LIVE UPDATES: More than half of Russians support their close relatives’ desire to serve in the army, according to a new poll conducted by the All-Russian Center for Study of Public Opinion
Welcome to our column, Russia Update, where we will be closely following day-to-day developments in Russia, including the Russian government’s foreign and domestic policies.
The previous issue is here.
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UPDATES BELOW
— Catherine A. Fitzpatrick
Moscow authorities have evacuated more than 10,000 people from multiple shopping centers after bomb threats were made to Moscow’s largest shopping center GUM and 9 Ashan stores, a popular chain, TASS reported.
Earlier, as we reported, a bomb threat was made to the presidential administration building at 4, Staraya Square.
Sergei Devyatov, the official representative of the Federal Protection Service (FTO), told TASS that the bomb threat at the presidential administration was “fake.” He said that the caller’s identity had already been established, and no bombs were found. The building was searched, but not evacuated, he said.
Meanwhile, there was mayhem at 9 supermarkets where evacuations were carried out and are still underway.
Several video footages indicate the announcement to evacuate was made over loudspeakers in both Russian and English and spoke only of “technical difficulties.” (see at 21:54).
A boy who didn’t take the announcements seriously is shown chanting “Panic, panic, bomb, bomb” and an older woman is chastising him and telling him to leave before he gets locked in.
An store called Mega Belaya Dacha (Mega White Cottage) and another one called Atrium were said to have received threats but later officials denied this, TASS reported.
The effect of the mass evacuation of the shopping centers — and this may have been calculated — was to make people forget that the government itself had been threatened in a phone call.
— Catherine A. Fitzpatrick
— Catherine A. Fitzpatrick
As we reported, bomb threats were also made in a call to the presidential administration at No. 4 Staraya Square.
— Catherine A. Fitzpatrick
A worker in the building told Interfax that cars from various agencies are parked outside the building now, but employees remain working in the building.
— Catherine A. Fitzpatrick
Peskov said the Iranians did not have the cash to pay for the anti-aircraft system. RIA had even claimed that the Iranian Defense Minister who just visited Moscow and met with President Vladimir Putin earlier this week was going to be present at a send-off ceremony at an Astrakhan port. The Defense Minister said there was no such ceremony.
Today, Dmitry Peskov, presidential administration spokesman made the news official: Russia will not be delivering the S-300s any time soon, Gazeta.ru reported.
“It is premature for now to speak about specific time periods. There are no such time periods. There are problems related to payment; it has not yet been paid in the proper way.”
Sputnik simply ignored Iran’s statement and falsely claimed today that Iran was joining the oil cut plan when it is not; Sputnik even indicated that a new strategic cooperation between Russia and Iran who “understand that oil is a strategic commodity beyond its pricing significance” that would help split OPEC away from Saudi dominance.
Russia’s energy minister Novakov had to walk back his initial enthusiastic report of meetings with OPEC last week to say that only 4 members of OPEC were going to actually cut production — and therefore help world prices of oil go up. Yet the Kremlin has not made a formal announcement, and Peskov ducked reporters’ questions yesterday and referred them back to Novakov.
Russia media enthusiastically reported last week that Brent crude oil prices had “jumped to $35” at the news of the Russian meeting with OPEC and then reported the “jump to $35” all over again, although in fact the dip and jump only back to $35 showed how tepid the markets were responding.
Russia has had difficulty lining up the OPEC ducks — in January, OPEC sources were leaking to social media that Saudi Arabia had not agreed — as Russia was claiming — to a 5% reduction.
Yesterday February 17, Novak said he and other OPEC ministers would hold talks with Iran and Iraq, Vzglyad reported, after he met February 16 with Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and others; this time Novakov said Saudi Arabia agreed to the cut.
One had to go back to the Western media to see what really happened. The Financial Times explained that Saudi Arabia had a caveat — they would join the freeze if they are joined by other large oil producers:
The speed of the deal between the Opec powerbroker and the world’s largest crude oil producer surprised the market but traders remained sceptical that the provisional agreement would gain wider acceptance. Opec member Iran is seen as the biggest stumbling block.
The deal was reached at a behind-closed-doors meeting in Doha with Opec members Qatar and Venezuela.
And as the New York Times explained, the output freeze has a catch — attracting OPEC unity.
But whether the plan actually goes anywhere — or is just chatter meant to bolster prices — is an open debate. The four countries said they would proceed only if others commit.
It is not an easy sell.
The plan, which also included Venezuela and Qatar, is a tentative sign that major oil producers are ready to cooperate. And it indicates how deeply prices have fallen, as Russia and Saudi Arabia have previously resisted tempering production.
Of course there are some commentators who say all of these maneuvers don’t matter in a world where the new domination of US shale oil has changed the dynamics for good. When Russian leaders put out propaganda overstating Moscow’s influence and achievements in oil diplomacy, they are not just trying to convince their weary public, but perhaps themselves as well.
— Catherine A. Fitzpatrick
More than half of Russians support their close relatives’ desire to serve in the army, according to a new poll conducted by the All-Russian Center for Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM), Gazeta.ru reports.
In 2015, 57% of those polled said they supported their close relatives’ military service, a slight increase from 53% in 2014 and a substantial increase from 2010, when only 36% declared such support.
The theory for some Western analysts has been that as more and more Russian soldiers are wounded or die in the wars in Ukraine and Syria, Russian public opinion will be galvanized to protest against the Kremlin’s aggression.
But given how the wars are accompanied with patriotic propaganda campaigns and disinformation on state TV about how the wars got started and are continued, Russians appear to support the concept of armed service only more, even for their own sons, brothers, and fathers.