Russia Reform Monitor: No. 2085

July 20:

Pavel Sheremet, a well-known and controversial journalist employed most recently by Ukrainian Pravda, has been deliberately targeted and killed in Kyiv. According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Sheremet died when his car was destroyed by a bomb in the Ukrainian capital in what authorities believe to be a successful assassination. While the perpetrators are not readily apparent, Ukraine's government is pinning the blame squarely on the Kremlin. Sheremet was assassinated "with one aim in mind: to destabilize the situation in the country, possibly ahead of further events," Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said in televised comments following the killing.

July 21:

The humanitarian situation surrounding the ongoing conflict in Ukraine is worsening. A joint report by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International has found both Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) and Russian-backed separatists in Eastern Ukraine to be guilty of holding civilians in "prolonged, arbitrary, and sometimes secret detention and torturing them." Both sides, the report alleges, have illegally detained citizens suspected of involvement with or spying for the other group, and disappearances have occurred both in government controlled and rebel held areas.

July 22:

While the International Olympic Committee continues to deliberate over whether to ban all Russian athletes from the upcoming 2016 Rio Games, Russia's government is moving to mend its public image. According to the Associated Press, Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for a new Russian anti-doping commission. The proposed commission would ostensibly be "independent" and would include Russian and foreign officials. But there is reason to believe that the Russian effort is simply window-dressing, because Putin has proposed Vitaly Smirnov - a former IOC vice president reprimanded for his involvement in a 1999 Olympic bid scandal - to lead the new effort.

July 23:

Who is Russia really fighting in Syria? Business Insider reports that Russia bombed a garrison utilized by U.S. and British forces in Syria twice in the last month despite being warned that the base was not being used by the Islamic State terrorist group. The first attack came just 24 hours after British special forces left the area. Russia, for its part, claims that the U.S. is at fault for the incident because U.S. officials have been reluctant to share more information about the locations of U.S. backed rebel bases.

July 24:

The International Olympic Committee has ruled against a blanket ban on Russian athletes competing in the Rio Olympics, reports CNN. Instead, individual sporting agencies will decide if the athletes are eligible to compete. Athletes will be considered on a case by case basis, meaning hundreds of petitions will have to be reviewed before the games start in 12 days. Some fear that the decision leaves too little time for agencies to appropriately address the situation, allowing Russia to receive a more lenient ruling despite its extensive doping violations.

July 25:

Russia is jumping on the latest social media craze - and seeking to harness it for patriotic purposes. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports that, in an effort to take advantage of the runaway success of social gaming app Pokemon Go!, Moscow city authorities are developing a smartphone application that will allow users to search for Russian cultural and historical figures around the nation's capital. The app, which will be called "Find Out Moscow," is expected to be launched by the end of August.