Sovetskaya Rossiya reported that it had unconfirmedinformation that the Russian government had sent more than 100draftees from the North Caucasus to guard the Federal NuclearCenter and the Arzamas-16 nuclear research facility. "Ifthis is true," the paper said, "there are grounds formajor concern. Why send draftees... MORE

In anotherextensive media interview, this time with the July 25 Segodnya,the leader of the Chechen raid on Budennovsk Shamil Basayev saidthat Russian officers were the primary source of weapons and ammunitionfor the Chechen fighters. He said that it is "easier"to buy weapons from the Russian... MORE

Russian prime minister Viktor Chernomyrdin told aSerbian businessman visiting Moscow that the Russian governmentwas opposed to NATO airstrikes in Bosnia, Interfax reported July25. Meanwhile, Russian foreign minister Andrei Kozyrev reiteratedMoscow's opposition to any use of NATO power in Bosnia followinghis meeting with Serbian president Slbodan... MORE

After a brief meetingJuly 25, the Grozny peace talks recessed for three days of consultations.Russian officials continued to express optimism that the talkswhich are now stalled over the status of Chechnya, could end withan agreement. Yeltsin aide Sergei Filatov said that "onlysome details, a reshuffling... MORE

The Tambovcity council has declared itself a soviet of people's deputiesand has raised the red Soviet flag over its offices, Trud reportedJuly 22. The local prosecutor said this decision was illegal becausethe USSR no longer exists, but the deputies decided to ignorehis warnings because they... MORE

Because of an editing error, the director ofthe Main Administration for the Protection of the Russian Federationwas incorrectly identified in yesterday's Monitor. Asof yesterday, the director was Mikhail Barsukov. The Monitor is a publication of the Jamestown Foundation. It is researched and written under the... MORE

Even as Dushanbe andthe Tajik opposition begin to explore the possibility of a politicalaccord, fighting between Russian and Tajik government forces,on the one hand, and Tajik opposition fighters, on the other,has intensified over the last two weeks. The commander of Russianborder troops there, Lt. Gen.... MORE

Azerbaijani foreign minister Hassan Hassanov dismissed as"absurd" Armenian reports that Baku has agreed to cedecontrol of Nakhichevan to Turkey, Interfax reported July 24. Heacknowledged that President Heydar Aliyev had asked Turkish premierTansu Ciller to step up assistance to that noncontiguous portionof Azerbaijan. Because of Karabakh... MORE

Underthe terms of a decree issued by Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev,foreign firms and joint ventures involved in the extraction andprocessing of precious metals may now export these goods, Interfaxreported July 24. Earlier, Almaty had strictly controlled suchexports; but now it wants to attract more Western... MORE

President Mircea Snegur leftfor vacation July 24, as the governing Agrarian Democratic Partysuggested that the president--who recently left that party toform his own--might seek to dissolve the parliament, to dismissthe cabinet, and to assume greater powers for himself in preparationfor the upcoming elections, Basapress and... MORE