With Ukraine Crisis Simmering, Russian Cossack Movement Tightens Integration with Military Reserves
Eurasia Daily Monitor - Jamestown
by web1983
2y ago
The ataman (head) of the “All-Russian Cossack Society,” Nikolai Doluda, addressed a meeting of the Atamans’ Council, in Krasnodar Krai, on February 4, and instructed those gathered that “the time has come when the Cossacks are once again becoming a stronghold and reliable shield of Russia, a guarantor of unity and protection of its national interests” (Vsko.ru, February 4). The words take on a more ominous tone when considered against the background of the current security crisis around Ukraine. Namely, Russia has been massing increasingly large numbers of troops and heavy weaponry along the b ..read more
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The Many Faces of Nord Stream Two
Eurasia Daily Monitor - Jamestown
by web1983
2y ago
Over the last several years, Ukraine’s leaders have expressed grave concern over the dangers posed to regional energy security by Russia’s Nord Stream Two natural gas pipeline. From Germany and, more broadly, from Europe, the answer we received was: “Do not worry, we will not let it become a problem, either for you or for Europe.” Yet today, with energy prices at record highs, it is increasingly clear that promises are easy to make but harder to deliver. Even more so when Russia is involved. It is now November 2021, and Ukraine’s warnings about Nord Stream Two were not heard. The pipeline, who ..read more
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Religion as a Hybrid War Weapon to Achieve Russia’s Geopolitical Goals
Eurasia Daily Monitor - Jamestown
by web1983
2y ago
On July 28, Ukrainian Orthodox Christians celebrated the 1,033rd anniversary of the Baptism of Kyivan Rus—a remarkable annual event for Ukrainian history and another reason for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s political speculations. After the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, signed the Ukrainian Orthodox Church tomos in 2019, granting it autocephaly—independence from the Russian Orthodox Church (see EDM, July 26, 2018; RFE, January 23, 2020)—experts warned that Moscow would double its efforts to weaponize religious issues as an element of its “hybrid war” against Ukrai ..read more
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Namakhvani HPP: Georgian Hydropower Between Energy Security and Geopolitics
Eurasia Daily Monitor - Jamestown
by web1983
3y ago
On May 25, just ahead of the 103rd anniversary of the First Georgian Republic’s (1918–1921) independence, Georgian protesters paralyzed the streets of the capital city of Tbilisi in the largest rally to date against the Namakhvani Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) project (Civil.ge, May 25, 26). Relatively small demonstrations against the planned dam, by locals organized under the banner “Guardians of the Rioni Valley,” began years ago around the construction site on the Rioni River in western Georgia. These rallies gradually expanded in number and participation, eventually reaching a nation-wid ..read more
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All Russian Cossacks Increasingly Resemble Krasnodar Movement
Eurasia Daily Monitor - Jamestown
by web1983
3y ago
The Russian Cossack movement is emerging as one of the key social pillars supporting the regime, and increasingly it is taking on the mold of Kuban Cossackdom, found in the southern part of the country. An outline of plans for the further institutionalization of the movement at the administrative levels makes this clear. Officially, the Kremlin has been working on developing relations among Cossacks across the territorial subjects of the Russian Federation (see EDM, January 22), and so the shift to a model resembling that used in the Kuban region is plausible. Namely, in the Kuban’s Krasnodar ..read more
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Russia Cracks Down on ‘Foreign Threats’
Eurasia Daily Monitor - Jamestown
by web1983
3y ago
On April 21, Vasily Piskarev, the head of the State Duma’s commission to investigate the facts of interference in the internal affairs of Russia, announced that his body was preparing legislative initiatives to combat foreign interference in Russia, including in its elections, by non-profits and non-governmental organizations (NGO). Piskarev said that “insults against Russia” will receive a “worthy response, including at the legislative level” (RIA Novosti, April 21). In President Vladimir Putin’s speech to the joint session of parliament that same day, he warned that those who organized again ..read more
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Alexei Navalny’s Support in the North Caucasus: More About Corruption Than Navalny
Eurasia Daily Monitor - Jamestown
by web1983
3y ago
On February 20, Ruslan Ablyakimov was walking in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, with two friends when he was stopped by six young men who proceeded to beat him. “Where did you come here from?” they asked, “You are from Moscow, right? What are you doing here?” Before the men left Ablyakimov, they told him, “You have until tomorrow to get out of here” (Meduza, February 20). Why did these men choose Ablyakimov to beat up? The answer is straightforward: he was the coordinator of the new Navalny Regional Headquarters in Makhachkala. Following this violent event, Ablyakimov complained that he ..read more
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Georgia, Lithuania Call for Permanent US Troop Presences
Eurasia Daily Monitor - Jamestown
by web1983
3y ago
The foreign and security policy expert communities in Georgia (Neweurope.eu, November 17) as well as both the outgoing and candidate Lithuanian defense ministers (LRT, November 16, 19) have called for a permanent presence of United States military forces in their respective countries. These calls indicate a hope that the incoming administration of President-elect Joseph Biden will bring greater attention to security on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) eastern flank. In addition to the results of the US presidential election, this summer’s announcement that thousands of US troops ..read more
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US Messaging to Russian Citizens: Time to Step It Up?
Eurasia Daily Monitor - Jamestown
by web1983
3y ago
In the first week of August, cellphones across Russia lit up with surprising text messages. They came from different numbers, but each said the same thing in Russian: “The US State Department is offering up to $10 million for information about interference in the US elections. If you have information, contact rfj.tips/bngc.” The State Department confirmed the messages were authentic (TV Rain, August 6). They came from the department’s “Rewards for Justice Program,” which had just expanded from hunting terrorists to tracking election interference. Russian authorities ridiculed the messages. But ..read more
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Former Abkhazian Separatist Official Calls for Joining Russia-Belarus Union State
Eurasia Daily Monitor - Jamestown
by web1983
3y ago
Recent comments by former vice president of the separatist Georgian region of Abkhazia Valery Arshba indicate a split between the older political elite and the current administration of President Aslan Bzhania (Gazeta-ra.info, October 19; Civil.ge, October 23). Arshba called for the breakaway republic to join the Union State of Russia and Belarus, “without losing [its] sovereignty.” Arshba himself has a turbulent history in Abkhaz politics. He served two terms as vice president (1995–2005) before being fired by then-president Vladislav Ardzinba, who accused him of supporting a coup (Ekho Kavka ..read more
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