August 1:
The Russian government continues to use its control over the media to mold public opinion. A recent Gallup poll reports "only 1 percent of Russians following news about Ukraine [say] that they do not use state media to get information on what is happening there." The Kremlin has used this influence to convince 64 percent of Russians to blame the West for stirring up conflict in eastern Ukraine. Alexander Morozov, head of the Moscow Media Research Center, tells The Moscow Times that, "The Kremlin has built its propaganda around the idea that supporting its policy is the right thing to do, morally, and nobody wants to be immoral."
In response to Western accusations, Russia has "reaffirmed its commitment to fulfilling the provisions" of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, Reuters reports. Washington has charged Moscow with repeatedly violating the Cold War arms control pact - charges that the Kremlin has called "unfounded." Russia has also added that it has its own complaints regarding U.S. violations of the treaty. The United States is currently calling for senior-level talks to discuss Russia's compliance with the treaty.
Roman Seleznev, a suspect in the hacking of U.S. credit card data five years ago, will be extradited to Seattle to face hacking charges, The Moscow Times reports. Notably, Seleznev's father, Valery, is a prominent State Duma deputy. Officials in Moscow have called the move a "de facto kidnapping of a Russian citizen," and "another unfriendly move by Washington."
August 3:
Widening European sanctions have grounded one of Russia's airlines. According to flight newsletter ETurboNews, Dobrolet - a low-cost airline run by Aeroflot - has announced that it will suspend all flights "temporarily." The news comes less than two months after the airline began operations, and on the heels of European sanctions in July that expanded the list of Russian organizations facing asset bans and travel freezes to total 23.
August 4:
Russian officials are claiming that more than 400 Ukrainian soldiers have deserted, crossing the common border between the two countries to seek refuge in Russia. The Moscow Times cites Vasily Malayev, head of the Rostov region branch of the Federal Security Service, as saying that 438 Ukrainian soldiers have defected to Russia, but that “more than 180” of them have already been sent back to Ukraine.
The Russian government is hitting back at new Western sanctions. Radio Free Europe reports that the Kremlin has expanded its list of items banned from importation from the United States. The determination, made by Russia's agricultural agency, ROSSELKHOZNADZOR, ostensibly for health reasons, cuts off the importation of chicken and lamb from the U.S., among other products. A ban on Kentucky bourbon is also reportedly in the works.
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