A highly-placed source in Russia's Foreign Ministry indicated yesterday that Moscow would not raise the issue of its inclusion as a full member in an expanded "G-8" during a summit of the world's leading industrial powers scheduled for June 27-29 in Lyon, France. He suggested,... MORE

Georgia's defense minister, Lt. General Vardiko Nadibaidze, has dismissed the country's military commissar, Colonel Tariel Abuashvili, and sanctioned Abuashvili's arrest initiated by the chief prosecutor's office. Abuashvili, who was the chief official in charge of military conscription. is accused of having accepted bribes from draftees... MORE

At the request of President Nazarbaev, the chairman of Kazakhstan's Supreme Court, Mikhail Malakhov, was dismissed from that post yesterday by a resolution of the country's Senate. Malakhov has been indicted for taking bribes which allegedly include more than 100,000 US dollars and three sedan... MORE

Russian TV reported June 2 that a military committee attached to the Central Committee of the Russian Communist party meets regularly in the party's parliamentary offices. Headed by retired Lt. General Mikhail Surkov, deputy chairman of the Duma's defense committee, the body is said also... MORE

Russian justice minister Valentin Kovalyov called yesterday for the Jewish emigration organization to bring its Russian-based activities into conformity with Russian laws, the ministry press service reported. During a meeting with Israel's ambassador to Russia, Kovalyov apparently also suggested that the absence of a bilateral... MORE

Meanwhile, both sides continue to accuse the other of planning to rig the elections. The Yeltsin team alleges that the large number of former Communist officials who are serving on local electoral committees will give Zyuganov's supporters ample opportunity to stuff the ballot boxes. Zyuganov's... MORE

Russia's Foreign Ministry on June 1 urged newly elected Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to continue the Middle East peace process. Moscow pointed also to indications in Netanyahu's Likud party platform that the new government would observe Israeli obligations under the current peace plan. Echoing... MORE

Four Ingush were killed yesterday by Russian soldiers at a highway checkpoint near Malgobek, and four Ossetians were killed - also at a highway checkpoint - yesterday by Russian soldiers near Mozdok. In both cases, Russian soldiers claimed to have been attacked by bandits riding... MORE

Russian aviation bombed Chechen villages in Vedeno and Nozhay-Yurt districts overnight, Chechen resistance chief spokesman Movladi Udugov told Russian and Western agencies this morning. The Russian military upped its own casualty toll to six killed and 11 wounded in Grozny in the preceding 24 hours,... MORE

A backlash seems to be beginning against the saturation coverage given in the Russian media to Boris Yeltsin's reelection campaign. The state-run ORT TV channel has reported that a large workers' demonstration took place today in Vladivostok. Protesting that they had not been paid for... MORE