Despite the Russian government's failure to fund the military-industrialcomplex during the past several years, many of its officials believethat the only way the complex can survive is by its plants remainingor returning to the status of state-owned enterprises, Kommersant-Dailyreported August 30. But such a "socialist"... MORE

Yeltsin is scheduledto meet with Russia's leading bankers August 31 to discuss a wayout of the current liquidity crisis, Russian media reported August30. While senior Russian officials have suggested that the crisisis over, a number of commentators continue to argue that the bankingsystem remains fundamentally... MORE

Officials around Russian president Boris Yeltsin are urging himto use his powers to invoke a state of emergency as a way of stayingin power, Moskovsky komsomolets reported August 30. Asa result of his slim support among the population, that may bethe only way he can... MORE

Yeltsin told theRussian security council August 30 that he had no intention ofpushing Premier Viktor Chernomyrdin aside in the search for peace,but only wanted to help find a way out of the current impassethere, Russian media reported. Yeltsin and the other members ofthe council agreed... MORE

In a televised statementAugust 30, Russian president Boris Yeltsin denounced the NATOair strikes against Serbian positions in Bosnia as inappropriateand dangerous, and he and his government called for a UN SecurityCouncil session to consider what to do next. The Russian foreignministry complained that NATO had... MORE

Dnepropetrovsk's Yuzhmash factory will now produce coffins instead of space ships, Pravdareported August 22. The new coffins will be made of pressedcardboard to keep costs down, but will be every bit as reliableas the space equipment the firm used to make, its officials said. The... MORE

The presidents of six Turkic countries--Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan,Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan--held a summit in theKyrgyz capital of Bishkek August 28, Russian radio reported.In addition to a variety of agreements on economic and cultural questions, the six agreed to Uzbekistan's call for a regionalsecurity conference, Kazakhstan's... MORE

In what may representa major shift, Abkhaz foreign minister Leonid Lakerbaya has calledfor Abkhaz-Georgian negotiations to take place under UN and OSCEauspices with only a Russian "contribution" to thetalks, Russian media reported August 28. Last week, the AbkhazSupreme Soviet rejected a Russian proposal on the... MORE

In orderto qualify for the upcoming parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan,the Azerbaijani People's Front dropped several portions in itsprogram as demanded by the authorities, Russian radio reportedAugust 28. But the front may not have gone far enough to qualify:it reelected former president Abulfaz Elcibey as its... MORE

The Baku authoritieshave arrested Col. Vladimir Mirzoyev, the former chief of a KGBdepartment in Azerbaijan and a man suspected of helping to organizeseveral recent plots against Azerbaijani president Heydar Aliyev,Kommersant- Daily reported August 26. Turkic Leaders Back Regional Security Conference Idea.