A congress of Ukraine's oligarchs is scheduled for April 13 under the guise of the "Assembly of Ukrainian Metallurgists" (ukrrudprom.com, April 11). Representatives from 62 metallurgical enterprises will attend the "Extraordinary" congress in Kyiv. Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko described the event as an attempt to... MORE

During his presidency, Kyrgyz leader Askar Akayev had secured guarantees of immunity for himself and members of his family by means of two referenda. Akayev officially resigned on April 3, but his departure did not become official until it was accepted by the Kyrgyz parliament... MORE

China invested considerable economic, political, and military resources in Kyrgyzstan, so it is no surprise that Beijing has been disconcerted by the rapid fall of the Akayev regime and the still-uncertain political evolution of the new regime. Not only did China provide considerable military and... MORE

Aides and speechwriters for Russian President Vladimir Putin are now putting the final touches on his annual address to the Federal Assembly due to be delivered by the end of this month. In the leak-proof Kremlin, the speech's content is guarded more vigilantly than were... MORE

While expecting Russia to come to terms with its recent history and their irreversible independence, the three Baltic states are initiating efforts to improve relations with Russia on the practical level. Moscow seems to grasp this opportunity for improving the atmosphere in the run-up to... MORE

On April 6 the Ukrainian police, for the first time since the Orange Revolution, detained a top representative of the old Kuchma regime. Donetsk Region Council Chairman Borys Kolesnykov, suspected of extortion, will spend at least two months behind bars, according to a court verdict.... MORE

For the second time in the space of one week, the Kremlin has embarrassed an unsuspecting European Union by holding parallel meetings on the settlement of frozen conflicts. While EU leaders came through the front door, Russian-installed secessionist leaders entered through the back door. The... MORE

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko's recent visit to the United States and his declaration that these two countries would work together to bring about regime change in Belarus caused shock waves in Minsk and brought about an immediate official protest (Belarusian Television, Vokrug Planety, April 9).... MORE

Moldovan Communist President Vladimir Voronin's reelection with right-wing democratic support (see EDM, April 5) reflects a thoroughgoing transformation of Moldova's politics on three levels: that of the presidential team, of the pro-Western opposition leaders, and of the immediate external environment. These changes resulted in a... MORE