Abkhaz president Vladislav Ardzinba yesterday dismissed Internal Affairs Minister Givi Agrba for "unsatisfactory work" and released Minister of Defense Sultan Sosnaliev (who had come from Kabardino-Balkaria to join Abkhaz forces in the anti-Georgian war) for "family reasons". Ardzinba appointed the head of his own security... MORE

On the second leg of his Central Asian visit., German foreign minister Kinkel conferred in Almaty with Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbaev on strengthening bilateral economic relations. Kazakhstan's more than half a million-strong ethnic German population -- mostly Soviet-era deportees and their descendants--"can become a bridge... MORE

A senior Estonian Foreign Ministry official said yesterday that changes just conceded to Russia in the treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe (see Monitor, June 3) "damage Estonia's and Latvia's security interests." Under the revised treaty, according to the official, Russia is allowed to maintain... MORE

Estonian prime minister Tiit Vahi told the country on radio that the security service has arrested Tiit Madisson, a former political prisoner in Soviet labor camps and well-known figure in the independence movement of the final Soviet years. Madisson is accused of leading an alleged... MORE

The command of Russia's Strategic Nuclear Forces charged in a communique yesterday that "the leadership of Belarus, in breach of existing agreements, is blocking the transfer to Russia of nuclear munitions remaining on Belarus territory." Attempts by Russian Defense Ministry and Strategic Nuclear Forces command... MORE

Russia's newly-named ambassador to India said May 31 that political turmoil in New Delhi and the recent formation of a new government there would in no way affect increasingly cooperative relations between the two countries. According to Albert Chernyshev, a national consensus supporting friendly ties... MORE

The Russian and Chechen sides announced yesterday the composition of their respective delegations to the talks, rescheduled to open in Ingushetia's capital Nazran today, on implementing the May 27 Moscow armistice agreement. The Russian delegation includes: nationalities minister Vyacheslav Mikhailov (chief delegate); Lt. General Vyacheslav... MORE

Communist party leader Gennady Zyuganov met yesterday with ultranationalist candidate Vladimir Zhirinovsky. The meeting followed Zhirinovsky's call last week for the formation of a left-wing electoral alliance consisting of himself, Zyuganov and independent candidate Aleksandr Lebed. Zyuganov's first reaction was to reject the call; he... MORE

More than two weeks after Boris Yeltsin issued several major decrees aimed at transforming Russia's armed forces, the Russian Duma defense committee chairman announced yesterday that the parliament would hold a series of closed hearings on military reform. According to Lt. General Lev Rokhlin, the... MORE

In Berlin yesterday NATO leaders announced a landmark arrangement that they hope will transform the alliance into a more flexible organization, able both to meet the challenges of the next century and to maintain its status as Europe's dominant security structure. The importance of the... MORE