A three-day visit to India last week by Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov produced new declarations of Indian-Russian friendship, but also highlighted the extent to which U.S. missile defense plans are churning up long-established security relations across Asia. Ivanov's trip to New Delhi was apparently... MORE

Whether the Indian government's seemingly contradictory position on missile defense and the ABM treaty is sustainable or not remains to be seen, however. The government's sudden shift toward Washington provoked a furor among government opposition groups and was the object of withering criticism in a... MORE

The business empire of Roman Abramovich has reportedly made another major acquisition. The newspaper Vedomosti, citing an unnamed Russian government official as its source, reported today that structures "close" to Sibneft, the oil company Abramovich reportedly controls, and to Russian Aluminum, the giant holding he... MORE

Yesterday's demonstration marking the one-year anniversary of President Vladimir Putin's inauguration has drawn wide commentary in the Russian media. The demonstration in support of the Russian president, which was organized by a youth movement called "Idushiye Vmestye" (Moving Together) drew an estimated 7,000-10,000 people, most... MORE

The overwhelming victory of the Party of Moldovan Communists (PCM) in the February parliamentary elections raised questions about whether larger budget deficits and slower privatization will bring Moldova out of compliance with its agreements with the IMF and other international financial institutions. In the previous... MORE

Official data suggest that Uzbekistan's energy sector experienced growing problems in 2000. Although 3 percent growth in electricity production was reported last year, natural gas output remained flat, and oil production dropped nearly 8 percent. In addition to casting doubt on the 6.4 percent growth... MORE

Today marks the one-year anniversary of President Vladimir Putin's inauguration. Some of the Russian media not on vacation--Russians enjoy a number of days off between two official holidays--May 1 and May 9--have used the date as a jumping-off point for speculation about Putin's future plans.... MORE

Gazprom formally won a controlling stake in NTV television on May 4, when the Cheryomushkinsky municipal court in Moscow ruled in the gas giant's favor in a suit brought by Leadville Investment Ltd., a Gazprom proxy, against Media-Most, NTV's erstwhile parent company. In the court... MORE

On May 4, Russia's Foreign Ministry denounced the American authorities for having made no effort to detain Media-Most founder Vladimir Gusinsky, who had addressed the National Press Club in Washington the previous day. The ministry stated that despite the absence of an extradition treaty between... MORE

Moscow on April 13 reached an agreement with its creditors to restructure US$4 billion in pre-1992 trade debt ascribed to Soviet-era foreign trading organizations (FTOs). This debt stems chiefly from imports contracted with FTOs for which payment was never made before the Soviet collapse in... MORE