Russia This Week - June 6-13, 2016

Russia This Week is a new weekly review by the MEMRI Russian Media Studies Project, covering the latest news and analysis relating to Russia from media in Russia, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Eastern Europe. 

Cartoon Of The Week

Vk.com/13studiya, June 3, 2016.

The Russian bear is mightier than the American eagle and can place the Arctic under its influence.

The United States and Russia collaborate in the Arctic Council, but geopolitical tensions make peaceful cooperation in the Arctic precarious. At a hearing on "Russia's Violations of Borders, Treaties, and Human Rights" (Foreign.senate.gov, June 7), Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Michael R. Carpenter said that Russia is "projecting power in all directions: in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, the Arctic, and the Middle East."

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, June 10, 2016)

"One can also remark cynically that NATO survives while the Warsaw Treaty Organization was disbanded."

(Mid.ru, June 10)

"We believe that such actions [i.e. NATO's expansion] are an attempt to find an excuse for disappointing results of the foreign policy conducted by the departing Obama administration, which seriously aggravated the situation with the missile defense issue." (Sputniknews.com, June 10) 

 
Vk.com/13studiya, March 19, 2016.

Man: "Maria, you are so brave!"

Maria Zakharova: "The Motherland compels it!"

In the cartoon Zakharova is depicted as the Motherland Calls statue in Volgograd, one of Russia's most iconic war memorials, which commemorates the World War II battle of Stalingrad.  

Quotes Of The Week:

Russia's Federation Council (the upper house of Russia's Federal Assembly) Chair, Valentina Ivanovna Matviyenko, said the following at a June 4conference titled "The Russian World: Problems and Perspectives" in Livadiya, Crimea on:

"Russians and the Russian culture are subject to oppression and persecution. We can see numerous examples where the rights of Russian people are denied...in the spheres of language, literature, and education. We are aware of what's happening in Ukraine, Latvia, Estonia and other states. Russia cannot afford to sit still calmly and observe this happening ." (Ria.ru, June 4)

Russia's Federation Council Chair, Valentina Ivanovna Matviyenko (Source: Ria.ru, June 4)

On the same occasion, Matviyenko said: "In current reality it's very important to utilize soft power  - the ability to attract supporters via cultural values, standards of living, general achievements and way of life - skillfully"

(Ria.ru, June 4)

In The News:

Russia-NATO Relations:

NATO Activity in The Baltic Region; Lavrov: We Make No Secret Of Our Negative Attitude To The NATO Policy Of Moving Its Military Infrastructure Closer To Our Border

On June 6, the NATO "Anaconda -16" military drills began in Poland. "Anaconda-16," the largest military drill held in Eastern Europe since the cold war, will last 10 days and will involve 31,000 troops. Other NATO drills "BALTOPS 2016" (June 3-19) and "Saber Strike" (May 27-June 22), a long-standing U.S. Army Europe-led cooperative training exercise, are taking place simultaneously in the Baltic region.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reacted to the NATO military drills near the Russian border, during a joint news conference with Finland's Foreign Minister Timo Soini in Moscow. Lavrov said: "We have focused on security issues in the Baltic Sea area. We are convinced that there are no threats in this region to justify its militarization.  [emphasis added] We shared our concerns about increased NATO activities in the region, and NATO moving its infrastructure closer to our borders. We are convinced that all issues of cooperation in the Baltic Sea and the North in general can and should be resolved within the framework of existing multilateral formats in the Baltic Sea region, the Barents/Euro-Arctic Region, and the Arctic [emphasis added]... I can add that we have reaffirmed our belief that each country has a sovereign right to choose a security policy it considers appropriate. At the same time, we make no secret of our negative attitude to the NATO policy of moving its military infrastructure closer to our border and involving other states in its military activities [emphasis added]. In this context, Russia has a sovereign right to use such methods to protect its security as appear to be adequate to the existing risks. I am convinced that our Finnish friends and neighbors are aware of this."

(Mid.ru, June 6)

 
NATO's BALTOPS 2016 (Source: C6f.navy.mil) 

Discussing the NATO drill in the Baltic region, Russia's Ambassador to NATO Alexander Grushko told the Rossiya 24 TV channel: "What we are seeing today in the Baltic States, as a matter of fact, is nothing [other] than attempts towards force development [in line] with the recent hostile policy pursued by NATO [emphasis added]. I would not say that it is a direct threat for Russia, but nevertheless, it obviously creates serious risks as we see an absolutely new military reality forming along our border." He then added that NATO's military activity "is profoundly changing the military situation in the region," and warned that "Russia, as is known, can ensure its security very efficiently."

In the interview, Grushko also mentioned that Russia has no plans to attack Poland:  "Recently the [NATO] secretary general visited Poland, and during these visits the Polish side was making statements that now Russia knows that an attack against Poland is an attack against NATO, which is completely absurd, as they are discussing a problem that does not exist...There are no plans to attack Poland." [emphasis added] He then added that "the [NATO] policy lives in  a surrealistic reality, and the most dangerous thing is that it now starts taking the form of military planning and military preparations carried out on territories along our borders," Grushko said.

(Tass.ru, June 6)

First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council's Defense and Security Committee Franz Klincevich said that NATO is preparing a "global strike" on Russia. Klincevich said: "NATO is starting to use our old military bases in the Baltics, Romania, Poland, and sending personnel there... Of course, we will retarget [Russia's military means], move forward [Russia's forces] taking into consideration NATO's activity [in the proximity of our borders]."

(Rbc.ru, June 5)

Russian ambassador to NATO Alexander Grushko, discussed NATO's intensified activity in the Baltic Sea region to business news radio Kommersant FM: "A decision to deploy (NATO's) extra battalions changes the regional situation in the sphere of security qualitatively...Today this situation is acquiring new parameters and it'll surely require not only a political response but also the appropriate military precautions... [The Russian military] will watch with much attention what means might be necessary to neutralize the risks...It's all too obvious that measures will be taken and our partners at the Russia-NATO Council shouldn't get surprised over it."

(Tass.ru, June 3)

 
Vk.com/13studiya, Vitaly Podvitsky, June 7

On June 7, Russian media outlets reported that a brown bear disrupted a NATO military drill in Finland after it strayed inside a military base where 3,000 members of the Finnish Kainuu brigade, were deployed (Sputniknews, June 7). The news was previously reported by the Finnish paper Iltalehti (Iltalehti.fi, June 6).

Russian Officials Mock The "Russian Threat" To NATO

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov  previewed what the Russian daily Izvestia termed an "ironic scenario", in describing a NATO performance against the "evil empire", to be staged on the eve of NATO's July 8 Warsaw summit.. Konashenkov said that Western actions and statements resemble a planned performance. In the first act of the performance sets the stage with alarmist non-official statements about the need to defend a member state of NATO against an external threat. "Look, [it seems that NATO] is a cornered harmless sheep, facing all kind of predators such as Russia and other countries which are not controlled by the U.S."

In the second act of the performance, retired Cold War figures  such as former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul, former U.S. Ambassador to Poland Victor Ash or former NATO commander in Europe Wesley Clark emerge from the "crypt",. In this second act, the Cold War figures mouth paranoid slogans on the revival of the Evil Empire. In the final act, NATO's secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg appears on the scene to announce that rumors about NATO's inability to defend itself are baseless, but "one more effort" by the taxpayers is necessary. At the grand finale, of the NATO Warsaw summit, NATO will announce that the Russian threat has been "neutralized"; NATO's military budget has swelled and the good life of NATO's bureaucracy has again been defended from taxpayer queries. "Finita la commedia!" concludes Konashenkov.

(Izvestia.ru, June 6; Kp.ru, June 6)

Russia's Ambassador to NATO Alexander Grushko told the Rossiya 24 TV channel that the Russian threat to NATO "is simply a myth, which allows NATO to pursue its chosen policy, and at the same time solve other tasks of a strategic nature." He added that "NATO is seen as an additional band for repairing Western unity...If we take a look at regional balances, NATO is playing at some murky game, as if the NATO countries themselves are states without an army, without anything [and therefore are not factored into the balance]..."

(Tass.ru, June 6)

NATO-Russia Council (NRC) Meeting

According to Gazeta.ru, despite tensions between Russia and NATO, an NRC meeting may be organized before NATO's Warsaw summit .

(Gazeta.ru, June 7)

Russian Submarine Heading For English Channel Intercepted By British Royal Navy As Part Of NATO's Maritime Monitoring

The British Royal Navy intercepted a Russian Kilo-class submarine as it cruised towards the English Channel. The Russian vessel was soon after escorted by HMS Kent. The Russian Defense Minister released the following statement: "The Russian Defense Ministry is surprised that the British Royal Navy and its NATO allies had to take joint efforts to discover a submarine, which was moving on the surface at a slow-speed...It would be strange if the sub had gone unnoticed by the British Royal Navy and its NATO allies. especially as the merchant ships of various countries, which were [sailing] on head-on and parallel courses, stuck to the long-standing maritime tradition of welcoming our sailors in the Barents, Norwegian and North Seas during the several days of the [submarine's] journey."

(Tass.ru, June 8)

Russia And The West:

Russian Political Scientist Says That The Cold War Is Already Here; Former Advisor to the MOD Predicts How Hot War Will Unfold

Russian political scientist and historian and head of the Center for Central and Eastern European Political Studies, Aleksandr Sytin, said that the "Cold war" is already here, adding that he does not believe that it could escalate into an armed conflict with the West. Concerning the arms race, Sytin explained that Russia does not want to "bomb the U.S." or "nuke Paris", but wants to establish who will dictate its political will. For the Kremlin, a worst case scenario involves a situation where the West - Brussels or Berlin - can tell Russia what to do and how to do it.

(Echo.msk.ru, June 6)

On June 8, the Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda published an article by a former Russian Defense Ministry advisor, Col. (ret.) Victor Baranez, titled "The U.S. Is Preparing to Occupy Russia in One Hour". In his article, Baranez writes that US is planning to occupy the enemy's territory (i.e. Russia's) by moving the front of ground forces forward, after launching a preemptive strike. The global strike will be more effective if the ground forces are already in close proximity to Russia's border. If Russia retaliates with its own missile strike, the Pentagon is planning to use missiles from the ABM system currently being deployed around Russia. The Russian strategic missile forces will retaliate in coordination with nuclear submarines and strategic aviation (both already deployed - the submarines are in constant movement near the U.S. seashores). The U.S. missile defense will prove unable to intercept all the Russian missiles. Thus, the first missile strike against Russia will lead to a retaliatory strike which will turn the U.S. territory into a smoking and contaminated desert. [emphasis added]

(Kr.ru, June 8)

Russia-Germany Relations:

Merkel Seeks Free Trade Zone Between Russia And The EU From Lisbon To Vladivostok

During a congress of the regional branch of her Christian Democratic Union Party, German Chancellor Angela Merkel mentioned the Kremlin's pet project of creating a common economic area extending from Lisbon to Vladivostok. Merkel declared: "I hope that Russia would increasingly develop ties with the European economic area, resulting finally in a common economic area from Lisbon to Vladivostok."

(Sputniknews.com, June 5)

German Defense Minister: "Germany's New Security Guidebook Won't Call Russia Rival"; But Germany Deals With A "Challenge"

The German daily Die Welt (Welt.de, June 4) reported that in the forthcoming government security policy guidebook, known as the "White Book" (Weißbuch), being prepared by the German Defense Ministry, Russia will be designated as a rival. However, German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen told reporters that Russia will not be characterized as a rival or adversary. The German Defense Minister specified that Germany is dealing with a Russian "challenge" rather than the dramatic terms used in mass media reports.

(Tass.ru, June 7)

Commenting on the Die Welt article, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "This can cause regret because if this is true, then the talk is about the obvious misunderstanding of the Russian side's position, which is well-known, consistent and is aimed at creating an atmosphere of interaction and mutually advantageous cooperation on the European continent rather than confrontation."

(Tass.ru, June 7)

Commenting on the issue, the State Duma's Foreign Affairs Committee Chair , Aleksey Pushkov, said: "Germany retranslates the U.S. line of action in Europe. Germany does not compare us...to the Ebola virus, but it compares us other urgent and important threats. It's impossible to understand how precisely Russia poses a threat to Germany. There is no such a threat."

(Ria.ru, June 6)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also discussed the issue in a radio interview with Sputnik: "This topic has been mentioned in EU documents in more or less the same vein. This 'demonization' of Russia has become a fashionable trend in the EU [emphasis added]. With regard to Germany, I understand that this report was submitted to the German government. It hasn't been approved yet, and has yet to be considered. I hope that the coalition government will weigh the pros and cons and, most importantly, will weigh the facts, which can in no way be interpreted as Russia planning any aggression against the EU or NATO." He then added that "those who drafted this report jumped on the bandwagon of the unipolar world [where the US is the only great power], the days of which are numbered."

(Mid.ru, June 6)

The Russian Duma Security and Anti-Corruption Committee Chair Irina Yarovaya said on the issue: "The proposal to declare Russian a threat to Germany looks ominous following the recent re-release of Mein Kampf."

(Themoscowtimes.com, June 6)

The First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council's Defense and Security committee, Franz Klintsevich, said on the issue: "In the implementation of the so-called NATO eastern policy, one of the key roles belongs, perhaps, to Germany... For a long time, Russia has been de facto considered by Germany as a rival, not a partner. One behaves in a completely different way toward a partner."

(Sputniknews.com, June 5)

Igor Morozov, a member of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs recalled that Igor German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier talked about easing sanctions against Russia, Morozov added: "I think this tendency will prevail over the tendency of turning Russia... into a rival"

(Lenta.ru, June 5)

Vk.com/13studiya, Vitaly Podvitsky, June 5, 2016.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel tries to strike a balance between Western sanctions on Russia and cooperation with Russia.

Russia-Ukraine Relations:

Russia Agreed To Allow Armed OSCE Monitors In Eastern Ukraine

 Vk.com/13studiya, June 7, 2016.

1^st OSCE monitor: "What do we need those handguns for?"

2^nd OSCE monitor: "To shoot ourselves in shame for failing to notice the Ukrainian-junta's ugly deeds".

Russia agreed to allow armed OSCE monitors at specific sites in Eastern Ukraine. On June 10, more than 60,000 citizens of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic demonstrated in downtown Donetsk against the plan to arm OSCE monitors.

(Tass.ru, June 10)

On June 10, Ukrainian militants, belonging to the Right Sector and the Azov Battalion, blocked entry to the Russian Consulate in Odessa to stop people from attending events held in advance of Russia Day. Zakharova commented on the events as follow: "This incident is further evidence that anti-Russian sentiment in Ukraine unfortunately continues to rise [emphasis added], while the Ukrainian authorities are unable even to enforce universally recognized norms of international law related to the unhindered operation of diplomatic missions in their country." On the same day, around 200 young men threw eggs against the Ukrainian Embassy in Moscow. According to the Russian news agency Tass.ru, in both incidents the police did not intervene. However, according the Ukrainian press, onlookers did intervene in Odessa and prevented protesters from throwing eggs against the Russian consulate.

(Mid.ru, June 10; Tass.ru, June 11; Pravda.com.ua, June 10)

On June 12, Ukraine held its first gay pride in Kiev. Russian, pro-Kremlin media outlet Studiya 13, published the following homophobic cartoon, in which the Ukrainian Right Sector (that opposes gay rights) stands behind LGBT people with batons.

 
Vk.com/13studiya, June 7, 2016.

Judge: On your mark! Get set! ...

Franz Klintsevich, The First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council's Defense and Security Committee, said:

"The current regime in Kiev is as repressive as the one that was established in Chile after the overthrow of President Salvador Allende [i.e. Augusto Pinochet's regime]."

(Tass.ru, June 3)

Russia-Israel Relations: Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu Visits Moscow

On June 7, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin (Bibi) Netanyahu. The meeting marked the 25th anniversary of restored diplomatic relations between Israel and Russia. On June 8, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki visited Moscow. In a joint press conference, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Russia pays "special attention to restoring intra-Palestinian unity."

(Mid.ru, June 8)

Vladimir Putin together with the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu and his spouse visited the Bolshoi Theatre to watch a gala concert staged by Bolshoi Theatre and Israeli Opera performers, marking 25years to the resumption of diplomatic relations between Russia and Israel. (Source: Kremlin.ru, June 7)

 
The Bolshoi Theatre and Israeli Opera's joint performance at the gala concert (Source: Kremlin.ru, June 7)

The Russia-Iran-Syria Triangle:

On June 9, Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu met with Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan and Syrian Defense Minsiter Fahd Jassem al-Freij, in Tehran. The meeting focused on strengthening cooperation in the fight against ISIS. While in Tehran, Shoigu also met with the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani. In that meeting, Shamkhani thanked Shoigu for the "courageous actions and policies of Russian President and his effective support in the comprehensive fight against terrorism in Syria." The Saudi-owned London-based daily Asharq Al-Awsat reported that this is considered to be the first time that "the existence of a senior political, military and security coordinator [i.e. Shamkhani] between Russia, Iran and Syria is made public."

On the same day, prior to his visit to Tehran, Shoigu visited Turkmenistan. During the visit, he said that Moscow cannot ignore terrorist threats emanating from Syria, Libya, Iraq and other countries.

On June 10, Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov met with Ibrahim Rahimpur, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in Moscow.

(Rt.com, June 10; Aawsat.com, June 11; Tass.ru, June 9; Mid.ru, June 10)

Iranian secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani meeting with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. (Source: Aawsat.com, June 11)

A Russian  Tu-142 ASW aircraft was recently spotted over Syria near Aleppo. Gazeta.ru speculates that the Tu-142 may have been introduced following the recent airstrike against ISIS carried out by U.S. carrier based planes located in the Mediterranean Sea. The U.S. carriers have been moved to the Mediterranean from the Gulf for the first time since 2003 in an apparent attempt to counter the Russian military presence in Syria.

(Gazeta.ru, June 6)

Russian Opposition: Russian Performance Artist And Political Activist Pyotr Pavlensky Released From Jail

Russian performance artist and political activist Pyotr Pavlensky was released from jail after serving seven months for setting fire to the headquarters of Russia's security services (FSB) in 2015. On June 8, Judge Yelena Gudoshnikov fined Pavlensky 500,000 rubles ($7,750) and ordered him to pay 481,000 rubles in compensation for repair costs to the building.

(Themoscowtimes.com, June 8)

Russian performance artist and political activist Pyotr Pavlensky. (Source: Themoscowtimes.com, June 8)

Russia Day

On June 12, Russia Day was marked in Moscow by the presentation of Russian Federation National Awards for outstanding achievements in science and technology, literature and the arts, and humanitarian work. Russian President Vladimir Putin bestowed the awards.

Strange But True

Newspapers across Russia that are members of the Alliance of Independent Regional Publishers (AIRP) started printing notices to readers against "false news" being broadcast on the state-run federal channel NTV. Over 100 newspapers are participating in this initiative  that involves printing a warning to their readers next to NTV's logo in their TV Guide sections. The warning states that NTV spreads "distorted information or propaganda under the guise of journalistic materials."

(Themoscowtimes.com, June 8)

The warning appears next to NTV's logo in their TV Guide sections (Source: Echo.msk.ru, June 8)