Russia This Week is a weekly review by the MEMRI Russian Media Studies Project, covering the latest Russia-related news and analysis from media in Russia, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Eastern Europe.
Cartoon Of The Week
Vk.com/13studiya,
June 23, 2016
Russian Tennis Player Maria Sharapova: I'm sorry. I admit I used doping.
U.S. Tennis Player Serena Williams: I did not. I just fell into the pot with the doping during childhood.
Obelix standing next to Asterix: Just like me.
Zakharova Dixit
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova is one of the most-quoted Russian officials. She is known for using colorful language when describing Russian foreign policy in her weekly press briefings. The following are Zakharova's quotes of the week:
(Source:
Mid.ru)
"We consider the EU referendum in Britain, in which a majority voted for the UK to leave the EU, as a purely internal affair of the country and the EU (emphases added here and elsewhere). We, of course, followed the referendum results, considering how important it is for the future of Europe. The results still have to be evaluated but we can already see serious contradictions and differences within the EU on fundamental issues, above all [on] the degree of integration within the union. Undoubtedly, a lot will depend on the decision the British parliament and government take following the results of the vote."
(Kremlin.ru, June 24)
"The U.S. side essentially continues to promote an interpretation of circumstances related to the development of missile defense dialogue during Mr. Obama's presidency that is not quite true, to put it mildly...In other words, we proposed that the [US] administration spell out its statements to the effect that its missile defense activities are not aimed against Russia, doing this in the generally accepted form of international law.We believe that there is nothing extraordinary or unrealistic about this approach, while this is, in fact, the way US officials try to distort and misrepresent the issue at hand. Guarantees that [the U.S. missile defense system in Eastern Europe] will not be aimed [at Russia] are the only possible method for resolving the missile defense problem. If US actions are indeed dictated by a wish to minimize the missile threats that Washington talks about, then obviously this agreement with the Russian side will in no way undermine the U.S. side's capability to defend itself, as well as its allies and partners, against them."
(Mid.ru, June 23)
In The News:
Russian Reactions On Brexit
Vk.com/13studiya, June 23, 2016.
Queen Elizabeth II: Bye- Bye!
The EU leaders are drowning and French President François Holland asks the Queen: And what about us?
Refugees portrayed as ISIS Terrorists: And us?
During an official visit to Uzbekistan to attend the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) Heads of State Council, Russian President Vladimir Putin answered to a question on Brexit and on the fact that there are comments that "this plays into Russia's hands". It is worth noting that before the vote, UK Prime Minister David Cameron stated that Putin and ISIS would be happy with Brexit (Theguardian.com, May 17). Responding to media questions, Putin said: "...I'd like to say a few words about statements made before the voting in Britain and after it. Naturally, we closely followed the voting but never interfered or sought to influence it. Therefore, British Prime Minister David Cameron's statements on Russia's position before the referendum had no grounds whatsoever. I think it was an inappropriate attempt to influence public opinion at home. As we can see, it did not work. In my opinion, it is all the more inappropriate to speak about Russia's supposed position after the voting. This is truly a low level of political discourse.
"Now, to address the core issue. Of course, this will have consequences for both Britain and Europe as a whole. The referendum campaign and subsequent results point to the British Government's self-assuredness and supercilious attitude to life-changing decisions in their own country and Europe in general. It will have global effects. Again, they are inevitable - both positive and negative. Needless to say, everything will settle back to normal in the mid-term. Time will tell whether there will be more pluses or minuses.
"It seems to me that ordinary British citizens understand why this happened. First, nobody wants to feed and subsidize weaker economies and pay to support other states and entire nations. This is an obvious fact. Apparently, people are displeased about security, which is being eroded by powerful migration waves. People want to be more independent.
"One of the EU leaders - a former leader-told me that the ratio of binding decisions adopted by the European Parliament is higher than that made by the USSR Supreme Soviet in relation to Soviet republics. This means that the concentration of power at the top there is very high. Some like it and want to continue down this road of erasing national borders, whereas others do not like it. Judging by everything, by the results of the voting, the overwhelming majority of British subjects do not like it. It does not suit them.
"However, I would like to reiterate what I said recently at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum. This is the choice made by British subjects. We did not interfere, are not interfering and will not interfere in this in any way. From all indications, certain formal procedures will follow, related to the British people's decision to leave the EU.
"We will closely watch and analyze this, seeking to minimize whatever negative fallout this decision might have for our economy, because considering the blow it dealt to markets and currencies, it is bound to impact and is already impacting stock exchange indices and therefore the prices of our traditional goods, but I am sure that everything will fall into place in the very near future.
"We do not expect a global upheaval as a result. Of course, as I said, we will be closely monitoring things, adjusting our economic policy and adjusting our relations with our European partners.
"Regarding the sanctions policy, I do not think that this will in any way impact our relations with the EU in this regard. We were not the ones who initiated these sanction restrictions on both sides. We only responded to the restrictions that were imposed on our country. I would like to reiterate that if our partners are ever ready for constructive dialogue on this issue, we are also ready. We are not only ready - we seek it and will respond positively to positive initiatives, but we cannot be expected to do certain things that are beyond the scope of our powers..."
(Kremlin.ru, June 24)
Putin talked about Brexit also at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). During a joint news conference with Italy's Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, Putin said: "Do you really want me to tell you how Russia feels about this [i.e. Brexit], or if Russia prefers to deal with a strong or a weak Europe? Of course, Russia wants to interact with a strong Europe, because a dialogue with a weak partner is more trouble than it is worth: they can always be pressured by a third party, and all agreements and cooperation plans go down the drain. A strong partner would never allow this.
"But what would we call a strong Europe? This problem is waiting for a painstaking researcher, and I would rather it is you, not us. Will Europe be stronger if Britain votes to leave or to stay? Some experts say that Europe will be more focused, others that it is the first step towards the collapse of the rest of Europe, and so on and so forth.
"I certainly have my own opinion on this matter. We discussed this with my European colleagues, both yesterday and the day before. I heard different points of view, different approaches. I am not going to express my opinion publicly today. I believe that we must respect the choice of the British people, whatever that choice is. We just need to wait a few days and see what happens."
(Kremlin.ru, June 17)
During the meeting with heads of international news agencies at the SPIEF, Putin said: "As for the British Prime Minister: Brexit is now a very big issue, but why did he initiate this referendum, why did he do it? To intimidate Europe, or to threaten someone? What is the point of this if he himself opposes the idea? I should say that this is absolutely none of our business. This is the choice of the British people. I have my own opinion on it, I do not know the results and no one does until they are made public, sentiments are split about 50/50 with a narrow margin. Who knows at this point? Nobody.
"I do have a personal view as to whether this is good or not, but I will refrain from expressing it now because I think it would be inappropriate. Whatever I say will be interpreted in favor of a certain decision. This referendum is a matter for the EU and the British people.
"Various experts have given different opinions as to whether the UK's withdrawal from the EU will do good or harm. Most of them agree that it will damage Europe, but some say that Europe will only get stronger and more stable. As for the UK itself... You have fishermen running fishing boats on the Thames and saying they have issues due to fishing restrictions. Yes, they have their problems, but there are advantages in other sectors. It is not easy to consider all the implications.
"It is important that the voters receive objective information to make their own decision being fully aware of the consequences - both negative and, possibly, positive as well. This is all I want to say and have the right to say on the matter."
(Kremlin.ru, June 17)
Russian officials also reacted to Brexit and on its impact on Russia. First Deputy Minister of Economic Development Alexei Likhachev said that Brexit and sanctions on Russia are not directly connected. However, Likhachev said: "If the United Kingdom does not apply sanctions against Russia after the exit from the EU, a reasonable situation will emerge to cancel restrictive measures with respect to agricultural goods from the United Kingdom."
(Tass.ru, June 24)
Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko said that Brexit was a landmark event that may bring fundamental world changes. She also added that Russia is "open and prepared" for cooperation with Britain and the EU. (Tass.ru, June 24)
See also MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 6460, "Director Of Russian Think Tank Valdai Club Programs: Moscow Has Much To Lose From Brexit," June 7, 2016.
Doping And The Olympics 2016
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) announced that it amended the organization's regulations in order to allow field and track athletes from Russia to submit individual applications for international tournaments. The statement from the IAAF said that the decision was made following the global organization's Council meeting a week ago, when it decided that the All-Russia Athletics Federation had not "met the verification criteria to be reinstated as an IAAF Member Federation." The IAAF website states: "A rule amendment was also passed which means that if there are any individual athletes who can clearly and convincingly show that they are not tainted by the Russian system because they have been outside the country and subject to other effective anti-doping systems, then they should be able to apply for permission to compete in international competitions, not for Russia but as a neutral athlete."
(Tass.ru, June 23; Iaaf.org, June 23)
The Duma adopted a statement "About the situation related to the possible banning of Russian athletes." The statement said: "Sports bureaucrats, without prior arrangement, introduce the principle of presumption of guilt against the athletes from a specific country. It is doubtful that this principle, which was used under the Spanish inquisition and in totalitarian regimes, is appropriate today."
(Ria.ru, June 21)
In response to the Russian athletes' ouster from the summer Olympics, the pro-Kremlin media outlet Pravda published an articleproposing the launch of alternative games to the Olympics. The article stated: "Russia's Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko...could already start working on alternative games for athletes from Russia and other countries, where they could show the results that would make Olympic Rio-2016 medals worthless."
(Pravdareport.ru, June 20)
During the Q&As at the plenary session at the SPIEF, Putin said that doping is exclusively a Russian problem and that it should not be "politicized." Putin stated: "It is a problem of the entire sports world. If somebody tries to politicize something in this sphere, I think this is a big mistake, because just like culture, for example, sport cannot be politicized. These are the bridges that bring people, nations and states closer together. This is the way to approach it, not try to forge some anti-Russian or anti-whatever policy on this basis."
(Kremlin.ru, June 17)
Putin's Address To The Duma's Plenary Session On The Day Of Memory And Sorrow
Putin addressing the Duma (Kremlin.ru,
June 22)
Putin addressed the Duma on June 22, 2016,the Day of Memory and Sorrow, marking the day Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941. In his speech, Putin compared the Western containment policy towards the Soviet Union, which he portrayed as the main combatant against Nazi Germany during WWII with current NATO policy towards Russia. He also added that "as was the case on the eve of World War II, we see no positive response," since NATO is "stepping up its aggressive actions close to our borders." Putin's remarks on WWI can be defined as historical revisionism history. The Soviet Union adopted a policy of benevolent neutrality towards Nazi Germany following the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact that partitioned Poland between Germany and the Soviet Union and Stalin with a free hand in the Baltics. Russia supplied Germany until the invasion with oil and other commodities for its war effort. Important Communist parties in the West who had previously agitated for a united front against Hitler now stood down and denounced armed resistance to Nazi Germany. Some Russian historians during the immediate post-Soviet period acknowledged Stalin's culpability. The Soviet Union was totally surprised by Nazi Germany's "Operation Barbarossa" even though the Soviet spy in Tokyo, Richard Sorge, supplied the exact date of the invasion because Stalin refused to acknowledge that the pact he had signed with Hitler was mistaken. Nazi Germany had planned the operation for a long time and intended to use a conquest of the Soviet Union to provide Germany with "living space" (Lebensraum).
Putin said: "The Soviet people took the brunt of the Nazis' force, but they met the enemy with tremendous unity and resistance, and withstood the onslaught, fighting literally to the death to protect their homeland. They drove the enemy right back to its lair, inflicted a crushing defeat on the invaders and achieved the Great Victory... It was the Nazis who unleashed this war. Their ideology of hatred, blind faith in their own exceptional nature and infallibility, and desire for world domination led to the twentieth century's greatest tragedy. We know the biggest lesson of that war: it could have been prevented. It could have been stopped if efforts had been made to firmly rein in the Nazis and their accomplices' wild ambitions in time. But this did not happen. Our country, the Soviet Union, made direct proposals for joint action and collective defense, but these proposals were simply left hanging. The leaders of a number of Western countries chose instead to pursue a policy of containing the Soviet Union and sought to keep it in a situation of international isolation. But it was Nazism that was the real and terrible global threat. Politicians underestimated its danger, overlooked the threat and did not want to admit that enlightened Europe could give birth to a criminal regime that was growing ever stronger.
"The international community let its vigilance down and lacked the will and unity to prevent this war and save the lives of millions and millions of people. What other lesson do we need today to throw aside tattered old ideological differences and geopolitical games and unite our forces to fight international terrorism?
"This common threat is spreading its danger before our very eyes. We must create a modern collective security system beyond blocs and with all countries on an equal footing. Russia is open to discussions on this most important issue and has repeatedly stated its readiness for dialogue. For now though, as was the case on the eve of World War II, we see no positive response. On the contrary, NATO is stepping up its aggressive rhetoric and aggressive actions close to our borders. In this situation, we have no choice but to devote particular attention to the tasks we must address in order to increase our country's defense capability.
Russia-China Relations
On June 25, Putin and China's President Xi Jinping held talks in Beijing. Putin said that the visit demonstrated: "The strategic and partner character of relations between Russia and China, the ties of a new type based on mutual respect, friendship and taking into account the interests of each other that meet the vital interests of our people, the tasks of long-term development of the two states and serve as an important factor of global and regional stability and security."
(Tass.ru, June 25)
The day before Putin's visit to China, the Pro-Kremlin think tank Valdai Club published an article, titled "More of China!" by Valdai Club's Eurasian program director, Timofei Bordachev. In the article, Bordachev discusses the development of Russia-China relations. Bordachev writes: "All 'pros' and 'cons' with regard to a hypothetical Russia-China alliance are based on an assumption that it should be aimed at counter-balancing the United States, which is perceived as a hegemon threatening the interests of both powers. But there is a tendency to disregard the likelihood of relations more reminiscent of an alliance with a positive joint agenda directed both at pursuing equally important objectives and consolidating an order in bilateral relations that would satisfy either party."
(Valdaiclub.com, June 24)
Russia's Anti-Terror Legislation
The Duma passed a bill introducing life sentences for international terrorism and lowering the age threshold for extremist crimes, but scrapped a proposal to automatically strip convicted terrorists of Russian citizenship. The bill also obliges all communications companies, including internet providers, to retain information about data traffic on their servers for three years. Messengers and social networks must keep it for at least one year, the bill says. Actual records and messages must also be kept for six months. The bill also requires social media and communications companies to assist state security agencies in reading encrypted data by handing over encryption keys. Non-compliance could result in fines. The bill has already been criticized by some companies. Founder of Russia's VKontakte and Telegram online services, Pavel Durov, said his messenger service would not abide by the new rules.
The anti-terrorist package of bills was prepared by a group of lawmakers headed by Chair of the State Duma Committee for Security Irina Yarovaya. The motion was drafted in April 2016. To become law, it must now be approved by the upper house of the Russian parliament and signed by President Vladimir Putin.
(Rt.com, June 24; Vedomosti.ru, June 20)
Arrest of Kirov Region Governor
Moscow's Basmanny District Court has ordered Kirov Region Governor Nikita Belykh's arrest on charges of accepting a bribe of 400.000 euros. Belykh was a former leader of an opposition party, the Union of Rightist Forces, before becoming a governor. Aleksandr Plushev, a columnist for the Echo Moscow's website, wrote an article challenging the validity of the accusation. He also added that Belykh probably failed to play along with the establishment thus hinting that the accusations were politically motivated.
(Tass.ru, June 25; Echo.msk.ru, June 25)
Russia-Turkey Relations
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has offered his apologies to Russian President Vladimir Putin for the death of the pilot of the downed Russian plane in 2015. The website of the Kremlin reports that in his letter, Erdogan said that Russia is Turkey's friend and strategic partner, and that the Turkish authorities do not want to ruin relations between the two countries. Erdogan wrote: "We never had the desire or deliberate intention of shooting down the Russian Federation plane."
The letter went on to say: "[Turkey] undertook much effort at great risk to retrieve the Russian pilot's body from the Syrian opposition and bring it back to Turkey, where pre-burial procedures were carried out in accordance with religious and military procedures. We performed this work at a level worthy of our two countries' relations. I once again express my sympathy and profound condolences to the family of the Russian pilot who was killed and I apologize to them. I share their grief with all my heart. We look on this Russian pilot's family as we would a Turkish family and we are ready to undertake any initiative that could lessen the pain and severity of the damage caused."
The letter also said that a judicial investigation is underway against the Turkish citizen said to be involved in the Russian pilot's death. Erdogan expressed his deep regret for what happened and said that he is ready to do everything possible to restore the traditionally friendly ties between Turkey and Russia and also to work together to respond to crisis situations in the region and fight terrorism.
(Kremlin.ru, June 27)
