Despite such objections, the merger plan appears to be moving inexorably forward. One issue which remains unsolved is who will head the Russia-Belarus union. Belarusan President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has been pushing for a "leader's" post, which would not necessarily be called a presidency but would... MORE

As plans for a Russia-Belarus union continue to race forward, some Russian politicians have begun speaking out against the idea. One of them is Yabloko leader Grigory Yavlinsky, who, in separate interviews over the weekend, warned that a rapid merger of the two states could... MORE

For the time being at least, Russia's participation in the Kosovo peacekeeping force will apparently be the main form of cooperation between Moscow and the Western alliance. In the wake of NATO's decision this past March to launch airstrikes against Kosovo, Russia moved to sever... MORE

Over the weekend, for the first time since they arrived in Yugoslavia, Russian troops began deploying away from the Slatina airport near Pristina to the sites where they will establish more permanent bases of operations. An advance unit of Russian paratroopers moved on July 10... MORE

The latest statements of the senior presidential adviser, Vafa Guluzade, concerning Azerbaijan's relations with NATO testify to an increasingly mature approach to that crucial issue. Guluzade--with the approval of President Haidar Aliev--had earlier this year taken the lead in urging NATO, the United States and... MORE

A controversy which recently broke out in Ukraine around the replacement of the director of the Mykolaiv Alumina Plant (MAP) suggests how Russian oligarchs may indirectly influence the Ukrainian presidential race. It could also affect Premier Valery Pustovoytenko, one of President Leonid Kuchma's re-election campaign... MORE

Kuchma has already begun paying the price for Russia's political support. But since that support stems from the Kremlin's own interest, Kuchma should be able to avoid any significant damage to Ukraine in the course of reciprocating for Yeltsin's favors. At the Moscow meeting, Kuchma... MORE

The Kremlin seems set to repeat last year's performance in assisting Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma withstand a Red revanche in the elections. Concerned lest such a revanche in Ukraine produce a spillover effect in Russia, the Kremlin and President Boris Yeltsin personally helped orchestrate political... MORE

President Boris Yeltsin said today that the democrats will gain a majority of seats in the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, in the next parliamentary vote, which is set for December of this year. During a meeting with a group of regional leaders,... MORE

The efforts of Russia's center-right democrats to form a united front appear to be having problems. Last week, during the World Economic Forum meeting in Salzburg, top officials from four blocs--Russia is Our Home, Right Cause, Voice of Russia and New Force--reportedly reached an agreement... MORE