Kazakhstan's National Security Committee (KNB) announced yesterday the arrest of an unnamed retired KNB major-general on charges of spying for an unnamed foreign power. On active duty until recently, the general is said to have been recruited as an agent for that country during an... MORE

Yesterday, in a 65-56 vote with 25 abstentions, the Armenian parliament rejected Prosecutor-General Aghvan Hovsepian's request to lift Vano Siradeghian's parliamentary immunity, which would permit Siradeghian's arrest. Siradeghian, now chairman of the Armenian Pan-National Movement (APNM), was arguably Armenia's most influential figure from 1994 to... MORE

The fate of the Russian-Ukrainian interstate treaty is being decided in Russia's Federation Council today. Signed by Presidents Boris Yeltsin and Leonid Kuchma in Kyiv almost two years ago, and ratified by the Ukrainian parliament, the treaty enshrines Ukraine's existing borders and territorial integrity. In... MORE

This week's release of Vitaly Kozmenko, a 72-year-old Muscovite who was held hostage in Chechnya for sixteen months, was made possible by the mediation of Nadyr Khachilaev, head of the Union of Muslims of Russia. Khachilaev's role in freeing Kozmenko is surprising, given that Khachilaev,... MORE

Over the past few weeks Russia's government bureaucracy has at last moved to take some official action aimed at combating the Year 2000 bug. The Russian move is at least in part a response to intense prodding from the West, where some experts believe that... MORE

A spokesman for Energia, meanwhile, said that the company had found a foreign sponsor willing to pay the US$250 million a year needed to keep the Mir station in orbit. "We have a preliminary agreement that a contract could be signed, but our partner had... MORE

The fate of Russia's Mir space station remains uncertain this week, despite a January 22nd government decision to extend the life of the twelve-year-old vessel by anther three years. Russian space officials said yesterday that they had still not finalized a deal under which an... MORE

Some observers questioned why Primakov put forward his initiative during a period of relative calm and peace among the various branches of power. Few political storm clouds are on the horizon. For example, despite the ongoing Duma proceedings, Yeltsin is highly unlikely to be impeached.... MORE

Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov's January 22 letter to State Duma speaker Gennady Seleznev has become a hot topic of discussion and speculation in Moscow's political circles. In that letter Primakov urged a kind of non-aggression pact for the parliament, the government and the Kremlin to... MORE

The Tajik government announced yesterday some significant headway in suppressing insubordinate armed groups near the capital Dushanbe. Government forces killed Commander Saidmuhtor Iorov and several of his fighters, and claimed to be in hot pursuit of a second detachment. Both groups had been active for... MORE