Russia Monitor Monthly 7/23
Content
Russia Deploys More Troops to Africa
Russian authorities have consistently striven to expand the country’s influence on African soil, through both economic cooperation and arms exports and military presence in African countries. The presidents of Russia and the Republic of Congo have inked a bilateral agreement on dispatching Russian military specialists to the latter country while the official representation of the Russian army was established in the Central African government.
Putin’s Public Trust Ratings Keep Dropping
A recent poll has shown a decline in popular trust in Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the president’s popularity having dropped in May to its lowest level since 2006. The results do not pose an immediate problem for Putin, who won a landslide election victory, securing a new mandate in March 2018, yet could impel Russian elites to think what will happen next after Putin’s second term in office expires in 2024.
Russian Army Enters Regions to Crush Social Unrest
Coordination centers for crisis management were announced to be created in all Russian regions and subordinated to the Russian army. Once set up, new institutions will serve the regime to quell public unrest and to prevent more serious social revolts.
Romania Among The Three Fastest Developing European Union States
Even though in the first quarter of this year the first place with regard to the economic growth was occupied by Hungary, Romania again reached a more than satisfactory result. Especially as it goes hand in hand with low unemployment. The only concern seems to be relatively high inflation.
Finland Hosts Multinational Military Exercise
Over 2,000 soldiers as well as heavy military equipment from 14 countries have been deployed to Finland to take part in a military exercise. The military hardware consists of artillery, tanks and aircraft. This year, Finland has become the arena of Bold Quest, an annual military exercise led by the US Army General Staff for several years now. The exercise, which is to last two weeks, began in the middle of May.
What’s With the EU? Considerations After 15 Years of Polish Membership
Fifteen years of Poland’s membership in the European Union has opened up an opportunity to discuss the costs and benefits of the country’s presence in the Community and examine the current state of the EU by Polish scholars.
Russia’s Baltic Fleet Holds “Anniversary” Drills Near Baltic Coastline
The Baltic NATO member states have noted Russia’s increased military activity around their borders in the second half of May. Russian jets were many times intercepted near the coastline of the Baltic States while a Baltic Fleet’s brand-new Karakurt-class corvette, armed with Kalibr cruise missiles, approached the Latvian maritime border.
Zelensky Dissolved The Parliament. Race Against Time
New President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky informed about the dissolution of the Verkhovna Rada during his inauguration speech after swearing in. It is known that the decision was supported by most factions, including Petro Poroshenko Bloc. Both Zelensky and Poroshenko want the elections to happen as soon as possible to exploit the mobilisation of their electorates after the presidential elections.
Inauguration of Zelensky. Concessions in Donbas?
The winner of the presidential elections in Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky was sworn in as head of state on May 20. He immediately announced the dissolution of the parliament and expressed his expectations of the government’s resignation and immediate personnel changes at the highest state offices.
President of The Warsaw Institute Foundation at The Daily Signal/ Heritage Foundation
Marcin Gawęda – President of The Warsaw Institute Foundation (U.S.), analyzed and commented on the mood prevailing in the European Union just before the elections to the European Parliament. In his article titled “Will Nation-States Make a Comeback in EU Elections?” he also raised the issue of growing patriotism and nationalism in many EU countries and their possible impact on the results of the upcoming elections.
Russian Economy Hits Record Low
Economic growth in Russia in the first quarter is slowest that initially expected while the country’s economy came to a sharp slowdown, the government said, explaining such a tendency with weak domestic demand after an increase in value-added tax. Poor economic growth affects all significant sectors of the Russian economy, along with the dramatic deterioration of citizens’ social situation.
Spring Storm over Russian Border: NATO Demonstrates its Military Power
Spring Storm 2019, a large-scale military exercise held in the easternmost NATO bastion, has just come to an end. The exercise has demonstrated that, out of all NATO member states, Estonia is the country most threatened by Russia simply due to its geographic location. The exercise has also shown that by operating on the Estonian territory, NATO could seriously restrict Russian activity in the Baltic Sea.
The Jamestown Foundation Quotes Our Report “Nord Stream 2 and Ukraine”
The report by Grzegorz Kuczyński – expert of the Warsaw Institute, has been quoted in the latest analysis of the Jamestown Foundation “Baltic Pipe to Cut Poland’s Gas Dependence on Russia” by Natalia Konarzewska.
Gazprom Management Proposes New Dividend Amounts
Russian gas producer Gazprom’s management board proposed raising dividends for 2018, increasing it up to 150 billion roubles, which marked an all-time record both in the company’s history and the highest amount ever paid by a Russian state-run firm to its shareholders.
Putin Again Seeks Reset in U.S-Russian Ties As Pompeo Heads to Sochi
Since Donald Trump came to power, Russia has striven for reaching a U.S.-Russian bilateral agreement on the world’s most significant issues in which Moscow seems to hold particular interest. If possible, Kremlin officials would undoubtedly intend to reset bilateral ties between the two countries, marking an Obama-era solution.
Druzhba Oil Pipeline Contamination Brings Russia’s Transneft Into Disrepute
Adverse effects of the Druzhba oil pipeline contamination crisis are likely to be felt until the end of the year. This was the most significant technical failure in its 55-year history while real normalcy is expected to come long after it had been promised.
Presidential Election in Lithuania: A Conservative Wins the First Round
The first round of the 2019 presidential election in Lithuania has been narrowly won by Ingrida Šimonyte, a conservative candidate and former Minister of Finance. She will now compete for the highest state office with Gitanas Nauseda, an economist and former chief adviser to the President of SEB Bank. Both candidates share similar views, however, it is Nauseda who is considered to be the favourite for the position.
Does Georgia Seek U.S. Military Presence?
Located in the Caucasus, Georgia has witnessed a debate over a likely U.S. military presence on its soil. The discussion ensued in the aftermath of a recent interview that Georgian President Salome Zourabishvili gave for Voice of America, stating that setting a possible U.S. military base in the country would not be advisable as such a move could be perceived as hostile by Russia.
The EU Summit in Sibiu With an Important Declaration
The summit which took place in Sibiu, a Romanian city, leaders of the states accepted a joint declaration regarding the future of the European Union. It was said that this was “an obligation towards the future generations” thanks to which Europe would become “a responsible and global leader”. But the summit took place just before the elections to the European Parliament.
Russian Military Activity in Yellow Sea Raises Concerns in South Korea
An air incident has recently taken place during the joint Russian-Chinese naval drills in the Yellow Sea as two Russian aircraft penetrated South Korea’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), forcing South Korea to mobilize its fighter jets in response. Not incidentally, Russian jets have so far violated the South Korean zone as many as four times.
Warsaw Institute
