THE PUTIN YOUTH
Ok, this is kind of creepy. Here's a passage from Foreign Policy's article, "Vlad Is Rad: Meet the Hipster Wing of Putin's Propaganda Machine":
The surroundings are decidedly 21st-century. But the group's manifesto reads like that of a political movement from the last century, or even a religious sect.
"The path laid by the father is not one of argument with him, but rather argument with the open world laying before us, an argument in which we are together with the father, at one with him," it says. "We don't fight with the power of the father, we share it, we learn the power, we master the power, together with the father we direct its energy toward our present and future."
By "father," the group means Vladimir Putin.
The article is a profile of the youth group "Set," or "Network," and it's worth a read.
EVENING NEWS ROUNDUP
Some items from RFE/RL's News Desk:
TURKISH WAR GRAVES VANDALIZED IN CRIMEA
Graves of Turkish soldiers and officers killed in the Crimean War have been vandalized in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol.
The leader of Azeri community on the Black Sea peninsula, Raqim Qumbatov, said on October 13 that metal Islamic crescents and stars on gravestones in a Sevastopol cemetery had been removed or damaged.
A video report by online news site Vesti.az also showed that road signs pointing to the graveyard and a memorial to Turkish soldiers who died during the 1853-1856 Crimean war had been removed.
Qumbatov said that before Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March, the signs and cemetery had been cared for properly.
Crimean authorities have not commented on the vandalism.
It comes amid what activists is a crackdown on Crimean Tatars, a Muslim minority group whose members largely opposed the annexation.
(Based on reporting by Vesti.az, crimea.kz and e-crimea.info)
ANOTHER MAKAREVICH CONCERT CANCELLED, THIS TIME IN BAKU
A concert by Russian rock musician Andrei Makarevich has been cancelled in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Makarevich, frontman of the legendary band Mashina Vremeni (Time Machine), has had concerts in several Russian cities cancelled in recent weeks.
Pro-Kremlin lawmakers and commentators in Russia branded him a traitor after he gave concerts in Ukraine for refugees from the eastern part of the country, where government forces have been fighting pro-Russian separatists.
Makarevich wrote on Facebook on October 13 that Baku city authorities cancelled the concert by him and "The Creole Tango Orchestra" in order "to avoid pro-Ukrainian actions."
The concert was scheduled for October 31 at Baku's Heydar Aliyev Palace, a venue named after the late former president whose son, Ilham Aliyev, succeeded him shortly before his death in 2003.
KREMLIN HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF OPPOSES MEMORIAL CLOSURE
The head of Russia's presidential human rights council has said he does not see any reason to close the independent rights organization Memorial.
Mikhail Fedotov told the Interfax news agency on October 13 there are "no grounds" for closing down Memorial.
Russia's Ministry of Justice on October 10 appealed to the Supreme Court to close Memorial but the reasons for the request were not made public.
Fedotov said the planned November 13 Supreme Court hearing on Memorial should be rescheduled to allow Memorial to conduct its planned November 19 conference on changes to its structure.
Fedotov said the changes Memorial plans to make would address the Justice Ministry's concerns.
Created in the late 1980s by a group of Soviet-era dissidents, including Nobel laureate Andrei Sakharov, Memorial has served as a tireless rights watchdog and important source of Soviet-era records for historians for a quarter century.
(Based on reporting by Interfax)
RUSSIAN WARSHIPS VISIT IRAN EN ROUTE TO AZERBAIJAN
A fleet of Russian warships berthed in the Caspian port of Enzali in Iran on October 13.
Russian navy ships "Dagestan" and "Grad Sviazhsk" were welcomed by local Iranian officials and Russia's Ambassador to Tehran, Levan Dzhagarian.
The vessels from Russia's Caspian Fleet came to Iran after holding joint exercises with two Kazakh warships last week.
After visiting Enzali, the Russian warships will head to Baku, Azerbaijan.
The Russian navy ships are visiting ports of the three Caspian states as part of a 20-day program to develop international cooperation between the Caspian states.
It was not clear why the Russian vessels did not also visit Turkmenistan, the only other Caspian state.
Last month, the leaders of five Caspian states -- Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan, met in the Russian city of Astrakhan and agreed to prevent foreign militaries from gaining any influence in the Caspian Sea.
(Based on reporting by TASS, trend.az and IRNA)
MORE DARTH VADER FUN IN UKRAINE
One of the many Darth Vaders vying for seats in the Verhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, has released a campaign ad:
SO WHAT DOES 'SHIRTFRONT' MEAN, ANYWAY?
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott raised some eyebrows when he said he was planning to "shirtfront" Vladimir Putin over the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 at the upcoming G20 summit.
Now, thanks to news.com.au, we know what exactly that might mean.
Mr Abbott was speaking figuratively of course about his actions. He won’t actually lay a violent hand on the macho Russian.
But definitions are important. We have to know how serious was his figurative threat to understand how serious he will be with the Russian leader.
In AFL states, to shirtfront means to charge a rival player full pelt and hit them so hard they drop to the ground heavily. Apparently if a football is involved in this encounter it is only incidental and certainly not necessary.
In rugby territory – league and union, Mr Abbott’s game – to shirtfront means to grab by the coat lapels, or indeed the front of a shirt, and vigorously challenge.
So, if the Prime Minister threatening to metaphorically slam the Russian President into the ground? Or simply to muss up his shirt? In terminology Mr Abbott is most familiar with, probably the latter.
I guess we'll all find out on November 15-16 when the G20 summit is held in Brisbane, Queensland.
MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP
Some items from RFE/RL's News Desk:
RUSSIAN RUBLE HITS ANOTHER RECORD LOW
The Russian ruble hit new all-time lows against the euro and dollar on October 13 despite recent government intervention.
The ruble dropped to 51.33 to the euro -- breaking the previous low from March -- and fell to 40.49 to the dollar.
The record lows came after Russian Central Bank chief Elvira Nabiullina said the bank had pumped some $6 billion into propping up the currency since October 3.
International sanctions against Russia over its annexation of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula and Moscow's support for pro-Russian rebels have cut several major Russian firms off from key international debt markets.
Russia's oil-dependent economy is also hurt by low oil prices, dropping to $88 per barrel on October 13.
The International Monetary Fund said capital flight from Russia will reach some $100 billion this year and inflation is more than 8 percent.
(Based on reporting by AFP and Interfax)
UKRAINE SAYS FEWER RUSSIAN TROOPS IN CONFLICT ZONE
Ukrainian military officials say they have noticed a reduction in Russian soldiers fighting with pro-Russian separatists against government troops in eastern Ukraine.
Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said on October 13 in Kyiv that Russian personnel who had been in Ukraine have been returning to bases inside Russia.
Russia denies that it has any troops in Ukraine or that it supports the rebel forces in the areas the insurgents control in Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
But Lysenko said volunteer fighters from Russia are still entering Ukraine from through border crossings controlled by separatists.
Lysenko's statement comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered thousands of troops posted near Ukraine to return to permanent bases.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said Germany welcomes the news "but unfortunately we know from experience [with Russia that]...action alone [is] what counts."
(Based on reporting by AP and Reuters)
LITHUANIA BRACES FOR RUSSIAN 'HYBRID WARFARE'
Lithuania is creating a rapid reaction force to counter unconventional threats highlighted by the crisis in Ukraine.
The Baltic nation's top general said on October 13 that 2,500 troops will be on high alert and ready to respond to "hybrid warfare" involving unconventional attacks by unmarked combatants, like those in eastern Ukraine and Crimea.
Major General Jonas Vytautas Zukas told reporters: "We must immediately increase our readiness for unplanned military actions during peacetime."
He said new threats include "manipulating national minorities, provocations, attacks by non-state armed groups, illegal border crossing, (and) breach of military transit procedures."
Kyiv and NATO accuse Russia of using those tactics to annex Crimea in March and aid pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Russia denies involvement in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
NATO member Lithuania's new force is to begin operating on November 1.
(Based on reporting by AFP and Xinhua)
UKRAINE RECOVERS BELONGINGS OF MH17 VICTIMS
The Dutch government says Ukrainian searchers have recovered belongings including passports, luggage, jewelry and children's toys from the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17.
The Security and Justice Ministry said in a statement that 40 members of the Ukrainian disaster response agency participated in a new round of searching at the wreckage site in Eastern Ukraine on october 13. Four Dutch officials and an OSCE team were also present.
Eight forensic experts will fly to Ukraine to examine the belongings before they are returned to the Netherlands.
The jet crashed on July 17 in an area in eastern Ukraine controlled by pro-Russian separatists, apparently shot down by a missile.
All 298 people on board were killed. Two-thirds of the victims were Dutch.
Kyiv blames the incident on the rebels and accuses Moscow of arming them. The rebels and Moscow deny the accusations.
(Based on reporting by Reuters and AP)
IT'S A WEIRD WEIRD WEIRD WEIRD WORLD
Christopher Miller is at it again with a great piece of reportage from the "Donetsk People's Republic": Welcome to the Bizarre World of the Ukrainian Rebels
A few passages:
"On city squares, entertainment is often provided by kids — one child poet, carrying a toy gun and wearing a camouflage bandana around her head, jumped on a stage recently, giving a live mic performance in which she damned the Ukrainian “Nazi morons." On another day, a group of school children performed a play in which they depicted Ukrainians as Nazis while black-and-white footage of World War II fascists played on big screen behind them.
Propaganda like this is ubiquitous. The city resembles the pages of a certain George Orwell novel, with gunmen roaming the streets reminding people to “speak the truth,” and billboards portraying the current fight to that of the Second World War.
The message is working. Many here believe they are fighting a continuation of their grandfathers’ war against the fascists. Question firing squad executions, extrajudicial detentions or the parade of prisoners of war through Donetsk and you’re likely to be called a fascist yourself and thrown into the makeshift prison called “Isolation” — an art center before rebels seized it and turned it into a dungeon.
Against this surreal backdrop, the rebel leadership wants to project normalcy and give the impression that life is returning to routine."
Read the whole surreal and beautifully written piece here.
AFTERNOON NEWS ROUNDUP
From RFE/RL's News Desk:
PUTIN LAMENTS 'ESTRANGEMENT' OF RUSSIAN AND UKRAINIAN PEOPLE
Russian President Vladimir Putin says the "main tragedy" of the Ukraine crisis is the "estrangement of the Ukrainian and Russian people".
Putin spoke about Ukraine at a Kremlin meeting of his advisory council on human rights and civil society on October 14.
He said that "the main tragedy unfolding before our eyes is the estrangement of the Ukrainian and Russian people."
Putin said that "it is necessary to seek a way to overcome this situation."
Many Ukrainians blame Russia and Putin himself for the crisis and the animosity it has generated.
Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March, and Kyiv and the West accuse Moscow of sending troops and arms into eastern Ukraine to help pro-Russian separatists fighting government forces in a conflict that has killed more than 3,660 people.
Russia denies involvement.
Fighting has lessened since a September 5 cease-fire, but more than 330 people have been killed during the truce.
(Based on reporting by Interfax)
PROTEST ERUPTS OUTSIDE UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT
By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service
Demonstrators clashed with police outside the Ukrainian parliament during a raucous protest that prompted the legislature to go into recess.
Some of the protesters tried to push past police and enter parliament during the demonstration on October 14.
The approximately 500 protesters were demanding the Verkhovna Rada include on its agenda a draft law recognizing controversial World War II-era guerrilla resistance groups -- the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) -- as national heroes.
Ukrainian news agency UNIAN reported some of the protesters were armed with sticks or clubs and fireworks were thrown at the parliament building and at police who were present in large numbers.
Some of the protesters were reportedly from the nationalist Svoboda party but party leader Oleh Tyahnybok denied Svoboda was involved.
Another nationalist group, Right Sector, posted a message on Twitter denying its members were involved.
Parliament was able to confirm a new defense minister before adjourning.
Deputies endorsed Stepan Poltorak, who is currently chief of the National Guard, in a 245-1 vote.
Poltorak replaces Valeriy Heletey, who was criticized over the Ukrainian military's performance in combating pro-Russian separatists who continue to hold large portions of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions after fighting that has killed more than 3,660 people since April.
Heletey handed in resignation on October 12 after only three months on the job.
When announcing his candidate to replace Heletey on October 13, Poroshenko praised Poltorak for his "professionalism and patriotism" and said Poltorak had turned the National Guard into a formidable fighting force in a short time.
Before the confirmation vote, Poroishenko said Poltorak and forces under his command had driven pro-Russian separatists from the regional administration building in Kharkiv, a major eastern city that has remained under government control along with the surrounding province.
During his swearing-in after the vote, Poltorak pledged "to strengthen the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine."
Parliament also passed a bill to create a National Anticorruption Bureau, an attempt by the new Ukrainian government to fight a problem that has long plagued the country.
Poroshenko signed a lustration law on October 9.
Under that law, up to 1 million public servants, including cabinet ministers, are to be screened for loyalty to root out the corrupt practices of previous pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych's administration.
(With additional reporting by UNIAN and AP)
KAZAKH PRESIDENT SIGNS RATIFICATION OF EURASIAN UNION TREATY
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev has signed a law on the ratification of the treaty creating the Eurasian Economic Union (EES), his office said on October 14.
Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka signed a similar law last week, and Russian President Vladimir Putin did so on October 3.
Under the treaty, the EES will begin functioning as of January 1, 2015.
The project builds on the existing Customs Union linking Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan.
Moscow, which is facing Western sanctions over its role in the Ukraine crisis, has been pressuring former Soviet republics to join the EES.
Armenia's president signed an agreement to join the EES during a summit in Minsk on October 10.
Kyrgyzstan's president expressed hope that his country would join by year's end.
(Based on reporting by KazTAG and Kazinform)
LAVROV SAYS SANCTIONS NOT BRINGING PEACE TO UKRAINE
Russia's foreign minister has told European businesspeople that Western sanctions imposed on Moscow are not helping to resolve the Ukraine crisis.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a meeting of the Association of European Businesses (AEB) that the sanctions "do not contribute to de-escalation of the situation in Ukraine."
Lavrov told the October 14 meeting in Moscow that the sanctions are "harmful" and "unlawful" and would end up costing Europe some 40 billion euros this year and some 50 billion euros next year.
He did not explain the basis for these figures.
Lavrov said Russia laments the disruption in ties with the European Union that have accompanied the sanctions.
He assure the delegates Russia was interested in building energy cooperation with the EU, saying it would be beneficial to both sides.
(Based on reporting by TASS and Interfax)
TWO MORE CRIMEAN TATARS REPORTED MISSING
By the Crimean Desk of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service
SIMFEROPOL, Crimea -- Two young Crimean Tatars have been reported missing in the capital of the annexed region, Simferopol.
Relatives of university student Artyom Dayrabekov told RFE/RL on October 14 that he and his friend Belyal Bilyalov had been missing for more than 24 hours.
They said they have asked police for help and visited the city's hospitals and morgues.
Human Rights Watch said earlier this month that at least five people, including three Crimean Tatars, remained missing after “hostile encounters” and that other Crimean Tatars have been found dead, with signs of torture, since the peninsula's annexation by Russia in March.
A 25-year-old Crimean Tatar man, Edem Asanov, was found dead last week after going missing.
Most Crimean Tatars - a Turkic-speaking Muslim minority native to Crimea - opposed the annexation.
PUTIN'S PEOPLE'S COMMISARS
Ove the past 18 months, Vladimir Putin has been quietly bringing a a new cadre of officials to Moscow, historian Vladimir Pastukhov wrote in a recent article in Polit.ru. (A big h/t to Paul Goble at Window on Eurasia for flagging.)
According to Pastukhov, this new nomenklatura is young, from 25-35 years-old, from the regions, and relatively poor. They are "people without deep roots" who are "ready for anything." They are also "directly or indirectly connected to the security services."
And they are being selected on the basis of their loyalty to the regime and for being "psychologically closer to Putin" than their predecessors.
This all suggests that Putin intends to leave a legacy that will linger long after he leaves the scene. And taken together with the formation of the youth group "Set," or "Network," it illustrates the Kremlin's emerging youth strategy in the post-Bolotnaya era.
MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP
Some items from RFE/RL's News Desk:
KREMLIN SAYS PUTIN, POROSHENKO DISCUSS UKRAINE PEACE MEASURES
The Kremlin says that the presidents of Russia and Ukraine, Vladimir Putin and Petro Poroshenko, have discussed possible measures to restore peace to eastern Ukraine.
The Kremlin said in a statement that the two leaders had also agreed to discuss gas supplies during a summit in Milan on October 16-17.
Russia's Gazprom cut gas supplies to Ukraine in June after Kyiv failed to pay its gas debts.
Europe gets one-third of its gas needs from Russia, with around half of that being pumped via Ukraine.
(Based on reporting by Reuters and RIA Novosti)
U.S. AND RUSSIA VOW INTEL SHARING ON ISLAMIC STATE
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said October 14 that he and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov have agreed to step up intelligence-sharing over the Islamic State (IS) militant group.
The two held a three-hour meeting in Paris during which they mainly discussed the situation in Ukraine.
But Kerry said after the meeting that he and Lavrov had also discussed "whether Russia could do more to support Iraqi security forces" fighting IS.
The militant group has seized large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria.
Kerry said Lavrov "indeed acknowledged their preparedness to help with respect to arms, weapons, they are doing that now, they already have provided some, and also potentially with the training and advising aspects."
He said he and Lavrov recognised "that (Islamic State) has absolutely no place in the 21st century."
(Based on reporting by AFP and AP)
CRIMEAN MUSLIMS ORDERED TO GET RID OF 'BANNED ISLAMIC LITERATURE'
By the Crimean Desk of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service
The pro-Russia leadership in Crimea is urging Muslim residents of the annexed territory to get rid of "banned Islamic literature" by January 1, 2015.
The Moscow-backed leader of the region, Sergei Aksyonov, told reporters in Simferopol on October 14 that the authorities "will not confiscate for three months Islamic literature that was allowed by Ukrainian authorities and is banned by Russian legislation."
Aksyonov added that the list of Islamic literature banned by Russian law will be made public by the local media.
Aksyonov initially said authorities would stop confiscating banned printed materials from Muslims at his meeting with Crimean Muslims on October 13.
Muslims in Crimea are mainly Crimean Tatars, the majority of whom opposed Russia's annexation of the peninsula in March.
Leading members of the Crimean Tatar community have been targeted by police for possessing so-called "banned Islamic books" in recent weeks.
PUTIN SAYS RUSSIA AND CHINA ARE NATURAL ALLIES
Russian President Vladimir Putin has met with Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang for high-profile talks in Moscow.
Putin told Li at the Kremlin on October 14 that "we are natural partners, natural allies, we are neighbors."
The Russian president praised growing economic ties with China, expressing confidence that bilateral trade will reach $100 billion next year.
Li praised the "inexhaustible" potential for cooperation between Moscow and Beijing.
The two leaders spoke a day after Russian and Chinese officials signed more than 30 deals ranging from energy to banking.
Li's three-day visit to Russia comes amid a row between the Kremlin and the West over the crisis in Ukraine.
China and Russia have close economic and diplomatic links, and Beijing has said it won’t take sides with the West or Russia over Ukraine.
(Based on reporting by AFP, TASS, and Interfax)
PUTIN'S TIGER SUSPECTED IN CHINA HENHOUSE ATTACK
Chinese authorities have yet to track down Vladimir Putin's tiger, but they have run across what they suspect are the results of its actions: five chickens killed in a henhouse attack.
A Siberian tiger nicknamed Kuzya, one of three the Russian president released into the wild in May, was reportedly seen across the border in a Chinese nature reserve last week.
On October 14, TASS said Chinese border guards responding to villagers' reports of an attack on chickens "spotted a big animal's tracks, feathers and blood near the broken henhouse fence."
Citing Xinhua, it reported that forestry officials said that the tracks belonged to a Siberian tiger, most likely Kuzya.
More than 60 cameras have been set up in the nature reserve.
The Siberian tiger is a threatened species, with some 450 left in the world.
Russia launched a plan in 2010 to protect Siberian tigers.
(Based on reporting by TASS and Xinhua)
MISSING CRIMEAN TATAR REPORTEDLY FOUND DEAD
By the Crimean Desk of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service
SIMFEROPOL, Crimea -- Media reports in Crimea say the body of a missing Crimean Tatar was found in the annexed region's capital, Simferopol, on October 14.
Reports cite the Kryminform website as reporting that Belyal Belyalov, who was university student, died after smoking an unspecified substance.
According to the Moscow-backed Kryminform, the second missing young Crimean Tatar, Artyom Dayrabekov, who also reportedly smoked the substance, was saved by doctors.
Dayrabekov's relatives, who had reported the two young men's disappearance, refused to comment on Kryminform's report.
Crimea's pro-Russia Interior Ministry also refused to comment on the situation.
Crimean Tatar Edem Asanov, 25, was also found dead last week after being reported missing.
Most Crimean Tatars -- a Turkic-speaking Muslim minority native to Crimea -- opposed Russia's annexation of the peninsula.
NEWS FLASH! NATIONALISTS DON'T REALLY LOVE PUTIN
Over at Global Voices, the always insightful Kevin Rothrock (a regular guest on the Power Vertical Podcast), has an interesting piece about the flagship nationalist website "Sputnik & Pogram" and its editor Yegor Prosvirnin. And guess what, despit the Crimea annexation, they're no fans of Vladimir Putin.
Prosvirnin’s animosity toward the Kremlin might strike many outside Russia as mysterious. Wouldn’t a self-avowed Russian nationalist revere Putin for sacrificing Moscow’s reputation with the West to deliver Crimea and rescue the Donbas? Isn’t Putin a nationalist?
“Putin is no nationalist—he’s just a spectator,” Prosvirnin told RuNet Echo. “He was put there [in the Kremlin] by the ruling corporation to manage the political process, while the noble members of the secret police buy villas and mansions in Cote d'-Azur.”