The former chairman of Russia's Federation Council, Vladimir Shumeiko, calls for raising the Kaliningrad region's status to that of a "Russian Baltic Republic" within the Russian Federation. Shumeiko, a Yeltsin loyalist during his tenure as chairman of the upper chamber, subsequently launched the movement "Reforms-New... MORE

An Ilyushin-78 military transport plane of the Ukrainian Air Force crashed on July 17 while approaching Asmara airport in Eritrea, killing the crew of eight Ukrainians and a Bulgarian representative on board. Based near Zaporizhzhya in Ukraine, the plane had been leased by the Ukrainian... MORE

The "Ukrainian Union for the Revival of the USSR" held its founding congress on July 18 in Kyiv. Delegations from eighteen Ukrainian regions attended. The congress approved a program envisaging the "restoration of a Ukrainian Soviet Socialist state ... which would join with other Soviet... MORE

The surgery performed in Tbilisi by German and Georgian doctors on President Eduard Shevardnadze is officially reported to have proceeded without any complications. A stone in the president's bladder was removed. Shevardnadze is expected to resume his duties immediately. (Iprinda, AP, July 17; see the... MORE

Abkhaz authorities yesterday released Ruzgen Gogokhia, a prominent Georgian commander in the 1992-93 war. The Abkhaz kidnapped Gogokhia in 1995 and sentenced him to death, but kept him in jail, apparently with a view to using him in an exchange of prisoners. The Georgian and... MORE

Azerbaijan President Haidar Aliev's foreign policy adviser, Vafa Guluzade, has expressed the country's "alarm" over Moscow's intention to add modern weaponry to the Russian arsenal deployed in Armenia. Guluzade spoke on July 18 following Russian Defense Minister Igor Sergeev's visit to Armenia, where he announced... MORE

Presidents Nursultan Nazarbaev of Kazakhstan, Askar Akaev of Kyrgyzstan and Imomali Rahmonov of Tajikistan, joined by Uzbek Prime Minister Utkir Sultanov representing President Islam Karimov, held a regular summit of the Central Asian Union on July 17 in the Kyrgyz town of Cholpon-Ata. The summit... MORE

In a surprise announcement, President Boris Yeltsin yesterday said he will attend today's funeral in St. Petersburg of the remains of Russia's last tsar and his family. Yeltsin, who will attend in his official capacity, had earlier said he would not attend. (RTR, July 16)... MORE

The July 15 Russian government decision to investigate some nine organizations suspected of leaking dual-use technologies to foreign countries was foreshadowed earlier this week in remarks by the director of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB). The launching of the Russian investigations was warmly applauded by... MORE

Russian missile technology transfers to Iran were also said to be the main subject of talks this week between Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) director Nikolai Kovalev and top Israeli political, military and security officials. According to an Israeli newspaper, Kovalev arrived in Israel on... MORE