The Moscow Oblast Court today will take up a controversial case involving a group of Russian Interior Ministry officers, who are accused of negligence that led to the deaths of federal soldiers in Chechnya. The trial was set to begin on January 14, but was... MORE

On January 12, Ukraine's ruling elite--For United Ukraine--finalized its list of candidates for the March 31 parliamentary elections. They will compete for the 225 seats in the nationwide constituency of Ukraine's 450-member body [Verkhovna Rada]. Also at stake that day will be 225 single-seat constituencies.... MORE

On January 16, the favorite--if opinion polls are to be believed--in Ukraine's parliamentary race also announced its list of candidates for the 225-seat nationwide constituency. Former Premier Viktor Yushchenko's Our Ukraine will put 209 into the contest. Only Ukraine's Communists came up with more candidates... MORE

Russian President Vladimir Putin has transferred Lieutenant-General Valery Yevnevich from the post of commander of Russian troops in Moldova to that of deputy commander in chief of Russia's ground forces, responsible for peacekeeping operations. In his new post, Yevnevich will oversee Russian troop contingents in... MORE

Although full-year data will not be available for quite some time, the CIS Statistical Office has released data on economic growth in output for the first three quarters of 2001 (www.cisstat.com, December 4, 2001). According to official statistics, the more economically reform-minded Central Asian states... MORE

Even more so than in developed market economies, exports are crucial for economic growth in the CIS. Because many of these economies are small, gains from trade can be very large, making expansion of trade key for growth. In addition, industry often looms large in... MORE

Russian and U.S. negotiators, meeting for two days of talks in Washington this week, have apparently failed to narrow their differences on a series of issues related to strategic arms reductions. Officials participating in the talks revealed few details, but made clear that the two... MORE

In statements made in both Moscow and Washington, delegation leader Colonel General Yury Baluevsky also appeared to set out the broader goals the Russian team is seeking to achieve. They apparently rest on what Moscow has formulated as a "principle of equal security," one in... MORE

Sergei Yastrzhembsky, President Putin's aide and main spokesman on Chechnya, said yesterday that although the federal government had ruled out the possibility of contacts with the Chechen rebel field commanders Shamil Basaev and Khattab, he could not do so with rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov. He... MORE

President Vladimir Putin, for his part, defended Russia's military operation in Chechnya during his official visit to France yesterday. "When we speak of double standards, we have in mind the following. The terrorist organization known worldwide, al-Qaida, is operating in Afghanistan, and it was protected... MORE