A Communist party parliamentary leader yesterday stepped up his criticism of Boris Yeltsin's May 16 decree ending conscription by the year 2000. Viktor Ilyukhin, head of the Duma Security Committee, described the decree as a "populist document that violates the constitution and Russian laws." He... MORE

The second round of the election for a new governor of St. Petersburg has been set for May 26 and will pit incumbent Anatoly Sobchak against his own first deputy, Vladimir Yakovlev. Sobchak -- and Moscow reformers -- put a brave face on the results... MORE

The UN Security Council today begins debating a draft resolution submitted by Russia to "condemn gross violations of the Tajikistan cease-fire by the opposition and its terrorist actions." Russia submitted the draft resolution after Tajik president Imomali Rahmonov appealed to the UN Security Council to... MORE

Markets have reacted positively to Russia's announcements last week of a new exchange rate policy and increased convertibility for the ruble. The moves are intended to reassure investors that, despite the current electoral uncertainty, Russia remains committed to maintaining a stable currency. The new ruble... MORE

The idea of a coalition government has suddenly become fashionable in Moscow but it is provoking further splits in the democratic camp. The idea was floated by Svyatoslav Fedorov, leader of a small socialistic party advocating workers' self-management who favors a coalition because he has... MORE

Yabloko leader Grigory Yavlinsky reiterated May 19 that he would not negotiate any electoral alliance with Boris Yeltsin until the Russian president had sacked Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin and other leading members of his entourage. (Interfax, May 20) In TV and radio interviews last weekend,... MORE

Officials from China's Security Ministry met yesterday with representatives of Russia's Ministry of Internal Affairs

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has announced the detention of an alleged arms smuggler from Estonia in Cheboksary, capital of the Russian Federation's Chuvash republic. The arrested suspect is an ethnic Russian from Estonia, whose citizenship was not disclosed and who had carried a small... MORE

The commander of Russian military transport aviation warned May 19 that the situation in his service is becoming critical because of drastically lowered training routines for pilots and because the service's fleet of aircraft is aging fast. He said that Russia's military transport aviation had... MORE

Central Bank signals that election outcome will not change Russia's financial policy FOR THE RECORD: