In his remarks yesterday at China's national defense academy, Sergeev reportedly outlined certain key points of current Russian defense thinking. He said, for example, that the threat of large-scale military aggression against Russia had diminished for the near term. He also confirmed to his audience... MORE

Russian Defense Minister Igor Sergeev kicked off a four-day visit to China yesterday with the goal of further strengthening ties between Moscow and Beijing in the areas of security and military-technical cooperation. Sergeev, a former commander of Russia's Strategic Rocket Forces, arrived in Beijing following... MORE

On Tuesday (October 20) the Ukrainian parliament created a special commission to investigate the activities of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU). Creation of the commission followed a sensational statement of the Social Democratic Party (United) faction of October 19, which accused the NBU of... MORE

Four years elapsed yesterday since Russia pledged to withdraw all its troops and arsenals from Moldova within three years. Signed on October 21, 1994 by the two prime ministers (Viktor Chernomyrdin and Andrei Sangheli), the agreement bound Russia to the three-year deadline, "subject to internal... MORE

Latvia's Central Bank President Einars Repse announced yesterday that the country's trade turnover with Russia is declining substantially. The turnover with the European Union, however, is correspondingly increasing. Russia's share in Latvia's total exports has fallen to 16 percent thus far this year. Germany's share... MORE

CIS Executive Secretary Boris Berezovsky admitted yesterday that "every one" of the CIS countries objected to his latest proposals to reorganize the CIS. Speaking after the first--and, it now seems, the last--day of a CIS working group's session in Minsk, Berezovsky complained that the member... MORE

Russian President Boris Yeltsin and German Chancellor-elect Gerhard Schroeder have agreed to hold talks in Moscow on November 16-17, the Kremlin press service announced yesterday. The decision reportedly came during a telephone conversation between the two men (Itar-Tass, October 21). Schroeder is to be formally... MORE

A press spokesman for Energomash, one of Russia's largest producers of rocket engines, sharply denied yesterday that the company had ever conducted talks with Iraqi officials or signed any document for the sale of rocket engines, equipment or services to Iraq in violation of UN... MORE

Diplomats at the UN said on October 20 that Russia is blocking approval of a proposed UN resolution which would authorize NATO to use force against Belgrade if Yugoslav authorities fail to observe the terms of a recent peace agreement. Discussions of the draft resolution... MORE

A conference was held in Saratov on October 17 under the auspices of the local branch of the extreme-right Russian National Party (RNP). Entitled "Nationalism and regional policy," the gathering included RNP chairman Aleksandr Fedorov, along with RNP representatives from Moscow and Moscow Oblast, St.... MORE