. A senior Russian ecology official charged March 6 that nuclear plants in Russia pose an "unacceptable" risk and warned that he and others with a similar outlook intend to speak out with "very harsh words" at the April 19 G-7 Summit in Moscow. Aleksei... MORE

Yegor Gaidar, leader of RussiaÕs Democratic Choice, met yesterday with the governor of Nizhny Novgorod region, Boris Nemtsov, but admitted afterwards that he had failed to persuade Nemtsov to run for president. Gaidar said he still hoped Nemtsov would change his mind. Otherwise, RussiaÕs Democratic... MORE

Boris Nemtsov said yesterday that Zyuganov is certain to be elected in June, but that what happens after that will depend on four factors: whether the Russian mass media manage to keep their independence; whether the democrats put up a united opposition; whether the Communist... MORE

Russian president Boris Yeltsin yesterday signed a decree "On the Realization of Citizens' Constitutional Land Rights." According to Ivan Starikov, deputy minister of economics who was one of the decreeÕs drafters, the purpose is to ensure that the nearly 12 million farmers who received plots... MORE

International terrorism was on the agenda yesterday during talks in Moscow between top Russian leaders and visiting Iranian foreign minister Ali Akbar Velayati. Russian foreign minister Yevgeny Primakov, a Middle East specialist, pointedly backed Tehran's claim that it was involved neither in international terrorism in... MORE

Consultations are going on between Communist party officials and leading bankers who used to be part of the Soviet nomenklatura, according to a Òconfidential sourceÓ in Moscow banking circles, about the possibility of nationalizing a number of smaller commercial banks (those that do not have... MORE

Contrary to general expectations which the Kremlin itself had built up, yesterday's sitting of the Security Council under Yeltsin's chairmanship failed to announce any plan for Chechnya. Yeltsin merely said that the Security Council would continue working on a plan which he will present to... MORE

Following yesterday's meeting of the National Security Council Boris Yeltsin issued a decree on measures for countering terrorism. Clearly enacted first and foremost with Chechnya in mind, the decree orders creation of an antiterrorism coordinating body and tasks Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) with uncovering... MORE

For the second consecutive day yesterday, Chechen fighters held most of Grozny under their control, successfully battling far stronger Russian forces and infiltrating snipers near the government buildings in the city center. The real extent of the Russian forces' humiliation could not be immediately be... MORE

Senior naval officials of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania conferred in Tallinn yesterday on plans to set up a joint naval squadron and joint naval training groups. They also drew up plans for this year's Amber Sea joint naval exercises. The overall goal is to enable... MORE