This Week’s Highlights

• U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone on June 1, two days after Trump said he would invite Putin to attend a Group of 7 summit, the New York Times reports. The Kremlin said the two leaders also talked about the need to intensify a U.S.-Russian dialogue on strategic stability and steps to enhance mutual trust in the military sphere, according to RFE/RL. The White House released a statement saying that the men had discussed ''the latest efforts to defeat the coronavirus pandemic and reopen global economies.” Trump then said on June 3 that G7 countries needed to talk to Russia despite its policies on the international stage and illegal annexation of Crimea. "It's not a question of what he's done. It's a question of common sense," Trump said, according to RFE/RL.
• Putin signed off on Fundamentals of the State Policy of the Russian Federation in the Field of Nuclear Deterrence, which reaffirms Russia’s concept of conducting nuclear strikes in retaliation to non-nuclear attacks. The document contains two “newish” items, according to Olga Oliker of International Crisis Group. First is the clear statement that Russia can launch under warning of ballistic missile attack. This is in line with Putin’s statements, but still notable to see in a formal document. Second, is the equally clear statement that an attack (military or otherwise) on Russia’s nuclear, command and related infrastructure, broadly defined, justifies a nuclear response.
• A bipartisan group of U.S. senators have introduced a bill that would expand sanctions on Russia’s Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline. Senators say the bill clarifies and expands the scope of sanctions on the project, threatening to penalize any companies involved in laying pipes, providing underwriting, insurance or reinsurance to companies involved in the project, or providing port facilities for the ships involved, Financial Times reports. 
• Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has invited U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper to the June 24 parade on Moscow’s Red Square to mark the 75th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, RFE/RL reports.
• Russia has confirmed the delivery of more MiG-29 fighter jets to Syria, just days after the U.S. military accused Moscow of using Syria to transfer such warplanes to Libya, RFE/RL reports. Meanwhile, tensions flared between Russia and the U.S. as the Russian military reportedly seeks to expand its presence in U.S.-controlled northeastern Syria. Villagers reportedly protested against a Russian patrol June 2 near the northeastern Syria border town of Al-Malikiyah (Derik) as U.S. convoys awaited them nearby, The Moscow Times reports. On June 3, a Russian patrol was said to have come toe-to-toe with an American convoy outside Derik, blocking civilian traffic for hours, according to The Moscow Times.
• Scientists of Russia’s Rosatom nuclear corporation are working on a coronavirus treatment involving ultraviolet light brought inside the body, a potentially dangerous method that has been promoted by Trump. “No one has been able to carry out UV disinfection inside a person. We’ve come up with a way to do this,” said Andrei Goverdovsky, the head of a research institute at Rosatom, The Moscow Times reports.
• Russia has managed to contain a massive diesel spill into a river in the Arctic, a spokeswoman for the emergencies ministry said June 5, according to AFP. A spill of 20,000 tons of diesel fuel into a Siberian river outside the northern Siberian city of Norilsk May 29 prompted Putin to order a state of emergency, The Moscow Times reports.

 

I. U.S. and Russian priorities for the bilateral agenda

Nuclear security:

• No significant developments.

North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs:

• Railway service between North Korea and Russia is to resume in July, according to Russia's state-owned railway company. (UPI, 06.02.20)

Iran and its nuclear program:

• No significant developments.

New Cold War/saber rattling:

• U.S. strategic bombers approached Russia's borders five times in May, Russian Col. Gen. Sergei Rudskoy, chief of the main operational department for Russia's General Staff, said. "The activity of the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy and their allies near Russia's borders has sharply increased now," Rudskoi said June 1. (Interfax, 06.01.20)

NATO-Russia relations:

• Russia will not conduct major military exercises near the borders with NATO member countries this year, said Rudskoy. He also accused the U.S. and NATO allies of continuing to carry out war games near Russia’s borders. He said NATO has stonewalled Russia’s written proposal to scale down each other’s military activities. (The Moscow Times, 06.01.20)

Missile defense:

• No significant developments.

Nuclear arms control:

• No significant developments.

Counter-terrorism:

• The U.S. and Russia were not enemies, former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn told Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak, and both countries needed to focus on a common threat—terrorism, according to the transcripts of the phone calls between two men in 2016. ''We have to take these enemies on that we have,'' Flynn said. ''And we definitely have a common enemy. You have a problem with it, we have a problem with it in this country and we definitely have a problem with it in the Middle East.'' ''General, I completely agree with you,'' Kislyak said in response. (New York Times, 06.03.20)

Conflict in Syria:

• Russian air strikes have hit Syria's last major rebel bastion for the first time since a March ceasefire came into force, a war monitor said on June 3. The Russian strikes on the evening of June 2 and at dawn on June 3 hit an area of the northwest where the boundaries of Hama, Idlib and Latakia provinces meet, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham alliance, led by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate, and its hardline allies enjoy a significant presence in the area, the group added. (The Moscow Times, 06.03.20)
• Tensions flared between Russia and the U.S. as the Russian military reportedly seeks to expand its presence in U.S.-controlled northeastern Syria, news outlets reported this week.  The latest flare-up follows the Russian military’s reported attempt to build a base near the Turkish and Iraqi borders last week. Villagers reportedly protested against a Russian patrol June 2 near the northeastern Syria border town of Al-Malikiyah (Derik) as U.S. convoys awaited them nearby. On June 3, a Russian patrol was said to have come toe-to-toe with an American convoy outside Derik, blocking civilian traffic for hours. (The Moscow Times, 06.05.20)
• Russia has confirmed the delivery of more MiG-29 fighter jets to Syria, just days after the U.S. military accused Moscow of using Syria to transfer warplanes to Libya. The Russian Embassy in Damascus said on Twitter on June 3 that a "second batch" of advanced MiG-29 fighter jets were handed over to the Syrian military "within the framework of defense cooperation" and were already flying missions. Syria's SANA news agency said the planes would fly missions over Syria starting June 1. (RFE/RL, 06.04.20)
• The Russian Armed Forces General Staff said that the U.S. Navy flying its reconnaissance aircraft close to Russian bases in Syria runs counter to the agreements on incident prevention in the Syrian airspace. (Interfax, 06.01.20)

Cyber security:

• No significant developments.

Elections interference:

• Transcripts of phone calls that were pivotal to the U.S. investigation of Russia's 2016 election interference have been declassified and released by Republican senators. One transcript shows that Flynn urged Russia's ambassador to be "even-keeled" in response to punitive measures imposed by the Obama administration. That transcript is dated Dec. 29, 2016—the day the Obama administration announced it was expelling 35 alleged Russian intelligence operatives from the U.S. The men spoke three times in late December 2016 and again on Jan. 12, 2017, according to the transcripts. Flynn also discussed sanctions at length with Kislyak in late 2016. (RFE/RL, 05.30.20, New York Times, 05.30.20)
• The federal judge overseeing the criminal case against Flynn urged an appeals court June 1 to let him first consider the government's motion to dismiss the case and rule before taking it up. (Wall Street Journal, 06.02.20)
• Senate Republicans moved on June 4 to grant themselves vast new powers for a sprawling election-year effort to discredit the Trump-Russia investigation, with one committee authorizing subpoenas for dozens of high-level Obama administration officials, and another lining up a similar vote for next week. The actions by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee laid the groundwork for months of public hearings that Republicans hope will recast the findings of the investigation. (New York Times, 06.05.20)

Energy exports from CIS:

• A bipartisan group of U.S. senators have introduced a bill that would expand sanctions on Russia’s Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline. Senators say the bill clarifies and expands the scope of sanctions on the project, threatening to penalize any companies involved in laying pipes, providing underwriting, insurance or reinsurance to companies involved in the project or providing port facilities for the ships involved. (Financial Times, 06.04.20)
• Russia’s Energy Minister Alexander Novak is predicting a shortage in the oil market next month, Ifax reported June 4. Novak said that the global oil markets could see a shortfall between three and five million barrels per day in July. (Oil Price, 06.04.20)
• After hitting highs unseen since early March, U.S. crude futures for July delivery declined 1.9 percent to $36.58 a barrel on June 4. The slip followed the cancellation of a hastily called meeting that was supposed to take place June 4 among OPEC+. (Wall Street Journal, 06.05.20)
• Heihe Customs in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province has supervised the importation of 1.58 billion cubic meters of natural gas via the China-Russia east-route natural gas pipeline over the past six months. (Xinhua, 06.04.20)

U.S.-Russian economic ties:

• No significant developments.

U.S.-Russian relations in general:

• Trump and Putin spoke by phone on June 1, two days after Trump said he would invite Putin to attend a Group of 7 summit in the U.S. in September. The White House released a statement saying that the men had discussed ''the latest efforts to defeat the coronavirus pandemic and reopen global economies'' and ''progress toward convening the G7.'' The Kremlin said the two leaders also talked about the need to intensify a U.S.-Russian dialogue on strategic stability and steps to enhance mutual trust in the military sphere. (RFE/RL, 06.02.20, New York Times, 06.02.20)
• Trump on June 3 said it is "common sense" to invite Putin to an expanded G7 summit. Trump said the G7 countries needed to talk to Russia despite its policies on the international stage and illegal annexation of Crimea. (RFE/RL, 06.03.20)
  • A spokesman for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Britain opposed allowing Russia back into the G7 because his government had ''yet to see evidence of changed behavior which would justify readmittance,'' according to Reuters. (New York Times, 06.02.20)
  • Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau agreed, saying Russia's ''continued disrespect and flaunting of international rules and norms is why it remains outside of the G7, and it will continue to remain out.'' (New York Times, 06.02.20)
• Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has invited U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper to the June 24 parade on Moscow’s Red Square to mark the 75th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. (RFE/RL, 06.02.20)
• When two NASA astronauts blasted off on May 30 under American—albeit commercially produced—power for the first time in nearly a decade, much of the world celebrated the achievement. But in Russia congratulations on the successful launch and delivery of crew members to the International Space Station came with a dose of derision. “The hysteria raised after the successful launch of the Crew Dragon spacecraft is hard to understand," Vladimir Ustimenko, a spokesman for Russian space agency Roskosmos, wrote on Twitter May 31. (RFE/RL, 06.02.20)
• A U.S. military plane carrying 150 donated ventilators to help coronavirus patients landed in Moscow on June 4 in the second such delivery to Russia, the U.S. embassy said. The plane brought the number of U.S.-manufactured ventilators sent by the U.S. to Russia to 200, after the first delivery arrived two weeks ago. (The Moscow Times, 06.04.20)
• U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on May 30 demanded that Russia free a former marine accused of spying in Russia after the man underwent urgent surgery in a Moscow hospital. Paul Whelan had emergency hernia surgery May 28 after suffering "severe abdominal pain," his brother David Whelan said in a statement. (The Moscow Times, 06.01.20)
• China, Russia and Iran are using state-sponsored media to attack the U.S. over the George Floyd killing and the resulting civil unrest, but there is no evidence of a covert online influence operation similar to Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential campaign, according to a report released June 3 by Graphika, which uses artificial intelligence to analyze huge volumes of social media traffic. (NBC, 06.03.20)
• Russia's Foreign Ministry on June 2 demanded that Washington "take urgent measures" to stop police violence against journalists, including one for Russian state media. "We are outraged about the ongoing violence used by American law enforcement against international media covering the protests in the U.S., including Russian," the ministry said in a statement. (The Moscow Times, 06.02.20)
• Facebook will start labelling Russian, Chinese and other state-controlled media organizations as "state media," and later this summer will block any ads from such outlets that target U.S. users. (SMH, 06.04.20)

 

II. Russia’s domestic policies

Domestic politics, economy and energy:

• Russia confirmed 8,726 new coronavirus infections June 5, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 449,834. Over the past 24 hours, 144 people have died, bringing the total toll to 5,528— a rate considerably lower than in many other countries hit hard by the pandemic. A total of 8,057 people have recovered, bringing the overall number of recoveries to 212,680. (The Moscow Times, 06.05.20) Here’s a link to RFE/RL’s interactive map of the virus’ spread around the world, including in Russia and the rest of post-Soviet Eurasia. For a comparison of the number and rate of change in new cases in the U.S. and Russia, visit this Russia Matters resource.
• Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin has ordered to lift some of Moscow's coronavirus restrictions starting June 1. All non-food shops and some service sector businesses will be able to re-open, he said. The city of Moscow will end up spending a total of 250 billion rubles ($3.1 billion) on fighting the coronavirus outbreak but will lose double that amount in revenue, he said. (The Moscow Times, 06.05.20)
• Russia’s second-largest city, St. Petersburg, saw 6,427 deaths in May this year, about 28 percent more than the nine-year average of 5,027 for May, according to civil registry data. (The Moscow Times, 06.04.20)
• Putin has ordered the military to set up a field hospital in the Zabaikalsky region, which he described as the latest coronavirus hotspot, as Russia's outbreak continues to shift outside Moscow. (The Moscow Times, 06.04.20)
• Russia saw its first coronavirus infection in mid-to-late January, a Moscow city official has said, contradicting official reports which say that Russia’s “patient zero” appeared in March. (The Moscow Times, 06.03.20)
• Russia will launch a 5 trillion ruble ($73 billion) recovery plan next month to offset economic damage from the coronavirus pandemic, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said in a televised meeting with Putin on June 2. (The Moscow Times, 06.01.20)
• The ruble broke back below 70 rubles to the dollar this week and was trading at 68.48 rubles to the dollar as of the close of trading as oil prices briefly touched $40 per barrel on June 3, regaining a large part of the ground it has lost in the last three months. A predicted rebound in the Russian economy appears to be underway. (bne IntelliNews, 06.03.20)
• The seasonally adjusted IHS Markit Russia Services Business Activity Index recovered to 35.9 in May, up from April's nadir of 12.2. Although the index bounced back, it is still deeply in the red and at its second-lowest value since early 2009. (bne IntelliNews, 06.03.20)
• Russia will begin rolling out its first approved drug in the fight against coronavirus, which it describes as “a game changer” starting next week, Reuters reported on June 1, citing the country's sovereign wealth fund. Russian hospitals can begin giving the antiviral drug, which is registered under the name Avifavir, to patients from June 11. (Reuters/The Moscow Times, 06.03.20)
• Scientists of Russia’s Rosatom nuclear corporation are working on a coronavirus treatment involving ultraviolet light brought inside the body, a potentially dangerous method that has been promoted by Trump. “No one has been able to carry out UV disinfection inside a person. We’ve come up with a way to do this,” said Andrei Goverdovsky, the head of a research institute at Rosatom. (The Moscow Times, 06.01.20)
• Russia has managed to contain a massive diesel spill into a river in the Arctic, a spokeswoman for the emergencies ministry said June 5. A spill of 20,000 tons of diesel fuel into a Siberian river caused at least 6 billion rubles (more than $76 million) in damages to waterways above the Arctic Circle. A diesel reservoir collapsed at a power station outside the northern Siberian city of Norilsk on May 29, releasing 15,000 tons of fuel into a river and 6,000 tons into the soil, according to Russia's state environmental watchdog. Putin ordered a state of emergency June 3, five days after the fuel spilled into rivers near Norilsk. (The Moscow Times, 06.04.20, The Moscow Times, 06.04.20, AFP, 06.05.20)
  • Russian authorities have arrested the head of one of the units of a thermal power plant in Siberia after the spill. The Krasnoyarsk Krai regional court on June 4 ordered Vyacheslav Starostin, head of the plant's workshop, into pretrial detention until July 31. He was charged with violating environmental regulations and negligence. (RFE/RL, 06.04.20)
• Wildfires in Russia have burned across a combined area the size of Greece so far in 2020, surpassing official estimates threefold, Greenpeace Russia said as it braces for blazes to erupt this week and peak next month. (The Moscow Times, 06.03.20)
• Russia's public vote on a set of constitutional amendments that would allow Putin to stay in power through 2036 will take place on July 1. (The Moscow Times, 06.01.20)
• Russian election officials say activists are not allowed to campaign against the package of constitutional amendments that would allow Putin to extend his 20-year rule. (The Moscow Times, 06.03.20)
• A third (28 percent) of Russians are ready to participate in a mass protest against falling living standards, according to independent pollster the Levada Center in a survey released June 1, showing the highest level of readiness for economic protest over the past year and a half. (bne IntelliNews, 06.01.20)
• A Russian media group linked to a close associate of Putin has produced an antigay political ad ahead of a vote on the proposed constitutional amendments. The video was produced by Patriot Media Group and began airing this week on social media. (RFE/RL, 06.02.20)
• A Siberian court ruling that placed a Siberian shaman, who gained notoriety for claiming to want to remove Putin from power, in a psychiatric clinic, has been challenged by several Russian lawmakers. Alexander Gabyshev was forcibly placed in a psychiatric clinic against his will. (RFE/RL, 06.04.20)
• Police in Moscow detained at least 20 demonstrators on June 2 as they rallied in front of the Moscow City Police headquarters to protest against police violence. (RFE/RL, 06.03.20)
• Little-known Russian media executive Ivan Eremin, who has close commercial ties to the state, has bought leading business newspaper Vedomosti after a deal to sell it to different buyers collapsed in a row over censorship. (Financial Times, 06.01.20)

Defense and aerospace:

• Putin signed off on Fundamentals of the State Policy of the Russian Federation in the Field of Nuclear Deterrence, which reaffirms Russia’s concept of conducting nuclear strikes in retaliation to non-nuclear attacks. The document contains two “newish” items, according to Olga Oliker, the program director for Europe and Central Asia at International Crisis Group. First is the clear statement that Russia can launch under warning of ballistic missile attack. This is in line with Putin’s statements, but still notable to see in a formal document. Second, is the equally clear statement that an attack (military or otherwise) on Russia’s nuclear, command and related infrastructure, broadly defined, justifies a nuclear response. (Russia Matters, 06.02.20)
• Authorities have blocked access to a city in far northern Russia located near the site of last year’s mysterious nuclear testing accident as the coronavirus outbreak there intensified. The governor of the Arkhangelsk region signed an order to close public access to the city of Severodvinsk June 6, the city’s press service said. Severodvinsk is near the Nyonoksa testing site where an August 2019 explosion during a rocket engine test killed five Russian nuclear workers and led to a radiation spike. (The Moscow Times, 06.04.20)
• The Russian military will march asymptomatic troops and those who have developed immunity to coronavirus at its landmark parade marking the 75th anniversary of the Soviet victory in World War II on June 24, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said June 2. Shoigu said that 14,000 troops will march across Red Square in Moscow and 50,000 more would march through 27 other cities that house military units to mark Victory Day. (The Moscow Times, 06.01.20)
• Russia’s military said it has recruited dozens of volunteers among its ranks for two-month clinical trials of a coronavirus vaccine set to begin June 3. Bioweapons researchers are working with health officials on developing a coronavirus vaccine, one of 47 that Russian officials say are in various stages of development. (The Moscow Times, 06.01.20)

Security, law-enforcement and justice:

• A court in Russian-annexed Crimea on June 4 sentenced a Jehovah's Witness to six years in prison for organizing an extremist organization in the latest harsh sentence against the Christian movement. (AFP, 06.04.20)
• The pretrial detention of four former Moscow police officers suspected of the illegal arrest of   investigative journalist Ivan Golunov last year have been extended. Moscow's Basmanny district court ruled on June 2 that Akbar Sergaliyev, Roman Feofanov, Maksim Utembayev and Igor Lyakhovets must remain in a pretrial detention center until Sept. 7. (RFE/RL, 06.02.20)

 

III. Russia’s relations with other countries

Russia’s general foreign policy and relations with “far abroad” countries:

• The U.S. military's Africa Command (AFRICOM) has rejected Russia's claim that Moscow did not deploy fighter jets to Libya, saying on May 29 that the aircraft reflected Russia's goal to establish a foothold in the oil-rich country. Brig. Gen. Gregory Hadfield, deputy director for intelligence at ARFICOM, said the U.S. military tracked the 14 MiG-29 fighter jets and SU-24 fighter bombers that were flown in by the Russian military, landing at Libya's Jufra air base. The base is the main forward airfield for Khalifa Haftar and his eastern-based Libyan National Army. (RFE/RL, 05.30.20)
• Libya is pushing ahead with the prosecution of two Russians it accuses of espionage and attempting to meddle in future elections, defying pressure from Moscow for their release, according to a senior Libyan official. (Bloomberg, 06.05.20)
• Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis says his government has decided to designate two staff members at the Russian Embassy in Prague as personae non grata. Speaking at a June 5 news conference in Prague along with Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek, Babis said that the move was taken as a result of the so-called ricin affair, which turned out to be a fake incident sparked by a dispute between embassy staff. Neither Babis nor Petricek took questions from reporters during the news conference. They did not name the staff members in question. (RFE/RL, 06.05.20)
• A legal agreement was reached June 3 between France's far-right National Rally party led by Marine Le Pen and a Russian firm suing it over a massive unpaid loan, a Moscow court said. Documents filed in December last year to Moscow's Court of Arbitration showed aviation parts company Aviazapchast was suing Le Pen's party for 639.8 million rubles ($10.1 million) loaned to the party. (The Moscow Times, 06.03.20)

China-Russia: Allied or Aligned?

• Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said: "The idea of an expanded G7 summit is a step in the right direction but does not really mean a true representation. … It is obvious that it is hardly possible to implement serious global initiatives without China." (WION, 06.03.20)
• China appreciates the statement by Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova that using the U.N. Security Council for discussion of the Hong Kong situation is nothing else but settling scores between China and the U.S., Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Geng Shuang said June 5. (TASS, 06.05.20)

Ukraine:

• The European Commission (EC) has approved the disbursement of the second and final 500 million euro ($555 million) tranche of its macro-financial assistance to Ukraine. The EC said May 29 that the money will be paid out in the coming fortnight after Brussels noted its satisfaction with Ukrainian reforms in several sectors, including banking, energy and health care. The first tranche, also worth 500 million euros, was released in December 2018. (RFE/RL, 05.29.20)
• Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has discussed the ongoing conflict with Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv’s relationship with NATO and the issue of Russia-annexed Crimea with German officials during a one-day visit to Berlin. At a joint press conference after the talks on June 2, Kuleba and his German counterpart Heiko Maas said they had agreed to accelerate the implementation of agreements reached in Paris in December during talks held in the so-called Normandy Format. (RFE/RL, 06.02.20)
• Kuleba and his Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijjarto have discussed Kyiv-Budapest bilateral ties at a time when Hungary is blocking NATO initiatives because of a restrictive language law in Ukraine. The two ministers discussed investment and trade cooperation, joint efforts to implement infrastructure projects in Ukraine's western region of Zakarpattya, where there is a sizeable Hungarian minority, and ways to further coordinate against the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. (RFE/RL,05.29.20)
• Hundreds of protesters calling for the resignation of Ukraine's interior minister, Arsen Avakov, have set off smoke bombs and fireworks in front of the parliament in Kyiv. Critics say the minister has failed to rein in police abuses, bring about reform or promote law and order in the country during his six years in office. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has thrown his support behind Avakov. (RFE/RL, 06.05.20)

Russia's other post-Soviet neighbors:

• Belarusian authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko has appointed Roman Golovchenko, the chairman of the State Authority for Military Industry—a weapons export and military equipment arm of the Belarusian government—to the post of the nation's prime minister before the August presidential election. (bne IntelliNews, 06.05.20)
• Lukashenko has openly warned that there will be no "Maidan" following mass rallies in Minsk and other towns and cities supporting potential opposition presidential candidates. (RFE/RL, 06.01.20)
• Alarmed by a Trump administration military aid program to Azerbaijan that has “skyrocketed” to more than $120 million over the past three fiscal years, U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez has formally requested that the Government Accountability Office provide the Senate Foreign Relations Committee with a detailed report on this assistance program and its compliance with Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act. (bne IntelliNews, 06.05.20)
• The children of Azerbaijan's former security chief have acquired a number of luxury properties in Britain, including a $21 million home in London, an investigation revealed. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev fired National Security Minister Eldar Mahmudov in 2015. (RFE/RL, 05.31.20)
• Armenia reportedly has plans to start production of Russian AK-103 Kalashnikov rifles during the first 10 days of July. The Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation said annual production volume was expected to be 50,000 rifles, with components to be supplied from Russia. (bne IntelliNews, 06.05.20)
• Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and four members of his immediate family have tested positive for the coronavirus. "Unfortunately, the results of our tests are positive," Pashinian said during a live Facebook broadcast on June 1. Pashinian, who turned 45 on June 1, lives with his wife and three daughters. His son now serves in the army and does not live with the family. (RFE/RL, 06.01.20)
• Dozens of people have been injured in the latest clashes between Kyrgyz and Uzbek citizens in a disputed border region. The Kyrgyz Health Ministry said on June 1 that 25 Kyrgyz nationals had been injured in the clashes that erupted the day before near Uzbekistan's Sokh exclave in Kyrgyzstan's southern Batken region. According to the ministry, four of the injured people are hospitalized, with two in very serious condition after surgery. (RFE/RL, 06.01.20)
• Human Rights Watch says a popular entertainer and his associates in Turkmenistan have been handed prison terms for being gay and called on authorities to "immediately dismiss" all charges against the men. (RFE/RL, 05.29.20)

 

IV. Quoteworthy

• No significant developments.