Russia Reform Monitor: No. 2015

October 11:

Are declining economic fortunes putting a crimp in the Kremlin's media budget? The Moscow Times reportsthat the Russian government will cut funding to state broadcaster and news agency RT by $30 million, or almost 9 percent, in the next year. RT's experience, however, has been matched by new Kremlin investments in another state broadcaster, Rossiya Segodnya, which will see its budget increase by some 10 percent, to $108 million.

October 12:

Moscow's recent moves in Syria are raising hackles in Riyadh. Saudi pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat reportsthat Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince, Mohammed Bin Salman, has told Russian president Vladimir Putin that his moves in Syria could have "dangerous consequences." Salman, who serves as the Kingdom's Defense Minister, delivered the warning during meetings with Putin in Sochi.

The thinly-veiled demarche underscores a fundamental disagreement between Saudi Arabia and Russia over the course of the Syrian civil war. "The Russian intervention in Syria will engage them in a sectarian war," an anonymous source cited by the paper explains. "The recent escalation will contribute in attracting extremists and jihadists to the war in Syria." That is anathema to Riyadh, which would like to see Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad depart the political scene in favor of what it terms "moderate opposition" elements.

October 13:

Pro-Kremlin parliamentarians are seeking to impose new transparency requirements on Russian media outlets in a move many say will further restrict media freedoms. The Moscow Times reports that a new bill introduced in the State Duma by a group of deputies from the LDPR, Just Russia and Communist parties requires media outlets that receive funding or property from abroad to disclose it within a month to the country's media watchdog, ROSKOMNADZOR, or face fines from the government.

October 14:

In the latest sign of anti-Western sentiment, the Kremlin has banned government employees from traveling using foreign air carriers. RT reports that, pursuant to a new decree recently issued by President Putin, "Russian officials of all levels must now use only airlines from members of the Eurasian Economic Union for business trips."

The Pentagon is speaking out against Russia's Syria strategy, Politico reports. In a recent speech to the Association of the United States Army, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter classified Russia's recent offensive in Syria as a "misguided strategy" that is destined to "inflame and prolong" the long-running civil war there. The United States, Carter made clear, does not support Moscow's recent policies in the Middle East. "We have not, and will not, agree to cooperate with Russia so long as they continue to pursue this misguided strategy."