Escalation in Ukraine: conflicting interpretations hamper international diplomacy

Russia and the West apply diametrically opposed interpretations of the crisis in Ukraine and the role of international actors. This lack of a shared understanding of events hampers international efforts to resolve the crisis through negotiations. The differences are rooted in opposing narratives about the development of regional and international relations during the past two decades. When formulating Western policy it is important to take account of the Russian narrative and the logic it creates. (Autorenreferat

Repression and autocracy as Russia heads into State Duma elections

Russia is experiencing a wave of state repression ahead of parliamentary elections on 19 September 2021. The crackdown is unusually harsh and broad, extending into pre­viously unaffected areas and increasingly penetrating the private sphere of Russian citizens. For years the Russian state had largely relied on the so-called "power verti­cal" and on controlling the information space through propaganda and marginalisation of independent media. The political leadership, so it would appear, no longer regards such measures as sufficient to secure its power and is increasingly resorting to repression. The upshot is a further hardening of autocracy. Even German NGOs are experiencing growing pressure from the Russian state. This trend cannot be expected to slow, still less reverse in the foreseeable future. (author's abstract

European Union sanctions against Russia: objectives, impacts and next steps

The European Union responded to Russia's intervention in Ukraine in March 2014, imposing sanctions that have been successively tightened since. Germany was an active participant in the process. Sanctions have become a familiar instrument of EU foreign policy in recent years. But the measures applied against Russia are unprecedented in both target and scope. And they have tangible repercussions on economically stricken EU member states. Ultimately, it is by no means certain that sanctions can or will achieve their stated goal of changing Russia's policy vis-à-vis Ukraine. (author's abstract

Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine: mission impossible

President Vladimir Putin escalated Russia’s war on Ukraine in September 2022, announcing a partial mobilisation and repeating his threat to use nuclear weapons. But what really ended efforts to bring about peace - which had continued since the 24 February invasion - was the proclaimed annexation of the Ukrainian oblasts of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Cherson. Since his election in 2019, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly called on Putin to agree to a personal meeting, even in the first weeks of this year's Russian invasion. But on 4 October 2022, in response to the actions of the Russian side, he signed a decree rejecting direct talks. Ever since the beginning of the Russian aggression in 2014, and all the more so since 24 February 2022, the course of Ukrainian-Russian negotiations has been highly dependent on the situation in the battlefield and the broader political context. (author's abstract

The Donbas conflict: opposing interests and narratives, difficult peace process

In 2014, in response to the Ukrainian "Euromaidan", Russia annexed Cri­mea and provoked a war in eastern Ukraine. The ensuing conflict still claims lives today. For the past five years Germany and its Western partners have been trying to resolve the conflict politically, to date without success. The Minsk ceasefire agreements of 2014 and 2015 have still not been implemented. All the directly involved actors bear responsibility. The separatist "People's Republics" in Donetsk and Luhansk have established dictatorial quasi-state structures but remain almost completely dependent on Moscow. Russia refuses to acknowledge its role as a party to the conflict. Ukraine has ful­filled some of its obligations under the Minsk Agreements, but neglected others. The situation is exacerbated by negative dynamics on all levels. Kyiv and the "People's Republics" are drifting steadily apart, while millions living along the line of contact experience terrible humanitarian suffering. This threatens to establish a state of permanent poverty and underdevelopment in the regions affected by the conflict. The European Union and its member states pursue a division of labour. Brussels maintains Union-wide sanctions against Russia and forges ahead with implementing the Association Agreement with Ukraine. Germany and France conduct peace talks in the so-called Normandy Format. All conflict parties must be reminded to avoid escalation risks. Much greater attention must be directed to the local level and especially the humanitarian crisis. Action at this level is limited in reach but imperative for progress towards peace. (Autorenreferat

Influence of vitamin B12 and light on the formation of chlorosomes in green- and brown-colored Chlorobium species

The specific Bchl a and c content of the vitamin B12-dependent Chlorobium limicola strain 1230 decreased strongly under vitamin B12 limitation. In comparison to a regularly grown culture (20 g vitamin B12/l) the specific Bchl c content of a B12-limited culture was reduced to 20% and the specific Bchl a content to 42%. By ultrathin sections it could be clearly demonstrated that B12-deficient cells contained no chlorosomes. After the addition of vitamin B12 to a deficient culture, chlorosomes were formed and the Bchl a and c content increased again to the level of regularly grown cells. The brown-colored Chlorobium phaeobacteroides strain 2430 (type strain) and the extremely low-light-adapted strain MN1 were compared with respect to the influence of light on the formation of chlorosomes and the Bchl e and carotenoid content. By ultrathin sections it could be demonstrated that strain MN1 produced two-fold larger chlorosomes. Chlorosome dimensions of strain MN1 decreased with increasing light intensities. The number of chlorosomes per cell in both strains did not change with different light intensities. Strain MN1 formed twice as much Bchl e as the type strain when grown at 30 or below 1 mol · m-2 · s-1. Under comparable light conditions strain MN1 formed 14–57% more carotenoids than the type strain. Low light intensities aaused the carotenoid content to increase by 25% in strain 2430 in comparison to high light intensity

A permanent state of sanctions? Proposal for a more flexible EU sanctions policy toward Russia

Sanctions seem to have become a permanent element in relations between the EU and Russia. They have contributed to curbing the war in Donbas but are not capable of forcing Russia to return Crimea to Ukraine and implement the Minsk agreements. In 2017, consensus within the EU on sanctions against Russia is more fragile than it has been previously. As a result, therefore, the EU needs to consider now what strategic steps it should take next. (Autorenreferat

Russia on the road to dictatorship: internal political repercussions of the attack on Ukraine

The invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 has catapulted Russia from hard autoc­racy into dictatorship. The relationship between state and society is growing increasingly totalitarian. This is no bolt from the blue: Today's wartime censorship and re­pression are based on laws passed successively since the early 2010s. Vladimir Putin’s decision to go to war has absolutised the Russian power vertical. The negation of rights has accelerated, propaganda is massive and the suppression of independent media, opposition and civil society comprehensive. This will not change as long as Putin remains in power. But in the medium term the immense pressure generated by the war and the Western sanctions could bring about domestic political change and see an end to Putin's regime. The conceivable scenarios, however, point to destabilisation rather than democratisation. (author's abstract

Das laute Leben der anderen

Die Grundlage für die Erstellung von Schweizerischen Schallschutznormen, wie sie ab 1960 diskutiert wurden, war neben den internationalen Normen vor allem der 1963 veröffentlichte Expertenbericht Lärmbekämpfung in der Schweiz. Die arbeitsmedizinische Unterkommission I legte dort allerdings keine maximal zulässige Dosis fest, sondern hielt zum Problem des subjektiven Lärmempfindens fest: «Es ist wohl überhaupt nicht möglich, ein allgemein gültiges Kriterium zu finden.» – Die physiologischen wie psychologischen Voraussetzungen seien von Mensch zu Mensch so verschieden, dass jeder seinen eigenen Grenzwert bräuchte