Ukrainianauthorities told Interfax July 31 that Ukraine and Serbia wouldsign trade and economic agreements August 1 By signing such agreementsnow, Kiev implicitly reaffirms its position on Bosnia, a positionvery close to Moscow's. Arms Smuggling Increases in Ukraine.

Ukrainian border guardsconfiscated almost 10,000 firearms and two million pieces of ammunitionfrom smugglers bringing them from "hot spots" like theCaucasus, Vseukrainskiye vedomosti reported July 12. Thepaper said that this influx across the border, rather than theftfrom the Ukrainian army, was behind the rise in the... MORE

Ukraina molodaya recently published whatit said was a Russian Foreign Intelligence Service plan to "strangleUkraine" by manipulating gas supplies to Kiev, Kommersant-Dailyreported July 28. The Moscow paper denied that Moscow hadany such plans, and suggested that the document was the work ofUkrainian nationalists.

Moldovan premierAndrei Sangheli traveled to a Gagauz region to press several Gagauzunits to turn in their guns and ammunition as required by a recentaccord between Chisinau and Comrat, Interfax reported July 31.Most Gagauz have already complied. Russian Forces to Resume Destruction of Munitions in Transdniester.

Belarusian military economist S. Gurevich told the July 14Narodnaya gazeta that Belarus cannot afford an army ofits current size (150,000 officers and men) and does not needto because no one has any reason to attack Belarus. The army'sapparent purpose, Gurevich suggested, is to guard Russia'sborders,... MORE

Latvian permanentresidents who are not citizens of the country may now obtain specialnon-citizen identification documents, BNS reported July 31. Validfor no more than three years, the new cards can be used as traveldocuments and for identification. Approximately 20% of the country's2.5 million people qualify for... MORE

Under the terms of anagreement between Estonia and Finland concerning the two countries'expanded claims to territorial waters, the international passagewaythrough the Gulf of Finland to Saint Petersburg is now only sixmiles wide at its narrowest point, BNS reported July 29. Latvia Issues ID Cards to... MORE

Six cars were blown up ina parking lot of a company which imports automobiles from Japanin the far eastern Russian city of Vladivostok, Interfax reportedJuly 31. Local officials speculated that those who set the explosiveswere trying to undermine the importing firm. Meanwhile, Russiantelevision reported July... MORE

The Second Congressof Finno-Ugric Peoples of Russia meeting in Kudymkar has demandedthat Moscow adopt laws that correspond to international normsin the area of human and group rights, and that it block the sabotagingof existing Russian legislation concerning language rights, Russianradio reported July 31. The association,... MORE

BorisYeltsin has rejected demands by the Norilsk metallurgical combineto have borders redrawn so that it would be subordinated to theTaymyr autonomous oblast rather than to Krasnoyarsk kray, Russianradio reported July 31. In his decision which takes effect August1, the Taymyr autonomous oblast will gain greater... MORE