The Political Consultative Council recently created by President Boris Yeltsin met for the first time on July 18. All 43 parties and movements that took part in the December 1995 parliamentary elections were invited to send representatives, but the Communist party and Grigory Yavlinsky's Yabloko... MORE

Personalities aside, proposals for a radical restructuring of the government are being drafted for Yeltsin's consideration. One such draft was prepared by the recently sacked first deputy prime minister Oleg Soskovets. That one left the basic structure of the executive intact but called for sharp... MORE

Russian forces over the weekend airbombed and shelled Chechen positions and villages -- mainly in Shatoy, Vedeno, and Nozhay-Yurt districts. A Russian command spokesman in Grozny said that in Shatoy district a "real war" is underway. For the first time since the resumption of Russian... MORE

On July 19 a spokesman for Russia's Foreign Ministry denied a newspaper report of imminent personnel changes in the leadership of his agency. He also denied the paper's allegations that several top Russian political figures would soon be given ambassadorial posts. The Russian daily Izvestiya... MORE

Chairing an extraordinary session of Azerbaijan's government on July 19, President Heydar Aliyev released Prime Minister Fuad Guliev "at his request;" dismissed eight ministers and subcabinet-level officials; and "seriously warned" others, including the chairman of Azerbaijani State Oil Company chairman Natig Aliyev. First Deputy Prime... MORE

With President Yeltsin resting at a sanatorium outside Moscow, attention is focused on the composition of the new government. Yeltsin has already made it clear that as soon as he is sworn in for his second term on August 9 he will ask parliament to... MORE

A bomb placed in the main railway terminal in the southwest Russian city of Voronezh failed to explode on July 19, apparently because of the poor quality of the explosive. The police have issued identikit pictures which make it clear that the suspects described by... MORE

On July 18 the Russian Duma passed a bill on visas which would tighten requirements for foreigners wishing to visit Russia. If it becomes law, visitors will need to prove that they have sufficient money to maintain themselves during their stay. If they plan to... MORE

The Tajik government and opposition accused each other over the weekend of violating the ceasefire agreement signed July 19 (see Perspective story below) as fresh fighting broke out in Tavildara and Khaburabad districts. The opposition's chief delegate to the inter-Tajik talks, Akbar Turajonzoda, conceded that... MORE

Ukrainian prime minister Pavlo Lazarenko will travel to Washington in the next few days for meetings at the White House and talks with financial institutions on soft credits to enable Ukraine to bear the social costs of reforms. The Ukrainian leaders' talks with U.S. deputy... MORE