Moscow may takeUkraine to court over pollution in the river that provides drinkingwater for the Russian city of Taganrog, Moscow's Echo radio reportedJuly 7. Meanwhile, Moscow officials said that Russia might beable to pay off part of its debt to the London Club countriesby completing... MORE

Three hundred freshconscripts from Russia arrived in Tiraspol July 8 for a two-yearterm of service with Russia´s "limited troop contingent"stationed there, Russian and Moldovan agencies report. This isthe first time since Moldova became independent that Russian forcesthere have been reinforced from Russia itself. The new... MORE

Col.Gen. Viktor Prudnikov, commander of Russian and CIS air defense,will soon go to Baku to try to convince Azerbaijan to join theCIS air defense system, Interfax reported July 8. All CIS stateshave joined except for Azerbaijan, Moldova, and Turkmenistan;and Turkmenistan is prepared to cooperate with... MORE

Georgianpresident Eduard Shevardnadze said July 9 that Moscow´s recentoffer of 10 billion rubles as a first installment in disasterrelief to Abkhazia may be used by the latter for military purposes,Russian radio reported. The Georgian leader said that he woulddemand explanations from Moscow for this action... MORE

An enlarged meeting ofthe military council of Russia´s North Caucasus border districtheld July 7 in Batumi, center of Georgia´s Ajaria regionlocated on the southern edge of Transcaucasia, called for thedeployment of additional Russian land and naval border guard unitsin Ajaria opposite Turkey, Russian agencies reported.... MORE

Unofficial returns showthat Armenians have approved the new strong-president constitutionand have given President Levon Ter-Petrosian a working majorityin parliament, Noyan Tapan news agency reported July 8. Turnoutwas 56 percent, and 38 percent of all registered voters votedfor the constitution. Some 39,000 ballots were reported spoiledin... MORE

The trial of 11 men accusedof belonging to an underground terrorist group called "Dro"was recessed on July 7, the same day it began, to allow the defendantsto hire new lawyers, the Noyan Tapan news agency reported July7. The trial will further exacerbate relations between Armenianpresident... MORE

Tajik opposition leaders said July 7 that all future peacetalks should take place in Central Asia because that region ismore interested in a settlement than anyone else, Russian radioreported July 7. One reason for the Central Asian interest isthe growing tide of refugees from the... MORE

Kazakh presidentNursultan Nazarbayev has told the staff of Russia´s ChkalovFlight Test Center, located at Fort Shevchenko on the Kazakh steppe,that it may continue its missile and aircraft testing for Russiabut will have to pay rent and other fees to the Kazakh government,Segodnya reported July 7.... MORE

Accordingto an anecdote published in the June 20 Pravda Ukrainy,employees of the Ukrainian council of ministers have not beenpaid for three months. Consequently, they have decided to senda delegation to the Donbass mines in order to share experienceswith coal miners on how to live without... MORE