On January 27, Russian troops and local police forces surrounded an apartment building where members of an underground Islamist organization known as "Yarmuk Jamaat" were hiding in Nalchik, the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria. The troops stormed the building, and seven rebels, three men and four women,... MORE

The radical youth group and anti-Leonid Kuchma youth movement PORA! (It's Time!) has been acclaimed for its contribution to Viktor Yushchenko's victory in Ukraine's recent presidential elections. The two wings of the group, known as "Black" PORA and "Yellow" PORA, held a united congress on... MORE

On January 27 Russian President Vladimir Putin took part in the ceremonies marking the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. On January 24, Associated Press received a copy of a letter to the procurator-general signed by 20 Russian lawmakers, calling for "the prohibition in... MORE

Gas output data for 2004, just released by the three Central Asian producer countries, illustrate the region's underutilized potential as a supplier to the West, the absence of a Western strategy in this regard, and Russia's unchecked tendency to monopolize the marketing of Central Asian... MORE

When Tbilisi recently completed the privatization of several Georgian industrial giants, Russian companies had become owners of several strategic economic entities in Georgia. All indications suggest that the Russian firms are not finished with their Georgian acquisition plans. Evraz Holding has taken ownership of 70.8%... MORE

Last month the government of Kazakhstan approved a new strategy for developing the country's hydroelectric energy resources. Kazakhstan plans to build 20 power stations, with a total capacity of 4.8 kilowatts per hour, by the year 2015. Most of the stations will be located in... MORE

Gazprom, Russia's almighty monopoly producer, distributor, and exporter of natural gas, is in serious trouble. Its directors' meeting on January 26 was expected to reveal the bitter disagreements about the current budget and investment program that have been smoldering since last autumn (Gazeta.ru, January 26).... MORE

Ukraine's new president, Viktor Yushchenko, nominated his populist ally, Yulia Tymoshenko, for prime minister on January 24 (see EDM, January 26) and submitted her candidacy to parliament on January 28. The Ukrainian constitution requires that a simple majority in the legislature, that is 226 votes... MORE