Aleksandr Lebed is leaving the "Power to the People" parliamentary group, led by former Soviet prime minister Nikolai Ryzhkov, in protest against Ryzhkov's decision to support Gennady Zyuganov's presidential campaign. (NTV, March 5) Lithuania, Poland Strengthen Ties.

In Moscow yesterday, Duma chairman Gennady Seleznev cited President Boris Yeltsin as confirming his intention to pay an official visit to Ukraine for signing a framework treaty and an agreement on the division of the Black Sea Fleet. (Interfax-Ukraine, March 5) Russia May Pay International... MORE

During a regular monthly briefing, Duma chairman Gennady Seleznev informed President Boris Yeltsin that Duma deputies were wary of ratifying the START II Treaty because of NATO's planned expansion. Although Yeltsin had earlier urged parliament to ratify the treaty before the April 19-20 G-7 summit... MORE

The Bilibino nuclear power plant in eastern Siberia was shut down March 4 following discovery of a crack in the cooling system of one of its reactors. Radiation levels were reported to be normal; the plant will only be restarted after repairs are made. (AP,... MORE

Aleksandr Kazakov, Russian deputy prime minister in charge of privatization, told a news conference yesterday that, while privatization is set to continue, its scale will be sharply reduced. Of the original list of 30 enterprises scheduled for privatization this year, Kazakov said, only eight remain,... MORE

1. Interfax & Reuter, March 4 2. Interfax, NTV, western agencies, March 4 3. RTR, March 4 4. RTR, Interfax, March 4 5. Pravda, February 28, Nezavisimaya gazeta, March 1 6. Moskovsky komsomolets, March 2 7. NTV, March 3 8. Russian Television, Interfax, March 2;... MORE

Germany's Siemens company has begun laying the Uzbek section of the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) optical fiber communication trunkline. Under contract with Uzbekistan's Communications Ministry, the work is due to be completed by the end of 1996 at a cost of $25 million, credited by German banks.... MORE

The deputy chief of Belarus president Aleksandr Lukashenko's staff, Aleksandr Abramovich, let it be known yesterday that Lukashenko plans to propose constitutional revisions and submit them to a national referendum. The revisions are meant to empower the president to dissolve parliament in certain situations and... MORE

Georgian president Eduard Shevardnadze yesterday told the country on radio that the lack of progress toward resolving the Abkhazia problem was cause for "concern and indignation." Shevardnadze gave Russia until May at the latest to act in its capacity as mediator and peacekeeper and to... MORE

President Yeltsin has signed a decree authorizing mortgage loans, presidential aide Aleksandr Livshits announced yesterday. Livshits said the move will give Òa second wind to the real estate market in land, apartments, houses and construction projects.Ó (12) Livshits called the decree "one of YeltsinÕs strongest... MORE