Despitethe hoopla surrounding the Gore-Chernomyrdin meetings, Russianexperts argue that differences between the two countries are increasingrapidly. Sergei Rogov, the director of the Moscow Institute forthe Study of the US and Canada, told Interfax June 30 that theWest had failed to include Russia in any European... MORE

InJune, the Russian Duma rejected two bills that would have establishedprocedures for the return of art and other valuables which Sovietforces had seized in Europe during World War II. Now a new commissionis meeting to prepare a new draft, but the group seems littleinclined to... MORE

Foreign economic relations minister Oleg Davydovsaid Russia would benefit if the United States would reclassifyRussia as a "transitional" economy, Interfax reportedJune 29. In that event, Moscow would be able to bypass existingprocedures for determining the price of its exports. Davydov alsosaid that the US should... MORE

Direct foreigninvestment fell 25 percent from the fourth quarter of 1994 tothe first quarter of 1995, Interfax reported June 2. During thelatter period, the West invested only $20 million. Moscow desperatelyhopes to attract more funds, but officials acknowledged that Westerninvestment will fall short of hopes... MORE

Russian State PropertyCommission chairman Sergei Belyayev told Interfax June 30 thatMoscow will not privatize some 2809 firms, including many banks,enterprises in extractive industries, and those firms that supplyfood to distant regions. The list is to be published this week.In other remarks, Belyayev acknowledged that Russia... MORE

Because ofthe rise of the ruble against the dollar, Russians cut their purchasesof hard currency in May by 13.7 percent, but in the first halfof the year they still converted 15.1 percent of their incomesinto dollars, Interfax reported June 30. In some CIS countries,the rate... MORE

Nearly one Russian infive is now unemployed, an expert at the Institute of EconomicAnalysis told Segodnya June 30. Tatyana Maleva said thatthe rate would continue to rise because the Russian governmenthad not used shock therapy earlier. She also noted that the country'smoney supply had shot... MORE

While 78 percentof Russian draftees were pleased to serve in the Soviet army in1975, fewer than 12 percent are now, a Russian military sociologisttold Moskva (no. 10). Yuri Deryugin said that the armyneeded to redefine itself now that it lacked "the image ofan enemy," putting... MORE

Khamad Kurbanov, the Chechen"representative" in Moscow who was arrested during theBudennovsk hostage crisis, continues his hunger strike, his sistertold Echo radio July 1. Prison doctors have not visited him, shesaid, and his lawyer continues to seek his release, possibly underthe terms of the amnesty Boris... MORE

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 June... MORE