. The International Scientific and Research Center, createdby the European Union, the United States, Finland, and Swedento keep Russian nuclear scientists from selling their servicesto rogue states, has expanded its program and will now employ9500 Russian and CIS scientists to keep them from emigrating,Interfax reported... MORE

Many former Soviet republics now discriminate against Russiansand other ethnic groups which profess Russian Orthodoxy, PatriarchAleksii II told a UN meeting in Geneva July 3. Such discrimination,the church leader said, could trigger more violence and instabilitythroughout the region. He singled out Estonia and Ukraine forespecial... MORE

. In the firsthalf of 1995, Russia exported 13.8 million tons of crude oilto the countries of the CIS, a 15 percent decline from the same period a year ago, Moscow officials told the Petroleum InformationAgency July 3. Ukraine received the most: more than 5... MORE

. Russia has only 300,000 ofthe 500,000 mechanical harvesters which it needs to bring inthis year's crops, agricultural minister Aleksandr Nazarchuktold Interfax July 2. His comments came as the Duma preparedto debate the country's food situation; most don't believe Nazarchuk's claims that this year's harvest... MORE

. In a measureof just how bad the crime situation is in Moscow and how widespreadare illegal armed gangs, the organization of Russia's privateinvestigators told its members to fire on anyone in a uniformwhich has no indication of rank, and who refuses to present an... MORE

. Echo radioreported July 3 that more than 86 million Russians have sufferedfinancial losses in banks or other financial institutions since 1991. Russians Blame West for their Troubles.

A recent publicopinion poll found that 45 percent of Russians blame the Westfor their current problems, while 42 percent say that theirproblems have domestic roots, Russian radio reported July 3.Significantly, 25 percent of the Russian respondents blamed non-Russians living within Russia for many of the... MORE

More than 2,000 ethnic Russians in Estonia claimed Russian citizenshipin June, BNS reported July 3. The total of Russian citizensliving in Estonia now stands at 75,839, the Russian embassy inTallinn said. In contrast to last year, when the embassy did what it could to make... MORE

The prime ministers ofthe three Baltic states have agreed to a Latvian request to putoff for one month their joint plans to allow for visa-free travelamong them for their citizens, BNS reported July 4. These plans,which Russians in Moscow had protested, would have made it... MORE

As Latvia continuesto wrestle with its banking crisis-- another bank went under overthe weekend--Lithuania is bracing for a banking crisis of itsown. The Lithuanian Freedom League organized a demonstrationin Vilnius July 4 to urge all Lithuanians to pull their depositsout of local banks, BNS reported.... MORE