Aleksandr Lebed, who commanded Russia's 14th Army in Moldova from 1992-1995, won 45 percent of the votes cast by Russian citizens resident in Moldova. Communist Gennady Zyuganov was second with 36 percent, while President Boris Yeltsin garnered only 11 percent of the total. The turnout... MORE

Georgian president Eduard Shevardnadze struck a cautious note in a radio interview yesterday, noting that Russian president Boris Yeltsin has "received the minimally necessary number of votes that may ensure his success in the second round." Shevardnadze observed further that Russia is "choosing not only... MORE

Addressing a state-sponsored youth forum yesterday, Belarus president Aleksandr Lukashenko cryptically commented that Russian president Boris Yeltsin's score in the first round of the election "reflected what the people think of the reforms that have been pursued in that country." Lukashenko also pointed to what... MORE

Russia's Communist party leader and presidential candidate Gennady Zyuganov won 62.7 percent of the votes of Russian citizens residing in Estonia, 64.5 percent in Latvia, and an as yet unspecified "absolute majority" in Lithuania. President Boris Yeltsin ran a distant second with 14.7 percent in... MORE

Ukraine's president and government withheld any immediate reaction to Russia's June 16 election. Minister of Defense Valery Shmarov said that Ukraine would have to work with the ultimate winner, and that Kiev "must and will promote cooperation, particularly economic partnership, regardless of the outcome of... MORE

Estonian prime minister Tiit Vahi told the country on radio that it is too early to predict the outcome of Russia's presidential runoff, as Yeltsin's victory would depend ultimately on winning the support of those constituencies that had voted for Aleksandr Lebed, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, and... MORE

The president's press office said yesterday that the Kremlin had asked the Russian parliament to declare July 3 as an official day off in order to advance the date of Russia's run-off presidential election. It had been expected that the vote would take place on... MORE

Yeltsin's narrow victory in the June 16 vote was greeted with cautious optimism and some relief in the U.S. and Western Europe, while Eastern European leaders, mindful still of the potential for a Communist victory in July, kept their responses more neutral. In Washington, U.S.... MORE

Making room for Lebed on Russia's Security Council, the Russian president also announced yesterday that Oleg Lobov, a long-time Yeltsin ally, had been named a first deputy prime minister. Lobov had been serving as secretary of the Security Council, and will reportedly retain his duties... MORE

In a dramatic move aimed at enhancing his chances for victory in Russia's upcoming run-off election, President Boris Yeltsin today named Aleksandr Lebed to a top defense post and sacked Russia's unpopular defense minister, Pavel Grachev. The head of Russia's general staff, Mikhail Kolesnikov, was... MORE