EVENING NEWS ROUNDUP
From RFE/RL's News Desk:
EUROPE PRAISES GAS DEAL, PRESSES RUSSIA ON REBEL VOTES
By RFE/RL
European leaders have welcomed a deal under which Russia is to restore natural-gas supplies to Ukraine but told Vladimir Putin that elections held by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine on November 2 will be illegitimate.
Russian President Putin, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and French President Francois Hollande spoke in a four-way telephone conversation overnight after Ukraine and Russia sealed a deal meant to guarantee Russian gas supplies to Ukraine through March 2015.
All four leaders welcomed the gas deal signed late on October 30 in Brussels, a German government spokesperson said, and a Kremlin statement called the agreement "an important step in the context of the future provision of uninterrupted transit of gas to Europe."
But a statement from Poroshenko's office said "Ukraine, Germany and France expressed (the) clear common position that they would not recognize the elections planned by separatists."
It said the elections on rebel-held territory in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions would contradict an agreement reached in Minsk on September 5 and aimed to end the conflict between Kyiv and the pro-Russian rebels, which has killed more than 3,700 people since April and poisoned East-West ties.
It said Poroshenko, Merkel, and Hollande "urged Russia not to recognize those elections as well."
Merkel's spokesman, Georg Streiter, said that "Merkel and Hollande underlined that there can only be a ballot in line with Ukrainian law."
He said the votes would violate the Minsk agreement and further complicate efforts to find a solution to the crisis in eastern Ukraine.
"The German government will not recognize these illegitimate elections," Streiter told a news conference, adding that European leaders were united on this issue and had agreed on this at a summit last week in Brussels.
Moscow has made no formal recognition of the "people's republics" the separatists have proclaimed in Donetsk and Luhansk, and the Kremlin denies involvement in the conflict despite what Kyiv and NATO say is clear evidence that Russia has sent troops and weapons into Ukraine to help the separatists.
But in comments published on October 28, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow would "of course recognize the results" of the separatists' elections.
The Kremlin statement about the telephone conversation made no mention of the elections.
It also said the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the implementation the September 5 agreement, and underscored the need to observe the cease-fire that was central to the Minsk deal.
The Kremlin said Russia believes the "the establishment of a steady dialogue" between Kyiv and the separatists would "undoubtedly" help stabilize the situation.
Kremlin critics say Russia supported the September 5 agreement because it followed rebel gains that left the separatists in control over large portions of Donetsk and Luhansk, potentially giving Moscow a lever of influence on Ukraine for years to come.
The November 2 balloting in the rebel-held regions comes a week after those areas stayed out of voting in in Ukraine's parliamentary election on October 26, in which pro-Western parties won a sweeping victory.
Poroshenko proposed on October 31 that Arseniy Yatsenyuk stay on as prime minister.
"I have proposed that the Petro Poroshenko Bloc put forward Arseniy Yatsenyuk to the post of prime minister," Poroshenko wrote on Twitter.
Yatsenyuk's People's Front party narrowly beat out the Petro Poroshenko Bloc in voting by party in the October 26 election, according to a nearly complete count.
But Poroshenko's bloc fared better in first-past-the-post voting and was positioned to take more parliament seats than the People's Front, according to election commission data.
Yatsenyuk is a vocal critic of Russia and is popular among Western governments for his support for economic reforms.
He is a target of criticism from Russian officials who say the government that came to power in Ukraine after former president Viktor Yanukovych fled in February in the face of protests seized control in an illegal coup d'etat supported by the West.
Russia annexed the Crimea region from Ukraine in March, adding to tension that increased still further when the conflict in eastern Ukraine erupted the following month.
The hard-fought gas deal provided what European Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger called "perhaps the first glimmer of a relaxation" between Ukraine and Russia.
Russia had raised the price it was asking Kyiv pay for gas after Yanukovych's ouster and then stopped supplying gas to Ukraine in June, citing what it said was $5.3 billion in debt and demanding advance payment for any future supplies.
Oettinger said that under the accord, Ukraine will pay Russia $1.45 billion in gas arrears within "days" for Moscow to resume gas deliveries.
He said Russia will then "immediately" lower Ukraine's gas price by 100 dollars per 1,000 cubic meters.
Yatsenyuk, in figures later confirmed by Moscow, said Ukraine would pay $378 per 1,000 cubic meters until the end of 2014 and $365 in the first quarter of 2015.
Kyiv will subsequently have access to Russian gas deliveries in exchange for pre-payment, according to Oettinger.
He said Ukraine also agreed to settle another $1.65 billion in arrears by the end of the year.
The deal is expected to include EU funding to help Ukraine pay.
Oettinger said, "we can guarantee a security of supply over the winter," not only for Ukraine but also for the EU nations closest to the region.
Ukraine normally relies on Russia for about the half the gas it uses, and the onset of winter made the need for a deal more urgent.
Russia also provides about one-third of the gas consumed in the European Union, with about half of that pumped via Ukraine.
The EU was seeking to avoid a repeat of 2006 and 2009, when Russia halted supplies to Ukraine amid price disputes, disrupting deliveries to Europe during two cold winters.
News of the agreement appeared to bring relief in Europe, with British wholesale gas prices for November and December falling to their lowest ever levels on October 31.
(With reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP)
RUSSIA EXTENDS DETENTION OF ESTONIAN POLICE OFFICER
A Moscow court has extended by two months the detention of an Estonian police officer charged with espionage.
Lefortovo Court spokesperson Yulia Sotnikova said on October 31 that a judge had "granted a request from investigators to prolong the period of detention until January 5" of Eston Kohver.
Kohver was detained on September 5 on espionage charges.
Moscow claims Kohver was seized inside Russia, while Estonian officials say he was captured at gunpoint in Estonia near the border.
The case has strained relations between Russia and Estonia.
The European Union and United States have called for the immediate release of the Estonian security official.
(Based on reporting by Interfax and TASS)
EU FILES WTO TRADE COMPLAINT AGAINST RUSSIA
The European Union has launched a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) over Russian import duties on some European agricultural and manufactured goods.
The Geneva-based international arbitration body said on October 31 that the EU accuses Russia of levying tariffs on several types of goods that are above the legally binding tariff ceilings that Moscow has agreed to within the WTO mechanism.
Those goods include paper and paperboard, palm oil, and refrigerators.
Under WTO rules, the parties have 60 days to work out a mutually agreed solution. After that, the EU could ask the WTO to adjudicate.
The dispute is the fifth involving Russia and the EU at the WTO.
The European Commission's spokesman for trade issues, Wojtek Talko, said the case was not a complaint against the recent ban on Russian food imports from Europe.
(Based on reporting by Reuters and dpa)
RUSSIAN CENTRAL BANK RAISES INTEREST RATES
The Russian central bank said it would raise interest rates from 8 percent to 9.5 percent as Western sanctions and falling oil prices have sent the Russian ruble plummeting.
The Bank of Russia's board of directors made the decision to raise interest rates at an October 31 meeting.
The central bank had increased the rate to 8 percent in late July, following increased to 5.5 percent in March and 7.5 percent in April.
The United States, European Union and other nations have imposed successive rounds of sanctions on Russia over its role in the Ukraine crisis.
Russia annexed the Crimea region from Ukraine in March, and Kyiv and NATO accuse Moscow of aiding pro-Russian separatists with troops and arms during a conflict in eastern Ukraine that has killed more than 3,700 people in eastern Ukraine since April.
(Based on reporting by TASS, Interfax, and AFP)
U.S AMBASSADOR TO KYRGYZSTAN WARNS OF RUSSIAN INFLUENCE
By RFE/RL
The U.S. Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan says that the Central Asian nation's "growing partnership with Russia" presents a challenge to U.S. efforts to support democracy in Kyrgyzstan.
In an article published on the website of the Council of American Ambassadors, Pamela Spratlen (eds: a woman) said the "strong partnership" that Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev has forged with Russian President Vladimir Putin "has had its impact on our efforts."
"It remains an unanswered question how Kyrgyzstan can maintain its democratic trajectory while pursuing this partnership," she said.
Spratlen also said that many in Kyrgyzstan get their news from Russian media, and that in the case of the Ukraine crisis "the strident anti-American tone taken by Russian propaganda has crystallized local public opinion around Moscow's narrative of events there."
Kyrgyzstan has seemed to follow Moscow's lead on several issues recently, including drafting laws that legitimize discrimination against homosexuals and would require foreign-based organizations to register as "foreign agents."
(Based on Spratlen article: https://www.americanambassadors.org/publications/ambassadors-review/fall-2014/democracy-in-central-asia-supporting-kyrgyzstan-s-island-of-democracy)
RUSSIAN ACTOR FIRES MACHINE GUN IN DONETSK
Ukrainian authorities have filed charges and Russia's Union of Journalists is demanding an apology after a prominent Russian actor was filmed firing a machine gun near the Donetsk airport while wearing patches that identified him as a member of the press.
Ukraine's Interior Ministry on October 31 filed criminal charges against Mikhail Porechenkov for the pictures taken with pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said on his Facebook page, "Mikhail Porechenkov, present in Donetsk, personally took part in firing on units of Ukraine's armed forces using an automatic weapon."
Pavel Gutiontov of Russia's Union of Journalists called the incident "irresponsible behavior on the part of the actor" and demanded an apology.
Porechenkov said that it was a staged scene, that he was firing blanks, and that the only bullet-resistant vest and helmet he could find were labelled "press."
(Based on reporting by UNIAN, TASS, and Interfax)
MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP
From RFE/RL's News Desk:
EU REJECTS REBEL VOTE IN EASTERN UKRAINE
In a statement, European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini says elections held by pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine are an "obstacle to peace," and the EU will not recognize them.
Early local elections in accordance with Ukrainian law, as foreseen in the Minsk agreement, were "the legal and legitimate means of renewing the democratic mandate of the local authorities in these parts of Ukraine. I call on all sides to work towards such elections," she said.
The Minsk truce deal, which has been signed by rebel leaders, Ukrainian and Russian officials, envisions local elections being held across the whole of the east, but under Ukrainian law.
Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced Moscow will recognize the results, saying in a statement the poll will help reestablish "normal life in the region."
(Based on reporting by AFP, Reuters, and TASS)
PRO-RUSSIAN SEPARATISTS HOLD 'ELECTIONS' IN EASTERN UKRAINE
By RFE/RL
Pro-Russian separatists defied international criticism by holding elections in areas under their control in eastern Ukraine.
Residents in separatist-controlled areas voted for leaders and so-called "people's councils" for their "people's republics."
Russia's Interfax news agency, citing an exit poll, said in the "Donetsk People's Republic" incumbent leader Alexander Zakharchenko was expected to win with 81 percent.
Results from neighboring Luhansk, however, were expected later because some polling stations remained open.
The leader of the "Luhansk People's Republic," Igor Plotnitsky, is widely expected to win.
The early results came as Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko called on Russia to denounce the November 2 elections.
In an online statement, Poroshenko described the controversial elections as a "farce, (conducted) under the barrels of tanks and machine guns."
He added: "I count on Russia not to recognize the so-called elections because they are a clear violation of the September 5 Minsk protocol, which was also signed by Russia's representative."
Ukraine’s Security Service, the SBU, said on November 2 that the vote violates Ukraine’s constitution and resembles an illegal “power grab.”
It also announced that it has opened a “criminal probe” against the organizers of the vote.
Earlier on November 2, Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said Russia has launched an “intensive deployment of military equipment and personnel” from Russia territory into parts of eastern Ukraine that are controlled by pro-Russian separatists.
AFP reporters near Donetsk say they saw a military column of about 20 trucks, some carrying anti-aircraft guns, heading toward the government-held airport -- although it was not clear whether they were new forces.
Several other Western media outlets also reported witnessing heavy movement of troops near Donetsk.
Among them, reporters for the news sites buzzfeed.com and mashable.com tweeted that they had seen a large military column.
Buzzfeed's Max Seddon wrote: "31 unmarked Kamazes (military trucks) just drove past towards Donetsk. Anti-aircraft weapons, ammunition boxes, radar systems, a bus of gunmen."
In Donetsk, correspondents report seeing gunmen inside several polling stations as voters were casting ballots.
The Ukrainian government, the United States, the European Union, other western countries, and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon have said the elections are illegitimate and will not be recognized.
Moscow says Russia will recognize the results.
Four people are running for the post of head of the so-called Luhansk People's Republic, including Plotnitsky.
Three "social movements" are competing for seats in the so-called people's council.
Separately, three people -- including Zakharchenko -- are running for the top post of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic, and two movements are competing for seats in the people's council.
Zakharchenko has called the upcoming election "a crucial moment when our state will become legitimate."
"There is no point in pretending otherwise, I will say honestly that everything that happened before -- the Supreme Council was just some people [taking over]," he told a meeting with students from Donetsk National Technical University on October 31.
Zakharchenko admitted that the first people who seized Ukrainian state buildings and police stations were "activists, fiery revolutionaries, but they were in fact [only] self-appointed."
He claimed the November 2 vote would legitimize the people who are elected.
Pro-Russian separatist organizers of the vote said on November 1 that 3 million ballots were printed and that voting by Internet started a few days earlier.
The fighting in eastern Ukraine has caused hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes, many of them currently living in Russia.
The elections are not regulated by Ukrainian law or overseen by the Ukrainian Central Election Commission.
It also will not be observed by international monitors from bodies such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), but separatist officials claims they have between 30 and 70 observers from several foreign countries and places like the breakaway Georgian republic of Abkhazia.
The Ukrainian government and broader international community say the poll violates the September Minsk agreement between representatives of Ukraine, Russia, the OSCE, and the separatist regions.
Moscow, however, has said the process is in compliance with the Minsk agreement and has pledged in advance to accept its results.
In comments published on October 28, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow would "of course recognize the results" of the separatists' elections.
Moscow has made no formal recognition yet of the "people's republics" the separatists have proclaimed in parts of Donetsk and Luhansk and denies involvement in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
That is despite what Kyiv, NATO, several Western powers, and numerous eyewitness reports by international correspondents say is clear evidence that Russia has sent in troops and weapons to help the separatists fight Ukrainian forces.
The SBU issued a warning late October 31 of the risk of "provocations" during the separatist vote.
"The process of voting itself and of taking part in these elections is dangerous," SBU official Markiyan Lubkivsky said.
He added that "serious provocations are being prepared that can then be blamed on the Ukrainian authorities."
The elections come at a time when Ukraine's tenuous cease-fire with the separatist fighters is under constant strain.
Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council reported on November 1 that six soldiers had been killed and another 10 wounded in fighting since October 31.
The latest UN figures show 4,035 people have been killed in about seven months of war -- more than 300 of them in the last 11 days.
(With reporting by AP, AFP, Reuters, and dpa)
KYIV SAYS RUSSIAN TROOPS DEPLOYED IN EASTERN UKRAINE DURING VOTE
By RFE/RL
Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Lysenko says Russia has launched an “intensive deployment of military equipment and personnel” from Russia territory into parts of eastern Ukraine that are controlled by pro-Russian separatists.
Lysenko’s announcement came as residents of separatist-controlled areas were voting in controversial elections on November 2.
AFP reporters near Donetsk say they saw a military column of about 20 trucks, some carrying anti-aircraft guns, heading toward the government-held airport -- although it was not clear whether they were new forces.
Several other Western media outlets also reported witnessing heavy movement of troops near Donetsk.
Among them, reporters for the news sites buzzfeed.com and mashable.com tweeted that they had seen a large military column.
Buzzfeed's Max Seddon wrote: "31 unmarked Kamazes (military trucks) just drove past towards Donetsk. Anti-aircraft weapons, ammunition boxes, radar systems, a bus of gunmen."
In Donetsk, correspondents report seeing gunmen inside several polling stations as voters were casting ballots.
Ukraine’s Security Service said on November 2 that the vote violates Ukraine’s constitution and resembles an illegal “power grab.”
It also announced that it has opened a “criminal probe” against the organizers of the vote.
Self-declared officials in parts of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions that are under separatist control say the vote will elect leaders and so-called "people's councils" for their "people's republics."
The Ukrainian government, the United States, the European Union, other western countries, and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon have said the elections are illegitimate and will not be recognized.
Moscow says Russia will recognize the results.
Four people are running for the post of head of the so-called Luhansk People's Republic, including current leader Igor Plotnitsky.
Three "social movements" are competing for seats in the so-called people's council.
Separately, three people -- including current leader Aleksandr Zakharchenko -- are running for the top post of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic, and two movements are competing for seats in the people's council.
Zakharchenko has called the upcoming election "a crucial moment when our state will become legitimate."
"There is no point in pretending otherwise, I will say honestly that everything that happened before -- the Supreme Council was just some people [taking over]," he told a meeting with students from Donetsk National Technical University on October 31.
Zakharchenko admitted that the first people who seized Ukrainian state buildings and police stations were "activists, fiery revolutionaries, but they were in fact [only] self-appointed."
He claimed the November 2 vote would legitimize the people who are elected.
Pro-Russian separatist organizers of the vote said on November 1 that 3 million ballots were printed and that voting by Internet started a few days earlier.
The fighting in eastern Ukraine has caused hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes, many of them currently living in Russia.
The elections are not regulated by Ukrainian law or overseen by the Ukrainian Central Election Commission.
It also will not be observed by international monitors from bodies such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), but separatist officials claims they have between 30 and 70 observers from several foreign countries and places like the breakaway Georgian republic of Abkhazia.
The Ukrainian government and broader international community have vowed not to recognize the poll, which they say violates the September Minsk agreement between representatives of Ukraine, Russia, the OSCE, and the separatist regions.
Moscow, however, has said the process is in compliance with the Minsk agreement and has pledged in advance to accept its results.
In comments published on October 28, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow would "of course recognize the results" of the separatists' elections.
Moscow has made no formal recognition yet of the "people's republics" the separatists have proclaimed in parts of Donetsk and Luhansk and denies involvement in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
That is despite what Kyiv, NATO, several Western powers, and numerous eyewitness reports by international correspondents say is clear evidence that Russia has sent in troops and weapons to help the separatists fight Ukrainian forces.
Ukraine's national security service, the SBU, issued a warning late October 31 of the risk of "provocations" during the separatist vote.
"The process of voting itself and of taking part in these elections is dangerous," SBU official Markiyan Lubkivsky said.
He added that "serious provocations are being prepared that can then be blamed on the Ukrainian authorities."
The elections come at a time when Ukraine's tenuous cease-fire with the separatist fighters is under constant strain.
Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council reported on November 1 that six soldiers had been killed and another 10 wounded in fighting since October 31.
The latest UN figures show 4,035 people have been killed in about seven months of war -- more than 300 of them in the last 11 days.
With reporting by AP, AFP, Reuters, and dpa
RUSSIAN SOCCER COACH REFUSED TO SIGN BLACK PLAYERS
The coach of a Russian Premier League team soccer team has said that he will not sign black players and joked that Ebola had spread to his club.
FC Rostov coach Igor Gamula told journalists after a game on October 31 that his club already has “enough dark-skinned players," saying: "We've got six of the things."
He was responding to a question about whether Rostov would sign Cameroon defender Benoit Angbwa.
Gamula also said five of his Russian players were ill with a high temperature and joked that Ebola was the cause.
Rostov midfielder Moussa Doumbia is from Mali, which has seen sporadic Ebola cases.
Rostov won the Russian Cup last season but is now struggling in 14th place within the 16-team Russian league.
Gamula took over as Rostov’s coach in September.
(Based on reporting by AP)
THE RUSSIAN MARCH SHOULD BE INTERESTING THIS YEAR
The annual Russian March, the seminal event on the nationalist calendar, is set to take place on November 4. And this year's event will be worth watching for a number of reasons. Check out the latest Power Vertical Podcast for a primer:
WILL THEY BAN THE iPHONE NEXT?
From RFE/RL's News Desk:
iPHONE TRIBUTE TO STEVE JOBS REMOVED IN RUSSIA AFTER APPLE CEO COMES OUT AS GAY
Russian media reports say a big mock iPhone meant as a monument to the late former Apple CEO Steve Jobs has been taken down in St. Petersburg after his successor, Tim Cook, came out publicly as gay.
The man-sized monument, with an interactive screen displaying information about Jobs, was reportedly put up on the grounds of an IT university in January 2013 on the initiative of a Russian company called Western European Financial Union.
Russian Radio station Biznes-FM cited the company's head, Maksim Dolgopolov, as saying he had it removed in part in order to comply with a law banning the spread of homosexual "propaganda" among minors.
After Cook came out as gay in an essay published on October 30, prominent St. Petersburg anti-gay activist Vitaly Milonov was quoted as saying Cook should be banned from Russia because he could bring AIDS, Ebola or gonorrhea into the country.
(Based on reporting by Biznes-FM and gazeta.ru)
And as one might expect, LifeNews has video.
INVASION REHEARSAL?
Yet again, Russia is conducting military exercises, in Rostov Oblast near the Ukrainian border. Ukraine Today has video:
Such exercises have been common in recent months. But cComing on the heels of the separatist "elections" in Donetsk and Luhansk, the maneuvers have sparked fears in Kyiv that Russia is gearing up to re-escalate the conflict in Donbas.
NEW POWER VERTICAL BLOG POST
I just posted a new Power Vertical blog, Putin Forever (which accounts for my light posting to the Feed).
AND RUBLE'S THE SLIDE CONTINUES...
IF IT WALKS LIKE A DUCK, TALKS LIKE A DUCK...
...and denies it's a duck -- then it must be Putin's duck.
Mikhail Shishkin's essay on why the Kremlin tells lies, and why the Russians pretend to believe them, is well worth a read.
Here's a teaser:
"We are back to the Soviet times of total lies. The government renewed the social contract with the nation under which we had lived for decades: we know that we lie and you lie, and we continue to lie to survive. Generations have grown up under this social contract. These lies cannot even be called a sin: the power of vitality and survival is concentrated in them. The government was afraid of its nation, which is why it lied. The nation participated in the lies, because it was afraid of the government. The lies are a means of survival for a society built on violence and fear."
Read it all here.
EVENING NEWS ROUNDUP
From RFE/RL's News Desk:
PUTIN TOPS FORBES POWER RANKINGS FOR SECOND STRAIGHT YEAR
Russian President Vladimir Putin has beaten U.S. counterpart Barack Obama in the "Forbes" magazine title of world's most-powerful leader for the second straight year.
Third place went to Chinese President Xi Jinping, fourth was Pope Francis, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel was No. 5.
The 2014 list of the 72 most powerful people was chosen to reflect one person for every 100 million people on Earth.
Among the 12 new people on the list are Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (No. 15) and the head of the Islamic State group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (No. 54).
There are 26 Americans on the list and 19 from Asia -- six from China.
Only nine of the 72 people are women, but two of them were in the top 10 -- Merkel and U.S. Federal Reserve head Janet Yellen.
(Based on reporting by AP and AFP)
SON OF PUTIN'S CHIEF OF STAFF DIES AT 37
By RFE/RL
A son of Sergei Ivanov, the Kremlin chief of staff and a longtime ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has died at age 37.
Alexander Ivanov died "tragically" on November 3, state-controlled Vneshekonombank, where he was deputy chairman, said in a statement.
It did not say how or where he died.
The bank posted the statement on its website after Russian channel "Dozhd" (TV Rain) and "Forbes" magazine cited sources as saying Ivanov died in the United Arab Emirates.
Some reports said he drowned.
Ivanov was at the center of a scandal after the car he was driving hit and killed an elderly woman in Moscow.
Initial charges of reckless endangerment leading to a fatality were later dropped, and he was never held responsible.
Sergei Ivanov, a former KGB officer, is one of Putin's closest associates and has been Kremlin chief of staff since December 2011.
(With reporting by Forbes and tvrain.ru)
MERKEL REJECTS LIFTING SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said there is no way the European Union would relax economic sanctions against Russia imposed over the Ukraine crisis.
Speaking to reporters in Berlin on November 5, Merkel said "there is no possibility of alleviating or lifting sanctions."
Merkel added that separatist leaders in eastern Ukraine recently inaugurated after controversial elections should be added to EU sanction lists.
The chancellor also urged respect for a cease-fire agreement signed in Minsk in early September and said the elections -- which were recognized by Moscow -- violated the accord.
The November 2 vote held in separatist-controlled parts of Ukraine's Luhansk and Donetsk regions was called "a farce" by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.
The elections were not recognized by most of the international community.
(Based on reporting by Reuters and AP)
REPORT: RUSSIA PLANS TO BOYCOTT NUCLEAR SUMMIT
A news report says Russia has informed the United States it will not attend the next in a series of international nuclear security summits that have been a prominent feature of President Barack Obama's foreign policy.
The Associated Press on November 3 reported that Russia was absent from an initial planning session in Washington for the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit.
On November 4, the AP cited two unnamed diplomats as saying the boycott applied to the 2016 summit itself as well.
The sources cited what they said was a diplomatic note from Russia to the United States and other nations planning to participate.
Russia attended all three previous summits, in 2010, 2012, and 2014.
But one of the diplomats said Moscow already had reservations while attending this year's meeting in March in The Hague.
He said the "changed political atmosphere" influenced the Kremlin's decision to stay away.
Ties are badly strained over Russia's annexation of Crimea in March and the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
A Kremlin spokesman declined to comment.
(Based on reporting by AP and Interfax)
RUSSIA TEST FIRES INTERCONTINENTAL ROCKET FROM SUBMARINE
Russia has test-fired a Sineva intercontinental ballistic missile from a submarine in the Barents Sea as part of tests on the reliability of the navy's strategic forces.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the liquid-fuelled missile, capable of carrying nuclear warheads, was fired by the submarine "Tula" and targetted a testing range in the Kamchatka region on the Pacific Ocean.
The Sineva, which has a range of about 12,000 kilometers, became operable in 2007 as part of Moscow's efforts to shore up Russia's nuclear deterrent.
This test firing was the second ICBM launch from a Russian nuclear submarine in the past week.
President Vladimir Putin has underlined the importance of the nuclear deterrent during Moscow's standoff with the West over the Ukraine crisis.
(Based on reporting by Reuters and TASS)
UKRAINE CUTS FINANCES TO SEPARATIST-HELD REGIONS
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk says Kyiv will cut off funding to the parts of eastern Ukraine held by pro-Russian separatists until "terrorists" leave.
But Yatsenyuk said at a cabinet meeting on November 5 that gas and electricity supplies to separatist-held areas in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions would continue to help "ordinary people" during the winter.
He said some $2.6 billion in government funds would be withheld from the separatist-controlled areas.
Yatsenyuk said separatist leaders who have defied the Ukrainian government by holding elections on November 2 should take care of themselves financially and that Kyiv would not fund "imposters and conmen."
He said financial aid -- including social payments -- would resume when Kyiv regains control of rebel-held territories.
Yatsenyuk also called on Moscow to stop supporting the separatists.
(Based on reporting by AP, Reuters, and Interfax)
RUSSIAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST BARRED FROM ENTERING UKRAINE
By RFE/RL
A Russian human rights activist has not been prevented from entering Ukraine.
The Moscow-based Memorial Human Rights Center said on November 5 that Ukrainian border guards did not allow Vitaly Ponomaryov to pass through passport control at the airport in the western city of Lviv on November 4.
Ponomaryov arrived in Lviv on November 4 to attend November 6 court hearings on the cases of two Russian citizens, who applied for asylum in Ukraine.
Border guards told Ponomaryov that his name was added to the list of Russian citizens barred from entering Ukraine. No more information was given.
BELARUS TO DEPORT RUSSIAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST
By RFE/RL's Belarus Service
The head of a Minsk-based group that advocates basic freedoms is facing deportation to Russia.
A court in Belarus said on November 5 that Yelena Tonkachyova, head of the Lawtrend Legal Transformation Center, must be deported by December 5 and banned from entering Belarus for three years.
Tonkachyova, a Russian citizen who has been living in Belarus since 1985, was informed on October 30 that her residence permit had been annulled.
Authorities said the decision was based on her violation of a traffic regulation.
Lawtrend promotes freedom of expression, freedom of association, and the right of access to information, justice, and a fair trial.
It has been operating in Minsk since 1996.
Tonkachyova has said she has no place to stay in Russia as all her relatives are Belarusian citizens.
TUNNEL CONNECTING RUSSIA AND SOUTH OSSETIA REOPENS
A strategic 3.7-kilometer tunnel connecting Russia with Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia has reopened after reconstruction.
South Ossetia's de facto President Leonid Tibilov said on November 5 that the reconstruction of the Roksky Tunnel "will strengthen South Ossetia's relations with its strategic partner, Russia."
He called the tunnel built in 1984 "a road of life."
Russian Transport Ministry has said the reconstruction, which started in 2010, had cost Moscow more than $400 million.
The tunnel is the only way linking South Ossetia with Russia's North Ossetia as all other segments of Georgian-Russian border have been closed since a five-day war between Georgia and Russia in August 2008.
Russia has recognized South Ossetia and Georgia's other breakaway region, Abkhazia, as independent states and kept military forces in both regions.
(Based on reporting by RIA-Novosti and TASS)
GEORGIA'S POLITICAL CRISIS -- AND THE HAND OF MOSCOW?
Georgia's political crisis must be making the Kremlin pretty happy. With the firing of Irakli Alasania as defense minister, Tbilisi is losing one of the strongest voices for a pro-Western course. Alasania had brought Georgia closer to the elusive goal of NATO membership than anybody imagined possible -- and the Kremlin must be delighted to see him go.
I sat down to discuss the political crisis in Tbilisi with David Kakabadze, director of RFE/RL's Georgian Service. WATCH IT HERE: