Following talks with his Swedish counterpart, Russian foreign minister Yevgeny Primakov described bilateral relations as "steady" and commended Sweden for what he described as its "consistent non-involvement in any blocs" and its status as "a neutral state." He also lobbied for Swedish support in protecting... MORE

Moldovan president Mircea Snegur has agreed with Boris Yeltsin and with Transdniester leader Igor Smirnov to meet in Moscow and sign an agreement on the basic principles of settling the conflict in Moldova, Snegur's foreign policy adviser Petru Dascal told a briefing yesterday. The documents... MORE

Proclaiming that recent Chinese military exercises off the coast of Taiwan were viewed with "equanimity" by the Taiwanese and that Taipei strongly seeks unification with China, a Russian Duma delegation announced March 27 that Moscow should press for closer military ties with Taiwan. The delegation... MORE

On the eve of Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov's March 29-31 trip to India and more than two months before Russia's presidential election, a Foreign Ministry spokesman announced that Boris Yeltsin plans to pay an official visit to New Delhi in the latter half of 1996.... MORE

In an annual report that also blasted the U.S. and British intelligence services for reacting too slowly to the discovery of CIS spy Aldrich Ames, parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee warned that Russian spying was on the rise in Britain. Officials said that the Kremlin's... MORE

The commander of Russian troops in Chechnya, General Vyachelslav Tikhomirov, announced today that a Russian plane had accidentally bombed a Russian troop position in Chechnya Thursday. According to Tikhomirov, the bombing was unauthorized and resulted in the deaths of Russian soldiers as well as local... MORE

Several military officials have been fired and several officers reprimanded following the death by starvation of a Russian draftee serving in the Far East, a military district spokesman said yesterday. (AP, March 28) The case evokes memories of the starvation deaths of four navy cadets... MORE

Russian president Boris Yeltsin yesterday threw serious doubt over his long-delayed official visit to Ukraine, supposedly due April 3-4. Yeltsin told the press that he would only proceed after Black Sea Fleet disputes are resolved. Yeltsin's office issued an unusually vituperative rebuff to a conciliatory... MORE

Supporters of Russian nationalist leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky have collected over 8 million signatures in support of their presidential candidate and will formally submit them to the Central Election Commission today.

Grigory Yavlinsky says his supporters have collected 2 million signatures and will submit them to the Central Election Commission next week. Yavlinsky has reiterated his intention of running for president; he says his collaboration with Svyatoslav Fedorov and Aleksandr Lebed is limited to issuing joint... MORE