Acting Russian Defense Minister Igor Sergeev, speaking yesterday before a gathering of retired senior officers, painted a dismal picture of the Russian army's capabilities. Only the country's Strategic Rocket Forces and its paratroopers, he said, are currently able to perform their military tasks effectively. Sergeev... MORE

Russian President Boris Yeltsin yesterday ordered the cabinet of ministers to introduce "targeted economic pressures" against Latvia -- under the pretext of mass-scale violations of the human rights of Russians there. Russia will use that phrase, and not the tern "sanctions," to describe the measures,... MORE

Luzhkov's success in Moscow may not translate into a successful bid for the presidency, for three reasons. First, ask the question of how Luzhkov was able to create this powerful empire. Above all, Coulloudon argued, Luzhkov's success has been due to support from President Boris... MORE

Mayor Yuri Luzhkov has forged a model of paternalistic capitalism that has brought Moscow stability and prosperity. His model, however, now appears to be reaching its limits. It is unlikely to sustain Luzhkov in a presidential bid in 2000. This was the conclusion of Virginie... MORE

Export to the east, through China, is potential attractive. Gale Christoffersen told the Washington gathering that the needs of China -- a net oil importer since 1996 -- are projected to balloon in the future. Late in 1997 China embarked on a spurt of international... MORE

The strategies of different countries for the development of Caspian Sea oil and gas were subject to careful scrutiny by oil executives and government officials at a meeting organized by the National Bureau of Asian Research in Washington, DC on April 7. It is clear... MORE

Despite the generally optimistic public statements from both sides on the likelihood that this summit too will be a successful one, hints of tension have been heard over what is shaping up to be a key question in the broader Russian-Japanese dialogue. That question is... MORE

Various Russian and Japanese sources have appeared in recent days to differ over whether President Boris Yeltsin's upcoming summit talks in Japan -- set to begin on April 18 -- will extend to April 19 or one day later. Both sides seem to agree, however,... MORE

Madel Ismailov, head of the Almaty leftist group Workers' Movement, was sentenced yesterday to one year of imprisonment for a speech that "insulted the President's honor and dignity." Ismailov spoke during a rally at the Lenin monument in Almaty on the Bolshevik Revolution anniversary last... MORE

Georgia's State Security Ministry has identified a small group of Zviadist gunmen as responsible for the April 5 attack, which killed five and wounded seven during the funeral of Zviadist chieftain Gocha Esebua in Zugdidi. (See Monitor, April 6) Three of those killed and two... MORE