The director of Ukrspetseksport, UkraineÕs arms import and export company, said on Saturday that his company would like to forge closer ties with its Russian counterpart, Rosvooruzhenie. Ondrey Kukin said that Ukraine was having some success in selling arms and military services and was ranked... MORE

A senior FBI official said on January 31 that the end of the Cold War has brought no slackening in foreign espionage operations against the U.S., and that his agency is currently investigating some 200 spy cases nationwide. Raymond A. Mislock was quoted as saying... MORE

On the whole, the Moldovan government's human rights performance received the most positive assessment of all CIS countries in the annual survey of human rights, just issued by the U.S. State Department. (See Monitor, January 31) At the same time, the survey notes the Transdniester... MORE

Russia's Foreign Ministry yesterday criticized Estonia on two counts: for refusing to heed the recommendations of a group of the Ministry's own experts on improving the situation of Estonia's "Russian-speakers," and for violating an alleged understanding reached by the foreign ministers of the two countries... MORE

An officially-approved commentary on Radio Tehran warned "brotherly" Azerbaijan against taking steps that "only benefit the two countries' enemies: the United States and the Zionist regime." The radio condemned recent measures by the Azerbaijani authorities against Iran-oriented Islamic activists. It accused Azerbaijan's state security minister... MORE

The U.S. State Department says that Moscow made little progress last year in the area of human rights, and harshly criticized Russian forces for using "indiscriminate and disproportionate" force in the breakaway Republic of Chechnya. The assessment, which accused Russian forces of violations on a... MORE

Russian Defense Council secretary Yuri Baturin on January 29 completed a week-long inspection tour of Russia's Transbaikal and Far Eastern Military Districts. During his trip Baturin held consultations with commanders and headquarters personnel representing Russia's regular army troops, as well as its Border Forces and... MORE

Chechnya's new president, Aslan Maskhadov, will be inaugurated on February 10. Russian prime minister Viktor Chernomyrdin, Security Council secretary Ivan Rybkin, and ex-Security Council secretary Aleksandr Lebed have all been invited to attend the festivities in Djokar-Ghala, as Grozny is now officially called. Foreign invitees... MORE

Russian politicians have reacted in varying ways to criticism by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) over Moscow's failure to abolish the death penalty. Moscow had committed to ending capital punishment last year when it joined the Council. Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin... MORE

Russia will probably recognize Chechnya's election as legitimate as soon as the official results are published, Yeltsin press secretary Sergei Yastrzhembsky said yesterday. The Russian leadership is also ready to enter into constructive dialogue on the question of Chechnya's status within the Russian Federation. According... MORE