Realas opposed to registered unemployment will rise toapproximately 20 percent of all workers, Yeltsin socialpolicy aide Lyubov Khrapylina told Russian radio June 22.She said that the real rate now is between 13 and 17percent, not the 3-4 percent officials have claimed. But notonly the unemployed... MORE

There are now 23,000 extra troops inMoscow to defend the city against terrorism, Moskovskykomsomolets reported June 23. The paper said that it fearedsome of them might attack the city's peaceful residents.Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov told Komsomolskaya pravda June 22that in fighting bandits, "one should use... MORE

Russian officialscannot seem to get their stories straight on the hostage-taking at Budennovsk, NTV complained June 22. Yeltsinsecurity aide Oleg Lobov told Ostankino television June 24that there had been 120 Chechens involved, contradictingGen. Anatoly Kulikov's statement of the day before that only92 had participated in... MORE

The Journalists Unionhas given special awards to 16 journalists who agreed to besubstitute hostages at the end of the Budennovsk hostagecrisis, Segodnya reported June 22. In addition, the uniongave a posthumous award to Natalya Alyakina, the reporterwho was killed by Russian troops. Kovalev Denounces West... MORE

Speaking in Prague,Russian human rights activist Sergei Kovalev denounced theWest for failing to put pressure on Yeltsin to stop thefighting in Chechnya, Prague radio reported June 23. Kovalevsuggested that the West should support policies, notindividual politicians as it was now doing in the case ofYeltsin.... MORE

Deputy PrimeMinister Sergei Shakhrai has introduced a bill that wouldsharply reduce the power of the country's 89 regionsrelative to Moscow, Russian radio reported June 24.According to the provisions of the draft legislation, Russiais to be a federation by virtue of its constitution ratherthan as the... MORE

Representatives of 46 regionalpapers met in Penza to discuss the creation of anadvertising syndicate to help them stay in business,Penzenskaya pravda reported May 16. Lacking a coordinatedmethod of seeking advertisers, the papers are largely at themercy of local political elites. The regional pressrepresentatives also reportedly... MORE

Having agreed tobecome vice president of the Congress of RussianCommunities, now-retired Lt. Gen. Aleksandr Lebed said thathe and his group would seek to defend "the rights ofRussians beyond Russia's borders." The CRC has joined theelectoral bloc headed by Yuri Skokov, a spokesman for thecountry's military... MORE

Two repatriated Ingushwere killed and five were wounded when gunmen--presumed tobe North Ossetians--attacked their homes in North Ossetia'sPrigorodnyi rayon, Moscow's Echo radio reported June 24.Ingushetiya's leadership has repeatedly complained thatRussian troops enforcing the state of emergency in that areacondone North Ossetian intimidation of the token... MORE

Yeltsin'sspecial administration for communications security, FAPSI,will have the power to certify all smart cards that Russianbanks are planning to issue, Kommersant-Daily reported June23. Not only will that ruling put an enormous financialburden on many banks, but it will give the Russiangovernment yet another means to... MORE