September 19:
The Russian government is moving to impose more stringent restrictions on the World-Wide Web. The Wall Street Journal reports that the Kremlin is currently contemplating "measures to secure and defend the Internet in the country from outside meddling" as a response to Western sanctions and political pressure. "A fair share of unpredictability has arisen in the recent actions of our partners in the U.S. and Europe, and we must be prepared for all situations," a spokesman for the Kremlin has told reporters, terming the move a matter of "national security." Officials in Moscow have made clear that there are no plans to "unplug" Russia from the global Internet, however; instead, the Kremlin's focus appears to be to secure its national internet against external threats, and to develop options in the event that "the world cuts it off," according to the paper.
September 20:
New sanctions against Russia are most likely not on the horizon, but existing ones will continue to bite, a top Kremlin official has said. "I think that there probably will not be new sanctions," Russian Economic Development Minister Alexei Ulyukayev has told reporters in Sochi in comments carried by RIA Novosti. However, according to Ulyukayev, the Russian government must adjust to the reality that current sanctions levied on Russia by the United States and Europe will be in place for some time. Those measures "already imposed are going to be upheld for a long time, regardless of how the situation in Ukraine develops," RIA Novosti cites the minister as saying.
In response, Ulyukayev has counseled, the Kremlin needs to be prepared to backstop targeted companies and entities. "[W]e must prepare ourselves to react, but not by introducing counter-sanctions, which I find to be unproductive, but by supporting those subjected [to the bans]," he said.
September 22:
In the face of growing activism from NATO in response to its actions in Ukraine, Russia is looking anew at an old security construct for the "post-Soviet space." According to RIA Novosti, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, or CSTO - a six-member, Moscow-dominated security bloc - is positioning itself as a counterweight to the Atlantic Alliance. The bloc will carry out "adequate” measures and "retaliatory steps" in response to the actions of NATO countries, CSTO Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha has told reporters. For example, according to Bordyuzha, a new Russian airbase in Belarus is now being built "in response" to NATO plans to expand the deployment of aerial assets in the Baltics.
September 23:
Moscow is moving to beef up its naval presence in the Black Sea, Reuters reports. The news agency cites Vice Admiral Alexander Vitko, the commander of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, as saying that his force will be increased by more than 80 new warships by the end of the decade. Additionally, according to Vitko, a second naval base for the fleet is currently being built near the city of Novorossiysk, and is expected to be operational within two years. The move appears to be a response to NATO's stepped-up naval presence in the Black Sea, and Alliance plans to itself establish a second basing site in the region.
Russia and South Africa have signed a new strategic cooperation agreement, AllAfrica.com reports. The agreement, inked by South African Energy Minister Tina Joernat-Pettersson and ROSATOM chief Sergei Kiriyenko in Viena, establishes the basis for "large-scale" nuclear cooperation between the two countries. "This agreement opens up the door for South Africa to access Russian technologies, funding, infrastructure, and provides a proper and solid platform for future extensive collaboration," Joernat-Pettersson has said.
The agreement has concrete dividends for Moscow, too. According to Kiriyenko, it "will allow implementation of joint nuclear power projects in Africa and third world countries. But from the very start, this cooperation will be [aimed] at providing the conditions for the creation of thousands of new jobs and placing of a considerable order to local industrial enterprises worth at least US $10 billion."
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