Nadir Khachilaev, the former State Duma deputy from Dagestan who has been the object of a nationwide manhunt, was arrested by Russian law enforcement two days ago and sent to Moscow, where he was incarcerated in an undisclosed prison. Where and under what circumstances Khachilaev... MORE

The October 2 bomb attack on one of the strong candidates in the Ukrainian presidential race, the leftist radical Natalya Vitrenko, is impacting the course of the election campaign and may ultimately affect the main contenders' fortunes. Two explosive charges thrown at her car after... MORE

Even as Russian-Belarusan political and economic unification marks time, the two countries' military establishments seem to be forging ahead with plans to create joint forces and a common basing system. On October 5-6 in Moscow, Defense Minister Igor Sergeev of Russia and Aleksandr Chumakov of... MORE

The Bank of New York indictments against Russia come at a very sensitive time, given that the country is waiting for a US$640 million tranche from the IMF, which was supposed to be released last month but was delayed due to the money laundering scandal.... MORE

Western officials appear to be pulling out the stops in a public relations campaign aimed at squelching the perception that International Monetary Fund credits to Russia were stolen or misappropriated. U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright said in a speech at Stanford University in California... MORE

While Russian forces have essentially completed the creation of a cordon sanitaire in Chechnya up to the Terek River, Russian Defense Minister Igor Sergeev said yesterday that Russian armed forces are ready to move deeper into Chechnya. The Kremlin, it would appear, has no illusions... MORE

The rush of events in Russia, moreover, threatens to sweep aside the diplomatic gains which Japan and Russia have eked out over the past two years. The primary architect of improved relations between the two countries, former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto, has now been out... MORE

The formation of a new government in Japan under Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi appears to have had no immediate positive impact on stagnating Russian-Japanese relations. In Moscow, Russian diplomats and political leaders were quick to welcome the appointment of Yohei Kono as foreign minister. Like... MORE

Since the latest outbreak of war in the North Caucasus, the Russian government and military are publicly charging almost on a daily basis that the territories of Georgia and Azerbaijan are being used by "international terrorism" for supplying and reinforcing "Islamic fundamentalist" and "separatist" forces.... MORE

On September 30 and October 5, the Lithuanian parliament adopted two sets of legislative enactments, clearing the way for a takeover of the country's state-owned oil sector by the U.S. company Williams International and implicitly barring a takeover by Russia's Lukoil. The legislation: --merges the... MORE