Using his new powers, Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchma named Yevgeny Marchuk, 54, to be his prime minister, Kiev radio reported June 8. Marchuk is widely popular for his earlier work conducting talks with Moscow and fighting crime. Belarus President Shocks with Economic Plans.

Aleksandr Lukashenko said that prices must be slashed by 25 percent and that anyone who leads a company into bankruptcy should be prosecuted, Moscow radio reported June 8. Such steps would destroy the already troubled Belarusian economy, most observers--including the country's prime minister--believe, the broadcast... MORE

Belarusian president Aleksandr Lukashenko is considering a number of candidates for the post vacated after the previous occupant resigned over corruption charges, Kommersant-Daily said June 8. Among the likely candidates is one certain to cause problems. He is Lt. Gen. Uladzimir Uskhobikh, who was the... MORE

Federal Border Guards chief, Col. Gen. Andrei Nikolayev told Armenian officials that Moscow had created a Special Caucasus military district to handle border affairs for Russia, Armenia and Georgia, Respublika Armenia reported June 8. Nikolayev said that Azerbaijan should join as well. If it did... MORE

The nationalist Algetsk Wolves group attacked Russian military headquarters in the Georgian capital June 8 killing one Georgian driver, Moscow radio reported. The group left a note claiming responsibility and warning that further attacks against Russian institutions were imminent. Baku Puts Off Decision on Pipeline.

Following a visit by Russian deputy foreign minister Albert Chernyshev to Baku, Azerbaijani officials have decided to delay a final decision on the route of a pipeline to the West, Itar-Tass reported June 8. Chernyshev met with Azerbaijani president Heydar Aliyev June 7 and told... MORE

Leaders of Abkhazia who hope to secede from Georgia may hold a referendum on whether the population wants to remain in union with Georgia or to seek to enter the Russian Federation, Moscow radio reported June 7. Georgia is very much against such a vote,... MORE

Lt. Gen. Valentin Bobryshev, commander of the CIS peacekeeping contingent in Tajikistan, has said that his forces may now shoot without warning if they are provoked, Krasnaya zvezda reported June 8. Moscow has also sent a psychological warfare unit to the region in hopes of... MORE

Speaking in Geneva, Kazakhstan president Nursultan Nazarbayev said that the states between Russia and India live in a "belt of uncertainty" and that Russia must form a security zone there because neither the West nor the East wanted to include Russia in their security arrangement,... MORE

Speaking in Riga June 8 where he was on a state visit, Uzbek president Islam Karimov said in a clear reference to Chechnya that only political means must be used to settle ethnic conflicts "even those that are an internal affair of a country." Karimov... MORE