The number two official at Moscow's Ostankino state television service said that the Russian government was starving his organization financially, NTV reported June 13. Grigori Shevelev said his organization could not pay salaries to staffers or the fees required to use broadcast facilities. Shevelev suggested... MORE

Investment in Russian businesses fell 20 percent over the last year, Moscow's Ekho radio reported June 13. The report came even as other indicators--including industrial growth--pointed to a better future. At the present time, there is so much unused capacity that the investment decline is... MORE

Moscow's efforts to fight rising unemployment have been compromised by inefficiency and corruption, Rossiiskaya gazeta said June 14. The paper said that Premier Viktor Chernomyrdin had ordered a top to bottom review of a program to aid what are expected to be the four million... MORE

Moscow's trade turnover will stay at $5 billion next year, Russian foreign trade minister Oleg Davydov told Itar-Tass June 13. Russian officials had hoped that it would rise some to help set the stage for the upcoming visit to Moscow by Chinese premier Li Peng,... MORE

Cities formerly closed to foreigners and most Russians will hold an exhibition in Moscow October 24-28, Megalopolis-Ekspress (no. 22) reported. Among the cities to be represented are such famous locations as Arzamaz-16, Perm-19, and Chelyabinsk- 65--the numbers are the postal addresses these defense-related centers had... MORE

An article by Russian military commentator Pavel Felgengauer in the June 11 Jyllands-Posten newspaper has sparked a heated debate in Denmark concerning Copenhagen's military assistance to the three Baltic countries, BNS reported June 14. Felgengauer had charged that Denmark's assistance to the Balts was irritating... MORE

Writing in Moskovskie novosti (no. 41), Grant Gukasov sketched out a scenario for Russian military intervention in the Baltic countries sometime before the year 2000. Gukasov said that while this step would aggravate relations with the West, it would be useful to those who want... MORE

Having lost three members to the European Union this year, the European Free Trade Area organization believes that adding the three Baltic countries to its membership will help to restore the group's vitality, BNS reported June 14. EFTA's current members include only Norway, Switzerland, Iceland,... MORE

The Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe office in Estonia will remain open until the end of the year, BNS reported June 14. That office was opened to monitor Estonia's treatment of its ethnic Russian minority; many in Tallinn had expected the office to... MORE

Border guards from the two countries have agreed to take back anyone who has illegally crossed into the territory of the other, BNS reported June 14. The news service added that the Latvian side has proposed that the two countries link the computer systems of... MORE