Yabloko leader Grigory Yavlinsky has again strongly criticized the government of Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov for what he describes as its close links with the leftist opposition in the State Duma. During a meeting yesterday of Yabloko's central council, Yavlinsky charged that Primakov has demonstrated... MORE

In a parallel move yesterday, Russia also welcomed an announcement out of Belgrade indicating that Yugoslavia was preparing to withdraw some of its forces from Kosovo. The withdrawal order was said to have gone into effect on the night of May 9. According to the... MORE

In a move which could further complicate NATO efforts to force an acceptable peace settlement on Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, Russia's special Balkans envoy Viktor Chernomyrdin flew to Beijing yesterday for talks with Chinese leaders. The trip, an unscheduled and unexpected one for Chernomyrdin, followed... MORE

A helicopter of Tajikistan's Presidential Guard crashed or was downed last week while overflying the Anzob pass in the Zeravshan mountain range. All ten aboard, according to the government's May 8 announcement, were killed (Itar-Tass, May 8). The area, situated seventy kilometers north of Dushanbe,... MORE

Even in territory nominally controlled by the Tajik government, anarchy symptoms persist. On a single day, May 8, the authorities reported three cases of contraband with massive amounts of aluminum---a product of Tursunzoda plant, one of the largest in the former Soviet Union. Seven heavy... MORE

Armenia's General Prosecutor's Office has released Vano Siradeghian, the country's former strongman, from investigative detention. Siradeghian had returned to Yerevan from abroad on May 3 and was instantly arrested, in violation of his immunity as a parliamentary candidate and without the required notification to the... MORE

On completing its mission to Ukraine on May 8, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) not only promised Ukraine that it would extend the country's Extended Fund Facility (EFF) loan--of which some US$500 million has already been received--but also justified Kyiv's hopes for additional funding. Mission... MORE

Addressing an audience in the Russian city of Volgograd (Stalingrad), Belarusan President Alyaksandr Lukashenka asserted that "the CIS has absolutely no prospects for development. There is no CIS in practical terms. It does not even fulfill the function of a political club. The heads of... MORE

On May 7 the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) of the Belarusan opposition, authorized by the legitimate parliamentary leadership, began balloting for the parallel presidential election scheduled for May 16. The CEC has created numerous local commissions throughout the country whose members intend to go from... MORE

Overnight on May 6-7 there was an exchange of gunfire in the Chechen capital of Djohar, not far from the offices of the city's mayor. According to one version of the incident, the shootout was between rival religious groups. According to another, it involved two... MORE