Are Russian Bombers Flying Nuclear Drills Near Europe—Or Just Testing NATO’s Defenses? - The Daily Beast

"Russian bombers may be flying nuclear strike drills over the Atlantic Ocean and North Sea, current and former U.S. Air Force officers believe. At the very least, these officers tell The Daily Beast, the Russian Air Force is aggressively probing what NATO calls European airspace in an effort to gauge the reaction times of the western alliance's defenses."

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/10/30/are-russian-bombers-flying-nuclear-drills-near-europe-or-just-testing-nato-s-defenses.html

World War 3: Russia Simulated Attack On Denmark, Could Be Preparing European Invasion

'Russia continues to stoke fears of World War 3 after a sharp increase in military activity in the North Atlantic and new revelations that the nation simulated an attack on Denmark this summer.

Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/1576561/world-war-3-russia-simulated-attack-on-denmark-could-be-preparing-european-invasion/

A nod to Ukraine, where the vote really matters

"Finally, one of the most significant indications of political change in Ukraine was the performance of the Communist party. For the first time since the 1917 Russian revolution, the Ukrainian Communist Party did not win a single seat in the Parliament."

http://www.delawareonline.com/story/opinion/columnists/ted-kaufman/2014/11/01/nod-ukraine-vote-really-matters/18323987/

Who and What Is Causing the Decline in Oil Prices, and Where Will It Lead? | Analysis & Opinion | RIA Novosti

http://en.ria.ru/analysis/20141028/194718621/Who-and-What-is-Causing-the-Decline-in-Oil-Prices-and-Where-Will.html

Donbas to Survive for About 15 Days if Kiev Cuts Off Gas Supplies: Reports | World | RIA Novosti

http://en.ria.ru/world/20141101/194957390/Donbas-to-Survive-for-About-15-Days-if-Kiev-Cuts-Off-Gas.html

Lithuania Offers Example of How to Break Russia’s Grip on Energy - NYTimes.com

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/28/business/energy-environment/lithuania-offers-example-of-how-to-break-russias-grip-on-energy.html

Private Bank Fuels Fortunes of Putin’s Inner Circle - NYTimes.com

"ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — Weeks after President Vladimir V. Putin annexed Crimea in March, an obscure regulatory board in Moscow known as the Market Council convened inside an office tower not far from the Kremlin to discuss the country's wholesale electricity market. It is a colossal business, worth 2 percent of Russia's gross domestic product, and a rich source of fees for the bank that had long held the exclusive right to service it."

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/28/world/europe/it-pays-to-be-putins-friend-.html?action=click&contentCollection=Europe&module=RelatedCoverage®ion=Marginalia&pgtype=article

Putin’s Friend Profits in Purge of Schoolbooks - NYTimes.com

"MOSCOW — The purge began in late winter. One by one, hundreds of textbooks that Russian schoolchildren had relied upon for years were deemed unsuitable for use in the country's 43,000 schools. The reasons varied, but they shared a certain bureaucratic obstinacy."

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/02/world/europe/putins-friend-profits-in-purge-of-schoolbooks.html?action=click&contentCollection=Europe®ion=Footer&module=TopNews&pgtype=article


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Hungary Drops Internet Tax Plan After Public Outcry - NYTimes.com

"We are not communists, we don't govern against the people," Mr. Orban said in his regular weekly interview on Hungarian radio. "We govern together with the people. So this tax, in this form, cannot be introduced."

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/01/world/europe/hungary-drops-internet-tax-plan-after-surge-of-protests.html?contentCollection=world&action=click&module=NextInCollection®ion=Footer&pgtype=article


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In Air and Cyberspace, on Land and Sea, Russia Shows Muscle - NYTimes.com

"MOSCOW — The casual reader of The New York Times may be forgiven for thinking he or she had dozed off and awakened in a John le Carré novel. How else to explain the sudden increase of bombers in the skies over Europe, kidnapped spies, troop buildups in Eastern Europe and roaming submarines in the Baltic Sea?"

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/01/world/europe/in-air-and-cyberspace-on-land-and-sea-russia-shows-muscle.html?_r=0


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More drones spotted over French nuclear power stations

http://gu.com/p/43vbn/sbl