The U.S. and Russia yesterday released an enormous amount of scientific data about the Arctic Ocean that had been gathered by the two sides during the Cold War, primarily as intelligence in combating each others submarines. The information is in the form of a CD-ROM... MORE

A Latvian Foreign Ministry official yesterday rejected Arkady Volsky's claim that the Latvian government is discussing a possible sale of the Liepaja naval base to the Russian government. The Riga diplomat said that some Latvian officials had discussed with Volsky only the intentions of some... MORE

Greek Cypriot president Glafcos Clerides yesterday denied reports that his country had agreed to delay the purchase of Russian-made air defense missiles as part of a deal brokered by U.S. envoy Carey Cavanaugh. Clerides said that, in fact, Cyprus had hoped to receive the S-300... MORE

Chechen interior minister Kazbek Mokhashev met yesterday in Moscow with his Russian counterpart, Anatoli Kulikov, and also with Security Council Secretary Ivan Rybkin. To judge from the brief reports issued afterwards, the meetings were businesslike and productive. On behalf of their two governments, Mokhashev and... MORE

Kremlin doctors said yesterday that there had been a marked improvement in Yeltsin's condition. The president was "still a little wheezy," but was able to move about and had met for half an hour with his aide, Anatoli Chubais. (BBC, Interfax, Itar-Tass, January 14) The... MORE

This year, Russia will sell to the U.S. 18 metric tons of highly enriched uranium recovered from dismantled atomic bombs, Atomic Energy Minister Viktor Mikhailov announced yesterday. This compares to 12 metric tons sold last year and 6 tons in 1995. Under a 1994 treaty,... MORE

Russia's ambassador to Tokyo apologized yesterday to Japanese foreign minister Yukihiko Ikeda for the oil spill from a wrecked Russian tanker that has fouled miles of Japan's coastline. Ikeda reportedly requested Moscow to convey to Tokyo as soon as possible the results of Russia's investigation... MORE

Ireland's chief veterinary surgeon said yesterday that beef sold by Ireland to Russia is completely safe. His remarks followed an announcement last week that Russia intends to expand its partial ban on Irish beef to an additional five counties, allegedly because of an increase in... MORE

Ukraine's Internal Affairs Ministry announced yesterday that it had detained in Sevastopol the deputy commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet's naval infantry (marines) brigade. Lt. Col. Valeri Novikov is accused of having sold ammunition and explosives to a violent criminal gang and of having... MORE

News that the Duma's legal department is to investigate ways of forcing President Boris Yeltsin to step down on health grounds met a mixed reception in Moscow yesterday. Predictably, pro-Yeltsin politicians were against it. Galina Starovoitova of Democratic Russia told an interviewer that Russia could... MORE