Boththe Foreign Intelligence Service and the Foreign Ministry havebeen forced to reduce staffs because of cutbacks in funding, butboth said that they would try to meet all the demands placed onthem, Interfax reported July 7. Prisoners Have to Make Do With Even Less.

Two Russian prisonersin the Siberian city of Rubtsovsk could receive the death sentencefor killing and eating a third, Interfax reported July 7. Thenews service said that psychiatrists had found the two cannibalsto be "of sound mind."

An unnamed senior foreign ministry officials told InterfaxJuly 7 that the Russian Federation "does not have a directrelation" to the 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop pact that dividedEastern Europe and helped launch World War II. "Another state"signed that document, the Russian official said. His commentscame in response to... MORE

The National Credit Bankof Russia has sued Segodnya for slander, Russian televisionreported July 6. The paper had published an article saying thatthe National Credit Bank has lost the confidence of the businesscommunity, but the bank's spokesman said that the paper was simplybeing used by its... MORE

Russiancosmonauts are unhappy with American astronaut Norman Thagard'scomplaints about life aboard the Mir space station, Izvestiyareported July 8. Describing Thagard's remarks as "scandalous,"the cosmonauts pointed out that it was impractical to give theAmerican special food or for Russian mission control to speakEnglish. Zhirinovsky Raises His... MORE

Russian nationalist VladimirZhirinovsky will now charge foreign journalists $1000 for a one-minutetelevision interview, Moscow's Echo Radio reported July 9. Hewill continue to give free interviews to Russian journalists. Meri: Estonia Seeks Full Membership in NATO.

Estonian presidentLennart Meri said that Estonia's goal was full membership in NATO,BNS reported July 7. His comments came during a visit to Tallinnby the commander of Polish defense forces who has been in theBaltic states to promote closer defense ties between Warsaw andthe three Baltic... MORE

The Latvian governmentcannot pay its employees or provide subsidies for local governmentsand has no prospects of borrowing more money from its own banks,BNS reported July 7. State employees have not yet been paid forJune and the regional governments have not received any of the2.7 million... MORE

Althougha Moscow-Minsk agreement calls for the withdrawal of all Russiannuclear missiles from the territory of Belarus by the end of 1996,Belarusian president Aleksandr Lukashenko has put a number ofobstacles in the way of withdrawing the final 18 mobile rocketlaunchers, Moscow's NTV reported July 7. Lukashenko... MORE

TheUkrainian delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly meetingin Ottawa voted in favor of the US-proposed resolution to condemnRussia for violating international norms and OSCE principles inChechnya, delegate Ihor Ostash told Interfax-Ukraine July 9. Thevote attracted extensive and negative coverage in the Moscow mediathe same day.... MORE