A gruesome discovery on the outskirts of Djohar [Grozny], the Chechen capital, has further underscored the brutality of the Chechen conflict. Vsevolod Chernov, chief prosecutor for Chechnya's pro-Moscow administration, reported earlier this week that a total of forty-eight bodies had been found in Dachny, an... MORE

President Vladimir Putin has again justified Russia's military intervention in Chechnya. In a live Internet interview yesterday organized jointly by the Strana.ru and Gazeta.ru websites and the British Broadcasting Corporation, Putin said the Russian army had been "forced to accept the challenge thrown by extremists... MORE

The Red landslide in the Moldovan parliamentary elections (see the Monitor, March 5), unprecedented in the post-Soviet world, has undoubtedly exceeded the expectations of Moscow's policy planners. The Party of Communists of Moldova (PCM) now has more than sufficient votes in parliament--71 out of 101--to... MORE

Primorsky Krai's campaign for governor has already begun, thanks to disgraced Governor Yevgeny Nazdratenko's "voluntary" resignation last month. The election has been set for May 27, which leaves little time for hopeful candidates to campaign. This hampers those candidates who cannot rely on the informal... MORE

Kyiv has resorted to force against its peaceful antipresidential demonstrators. On March 1, some 1,500 police and special troops demolished the Ukraine Without Kuchma tent camp on Kyiv's main avenue, Khreshchatyk. On February 25, the camp was the epicenter of what was probably the largest... MORE

The National Bank of Kazakhstan (NBK) has estimated that Kazakhstan's economy will grow at least 4 percent this year, but acknowledges that growth might be more rapid. Moreover, the NBK expects the economy to expand without IMF and World Bank assistance. This underscores both Kazakhstan's... MORE

The last month saw approval of a three-year World Bank country assistance program for Kazakhstan. It provides for three lending scenarios, ranging from US$270 million to US$820 million. Program priorities are fourfold: reform of the public sector, promotion of broad-based private sector led growth, social... MORE

Thanks in part to high oil prices, the government in 2000 was able to meet its ambitious target for budget revenues and keep the budget deficit well below forecast levels. In addition to keeping inflation under control, this should help Baku keep relations with the... MORE

Russian President Vladimir Putin wound up a two-day visit to Vietnam last week which officials from both sides hailed as a major step toward rebuilding the close ties Moscow and Hanoi had during the Cold War. Putin signed a "strategic partnership" agreement with President Tran... MORE

In an apparent attempt to turn the tables, the Russian Prosecutor General's Office has put out an international order for the arrest one of the main witnesses in the Mabetex case, Filipe Turover. The case involves allegations that top Russian officials, including former Kremlin property... MORE