In a sure sign that the campaign for the next State Duma elections is underway, several political movements held congresses over the weekend. Democratic Russia, which was headed by State Duma Deputy Galina Starovoitova until her murder last November 20, held its sixth annual national... MORE

Always more eager to jump into foreign policy disputes than to deal with pressing domestic issues, several Russian lawmakers also joined the fray over the weekend. The communist speaker of Russia's lower house of parliament, Gennady Seleznev, threatened anew on February 19 that Moscow would... MORE

Serb forces backed by tanks battled ethnic Albanian rebels outside Kosovo's capital today. According to Walter Ebenberger, spokesman for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the fighting erupted when about ten Serb military vehicles came under fire near the town of Vucitrn, about... MORE

As peace negotiations in Rambouillet, France intensified in hopes of reaching a settlement before a new deadline set for tomorrow, Russian officials of all stripes continued to speak out loudly over the weekend about the ongoing crisis in the Balkans. The Russian presidential press service,... MORE

At a cabinet meeting on February 18, Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma blasted the work of the power engineering branch of the country's energy industry, describing it as inefficient and "criminalized." Premier Valery Pustovoytenko said that Nur Nigmatullin, head of the national nuclear power company Energoatom,... MORE

Presidents Lennart Meri of Estonia, Guntis Ulmanis of Latvia, and Valdas Adamkus of Lithuania met in Tallinn yesterday amid uncertainty over the pace and scope of NATO's enlargement. The presidents issued a joint communique urging NATO to undertake, at the upcoming Washington summit, "clear political... MORE

Against the background of a collapsing economy and a humanitarian disaster, Moldova is going through a government crisis and political paralysis. The cabinet of Prime Minister Ion Ciubuc, having run out of solutions, resigned three weeks ago (see the Monitor, February 1). President Petru Lucinschi... MORE

On February 17, thirty members of the Federation Council--the upper chamber of Russia's parliament, which is composed of regional leaders--signed an appeal to the public announcing the formation of a new electoral bloc provisionally called "Golos Rossii" (Russia's Voice). One of the signatories, Samara Governor... MORE

A senior Russian law enforcement official said yesterday that Yuri Shutov, the St. Petersburg legislative assembly deputy arrested on February 16 on suspicion of involvement in high-profile murders, may have been behind the assassination of Democratic Russia leader Galina Starovoitova last November. Interior Minister Serge... MORE

Yesterday Syrian Foreign Minister Faruq al-Shar'a wound up a three-day visit to Moscow, during which he met with a host of top Russian government officials. Few details of the talks were made public and no major agreements were signed. Both sides emphasized in general terms,... MORE