Georgia's former state security chief and accused terrorist, Igor Giorgadze, has surfaced yet again in Russia with an interview in the current issue of the weekly "Moskovskie novosti." As in his previous interviews with Russian media, Giorgadze taunts the Georgian government and President Eduard Shevardnadze... MORE

The Ukrainian capital of Kyiv has, for the first time, a mayor elected by popular vote. Oleksandr Omelchenko--who has served as chairman of the Kyiv state administration since President Leonid Kuchma appointed him to that post in 1996--received 76 percent of the popular vote and... MORE

The Belarusan Popular Front (BPF)'s May 30 conference has narrowly averted an internal split and a fight with the other opposition parties--a course of action advocated by the BPF's emigre chairman, Zyanon Paznyak. Paznyak had openly embarked on that course last month when he virtually... MORE

In Cherkessk, the capital of Karachaevo-Cherkessia, unknown assailants attempted to set fire to the apartment of the editor of the official newspaper "Karachaevo-Cherkessia Dyen Respubliki," Anna Belskaya. The fire, however, was quickly extinguished. No one was hurt. The office of the republic's prosecutor general has... MORE

For all of those reasons, the meeting in Belgrade, when it occurs, is likely to be a difficult one. For one thing, Yugoslav officials yesterday continued to make it clear that they are willing to consider only the terms set out in a peace plan... MORE

The German Foreign Ministry announced today that Viktor Chernomyrdin, Russian special envoy on Kosovo, and European Union representative Martti Ahtisaari have delayed a mission to Belgrade after their all-night talks in Germany apparently failed to produce agreement on details of a Kosovo peace plan. The... MORE

There is growing speculation that President Boris Yeltsin's inner circle, having secured the ouster of Yevgeny Primakov as prime minister and gained control of key government posts and financial flows, is turning its attention toward removing a key obstacle to consolidating its power--Moscow Mayor Yuri... MORE

Ukrainian parliament chairman Oleksandr Tkachenko is the latest among the strong left-wing candidates to confirm his intention to run in the country's October presidential elections. An apologist for Soviet-era collective farms and an advocate of re-unification with Russia, Tkachenko was nominated on May 29 by... MORE

On May 28, for the first time since the end of the Chechen war, Russian troops carried out military actions on Chechen territory. Several helicopters launched rockets against positions held by fighters loyal to the field commander Khattab on the Terek River. The attack came... MORE

In addition to Milosevic's own well-documented untrustworthiness as a partner, ambiguities surrounding Russia's role as a peace mediator are another reason for continued Western uncertainty--and skepticism--over the weekend's diplomatic developments. At least until recently, Western officials apparently believed that the peace proposals being conveyed by... MORE