The commander of Russian forces in Chechnya, Lt. General Vyacheslav Tikhomirov on June 24 challenged the Kremlin's official policy in Chechnya. Tikhomirov told a Grozny news conference that the troop withdrawal should follow, not precede, the end of the conflict. He said that the current... MORE

Russian president Boris Yeltsin yesterday signed a decree ordering the Defense Ministry to begin now, and to complete by September 1, the withdrawal from Chechnya of troops belonging to the Leningrad, Moscow, and Volga-Ural military districts. But the document stipulates that "the withdrawal will be... MORE

President Boris Yeltsin yesterday presented to the parliament an annual national security report that was punctuated with the expected nationalist rhetoric but which also included language suggesting a willingness to cooperate with the West in several areas. Yeltsin described his strategy as one of "equal... MORE

Boris Yeltsin yesterday also called for the role and functions of Russia's already powerful Security Council to be strengthened, and tasked the council's secretary, Aleksandr Lebed, to take the necessary measures. Lebed will also oversee structural and personnel changes. In that vein, Yeltsin issued a... MORE

Boris Yeltsin met with his reelection team yesterday to put the final touches to his campaign. Itar-Tass reported today that Yeltsin will meet with Grigory Yavlinsky on Thursday or Friday, and the outcome of their talks will determine the position of the Yabloko party in... MORE

In yet another demonstration of Aleksandr Lebed's growing influence within the Kremlin, President Boris Yeltsin yesterday fired seven top Russian generals and replaced two deputy heads of the nation's powerful Security Council. Although Lebed had seemed June 21 to back off of his sensational June... MORE

Russia's Federation Council refused this morning to approve the Land Code earlier adopted by the Duma (lower house) but rejected by President Yeltsin. The code undermines the principle of private land ownership by outlawing the free sale and purchase of agricultural land. (Itar-Tass, June 26)... MORE

A Russian General Staff spokesman yesterday denied charges made by a North Korean defector that Pyongyang has regularly purchased from Moscow updated satellite photos of South Korean military installations. The spokesman said that Russia does not trade in intelligence information and that, in any event,... MORE

At least as far as Russia's politicians are concerned, Communist party leader Gennady Zyuganov has failed in his attempt to seize the middle ground and to don the cloak of unifier. In a June 24 press conference, Zyuganov proposed to form a coalition government and... MORE

Russia's Foreign Ministry took an outwardly accommodating stance toward the G-7 yesterday, suggesting that Moscow was happy with its current links to the group and would not push to be included in discussions that were not of vital interest to it. A ministry spokesman, who... MORE