enjoys extensive popularity among Russia's youth, a new poll has found. According to theWashington Post, a new survey by the Levada Center has found that Russia's president enjoys the highest level of popularity (86 percent) among the 18-24 demographic, four points higher than his rating among Russians aged 40-54. The spike, the paper reports, appears attributable to support for imperialism among citizens to young to remember the days of the Soviet Union.
[EDITORS' NOTE: Given the effect of Russia's increasingly authoritarian political climate on pollsters and respondents alike, the results of public opinion surveys in Russia should be viewed with some caution.]
The Washington Times reports that the U.S. Congress is calling on the White House to act in response to Russia's continued breaches of a key Cold War-era arms control treaty. Recent months have seen a slew of revelations concerning multiple Russian violations of the 1987 Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty since 2008 - violations that so far have failed to garner a response from the Obama administration. In reaction, both Republican and Democratic members of the House added language to the recent National Defense Authorization Act insisting that Russian actions "must be confronted by the administration," or else it risks sending a dangerous message that the U.S. won't respond to this and other "belligerent behavior" on the part of the Kremlin.
In an effort to "promote healthy lifestyles," the Russian parliament is reviewing a bill that would limit the size of plastic beer bottles. The bill would set a bottle size maximum at 0.5 liters by 2016, and reinforce strict regulations on the time and location of beer sales. The measure comes on the heels of excise tax hikes and advertising restrictions on the beer industry in Russia - steps which Reuters reports have "hit the market hard, prompting brewers to cut forecasts and close plants."
June 12:
As attempts to broker peace in Eastern Ukraine falter, Reuters reports that Russia has put forth a fresh draft resolution at the UN calling for renewed diplomacy. Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin describes the resolution as a call for all parties to "immediately end violence, agree to a sustained ceasefire, and refrain from actions endangering the lives and the security of the civilian population." It comes just weeks after a previous proposal calling for the creation of humanitarian corridors in the former Soviet republic - a request that was denied by other Security Council members.
June 13:
The Kremlin is softening its stance a bit in Russia's ongoing gas dispute with neighboring Ukraine. Initially, Moscow threatened to impose a prepayment system for further Ukrainian natural gas purchases after Kyiv missed a June 10th debt repayment deadline. Since then, however, Moscow has rescinded the threat and extended the deadline for Ukraine to repay the more than $4 billion owed, Sri Lanka's Daily News reports. "[Russian President Vladimir] Putin stressed that despite the emerged difficulties, the Russian delegation obliges to continue the talks based on a constructive stance and with the aim of achieving a mutually beneficial agreement," the paper cites the Kremlin as saying. The new deadline, however, only extends the amount of time available for Ukraine to pay off its debt by several days, and therefore isn't likely to be of much help to Kyiv's cash-strapped government.