Ingush vicepresident Boris Agapov has demanded that Moscow protect his NorthCaucasian republic from attacks by the neighboring North Ossetians,Interfax reported May 28. Ingush citizens have been attacked byOssetians ever since the latter seized part of Ingush territory threeyears ago. But Moscow may be more interested... MORE

Undercontinuing criticism for carrying personal goods rather than reliefsupplies on his return flight from a recent visit to Washington, Dumaspeaker Ivan Rybkin said through a spokesman that he had been carryingspecial communications equipment instead, Segodnya reported May 30. TheForeign Intelligence Service (SVR) press bureau confirmed... MORE

The ruble rose against the dollaragain yesterday, closing at 4995 to $1. That is the first time theruble has been worth more than 5,000 to the dollar since the end ofApril. Part of the reason for the ruble's rise is that Russians can nowearn 110-130... MORE

Boris Fedorov, leader of the "Forward,Russia!" political movement and former economics minister, charged thatRussian prime minister Viktor Chernomyrdin is now a dollar billionaire,Kommersant-Daily reported May 30. Fedorov said that Gazprom, thecountry's petroleum giant, was now worth $100 billion and thatChernomyrdin, a leader of the oil... MORE

Kommersant-Daily reported May 30 that"in recent times, regional separatism has been intensifying" in theUrals and Siberia. The paper suggested that Moscow's ability to controlthe situation there had been reduced by the privatization of keyindustries--regional elites simply control more resources than theyever did before. But privatization... MORE

The olderand better-educated troops of the interior ministry are more interestedin religion than are the young draftees of the Russian army, FatherAndrei Pylev told Blagovestnik (Vologda, no. 4). Pylev, who isresponsible for Russian Orthodox Church work in the military, said itwas far easier for priests... MORE

Russian deputy foreignminister Sergei Krylov told a Kaliningrad meeting of Russianambassadors in the region that Moscow would use all means underinternational agreements to prevent the Baltic countries from joiningNATO, BNS reported May 30. Krylov also reasserted Moscow's right tobase troops in Kaliningrad; we can do... MORE

ALithuanian MP has charged that Russian border posts in Kaliningrad areactually on Lithuanian territory, Golos Litvy reported in its May 17-23issue. The paper said that the parliamentarian had demanded that Moscowmove the posts. In other border issues, Moscow began on May 30 tounilaterally mark the... MORE

Stung by recent criticismfrom the UN High Commission on Refugees that Estonia and Latvia arefailing to live up to international standards on the treatment ofillegal migrants, Estonian officials met with their Finnishcounterparts May 30 to try to reach an accord on this point. Helsinkihas said... MORE

TheUnited States is responsible for Ukraine's hardening stance on thedivision of the Black Sea Fleet, the BSF newspaper Flag Rodiny reportedMay 20. Indeed, the paper said, increasing friendship betweenWashington and Kiev can only be directed against Moscow. Kiev Prepared To Sell Weapons Cheap.