MICROSOFT COMPETITOR MOVES INTO AFRICA
Moscow is now exercising soft power on the African continent in a new way: software. Russian tech firm MyOffice recently finalized deals with Cameroon, Burundi, and the Congo to provide software licenses similar to those currently being offered by American companies such as Microsoft and Google, neither of whom have made significant inroads on the continent. Many African countries share Russia's concerns about offshore data storage, so MyOffice has promised to store user data locally within each country, as opposed to on offshore servers. MyOffice benefited greatly from last year's Russia-Africa Conference held in Sochi, which was attended by Vladimir Putin, Sergei Lavrov, and nearly fifty African heads of state. Additional deals with Morocco and Uganda remain pending due to the pandemic, but CEO Dmitri Komissarov is confident that his company's African portfolio will eventually comprise up to 15 percent of MyOffice's total revenue. (Bloomberg, December 1, 2020)
KREMLIN ORDERS MASS VACCINATION
President Putin has ordered "large-scale" COVID-19 vaccinations across Russia, even though the current Russian vaccine has not gone through proper studies to ensure its safety and efficacy. Doctors, teachers, and other high-risk individuals have been designated to be among the first to receive the vaccine. Putin estimates that around two million doses of Sputnik V, the first vaccine to be approved in Russia, have been produced. Thus far, more than 100,000 doses have been administered. The inoculations are planned to be voluntary and free of charge. The Kremlin has also recently lobbied the European Union to provide shots of its vaccine to citizens of EU member states as well. (Associated Press, December 2, 2020)
A U.S.-ESTONIAN PARTNERSHIP TO COUNTER RUSSIAN CYBER THREATS
U.S. Cyber Command has partnered with the Baltic nation of Estonia on a drill designed to help the NATO member state search out and counter Russian cyber threats. American officials have noted that while helping an ally is a motivating factor behind this initiative, working in Russia's neighboring countries also allows the U.S. to familiarize itself with Russian cyber tactics before they are used against Americans. While nothing malicious was detected during the exercise, Mihkel Tikk, a deputy commander in Estonia's Cyber Command, highlighted that seeing American tactics in action could help inform Estonia's own cyber strategy. The U.S. recently moved from a reactive to a proactive approach to cyber security and is increasingly working with other East European countries on this issue. (Associated Press, December 2, 2020)
KREMLIN EXPELS AMERICAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST
A U.S. human rights activist has been ordered to leave Russia within two weeks. Vanessa Kogan is the director of the Justice Initiative project, which provides legal support to Russians attempting to bring human rights cases before local courts or the European Court of Human Rights. The organization is particularly active in Russia’s restive North Caucasus region, near Chechnya. Kogan stated that she learned of her expulsion during a meeting with officials to discuss her application for Russian citizenship. Kogan claims that the decision also targets her Russian husband, a human rights lawyer who likewise works at the Justice Initiative project. Another affiliated organization was expelled by authorities in 2019. Kogan mentioned that her group has long been harassed by Russian officials. The development is being seen as a part of a larger official crackdown on non-governmental organizations operating within Russia. (Guardian, December 3, 2020)
BUMPS ON THE ROAD TO INOCULATION
Russia's plan to inoculate over two million citizens against the coronavirus in coming weeks is going to depend on the country's ability to strengthen its supply chain. Authorities currently have 500,000 complete doses of the vaccine, but efforts to increase that figure are stalling due to difficulties in mass producing the required second dose or booster shots needed for the vaccine to be fully effective. In order to soften the blow of delayed boosters, Russian health regulators have extended the window for their administration from 21 days to 50 days after the initial dosage. Moscow city authorities have set up 70 vaccine stations across the city, with plans to open as many as 170 by January. Despite the progress taking place in the capital, however, anonymous statements from officials in Russia's regions indicate a fear that efforts to inoculate populations outside Moscow are expected to be much slower. (Meduza, December 4, 2020)
UKRAINIAN, RUSSIAN NEGOTIATORS RETURN TO THE TABLE
One year after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky agreed to restart peace talks with the Kremlin, Ukraine and Russia have begun discussing prisoner swaps and troop withdrawals. According to Zelensky's spokesperson, Ukraine hopes to carry out a prisoner swap by the end of next year, and says that Ukraine has submitted a list of desired prisoners that it seeks to reclaim in exchange for setting free Kremlin-backed separatists. Zelensky also issued a statement expressing Ukraine's willingness to withdraw troops from additional areas in Eastern Ukraine. France and Germany are moderating the discussions, which represent the most durable dialogue in the now six-and-a-half year-old conflict precipitated by Russia's 2014 invasion of Ukraine - a conflict in which 13,000 have died and more than one million Ukrainians have been displaced to date. (The Moscow Times, December 10, 2020)
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