APATHY IN THE FACE OF MOSCOW'S PROTESTS
The weeks of protests that roiled Moscow in August appear to have had very little effect on the rest of Russia. An opinion survey conducted in Yaroslavl found that most respondents either had not heard about the protests or knew very little about them, since Russian state television underreported or ignored the weekly demonstrations. Those who were aware of the events were largely critical of the brutal tactics used by law enforcement and more sympathetic to the protesters' cause. However, the study's author noted that "sympathy does not equal action... [most] saw little possibility for similar opposition activity in their community." (Washington Post, August 15, 2019)
TIT-FOR-TAT IN POST-INF WORLD
Now that the INF Treaty has been formally abandoned, both the United States and Russia are preparing to ramp up tests of missiles previously forbidden under the 1987 accord. After the U.S. tested a new Tomahawk missile in mid-August, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave his national security council an order to prepare a "symmetrical response" to the new development. Subsequently, current and former Russian defense officials speculated publicly about different forms such a response might take, from the type of missile likely to be involved (one official pointed to the Russian ship-launched Kalibr) to potential deployment locations (like Venezuela) that might irritate or deter the United States. (Washington Post, August 23, 2019)
A BLEAK FUTURE FOR RUSSIAN ORPHANS
Average life expectancy is low in Russia, but for parentless children, the outlook is even more dire. Only ten percent of orphanage residents survive to the age of 40 – well below the country's average age of mid-60s. Be Human, a Novosibirsk-based organization dedicated to supporting orphan "graduates" in orienting to adulthood, blames these bleak figures on a lack of support for the parentless children who pass through these institutions: most leave without the life skills necessary to survive as adults, while many never end up receiving the apartments to which they are entitled under Russian law. (Window on Eurasia, August 26, 2019)
NO RUSSIAN VISAS FOR KREMLIN CRITICS
Two U.S. senators have been denied visas to visit Russia – a rejection they claim is petty retaliation for their outspoken criticism of Russian aggression. Senators Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin had been scheduled to travel as part of a bipartisan U.S. delegation to Russia in late August. Instead, the Russian Embassy denied their applications and issued a statement that accused the lawmakers of Russophobia and judged that they were "not ready for dialogue." In response, both senators criticized the Russian government for "play[ing] diplomatic games" and "further isolating their country by blocking the trip." (New York Times, August 27, 2019)
YET ANOTHER EXTRATERRITORIAL KILLING?
A Chechen man murdered in Germany last month may have been targeted directly by the Russian government. On August 23rd, Zelimkhan Khangoshvili was gunned down in broad daylight in a Berlin park by a Russian man identified only as Vadim S., who was arrested immediately after the shooting. Khangoshvili landed on the Kremlin's radar as a commander of Chechen forces against Russia in the early 2000s - a role for which he was labeled a terrorist by the Russian Federal Security Service. According to his friends, Khangoshvili had escaped multiple assassination attempts in Georgia before seeking safety in exile in Germany in 2016. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has firmly rejected the idea of official involvement in the assassination, but as the investigation unfolds, German authorities are reportedly "increasingly confident" that the Russian government ordered Khangoshvili's death. (London Guardian, August 28, 2019)
NEW THEORY IN RUSSIAN RADIATION RELEASE CONTROVERSY
The mystery surrounding the radioactive explosion in early August at a Russian military test site continues to unfold. By the end of last month, new reports had emerged from the U.S. intelligence community that the explosion had not occurred during a test of the new nuclear cruise missile known as the Burevestnik as originally thought, but rather during a "recovery mission" for a missile lost in the ocean during a previous test. Russia has reportedly attempted such salvage missions following failed tests of the Burevestnik, all of which have ended with crash landings. An anonymous U.S. official confirmed that one of the vessels involved in the recovery exploded, which then triggered a reaction in the missile's nuclear core. (CNBC, August 29, 2019)
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