Russian Defense Council secretary Yuri Baturin said in a radio interview on November 13 that he supports a proposal by his Security Council counterpart, Ivan Rybkin, that Russia should consider membership in NATO. But, although Baturin said that Russian membership in NATO would be a... MORE

During a visit to Rome yesterday Russian defense minister Igor Rodionov signed several military cooperation agreements with his Italian counterpart, Beniamino Andreatta. Describing them as the first high-level bilateral military accords between Russia and a NATO member, Rodionov said that Russia's partnership with NATO might... MORE

A spokesman for the Indian Defense Ministry confirmed yesterday that India would buy 40 Sukhoi-30 multi-role jet fighters. He said the cabinet had approved the deal the previous evening. (Itar-Tass, November 14) The two-seat Su-30MK is an advanced variant of the Su-27 and was designed... MORE

A Chinese military delegation led by Col. Gen. Yu Zhenwu, commander of the Chinese Air Force, arrived in Moscow yesterday for a six-day visit. The delegation will examine the latest models of Russian combat aircraft and is said to be particularly interested in the Su-37... MORE

Japanese foreign minister Yukihiko Ikeda will call for Moscow to recognize Japanese ownership of the Kuril Islands during talks today with his Russian counterpart. According to Japanese officials, Ikeda will probably also propose an expansion of visa-free exchange visits between Russians living on the islands... MORE

A Russian military intelligence official charged on November 13 that North Korea, in an effort to stave off an impending economic crisis, is smuggling illegal drugs through Russia's Far East. The official claimed that Pyongyang uses North Korean timber workers to move the narcotics. The... MORE

Chechen deputy premier Movladi Udugov and an aide to Chechen president Zelimkhan Yandarbiev, Akhmed Zakaev, arrive in Moscow today to begin laying the groundwork for a planned meeting between Russian prime minister Viktor Chernomyrdin and Chechen prime minister Aslan Maskhadov. (NTV, November 14) Sources close... MORE

Reports from several Russian regions refer to the introduction of surrogate money. Last month, a truck plant in Bashkortostan began to pay its workers in vouchers that can be used to buy goods in the plant's shops or to pay rent for company housing. Workers... MORE

The director of Russia's Federal Border Forces (FBS) complains in a recent article that funding shortfalls have decimated his service's military technical base and imperiled Russia's national security. According to Gen. Andrei Nikolayev, the FBS current owes creditors some 733.5 billion rubles, and yet expects... MORE

The mid-air collision in India on November 12 of a Saudi Boeing 747 and a Kazakh Il-76 is but the latest in a string of recent air disasters involving the plethora of air carriers that have sprung up in the former Soviet Union. The Ilyushin... MORE