The Dagestan republic's Internal Affairs Ministry (MVD) and Russia's Federal Security Service announced January 5 the arrest of four Russian border troops caught in the act of ferrying a truckload of ammunition and arms to Chechen forces. President Boris Yeltsin's national security adviser Yuri Baturin... MORE

As predicted, last week's appointment of Lt. General Vyacheslav Tikhomirov to the command of Russia's combined forces in Chechnya has ushered in an escalation of offensive operations. The Russian command reported that its troops killed 67 Chechen fighters in attacks January 5 and 6 on... MORE

Russian foreign minister Andrei Kozyrev's January 5 resignation has generated diverse and sometimes contradictory reactions in the Baltic states and the countries of the CIS. In Ukraine, President Leonid Kuchma expressed regret over Kozyrev's departure, characterizing him as "an open and democratic person" and a... MORE

Legal authorities in Minsk last week opened a criminal investigation into a series of alleged unlawful acts by Belarusian Savings Bank officials. Charges focus on loans (amounting to the equivalent of nearly $10 million) to commercial enterprises without guarantees for repayment. The scope of the... MORE

Over the past two weeks, 113 people have been killed in blizzards in northern Kazakhstan, said the Kazakhstan state emergency committee last week. Five additional people are reported missing. In the most severely affected Amkola region, 66 individuals died of frostbite. (9) Kozyrev Exits Foreign... MORE

Andrei Kozyrev announced January 5 his resignation from the post of Russian foreign minister. His action was not unexpected. Kozyrev was appointed foreign minister of the then Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic (RSFSR) by Boris Yeltsin over 5 years ago. Since 1992, he has been... MORE

President Yeltsin told parents visiting the Kremlin with their children last week that he is thinking about running for reelection in June. The Russian president said he had recovered from his heart attack and was returning to his normal working schedule. (5) Yeltsin had said... MORE

Yeltsin has issued a decree convening the new Federation Council on January 23. The first session of the upper house of parliament will be opened by the president and will chaired by the oldest member until a speaker is elected. Yeltsin's decree gives regional legislatures... MORE

In Moscow, there was alarm among reformers over the weekend about rumors that two key reformers, economics minister Yevgeny Yasin and his deputy Yakov Urinson, were about to lose their jobs. The rumors followed Yeltsin's statement that the Economics Ministry needed to be purged of... MORE

Candidates wanting to take part in next June's presidential elections must register by 6:00 PM on April 15, the Central Election Commission has declared. Their agents must supply a list of at least one million signatures in support of each candidate; the signatures must be... MORE