In an indication thatdemocratic rules of the game are beginning to penetrate into thepost-Soviet mentality, Pravda Ukrainy on May 19 reported the followinganecdote. A young man desperately in love tells his intended that hewants to make a "formal proposal." "My dear, how naive you are,"... MORE

Despite theapparent collapse of the first round of talks between Moscow and theChechens, Russia's governor in the region said he expected them to resume in two or three days, Moscow television reported May 25. Nikolai Semenov, who led the Russian delegation, said that the most... MORE

Nine of the 12 presidents of the CIS statesassembled in Minsk to discuss economic integration and other issues,Itar-Tass reported May 26. Missing were Kazakhstan's Nursultan Nazarbayev,Turkmenistan's Sapurmurat Niyazov, and Georgia's Eduard Shevardnadze.Chaired by Boris Yeltsin, the meeting is unlikely to make any serious progress on... MORE

InfluentialNizhni-Novgorod governor Boris Nemtsov said that the Federation Councilwould never override Yeltsin's veto of the election law, and that the Dumawould never agreed to the modifications that the president had demanded,Moscow radio reported May 25. As a result, Nemtsov concluded, there is a "real threat"... MORE

Even if the elections do take place, Chernomyrdin's "Russia is OurHome" bloc may not do very well. According to a poll published in Obshchayagazeta (no. 21), only 10 percent of Russians say they would vote for the bloc, while 56 percent said they were opposed... MORE

Prior to leaving for the MinskCIS summit, Boris Yeltsin told Interfax May 25 that the Serbs had been warned that NATO airstrikes would occur if they did not return the heavy weapons, as the UN commander on the scene had demanded. Earlier on the same... MORE

Boris Yeltsin willchair a special working group on Russia's role in the European securityenvironment, including NATO, Russian national security advisor Oleg Lobovtold Moscow television May 24. The same day, Lobov expressed somereservations about Moscow's signing onto a Partnership for Peace agreementwith the alliance. American officials... MORE

On May 25,Russian television showed Boris Yeltsin distributing awards to veterans ofWorld War II and of the Chechen conflict. In addition, Yeltsin gave awards to some civilians. Among the most prominent of those receiving decorations was General Dmitri Volkogonov. Volkogonov, a biographer of Lenin and... MORE

An unnamedsenior Russian commander in Chechnya told Interfax May 25 that Moscow'sfuture strategy in the region would combine surgical military strikes in the field, and diplomatically "acceptable" proposals at the negotiating table. To date, Russian military attacks have been anything but precise and have led... MORE

Following theirconference May 24, representatives of the Russian Soldiers Mothersorganization picketed the Duma to protest the continuation of fighting inChechnya, Moscow radio reported. Among the placards was one saying "TheChechen War is a Crime Against Humanity," the radio said. Moscow Weekly Debunks Claims That Baltic... MORE