Denials were the order of the day yesterday in Washington, Moscow and Brussels as officials reacted to a New York Times article alleging that Russia and some NATO allies are exploring possible deals by which Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic may be able to leave office--apparently... MORE

According to official industrial output data, Russia's manufacturing sector has been the unlikely hero of its economic recovery. Since April 1999 Russia has been recording year-on-year growth in industrial output, thanks largely to the weak ruble, which has priced imported manufactured goods out of the... MORE

A number of factors seem responsible for Russia's manufacturing slowdown. The energy sector may be cracking under the strain of supplying Russia's energy-intensive manufacturers--many of whom pay for their electricity and fuel in barter, promissory notes or other monetary surrogates. Gazprom's output of natural gas... MORE

Because industry was the locomotive behind the 1999 GDP growth, the industrial slowdown suggests that Russia's overall economic recovery could slow as well. However, the official data indicate that other sectors are emerging to pick up the slack. The volume of construction activities during the... MORE

Akhmed Kadyrov's swearing-in as head of Chechnya's provisional administration has again been postponed. Kadyrov reportedly refused to attend the ceremony in the town of Gudermes marking his accession to the post until Viktor Kazantsev, President Vladimir Putin's representative in the North Caucasus federal district, was... MORE

On June 16-17, Russia's President Vladimir Putin paid a "working visit" to Moldova--the first by a Russian president since 1992. The visit aimed to recoup for Moscow at least part of the political influence lost during the nine years of Moldovan independence. The bargaining chips:... MORE

Russian President Vladimir Putin used two days of talks in Berlin last week to push a Kremlin plan for a European missile defense system, boost German-Russian economic dealings, and forge a personal relationship with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. More generally, the Russian leader sought to... MORE

Security issues figured prominently in the recent two days of talks in Berlin between Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. Putin used an address to German businessmen on June 15 to restate in harsh terms Moscow's continuing opposition to NATO enlargement. He... MORE

Vladimir Gusinsky, the Media-Most founder and chief, was freed from Moscow's Butyrka Prison on June 16 after being formally charged with large-scale embezzlement in connection with an existing criminal investigation into the St. Petersburg-based company Russkoye Video. Gusinsky, who had been arrested and detained four... MORE

Observers have continued speculating about precisely who was behind Gusinsky's arrest. Last week, Putin denied having prior knowledge of the plans to arrest the media magnate, calling it a "dubious present" to him (see the Monitor, June 14). The newspaper Segodnya, which is part of... MORE