Russianpresident Boris Yeltsin wants to remove Arkady Volsky from theRussian delegation to Chechnya because Volsky has made too manyconcessions to the Chechens, but Yeltsin's aides are pressinghim to name Volsky as the presidential representative there--insteadof Oleg Lobov, who reportedly does not want the job--in orderto... MORE

. The 90 Ukrainianpeacekeepers serving in the Bosnian safe area of Gorazde are beingpulled out and sent to Belgrade, UN officials told a press conferenceAugust 24. Meanwhile, the Russian foreign ministry expressed thehope that the Bosnian Serbs would not attack that safe haven.And Russian commentators... MORE

. Russianand Chechen military commanders met August 23 to continue discussionsabout implementing the military agreement in an atmosphere thatboth sides described as basically good. But the actual disarmingof Chechen military units has slowed with initial deadlines slippinga week or more in various regions. Commentaries in... MORE

A restorationspecialist working on a library building in the North Caucasusdiscovered several dozen hand grenades in its walls but he hasbeen unable to turn them in to the local military or police authorities,Moskovskaya pravda reported August 18. The reason? Thepolice and military say that they... MORE

Russianindustrialists have demanded that Moscow take action against Almatyto prevent Kazakhstan from shipping its chrome to Japan ratherthan to Russian plants, Segodnya reported August 22. Recentagreements between Almaty and Tokyo could lead to massive unemploymentat chrome processing plants in the Russian Federation, but anypressure by... MORE

Russians unable to find jobsin the civilian sector are now joining up as mercenaries to fightin Tajikistan, Vechernii Saransk reported June 15. Manyof them are Afghan veterans, take drugs, or have criminal recordsas well. According to the paper, the "mercenaries"--kontraktnikiin the Russian phrase--and their commanders... MORE

Although theGeorgian draft constitution is almost complete, Eduard Shevardnadzesaid that no decision would be made on internal territorial arrangementsuntil after settlements with Abkhazia and Ossetia, Russian radioreported August 22. The new document which still must be approvedby the country's voters provides for an executive presidency,a... MORE

Emre Gonensay, a senioradvisor to Turkish premier Tansu Ciller, will visit Moscow thisweek to urge the Russian government to agree on a pipeline routefor Azerbaijani and Kazakh oil, the Anatolian news service reportedAugust 22. Meanwhile, the US oil company Exxon announced thatit was exploring the... MORE

. On August 22, the USSixth Fleet commander, Vice Admiral Donald Pilling, and his flagshipcompleted a four-day visit to Ukraine. Pilling said that SixthFleet ships will now visit Ukraine every year in order to promoteUS-Ukrainian cooperation within the framework of NATO's Partnershipfor Peace and for... MORE

The worseningeconomic situation in Moldova's Transdniester region has forcedthe pro-Moscow government there to introduce rationing of bread,Ostankino television reported August 21. The authorities theresaid that they were introducing cards for local people becauseoutsiders were coming in to buy up the price-controlled food. Turkey to Press... MORE