A suit filed June 21 by the Moscow City Prosecutor's Office contesting the 1997 privatization of Norilsk Nickel, coming on the heels of its moves against the Media-Most group, suggests that the administration of President Vladimir Putin is moving against some of the country's leading... MORE

Most observers believe it is no coincidence that the suit contesting Norilsk's privatization came just weeks after the arrest and release of Media-Most founder Vladimir Gusinsky. They are split, however, over the exactly who is behind the move and what motivated it. Some, including ultranationalist... MORE

On June 20, just eight days after President Vladimir Putin named Akhmed Kadyrov, Chechnya's mufti, head of the republic's provisional administration, General Viktor Kazantsev, Putin's representative in the newly formed North Caucasus federal district, finally presented Kadyrov to his subordinates. Various top officials participated in... MORE

The case of Edmond Pope, a retired American naval officer being held in Russia's Lefortovo prison, remains unresolved this week nearly three months after his arrest on espionage charges. Pope's wife, Cheryl, had a brief meeting with the 53-year-old American yesterday, after which she appealed... MORE

On June 19-21, the defense ministers, foreign affairs ministers, prime ministers and presidents of CIS countries all held meetings, in that order, in Moscow. Russia's President Vladimir Putin sought and got his opportunity to step onto the international stage in the role of "bloc leader."... MORE

As expected, and for lack of immediate alternatives, Georgia approved a routine six-month extension of Russia's "peacekeeping" mandate in Abkhazia. Since its inception in 1994, that Russian operation has been using a CIS flag of convenience. At this summit, however, Moscow was no longer able... MORE

The UN war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia was back in the news yesterday, just one day after reports broke alleging that the United States and other countries--including Russia--were exploring a deal whereby Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic might be granted immunity from prosecution for... MORE

Local elections were held in Vladivostok on June 18, in which voters were invited to elect both the city's mayor and deputies to vacant seats in the City Council (Russian agencies, June 18). This was the eighteenth time elections had been held for the City... MORE

Data recently released by the Azerbaijani National Bank (ANB) and the government show that foreign direct investment (FDI) in Azerbaijan, and the country's rapid economic growth, continue to slow. At the same time, Azerbaijan's trade and current account deficits are falling dramatically, thanks to high... MORE

Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbaev presented three symbolic concessions to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, during Nazarbaev's June 19-20 "working visit" to Moscow. He offered to open a bilingual "Kazakhstani-Russian University" in Kazakhstan under the two presidents' joint sponsorship, create a society of the Kazakhstani scientific... MORE