In yet another development during the West's celebration of the Christmas holidays, Russia and India signed on December 28 what some reports said was the largest single arms negotiation in modern Russian history. Under the terms of the deal, which was estimated to be worth... MORE

December 2000 saw the end of the latest stage in the war between Russia's regional elites and the Kremlin team. The battle began in the spring, immediately after President Vladimir Putin's inauguration, with a formal redistribution of power in favor of the center. Then, in... MORE

Whether in the form of threats or blandishments, military power constitutes Russia's primary instrument for bringing the South Caucasus-Caspian region under control. As Georgia and Azerbaijan have understood, while Armenia has not, the very logic of Russian military and political dominance would preclude Western-led economic... MORE

In an interview with Russian journalists last week, President Vladimir Putin highlighted what appears to be one of the central goals in the Kremlin's emerging approach to foreign policy: the need to steer an intelligent course between the imperialistic posture of Soviet policymakers and what... MORE

The energy crisis in the Primorsky Krai region of Russia's Far East is showing no signs of letting up in the New Year. Aleksandr Ius, chief engineer for Dalenergo, the regional energy provider, painted an alarming picture of the situation yesterday, telling NTV television: "Industry... MORE

On January 1, Turkmenistan halted deliveries of natural gas to Russia, the largest customer for Turkmen gas. President Saparmurat Niazov took this step after the Russian government, the Gazprom company and the latter's affiliate Itera had refused to raise the purchase price above the extortionate... MORE

An increasingly obvious campaign by Russia's security services to chill contacts between Russian and Western defense experts resumed late last month with the opening of yet another closed-door trial of a Russian nuclear researcher. Igor Sutyagin, a 35-year-old defense analyst at Russia's prestigious USA and... MORE

The Moscow transportation prosecutor's office has launched a criminal case in connection with Russian Public Television (ORT), the 51-percent state-owned television channel which until recently was reportedly controlled by the controversial tycoon Boris Berezovsky. The case involves charges of contraband and evasion of customs tariffs... MORE

The advent of the New Year has seen no let up in Chechnya's guerrilla war. According to the Russian military, Chechen rebels fired on federal military positions seventeen times yesterday, while a large homemade bomb consisting of a 122 mm artillery shell and a landmine... MORE

As anticipated (see the Monitor, October 24), Russia expects the Western powers to tolerate its continued military presence in Georgia, once Moscow has reduced its heavy weaponry in Georgia to the ceilings mandated by the Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE). In the closing... MORE