324,000 of Estonia's 384,000 non-citizens applied for residenceand work permits by the July 12 deadline, BNS reported July 13.Those who have failed to do so will be able to file in the futureunder new rules being developed by the Estonian government. Latvia Detains Russian Activist.

Yuri Luzhnikov, the prosecutor of Stavropol kray, rejectedrecent media reports on harassment of Chechen refugees on histerritory, Interfax reported July 12. He said that his officehad had only one report of such harassment and that was by a groupof Cossacks. Luzhnikov's remarks came in response... MORE

Russia'sshortage of medicines has been overcome through imports, a healthministry official told Interfax July 13. Now, pharmacies throughoutthe country have at least 60 percent of the medicines required.He acknowledged, however, that domestic production continues toslump. More Guns Stolen from Far East Ammunition Dump.

The chief of Yeltsin's secret service,the Main Administration for the Protection of the Russian Federation(GUO), Mikhail Barsukov has been promoted to the rank of colonelgeneral, Interfax reported July 13. Barsukov received the stepup for his work in restoring "the former image of the Kremlinas a... MORE

Col. Gen. Viktor Zorin, the head of the counterintelligencedepartment of the Federal Security Service, is likely to be thatorganization's next director, Interfax reported July 13. Zorinis favored because unlike other candidates he would not reorganizethe service, sources told the news service. Most Russians Link Wealth... MORE

Most Russiansbelieve that wealth comes from immoral or illegal activities,according to an Academy of Sciences poll reported in this week'sArgumenty i fakty. Only 5.1 percent of Russians believethat talent and hard work can bring wealth; 44.2 percent saidthat speculation was a more likely route, and... MORE

Civilianand military prosecutors in the Urals region have investigateda case involving at least two Russian officers who in January1995 stole $7.8 million in bonds from the bank in the Chechencapital after they used high explosives to blow the safe open,Moskovsky komsomolets reported July 12. Stavropol... MORE

Khamad Kurbanov, the Chechenrepresentative of President Dudayev in Moscow, who has been underarrest since June 18, continues his hunger strike to protest hisillegal detention, his wife told Russian television July 12. Kurbanovsupposedly will be charged with treason and other crimes, hisinterrogator has told him, she... MORE

Russianfinance minister Vladimir Panskov told Russian radio July 14 thatMoscow will have to spend almost a billion dollars to restorethe basic infrastructure which it destroyed in Chechnya over thelast six months. Other Russian officials have given differentfigures and have suggested that repairs are already well... MORE

In addition to the humanand political costs of the Budennovsk hostage crisis, that eventinflicted more than 165 billion rubles--about $30 million--inproperty damage, Russian radio reported July 12. The Moscow citygovernment is supposed to pick up much of the tab. Russian Troops Looking Forward to Leaving... MORE