Election regulations stipulate that, as of December 14, no more public opinion polls may be published on the outcome of Russia's parliamentary elections. In recent weeks, the sociologists themselves have been warning that survey results published in the final days of the campaign may be... MORE

Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchma left yesterday on a three-day official visit to Great Britain where he will be meeting with Prime Minister John Major, the Foreign and Defense Secretaries, and EBRD president Jacques de Larosiere, and will be received by Queen Elizabeth. (4) Following just-completed... MORE

Belarusian president Aleksandr Lukashenko claimed that the election of a new parliament on December 10 had demonstrated the voters' loyalty to the idea of economic reintegration with Russia. (3) His interpretation implied that candidates had aired their views on the issue, which, in fact, was... MORE

Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin promised today that his government's reform policies will stay on track even if communists make substantial gains in Sunday's parliamentary election. "It is difficult for me to forecast but the communists will get quite a number of votes. (But) there... MORE

Greenpeace officials yesterday said talks between the European Commission and Russia's Ministry of Atomic Energy on trade in highly enriched uranium (HEU) for burning in research reactors in countries like Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium, were "a violation of commitments" made at this year's United... MORE

Russia's fuel and energy minister Yuri Shafrannik has proposed to Kazakhstan that an annual quota of 5 million tons of its crude oil be processed in refineries in Chechnya in order to help reactivate those idled refineries. Shafrannik suggested that Kazakhstan would in that case... MORE

The Moldovan parliament voted unanimously December 8 to abolish the death penalty. The country had pledged to do so as one of the conditions for becoming a full member of the Council of Europe--the first CIS member country to gain that status. Some European Union... MORE

Ukrainian parliament chairman Oleksandr Moroz has promised a very charged debate when the chamber begins consideration this week of the government's proposed budget for 1996. Moroz specifically objected to a "lack of state control over economic processes." The draft sets the budget deficit at 6... MORE

The Ukrainian ambassador in Bucharest was "called home for consultations" December 9 in protest against Romania's claim to Ukraine's Serpents' Island. Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchma said he hoped "the international community would not admit a redrawing of borders." Defense minister Valery Shmarov said that the... MORE

The December 10 runoffs to the parliamentary by-elections in Belarus returned 59 deputies to the parliament from single- mandate constituencies, dispelling concerns that a low voter turnout could have caused the legislature to fall short of a quorum. The total number of elected deputies now... MORE