Ukraine has contracted to sell 300 T-80 tanks to Pakistan at a total cost of $650 million, including the cost of spare parts and training of Pakistani crews. (Xinhua, July 18) The contract represents a breakthrough in Ukraine's effort to earn badly needed export revenue... MORE

The Crimean "Slavic Union" held a founding congress on Saturday in the peninsula's capital Simferopol in the presence of the Russian Duma's "red-brown" vice-chairman Sergey Baburin who pledged continued "ideological support." The Slavic Union will work to unite Ukraine with Russia and Belarus, and will... MORE

The International Monetary Fund's board of directors has approved a $446 million credit line to support Kazakhstan's economic reforms in 1996-98. Noting recent improvements in Kazakhstan's economic performance, the IMF approved the three-year reform program aimed inter alia at reducing annual inflation from 60 to... MORE

According to a Russian daily, Moscow blundered into its well-publicized and seemingly lucrative deal with China for the provision of advanced Su-27 fighter aircraft, agreeing to sell Beijing licenses to manufacture the plane when defense industrial leaders really hoped that China would buy a significant... MORE

According to a Tajik government statement, Afghan military authorities loyal to the Kabul government are providing logistical help to Tajik opposition fighters moving into Tajikistan from sanctuaries on Afghan territory. Expressing "puzzlement" over Kabul's position, "incompatible with its observer status at the inter-Tajik negotiations," the... MORE

A Russian diplomat said yesterday that Moscow was near to a decision on whether it would resume activities at the Russian embassy in Kabul. According to Aleksandr Oblov, continued upheaval in the Afghan capital is now the only obstacle to a return of permanently stationed... MORE

A newly adopted law requires the Central Bank of Russia (CBR) to remit to the federal budget 50 percent of its net profits for any given year. (Finansovye izvestiya, July 18) Originally, the government insisted that the CBR should remit 70 percent of its profits... MORE

The Russian government has approved a draft program for the next phase of privatization. (Interfax, July 18) Russia's privatization program came under strong criticism in the run-up to the recent elections and has been more or less frozen since Anatoly Chubais' ouster from power at... MORE

Russian president Boris Yeltsin yesterday chaired a meeting of Russia's military leadership during which he formally presented newly-named defense minister Igor Rodionov. Yeltsin charged the Col. General with rooting out corruption in the armed forces and implementing far-reaching military reform. "Corruption is eating away at... MORE

The Chechen State Defense Committee, policy-making body of the resistance, conferred and announced yesterday a plan of measures in a delayed response to the resumption since July 8 of Russian military operations. The plan envisages "refraining from large-scale military reactions" and limiting the response to... MORE