Ukraine's top political and military leaders conferred November 28 on the country's draft military doctrine and the plan for the modernization of its armed forces. President Leonid Kuchma reportedly criticized the government for underfinancing the forces and slowing down military reform. Kuchma was said to... MORE

In an interview with Handelsblatt and the Neue Zuercher Zeitung, released by the presidential office yesterday, Moldovan president Mircea Snegur expressed concern that a victory of "leftist forces" in the upcoming elections to Russia's Duma would freeze Russian-Moldovan relations. "With a leftist Duma, Moldova won't... MORE

Despite a far higher than expected voter turnout of 63 percent overall, the net result of the November 29 elections brings Belarus only a small degree closer to having a viable parliament. With an average of six candidates standing in each of 141 districts where... MORE

The commanders of the Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian armies, Lt. Generals Alexander Einseln, Juris Eihmanis, and Jonas Andriskevicius, conferred November 28 and 29 in Jurmala (Latvia) on the concept of a Baltic defense union and other aspects of military cooperation among their countries. The commanders... MORE

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is ready to join other international and Russian financial institutions in investing in a project to make the Russian gas industry more reliable and effective. The investment program, tentatively estimated at over $3 billion, is designed for... MORE

President Boris Yeltsin welcomed the idea of holding a youth meeting in Moscow on December 12, according to aides. (10) Several recent polls show young people (17-35) hold opinions decidedly more favorable toward a market economy, civil liberties, the West and the United States than... MORE

Russian charges that Turkish rules on shipping in the crucial Turkish Straits were not in line with international regulations were sharply rejected by Turkey yesterday. "Turkey's national regulations are in fact in line with rules and recommendations of the International Maritime Organization (IMO)," a Foreign... MORE

The directorate of the zoo in Nizhny Novgorod has threatened to set free two tigers if the local administration fails to provide money to feed them. (8) Government Measures to Help Firms, Exporters.

President Boris Yeltsin yesterday said Russia will maintain limits on the ruble exchange rate through mid-1996 in an effort to stem inflation and spur investments. The corridor within which the ruble can trade against the dollar was lowered to between 4,550 and 5,150 rubles per... MORE

Twelve generals of the Federal Border Service have published in the pro-Communist daily Pravda a collective letter to the Duma, asserting the need to close "holes" in Russia's western and southern borders and asking for adequate funding to do the job. The generals write that... MORE