In a related development, meanwhile, Russian special envoy Viktor Chernomyrdin yesterday defended himself against domestic criticism that his efforts to mediate the Kosovo crisis had produced no tangible results. He also denied suggestions that the Kremlin was moving behind the scenes to sell out Belgrade... MORE

There were new indications yesterday--on the eve of today's key Group of Seven meeting devoted to the conflict in Kosovo--that Russia and the West have narrowed their differences over how best to seek a political solution to the crisis. Foreign ministers from the G-7 nations... MORE

Moldova's Presidency and Foreign Ministry yesterday expressed concern over the fate of an agreement with Moscow to remove twelve trainloads of Russian military equipment from Moldova's Transdniester region. The two parallel statements from Chisinau seem designed to hold Moscow to its obligation, against the background... MORE

A confidential document for internal party use--which was leaked to the press--catalogs recent political errors committed by Fatherland Union/Lithuanian Conservatives (FU/LC), the majority party in Lithuania's parliament and in the outgoing government. Those errors are seen to account at least in part for FU/LC's loss... MORE

During the evening of May 2 in three regions of Karachaevo-Cherkessia, unknown assailants hurled Molotov cocktails and grenades at the electoral headquarters of Stanislav Derev, who is one of the candidates in the republic's presidential race, and at the home of one of his supporters.... MORE

The Kremlin is said to have established a "situations staff" to formulate responses to the Duma's impeachment initiative. Its members reportedly include Tatyana Dyachenko (Yeltsin's daughter and "image adviser"), Kremlin administration chief Aleksandr Voloshin and his first deputy, Oleg Sysuev, Federal Security Service director and... MORE

Has the Kremlin suddenly decided to switch to a softer line vis-a-vis the cabinet of Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov and the opposition-dominated State Duma? President Boris Yeltsin and his inner circle--who had been considering radical responses to the Duma's planned impeachment vote, expected to take... MORE

Viktor Chernomyrdin's talks in New York with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan appeared to produce no more significant breakthroughs than the talks in Washington did. A spokesman for Annan said that the two men had "identified a number of areas on which further consultations with... MORE

Former Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin's seeming lack of success in both Washington and New York notwithstanding, the already frenetic pace of diplomatic maneuvering over Kosovo seems likely to intensify even more in the days to come. U.S. President Bill Clinton, accompanied by Secretary of State... MORE

Former Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin wound up a two-day visit to the United States yesterday, but it was unclear at its conclusion whether his mission--devoted to brokering a diplomatic solution of the Kosovo conflict--had met with any real success. Chernomyrdin, who last month was... MORE