Russian troops have blockaded several villages in the Argun Gorge of Chechnya's southern Shatoi region, where some 3,000 Chechen rebels are concentrated. Intense fighting was reported in the mountains around Shatoi village, and Russian forces have been carrying out heavy air and artillery bombardments on... MORE

Several thousand people in Paris yesterday marked the 56th anniversary of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin's mass deportation of the Chechen and Ingush peoples with a demonstration in the center of the city. The demonstrators demanded, among other things, that the mandate of the international war... MORE

Georgia's presidential election campaign is gathering steam for the April 9 balloting day. Apart from President Eduard Shevardnadze--who is seeking reelection to a five-year term of office--no fewer than sixteen hopefuls applied for registration by the February 19 deadline. Most of them seem likely to... MORE

As anticipated (see the Monitor, July 15, December 7, 1999), the Shah-Deniz gas bonanza in Azerbaijan could lead that country--and the British Petroleum Amoco-led consortium of Shah Deniz owners--into the short-sighted temptation of elbowing Turkmenistan out of the gas markets of nearby countries. That could... MORE

Despite ambitious plans for natural gas exports in 1999, actual results for the year have been disappointing for the Turkmen authorities (PlanEcon Energy Report, January 2000). In the first half of 1999, the Turkmen economy appeared to "boom" as gas production rose to 22.4 billion... MORE

A day after he promoted a group of top military commanders, Acting President Vladimir Putin continued yesterday to use Russia's Defender of the Fatherland holiday--officially celebrated today--to woo military personnel and to present himself before Russian voters as a defender of the country's armed forces.... MORE

Two of Russia's most influential regional leaders, Kemerovo Oblast Governor Aman Tuleev and Samara Oblast Governor Konstantin Titov, both of whom are candidates in Russia's upcoming presidential election, have become embroiled in a debate over the future of Russia's administrative-territorial system. The issue is a... MORE

Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma may have gone too far in his move to weaken political opposition in the legislature through a constitutional referendum scheduled for April 16 (see the Monitor, January 21). Both domestic and foreign legal experts are pointing out that it is unclear... MORE

The poor showing by Ukraine's left-wing parties in last year's presidential election and their recent defeats in the parliamentary contests have apparently accelerated their fragmentation (see the Monitor, February 3, 16). Rumors about an imminent split within the Communist Party of Ukraine (CPU) were confirmed... MORE

On February 21, Ukraine completed the transfer to Russia of eleven strategic bombers, including eight Tupolev-160s and three Tupolev-95MS armed with cruise missiles. Included in the transfer are 575 cruise missiles, of which 360 were sent last week, with the remainder being sent this week.... MORE