CIS Executive Director Ivan Korotchenyatold Russian television May 22 that viewers should understand what theupcoming meeting is really about: "a single army, a single border system, asingle economic space." Or what many would call a single state. But themeeting is unlikely to move the 12... MORE

Gen. Aleksandr Lebed, the controversial commander ofthe 14th Russian Army in Moldova's Transdniestr region, said May 22 that heis willing to retire if Moscow will assure protection for his men and theirmassive stores of equipment, Moscow radio reported. Although the 14th Armynow numbers only 4,000... MORE

The Russian Central Bank willnot cut the new, higher reserve requirements that it had imposed on Russianbanks earlier this month, Moscow radio reported May 22. The Russian banks hadput enormous pressure on the Central Bank to do so, because the newrequirements have sharply cut into... MORE

Russian lobbyists now exert moreinfluence on the Russian government than do Duma deputies or the country'spolitical parties, Duma Social Organizations Committee chairman VladimirLepekhin told Rossiiskie vesti May 6. Those tied to the banks or to otherlarge businesses can use their extensive financial resources to influence... MORE

During Russian primeminister Chernomyrdin's visit to Sofia this week, the two countries agreed toreestablish a defense industry commission to coordinate the production ofweaponry, Moscow radio reported May 22. A similar coordinating body hadexisted under the Warsaw Pact but had been disbanded along with the Pact.... MORE

The three Russians arrested by ScotlandYard last week for laundering funds from Chechnya were also involved incriminal financial dealings in the US, Canada, and Austria, Moscow televisionreported May 22. The station said that more than 20 people are involved, andthat Scotland Yard believed the ring's... MORE

At its meeting in Paris, the23-nation International Energy Agency sharply criticized Moscow's nuclearsafety arrangements. Although the body said in a widely-reported study thatmany of the problems flowed from a lack of funds, the IEA said Russia was notdoing even what it could, and thus presented... MORE

In military construction units, almost oneRussian soldier in three is addicted to drugs, Podmoskovskie izvestiyareported May 13. The civilian authorities do not get involved, and themilitary authorities do not want to, the paper said. Drug use in themilitary, and in the broader society, is likely... MORE

A seniorRussian prosecutor told Itar-Tass May 18 that negligence and maintenanceshortcomings were behind most air and train crashes in Russia. Deaths fromplane crashes rose from 22 in 1993 to 302 in 1994. Most of the crashes wereof smaller, prop planes. Eurasian Theorist Given Award.

Duma speaker Ivan Rybkin presented the firstRussian "Milestones" award to the late anthropologist Lev Gumilev, Moscowtelevision reported May 23. The son of two distinguished poets, Gumilevelaborated the modern version of Eurasianism which holds that Russia is aunique civilization superior to the West, and that intermarriage... MORE