Russian officials have again indicated that they are ready for negotiations with Chechen rebel leaders, including Aslan Maskhadov, the breakaway republic's president. The Russian side, however, has made it clear that Maskhadov must meet certain conditions, while the Chechen leader has called for negotiations with... MORE

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who began a visit to Ukraine on April 17, was preceded and in some ways upstaged by U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright's April 14-15 visit there. To Moscow's barely disguised annoyance, Washington and Kyiv brought Albright's visit forward to confirm... MORE

On April 17-18, Vladimir Putin paid his first visit to Ukraine as president of Russia. The presence of Defense Minister Igor Sergeev, Fuel and Energy Minister Viktor Kalyuzhniy, Gazprom chairman Rem Vyakhirev and other heads of Russian government departments in Putin's delegation had seemed to... MORE

In what many will describe as a landmark victory for the rule of law in Russia, a retired Russian naval captain emerged victorious yesterday from a four-year battle with the country's powerful Federal Security Service (FSB). Aleksandr Nikitin, a naval engineer and researcher, was acquitted... MORE

Recent data point to a number of interesting foreign investment trends in Russia. As a site for foreign direct investment (FDI), Russia remains a laggard in the region, not only compared to Poland and Hungary, but to Kazakhstan as well. The data also show that... MORE

In contrast to most other transition economies, Russia has accumulated a significant amount of FDI abroad. According to CBR data, Russian companies had recorded US$7.1 billion in FDI abroad by the end of 1999, with US$2.1 billion of this coming in 1999 alone. Thus, every... MORE

The CBR data also indicate that the amount of capital flowing out of Russia slowed sharply after 1996-1997. Outflows reported on Russia's capital and financial account--which shows the balance of capital inflows and outflows--fell to US$18.2 billion last year, down from US$19.7 billion in 1998,... MORE

The Russian government has launched its long-anticipated attempt to reassert control over Russia's eighty-nine regions and republics, at the expense of the governors and presidents who currently have essentially unlimited power in the territories they administer. On April 11, Russia's' Constitutional Court affirmed the right... MORE

April 14 was the deadline for candidates wishing to run for governor of St. Petersburg to submit lists of signatures in support of their candidacies. These lists were required in order to validate a candidate's registration, whereupon the candidate has the right to begin campaigning.... MORE

Moldova risks becoming the second post-Soviet country, after Belarus, to reject market reforms in general and cooperation with the International Monetary Fund in particular. On April 17, the parliament turned down its last chance to vote on the privatization of the wine and tobacco industries,... MORE