Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov has not yet decided whether to attend Aleksandr Lebed's inauguration as governor of Krasnoyarsk Krai. Right after his victory, Lebed announced that he intended to invite Maskhadov to the ceremony. According to Chechen Deputy Premier Turpal Atgeriev, "the Chechen leadership followed... MORE

In recent days, tension in the districts of Dagestan bordering Chechnya has sharply intensified. On May 18, in Dagestan's Untsukul district, someone fired a grenade launcher at a truck carrying Russian border guards, one of whom was seriously wounded. On Tuesday, the chief of administration... MORE

The "Congress of the Peoples of Chechnya and Dagestan" held recently in Djohar (see the Monitor, May 19) not only has not fostered the formation of friendly ties between the two republics, it has noticeably worsened the already uneasy relations between Djohar and Makhachkala. Immediately... MORE

Completing yesterday a fact-finding visit on behalf of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), its delegate Andreas Gross refuted Russian Duma accusations against Lithuania. The Duma had asked the PACE to investigate Lithuania's "persecution" of Valery Ivanov as a "representative of the... MORE

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Boris Tarasyuk and President Leonid Kuchma's spokesman Oleksandr Maydannik have sharply objected to the G-7 countries' statement on Chornobyl, issued at the May 15 summit in Birmingham. The statement urges Ukraine to close down that stricken nuclear power plant by the year... MORE

Unusually intense fighting between Abkhaz forces and Georgian guerrillas (see the Monitor, May 20) continued in Gali district yesterday. By the end of the day the Georgian force was said to have "dug in" in several villages it controls. Dozens were reported killed, each side... MORE

In a televised address marking Turkmenistan's National Revival Day, President Saparmurad Niazov spoke of the importance of Islam in the country and how believers were offended by indiscriminate attacks against "fundamentalism." According to Niazov, it is also "incorrect" to accuse Iran and Afghanistan of spreading... MORE

Pledging to boost regional transport and communication links, the ten members holding the fifth summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) closed in Almaty on May 11 with a communique. The "Almaty declaration" also called for cooperation between ECO-member-states against smuggling and customs fraud (aimed... MORE

The Communist Party and the People's Power and Agrarian parliamentary factions intend to start collecting signatures in support of impeaching President Boris Yeltsin, Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov announced yesterday. He said the decision was made by the People's Patriotic Union (PPU), the opposition coalition,... MORE

Russia's State Duma yesterday appeared to deal the START II strategic arms treaty a setback when lawmakers decided to delay until September hearings on the treaty's ratification. The hearings had been scheduled for June 9. According to a Russian deputy dealing with the treaty, lawmakers... MORE