Ultranationalist leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky told Russian TV August 30 that he hopes to gain up to 30 percent of the Duma's seats in the upcoming election. However Zhirinovsky expressed concern that Aleksandr Lebed, of the Congress of Russian Communities, and the Derzhava leader and former... MORE

In addition to Shakhrai's attacks, Chernomyrdin seems to have suffered other reverses in recent days. One is the appointment of Oleg Lobov as Yeltsin's special representative for Chechnya with overall control of policy. Chernomyrdin's policy on Chechnya has been more flexible and less reliant on... MORE

On August 30, Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Shakhrai took his Party of Russian Unity and Accord out of the governmental electoral bloc "Russia is Our Home." At a press conference reported by Kommersant Daily on August 31, Shakhrai accused "Russia is our Home"--headed by his... MORE

On August 31, Boris Yeltsin received in the Kremlin banking leaders worried about the liquidity crisis, and told them that the state wants to see strong Russian banks which are capable of competing with their Western counterparts. Yeltsin promised that the government would help the... MORE

At a briefing August 31, Foreign Ministry chief spokesman Grigory Karasin dismissed concerns that Russia is preparing to breach international economic sanctions against Iraq. Worry about such a development arose from recent meetings and agreements among Russian and Iraqi officials on the resumption of trade... MORE

Boris Yeltsin's spokesman Sergei Medvedev and Foreign Ministry chief spokesman Grigory Karasin condemned NATO's retaliatory strikes on Serb positions near Sarajevo as unjustified, Russian media reported August 31. They renewed Yeltsin's proposal for a conference of presidents of the Contact Group countries and of the... MORE

Six Russian soldiers were killed and six others injured in the space of 24 hours, the Russian forces' command announced August 31. In the Russian-Chechen armistice control commission, the Russian side complained that some of its forward positions were being shelled in violation of the... MORE

In Moscow, Boris Yeltsin told a Security Council meeting that he would negotiate with any Chechen leaders, including those thus far not recognized by Moscow, but not with Dudayev, Russian agencies reported August 31. Until now, Yeltsin has avoided contact with any Chechen political figures.... MORE

Chechen president Dzhokhar Dudayev wrote Russian president Boris Yeltsin a letter which was handed over by chief Chechen negotiator Khodzhakhmed Yarikhanov at the August 31 session of the joint armistice control commission, Russian agencies reported. Although he declined to disclose the letter's content, Yarikhanov appeared... MORE

Some 500 people demonstratedin Moscow to protest the actions of the Russian LEMON company,a firm that had promised to supply Russians with cars at reducedprices for some cash up front, Izvestiya reported August30. Law enforcement agencies are investigating the firm but thedisappointed car buyers do... MORE