Nizhny Novgorod leader Boris Nemtsov told Russian radio August 28 that Russianpensioners would strike if their pensions were not paid in atimely fashion, something he said could not be done, given currentfinancial arrangements. He said that everything should be doneto prevent such a tragedy. Parliament... MORE

Duma legislative committee chairman Vladimir Isakov told Russiantelevision August 28 that the Russian parliament is now readyto compromise with President Yeltsin on the terms of the lawgoverning the selection of the Federation Council. Yeltsin vetoedthat measure last month because he said the constitution gavehim the... MORE

Prime Minister ViktorChernomyrdin, who has long-standing ties with the country's oiland gas industry, is now losing support from that sector, Vek(no. 34) reports. One sign cited by the weekly of that loss insupport is the fact that neither Gazprom chairman Rem Vikhayrevnor any other oil... MORE

The Russian foreign ministry denounced the latest attack on Sarajevo but said thatthe success of upcoming talks would depend primarily on willingnessof the Bosnian government to make concessions, Russian radioand television reported August 28. Meanwhile, Yeltsin's chiefof staff told journalists that resolutions calling for Moscowto... MORE

On the 50th anniversary of the Russian nuclear industry, Prime MinisterViktor Chernomyrdin said that the nuclear industry "was,is and will always be Russia's top priority," and defenseminister Pavel Grachev said that "nuclear weapons will remainthe main war-preventing deterrent," Russian media reportedAugust 28. Meanwhile, the Russian... MORE

. Deputy Premier Anatoly Chubais told Moscow's Mayak radio August 28 that the recent bank crisis, which hesaid was now easing, could serve as a "good vaccination"against future speculative activities. He added that there werefar too many banks in Russia now-- some 2,500-- many of... MORE

Russian and Chechen negotiatorsfailed to agree on a procedure for exchanging prisoners, fightingcontinued in various parts of the republic, and the turning inof arms and the withdrawal of troops were virtually at a standstillAugust 28, Russian media reported. Presidential representativeOleg Lobov noted that if disarmament... MORE

Belarusianpolice continue to search for a "criminal" who on Belarusianindependence day July 27 had displayed the Belarusian flag thatwas declared illegal by a referendum earlier this year and writtenunder it "Warning: Explosives!" Moscow's Echo radioreported August 26. The local authorities said that they had beensearching... MORE

Almaty has proposed that Moscow take over several dozen businesseson Kazakh territory and subsequently buy them, Moscow radio reportedAugust 27. Most of the businesses are in the petrochemical sector,a part of the Kazakh economy that Russian firms have long beeninterested in. Russian control of these... MORE

The fifthround of inter-Tajik negotiations, earlier rescheduled from Augustto September, may be in jeopardy because Dushanbe now insiststhat the talks be held in Ashgabat, refuses to discuss constitutionalarrangements and has blocked the exchange of prisoners it hadearlier agreed to, Russian radio reported August 25. The... MORE