Russia's Gazprom chairman Rem Vyakhirev has officially notified Moldovan President Petru Lucinschi that Gazprom is discontinuing "unreimbursed" gas deliveries until such time as Moldova pays for current deliveries and makes progress toward repaying its arrears. Vyakhirev's letter, made available on November 13 by Moldova's presidential... MORE

With 318 votes in favor and none opposed, Russia's Duma adopted in the third and final reading on November 13 a law on "The Russian Federation's State Policy Regarding Compatriots Abroad." This legislation targets the CIS and Baltic states. Apart from a number of declarative... MORE

The release of the anticrisis plan yesterday coincided with the expiration of the ninety-day moratorium on payments to foreign creditors announced last August by then Prime Minister Sergei Kirienko, at the same time his government devalued the ruble. Russian agencies reported that Russia's commercial banks... MORE

After six months and twelve days of captivity in Chechnya, Valentin Vlasov, President Boris Yeltsin's representative in Chechnya, was freed on Friday. Details surrounding his release have, as always in such cases, been kept secret. The only thing the Russian authorities did say is that... MORE

Russia's government and Central Bank released a 37-page document Sunday (November 15) detailing the steps it plans to take "to stabilize the socio-economic situation in the country." They include: (1) creating reserves of essential products, including energy products, to ensure there will be no shortages,... MORE

Russia and Japan on November 13 made public the so-called "Moscow Declaration," a much-advertised joint statement which sets out broad foreign policy goals for the two countries in the years to come. The statement had been signed the day before during summit talks in Moscow... MORE

A tumultuous and intense weekend of diplomatic maneuvering came to a peaceful--if still uncertain--conclusion yesterday as UN staff members began returning to Baghdad and international arms inspectors prepared to renew their monitoring efforts in Iraq beginning tomorrow. The decision to bring UN staff back to... MORE

The three OSCE mediators' proposals for settling the Karabakh conflict have received preliminary approval from both Armenia and Karabakh. Sharply departing from the mediators' previous approach, the new proposals include the Russian Foreign Ministry's concept of a "common state" to be created by Karabakh and... MORE

According to an intelligence assessment just issued in London, Ukraine is sliding inexorably toward Russia ("Global Intelligence Red Alert," November 12). This is not the vision of Ukraine's incumbent executive leadership. Using the occasion of neighboring Poland's eightieth anniversary, President Leonid Kuchma declared in a... MORE

The annual meeting of parliamentary chairmen of European Union associate countries, just held in Vilnius, prompted Lithuanian leaders to express angry disappointment over the EU's indefinite postponement of accession negotiations with their country. Lithuanian Parliament Chairman Vytautas Landsbergis and Prime Minister Gediminas Vagnorius argued that... MORE