There are signs that Russia may be moving toward a policy some would view as media censorship. During a meeting yesterday of the presidential commission to counteract political extremism, one of the issues discussed was how to fight manifestations of extremism and "collaboration with terrorists"... MORE

The Union of Right-Wing Forces (SPS), the coalition headed by former Prime Minister Sergei Kirienko which includes United Energy Systems head Anatoly Chubais and former Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov, voted yesterday to back Acting President Vladimir Putin in the March 26 presidential election. The... MORE

Armenia's Foreign Affairs Ministry may be reverting to a principle which it had seemingly forgotten how to practice: that of "complementarity" in external relations. As officially defined in Yerevan, this means pursuing cooperation with Russia and the West on parallel tracks, without sacrificing either. It... MORE

While the strength of the communists keeps withering in Ukraine, another enemy of modern democracy--nationalism--is apparently on the rise. Ukrainian nationalists see communists as Russian agents rather than as ideological enemies; at the same time, these two political groups share the same intolerant world perception.... MORE

1999 proved to be the best to date for the PFTS over-the-counter securities market in Kyiv. Trading volume on the PFTS--Ukraine's most popular securities system--surged to one billion hryvnya (US$200 million) and the share index almost doubled (Kyiv Post). Despite the increases, however, the PFTS... MORE

Unnamed Russian Defense Ministry sources are quoted this week as saying that Acting Russian President Vladimir Putin has recently signed a secret decree which would suspend the transfer of sensitive military technology and know-how to China. According to a private Russian news service, the decree... MORE

Any downgrading by Moscow of its ties to China, or any effort to back out of previously agreed-upon arms agreements, would indeed mark a significant discontinuity in Russian policy from Yeltsin to Putin. The bulk of the evidence, however, still appears right now to point... MORE

With less than two weeks left before Russia's presidential election, there are rumors that Acting President Vladimir Putin, the likely winner on March 26, will move decisively toward re-establishing central control over Russia's regions following his election. According to unconfirmed reports, Putin is favorably disposed... MORE

Acting Russian President Vladimir Putin announced yesterday that one of the top Chechen rebel commanders has been captured. Salman Raduev was taken during a special operation carried out by the Federal Security Service (FSB), transferred to Moscow and incarcerated in the capital's infamous Lefortovo prison.... MORE

General Anatoly Kornukov, commander-in-chief of Russia's Air Defense Forces, held talks on March 10-12 in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan with the political leaderships of those countries and signed agreements with his military counterparts. The meetings focused on developing the CIS Joint Air Defense System, a... MORE