Russia Reform Monitor No. 2561

STREAMLINING PUTIN'S WAR SPENDING
If its lawmakers have their way, Russia's government is about to become even less transparent and accountable. Valentina Matviyenko, the Speaker of the Federation Council, Russia's upper chamber of parliament, recently proposed temporarily lifting the enforcement of Russia's state budget rules and suspending regulations on state purchases for the duration of the war in Ukraine. Matviyenko justified the proposal as a way to expedite decisionmaking on the part of Russian authorities. "Considering the current conditions and the new reality we live in," she said, "I would suggest not clinging to some dogma. How about placing a freeze on the law, and giving people the ability to appropriate budgets quickly."

The move, if adopted, would signal a significant change to the Russian government's procurement patterns. Currently, the Russian parliament has to approve the state budget by December 1st, and other regulatory hurdles mean that allocated funds are not generally available until the summer. (Meduza, February 1, 2023)

ANOTHER MEDIA FIGURE FOUND GUILTY OF INCORRECT THINKING
The Russian government has taken action against another prominent opposition figure for criticism of the war in Ukraine. A Moscow court sentenced well-known Russian political commentator Alexander Nevzorov in absentia to eight years behind bars for "fake news" about the war in Ukraine. Nevzorov had previously reported on incidents like the massacre in the Ukrainian village of Bucha perpetrated by Russian forces in the early months of the war. Nevzorov is an ally of the Kremlin dating back to Soviet times, and in more recent years had helped set up the "Nashi" nationalist youth movement. However, he has since become a vocal critic of President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine. He received Ukrainian citizenship last summer and subsequently left Russia, where he is now on the state list of foreign agents. (Politico EU, February 1, 2023)

JERUSALEM RECONSIDERS ITS STANCE ON THE UKRAINE WAR
Since the start of the current war, the extent of Israel's support for Ukraine has been a subject of significant international speculation. In the early stages of the conflict, Ukrainian appeals for assistance met with a muted response from Jerusalem, which sought to balance a range of considerations (from the entrenchment of the Russian military on its northern border with Syria to a sizeable domestic constituency of Russian-origin immigrants). More recently, however, Israel's position has shifted, at least in part because its regional nemesis, Iran, has actively waded into the conflict on the side of Russia, providing the Kremlin with military drones and other materiel that has increased the lethality of Russia's military offensive. In response, Israel – which previously had provided only humanitarian aid to Kyiv – has begun to contemplate supplying lethal assistance as well.

Such assistance, if it does materialize, may take the form of cutting edge air defenses. In a recent interview with French television, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he is "looking into" providing units of his country's advanced Iron Dome system to the government of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy – although he declined to make a firm commitment as to when such aid may be forthcoming.

Nevertheless, this about-face is deeply worrying to officials in the Kremlin, which have long counted on the Jewish state's laissez faire attitude toward the conflict. In recent remarks, Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, warned that any Israeli weaponry provided to Kyiv would be seen by Russia as a legitimate target for retaliation. (The Moscow Times, February 1, 2023; Business Insider, February 6, 2023)

ALL EYES ON MOLDOVA
For almost a year, the Russian government has been having serious difficulty with what was supposed to be a swift campaign to "demilitarize" and "de-Nazify" Ukraine. This has not stopped Russian officials from eyeing further targets for potential aggression, however. In a recent interview with state television, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov referred to Moldova as "the next Ukraine," and warned that the country could meet the same fate if it continues to play a role in the West's "anti-Russian project." Chisinau, Lavrov maintained, was at fault because it refused to resume the so-called "5+2" format talks geared toward resolving the conflict over the separatist enclave of Transdneister, which split from Moldova in the early 1990s – a stance that Lavrov attributed to Moldova working "hand in hand with the pro-NATO, pro-EU drive." The statement echoes earlier threatening remarks against the tiny country made by Russian parliamentarians. (Deutsche Welle, February 4, 2023)