RUSSIANS FLEEING KAZAKHSTAN, TAJIKISTAN.

408,800 residentsof Kazakhstan left in 1994, nearly twice as many as in 1993, and600,000 are expected to leave this year, Kazakh political scientistNurbulat Masonov told Panorama Latvii on June 9. Nearlyhalf of these people are ethnic Russians; their flight largelyreflects the fact that Kazakh authorities realize that they willbe able to use the apartments of the departed and will not haveto pay social services to those who go, Masonov said. As a result,Kazakhstan is set to become a purely Central Asian state for thefirst time and will soon turn against Russia. The situation inTajikistan is equally grim–more than 400,000 ethnic Russianshave already left–the head of the local Russian community toldVecherny kurier on June 9.

Tajik Troops Arrest Tajik Regional Leader.