According to the headline of an article that appeared on May 6 in the Uzbek newspaper Narodnoe slovo ("People's Word"), "Uzbekistan considers Russia one of its most important economic partners." The publication of an article with such a title in a newspaper that has among... MORE

The murder of Akhmad Kadyrov, a former mufti turned politician handpicked by the Kremlin to lead the pro-Moscow administration in Chechnya (see yesterday's EDM), dealt a severe blow to the assertions of the Putin government that it had reestablished full control over the rebellious region.... MORE

On May 6 the Russian cabinet endorsed an ambitious, twenty year plan to spend US$1 trillion on improving the country's inadequate road system. The plan would boost the paved roads in Russia from the current 368,000 miles to 525,000 miles. By comparison, the United States,... MORE

A debate has raged in Ukraine this month over the authenticity of poll numbers for Viktor Yanukovych, the pro-Kuchma candidate in this year's October election. Pro-opposition activists have questioned how Yanukovych's ratings could have grown so suddenly and nearly reached those of the main opposition... MORE

Ukraine's prosecutor general is to report to parliament on May 12. He has already claimed that his office has undertaken 600 interviews during the course of its investigation into irregularities that occurred during the April 18 election in Mukachevo. Nevertheless, since the election, violent attacks... MORE

In a huge blow to President Vladimir Putin's policy in Chechnya, pro-Moscow Chechen President Akhmad Kadyrov was killed on May 9 in a large explosion that occurred in Grozny's Dinamo stadium during a Victory Day parade. The blast took place at around 10:35 a.m. Moscow... MORE

The never-ending confrontation between Washington and Moscow over Russia's nuclear cooperation with Iran was back in the news last week following the approval by the U.S. Congress of a resolution condemning Iran's nuclear program. The document, passed on May 6 by an overwhelming 376-3 vote,... MORE

In mid May, former U.S. National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski is scheduled to visit Kyiv along with Deputy Secretary of State Paula Dobriansky. Former U.S. President George Bush will likewise travel to Ukraine on a private visit. Other recent U.S. visitors have included former Secretary... MORE

The 2004 rise in opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan may be as high as 50 percent, according to USDA Deputy Secretary Jim Moseley, who traveled to Afghanistan in April to review its agricultural development. That would be a record crop. The United Nations has estimated... MORE

In the early hours on May 6, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili announced that Ajarian leader Aslan Abashidze had fled the region and that the central government had restored control over the renegade republic. A long and potentially violent stand-off between the Saakashvili administration and Ajaria's... MORE