A number of Western editorialists have justly underscored the dichotomy between the vigorous, dynamic Yeltsin who faced down the hardline communist coup in August 1991 and the enfeebled and diminished leader who left office with a legacy of failed economic reform and a nation mired... MORE

Russian President Boris Yeltsin's surprise departure from power left world leaders stunned over the holiday weekend. U.S. President Bill Clinton and others scrambled to hail Yeltsin for the contribution he made to the dissolution of the Soviet Union and to the establishment of democracy in... MORE

A conventional wisdom seems to be emerging that Russia's first democratically elected head of state spontaneously stepped down on the eve of the new millennium in order, as Yeltsin himself said in his resignation speech, to ensure a smooth transition to a new generation of... MORE

The reelection of President Leonid Kuchma has removed a set of temporary constraints on Ukraine's cooperation with NATO. During most of the election year, Kuchma deemphasized that particular aspect of his foreign policy, one apt to alienate more voters in eastern Ukraine than it can... MORE

The Fatherland-All Russia coalition (OVR), headed by Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov and former Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov, already seems to be suffering from internal splits. Officials of the coalition--which came in third place in the recent State Duma elections, with some 13 percent of the... MORE

General Viktor Kazantsev, commander of Russian forces in Chechnya, has predicted that his forces will establish "full control" of the mountainous areas of the breakaway republic in two to three weeks. In an interview published today, Kazantsev also predicted that Djohar, the Chechen capital, would... MORE

The Russian Defense Ministry, like its U.S. counterpart, has reacted cautiously in recent weeks to a plan by European countries aimed at creating an EU crisis force of some 60,000 troops. But Moscow's concerns, not surprisingly, are exactly the opposite of those held by U.S.... MORE

Russia's first deputy trade minister responsible for the country's arms dealings, Grigory Rapota, suggested in comments yesterday that 1999 could prove to be a good year for Russian weapons merchants. According to Rapota, the value of Russian arms exports this year could top the US$3... MORE

Following his visit to NATO headquarters, Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Vilayet Guliev announced on December 20 in Baku that the country intends to apply for the status of "aspirant to membership" in the alliance. The Azerbaijani delegation discussed the matter with key Western counterparts during the... MORE

Vladimir Lukin's remarks underscored the argument being used by government leaders to try to win ratification of the START II ratification earlier this year. This same line of thinking is likely to remain the government's main argument in the future as it lobbies the new... MORE