If presidential electionswere held today, retired Lt. Gen. Aleksandr Lebed would garnermore votes than anyone else, a poll reported in the June 28 VechernyayaMoskva suggests. But none of the candidates has much support.Eight percent of the respondents backed Lebed; only three percentsaid they would vote... MORE

Morethan 800,000 refugees entered Russia during 1994 and some 111,000more have been generated by the fighting in Chechnya, the FederalMigration Service told Pravda Rossii June 29. While theFMS lacks the funds to help all these people, the actual totalof refugees in Russia is much higher.... MORE

The Russian governmentmay not have enough money for refugees but it has committed itselfto spending whatever it takes to help the residents of Budennovskovercome high blood pressure, psychological problems and heartailments which emerged as a result of the hostage-taking there,health ministry officials told Rossiiskaya gazeta... MORE

Moscow plans to fund 12 Russian-language periodicals in theformer Soviet republics in order to be able to communicate withRussian communities in these countries, Kommersant-Dailyreported June 29. On Russian television June 28, Russian presscommittee chief Sergei Gryzyunov said that the government shouldsupply 16 billion rubles for... MORE

Inwhat some will see as a threat, North Ossetian president AkhsarbekGalazov told Russian radio June 28 that resolving the Chechenproblem would be impossible without addressing all the territorialand political problems in the region. Chechnya is "only alink in an all-Caucasus chain of problems," he said.... MORE

VladimirLozovy, the chairman of the Russian state commission on the Ingush-Ossetianconflict, said that Moscow must shoulder some of the blame forthe fact that the conflict broke out in 1992 and had still notbeen resolved. Lozovoy's acknowledgment marks the first time thata Moscow official has accepted... MORE

Police officials in the region around Moscow said that thereis now one murder there every five hours, Moskovsky komsomoletsreported June 29. The officials said that this was only part ofa crime wave that was now far beyond "socially tolerablelevels." They asked for more funds and... MORE

CE president Miguel Angel Martinex sharplycriticized Tallinn for failing to ratify the European human rightsconvention which Estonia signed onto in 1993, BNS reported June29. Many Estonian politicians oppose the measure which they sayis too invasive. Nearly 80 Percent of Aliens in Estonia Already Registered.

Estonian officials told BNS June 29 that 275,892 non-citizenshad registered with the authorities as of June 26, a figure thatthe officials said was equal to almost 79 percent of all aliens.More are expected to register this week and next and thus meetthe original deadline of... MORE

Estonianofficials told BNS June 29 that Tallinn would purchase a $12 millionborder protection system from France. The system which includesradars and other devices will allow Estonia to enhance its controlof its eastern border with Russia, the officials said. Riga Pledges to Meet "Political" Obligations to... MORE