Category: What Lies Beneath

Much Ado About Nothing. The only significant statement in the speech was Russia’s suspension of the strategic arms reduction treaty (new START).

We do not usually comment on rumors circulating in Russia. Most are no more than routine speculation observed daily and are quickly proven to be untrue, either because of formal government denial or the passage of time.

At the end of September, President Mirziyoyev appointed Jurabek Mirzamahmudov as Energy Minister as well as Deputy Prime Minister with oversight of the fuel, energy, and the chemical industrial complex. This means the government again has six Deputy Prime Ministers.

President Putin announced a partial mobilization on September 21st, dictated by the need to defend a wide line of attack in Ukraine. Defense Minister Shoigu clarified that the intention is to mobilize about 300,000 out of the 25 million men in Russia who have done compulsory military service.

President Tokayev of Kazakhstan made his annual address to the people in the presence of the joint Assembly of the Parliament on September 1st. New laws allow the President to serve a single seven-year term.

On August 20th Darya Dugina was killed by a car bomb after leaving a festival in the Moscow region. Dugina is the daughter of Alexander Dugin, an academic whose conservative Russo-centric geopolitical writings have been cited by President Putin on occasion, although not in recent years.

A Presidential Decree has created a new Deputy Prime Minister position, and appointed Denis Manturov to it. Manturov will retain his current role as Minister of Industry and Trade. The Duma confirmed Manturov in the job on Friday.

On April 7th, the Duma registered a new draft bill which would make it a criminal offence by a corporate officer to take actions designed to implement the decisions of a foreign state that are designed to limit the actions of Russia (i.e., implementing sanctions), or which would damage the interests of a person or enterprise in the state.

The Duma is processing legislation that would enable external government administration of foreign companies that are leaving Russia. Senior officials have said that they see this as a last resort, and the legislation is not being rushed.

 On February 26th, former President Dmitry Medvedev made an unusual post on his VKontakte account, expressing his view about sanctions. In his post, he discusses sanctions and how Russia will respond, including a suggestion that expulsion from the Council of Europe means that Russia can re-instate the death penalty.