Russia & CIS

It is no longer any real secret that the ruling regime knows how to crack down on "undesirable" elements.

It could have been a scene straight out of The Sopranos. On Saturday, 15 cars rocked up to the Khovanskoye cemetery on the southwestern outskirts of Moscow.

NATO must bolster its military presence in the Baltic states or risk nuclear war, a former general has warned.

Russia's Investigative Committee has asked the head of National Guard to investigate Chechnya's notorious Sever police battalion, the RBC newspaper reported Wednesday.

The trial of notorious Russian performance artist Pyotr Pavlensky began today in a Moscow court. He remains in detention as two criminal cases against him continue.

The United States will refuse to recognize any elections in eastern Ukraine that do not comply with the Minsk agreements, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland told reporters in Moscow.

The Russian Justice Ministry has received documents requesting the extradition of former Ukrainian pilot Nadezhda Savchenko, the RBC news agency reported Wednesday.

No one doubts the power of American weapons. The United States is one of the greatest military in the world, no matter how you look at it. Russia has no doubts about it either, but the country does not fear US weapons, because it can adequately respond to any "smart move" of the American military

Today’s installment of the MCIS 2016 slides brings us to Andrei Ravkov, the Minister of Defense of Belarus, who spoke at the European security plenary session near the end of the conference. Video of his speech is available in Russian and in English.

The US has deployed the first ground missile defense system in Romania. Russian officials said that such actions violate strategic stability and may lead to even more serious challenges in the region. Russia will increase spending on next-generation technologies. NATO officials continue saying that the BMD Aegis Ashore system is no threat to Russia

Here’s another set of slides, this one from a presentation by Col. General Sergey Makarov, Commandant of the Military Academy of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff. He spoke at the final plenary panel, on problems of war and peace in Europe. Unfortunately, the MCIS website has provided neither the text of his remarks, nor a video.

I took notes on his remarks, so here are the highlights, followed by the slides.

The European security system was created after World War II and institutionalized with the Helsinki Final Act. The main problem in recent years has been the result of double standards and other countries’ inability to convince the U.S. to reject its backward policies.

Russia is concerned about the ties between terrorist activities in the Middle East and European security, including the threat posed by uncontrolled migration. Russia is also concerned about the return of Nazism and the falsification of history in the Baltics and Ukraine.

Russia can not be separated from Europe, as they are part of a single economic and political space. We need to create a new common security structure that includes the United States but does not exaggerate its role. There’s a need for mutually respectful cooperation on many areas, including counter-narcotics, counter-terrorism, opposing Nazism, and cyber crime.

European values are being diluted. For the first time in centuries, Europe is no longer the center of the international system. Power is moving eastward.

Existing European agreements need to be transferred from a political to a legal basis. Russia would like to see a new treaty, but this is a long and difficult process. For now, would be satisfied if existing agreements were followed and perhaps expanded.

The success of Russia's new cosmodrome Vostochny ("Eastern") speaks about Russia's independent course in space policy. It also means that Russia is capable of launching spacecraft regardless of someone else's political will. Russia's new spaceport has no analogue in the world on the level of new technological innovations

Fourth line of the power bridge to Crimea has been put into operation some hours ago. It's a historical event, which has put an end to attempts of the Kyiv authorities to revenge on the Crimean residents for their choice in 2014 with an energy siege.

Two more sets of slides today, both from the panel on Color Revolutions and Regional Security. The first set goes with the speech by Major General Sergei Afanasyev, Deputy Chief of the Main Directorate of the Russian General Staff. While the text of the speech is not available, there is a video with English translation (starts at approximately 3 minute mark).

(Scroll down for slides provided by President Putin’s internet advisor.)

The second set of slides goes with the speech by German Klimenko, the advisor to President Putin on the internet. Unfortunately, I haven’t found a video or text of his speech online. If anyone has a link, please email it to me or point to it in the comments.

Victory in the Great Patriotic War should be a reminder of how the people of Russia defend the interests of their country, Russian President Putin believes. USSR's victory in the Great Patriotic War is a warning to those who want to try Russia's strength, Putin said. Meanwhile, Mideastern leaders seek assistance from Russia, rather than the USA

A number of people have asked me to post the slides from the MCIS conference. I have a number of sets. First up is Valery Gerasimov’s presentation. These slides can be usefully combined with the Russian text of his speech or the translated English language video of his remarks.

Cumhuriyet’s Dundar has been jailed for five years and 10 months, while Gul gets five years for 'revealing state secrets'.

Brent futures were up 24 cents at $45.25 a barrel.

London has its first Muslim mayor as bus driver's son Sadiq Khan wins battle for City Hall.

President Tayyip Erdogan told the European Union on Friday that Turkey would not make changes to its terrorism laws.