Lebed told journalists yesterday that he would be meeting today with Communist party leader Gennady Zyuganov. It is not clear what the two men will discuss, since Lebed has, as he put it yesterday, "already chosen my path and started a new job." (NTV, June... MORE

Yeltsin's deal with Lebed does not, however, mean that he can be sure of victory in the second round. Exit polls suggested Sunday that Lebed's vote is likely to split in the second round, with 60 percent going to Yeltsin but 40 percent to Zyuganov.... MORE

Unidentified gunmen attacked a Russian armored vehicle in Ingushetia overnight, killing seven and wounding four soldiers in the vehicle. (Itar-Tass, June 19) Lebed Presented as Yeltsin's Crown Prince...

Retired General Aleksandr Lebed met journalists yesterday in Moscow's President Hotel, the well-guarded former KGB hotel that is serving as Yeltsin's campaign headquarters. Yeltsin aides were on hand -- confirmation that Lebed, who has no organization of his own behind him, has been coopted by... MORE

President Boris Yeltsin has appointed Aleksandr Semernev to be the new governor of the fiercely pro-Communist Bryansk region in south-western Russia, on the borders with Ukraine and Belarus. In last Sunday's election, Gennady Zyuganov won 48 percent of votes in the region, while Yeltsin came... MORE

Russia's capital markets reacted with enthusiasm yesterday to the news of Yeltsin's deal with Lebed, seeing it as likely to promise four more years of Russian economic reform. (BBC, Financial Times, June 19) Activity was sharply up by both foreign and domestic investors. Lebed's economic... MORE

Commentators observed yesterday that Russia's newly named interim defense minister, former general staff chief Mikhail Kolesnikov, is an adamant opponent of NATO enlargement. Aleksandr Lebed, just named to two top Russian security posts, expressed the same sentiments yesterday in remarks to reporters. (Reuter, Interfax, June... MORE

According to preliminary results, Russian president Boris Yeltsin won 55.6 percent, and Communist candidate Gennady Zyuganov 23.3 percent, of Russian votes cast in Armenia. Turnout was estimated at 60 percent. The result was almost certainly influenced by the military vote, likely to have favored the... MORE

In Turkmenistan, where Russians are allowed to hold dual citizenship, Communist Gennady Zyuganov won 36.8 percent and President Boris Yeltsin 35.1 percent of the votes cast. Turnout was low. In Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, Yeltsin garnered 37.3 percent and 34 percent of the Russian votes, respectively,... MORE

Moldovan president Mircea Snegur told the media yesterday that "he does not doubt Yeltsin's victory" in the runoff and that "only Yeltsin's victory guarantees the continuation of Russia's reforms... and of equitable bilateral relations." Snegur stressed that he "ruled out any outcome other than Yeltsin's... MORE