Russian Defense Minister Igor Sergeev announced yesterday that Russia is about to acquire the legal right to maintain its troops and military bases in Tajikistan. The announcement capped Sergeev's three-day visit to that republic, where he held detailed talks with President Imomali Rakhmonov regarding the... MORE

In a speech to the personnel of the 201st division and in a briefing for the local press, Defense Minister Igor Sergeev listed five justifications for Russia's intention to perpetuate its military presence in Tajikistan: (1) U.S. and NATO actions in Yugoslavia and other areas,... MORE

Belarusan President Alyaksandr Lukashenka announced yesterday that his government is about to publish, for "public discussion," its draft of the treaty of unification of Belarus with Russia. Addressing the parliament with the annual presidential message, Lukashenka anticipated that the Russia-Belarus treaty should create a "strong... MORE

Ukraine's United Social Democratic Party (USDP) publicly confirmed yesterday that it supports incumbent President Leonid Kuchma as a contender in the upcoming October presidential elections. Viktor Medvedchuk, USDP leader and deputy speaker in the Ukrainian parliament, who made the announcement, said that though the party... MORE

Meanwhile, also in apparent reaction to the left's increasing muscle-flexing, the press department of the Federal Security Service (FSB) has reportedly taken the unprecedented step of distributing an analytical paper to members of the State Duma. The report warns that the lower house's commission involved... MORE

While it is difficult to be certain of the dynamics behind Berezovsky's arrest, it is fair to say that Primakov had become his primary enemy and therefore that the prime minister has the most to gain from the arrest warrant. Indeed, a number of observers... MORE

Boris Berezovsky, in a press conference in Paris and interviews to numerous Russian media yesterday, attacked Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov and vowed to return to Russia next week despite the warrant issued for his arrest. The tycoon, who was recently fired as CIS executive secretary,... MORE

Meanwhile, accompanying Russian diplomatic efforts, more saber-rattling sounded in Moscow yesterday. The communist-dominated Russian State Duma overwhelmingly approved a non-binding resolution which urges President Boris Yeltsin and the Russian government to "take measures to supply the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia with armaments and spare parts."... MORE

Russia continued to seek a role in efforts to resolve the crisis in Kosovo yesterday, as President Boris Yeltsin urged leaders of the Group of Seven (G-7) industrialized nations to respond positively to peace proposals recently advanced by Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic. Yeltsin's appeal was... MORE

Kyrgyz Prime Minister Zhumabek Ibraimov was buried in Bishkek yesterday after having spent less than three months in that office. Appointed on December 24, 1998, Ibraimov went on "leave" on March 1, was hospitalized on March 12 in a Moscow oncological clinic, underwent surgery by... MORE