An unnamed Defense Ministry spokesman said yesterday that Russia may offer the Republic of Cyprus yet another anti-aircraft missile system. He named the Tor-M1, known in the West as the SS-15 "Gauntlet." This missile has no U.S. equivalent and is said to be able to... MORE

Russia's Republic of Dagestan has put a ban on fishing sturgeon in the Caspian Sea because of a sharp decrease in stocks of the fish, from which caviar is produced. Poaching is the main cause of the problem. (Itar-Tass, January 27) Azerbaijan Rejects Turkmen Claim... MORE

In a note to Turkmenistan yesterday, Azerbaijan defended its exclusive sovereign title to the "deal of the century" offshore oil fields, Azeri and Chirag, both of which were claimed by Turkmenistan last week. (See Monitor, January 27) Reaffirming the Western-supported principle of dividing the Caspian... MORE

Russian presidential hopeful Aleksandr Lebed says he plans to attend the World Economic Forum that opens on Thursday in the Swiss skiing resort of Davos. (Ekho Moskvy, January 23) The forum is an annual gathering of the Western world's leading politicians, central bankers, and business... MORE

One of Russia's richest and most influential bankers, Vladimir Gusinsky, is stepping down as president of Most Bank and chairman of the board of the Most Group to head a new company, Media-Most. The new conglomerate will act as umbrella for the NTV independent television... MORE

Boris Yeltsin has sent a recommendation to the chairman of Russia's upper house that the mandate for Russia's peacekeeping forces in Bosnia be extended until July 31, 1998, a presidential spokesman said yesterday. Yeltsin reportedly also designated Col. Gen. Leonti Shevtsov, of Russia's General Staff,... MORE

. Meeting in Almaty, the chiefs of staff of the armed forces of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan have finalized draft documents on creating a Committee of the Chiefs of Staff of the three countries, a plan for military cooperation that includes joint exercises of their... MORE

Armenia will no longer negotiate a settlement of the Karabakh conflict directly with Azerbaijan without the participation of Karabakh. The announcement was made by president Levon Ter-Petrosian's top foreign policy adviser, Jirair Liparitian, at an international conference in London. Liparitian also urged direct negotiations between... MORE

Turkmen president Saparmurad Niazov and deputy foreign minister Yilmaz Kikbaev were cited over the weekend as claiming legal title to Azerbaijan's Azeri and/or Chirag offshore oil fields, allegedly because they are situated in "Turkmenistan's waters." The officials were cited as endorsing Russia's proposals for a... MORE

Those who oppose Belarusan president Aleksandr Lukashenko and his policy of drawing close to Russia "have nobody behind them," Belarusan deputy foreign minister Mikhail Khvostov stated on January 24. On the same day in Moscow, Duma chairman Gennadi Seleznev said to visiting leaders of Lukashenko's... MORE