Accidents at Russian military ammunition dumps have occurred with distressing regularity over the past several years. There were two more such incidents this weekend at bases in Central Russia on the Volga River. Early Saturday morning, more than 6,000 23-millimeter aircraft cannon shells exploded during... MORE

Russian President Boris Yeltsin used his weekly radio address on February 20 to underscore the priority that the Kremlin attaches to both military reform and its goal of improving living conditions for military personnel. Yeltsin told his audience that Russia is building a new army:... MORE

Some thirty thousand protesters, waving red flags, marched through the streets of downtown Moscow yesterday and held a rally outside the Lubyanka -- best known as the headquarters of the secret police. The demonstration was held on the eve of Red Army Day (February 23),... MORE

On February 20, the State Duma failed to approve President Yeltsin's proposal to cut 27.9 billion rubles ($4.65 billion) from the 500 billion ruble spending plan for 1998. They will reconsider the budget draft, which had already passed three readings, on March 4. The left... MORE

Georgia's law enforcement agencies announced yesterday that they are holding eleven suspects in the assassination attempt against President Eduard Shevardnadze. Most are both supporters of the late president Zviad Gamsakhurdia and natives of the Zugdidi area in western Georgia -- a former stronghold of Gamsakhurdia.... MORE

The commander in chief of the Strategic Rocket Forces (SRF), Colonel-General Vladimir Yakovlev, told a Moscow press conference yesterday that the combat capability of his troops remained at a high level. They had had even, he said, increased their "combat efficiency" by 15 to 20... MORE

Russia's Foreign Ministry has approached Latvia about extending the Russian lease to the Skrunda antimissile early warning radar in Latvia, according to Colonel-General Vladimir Yakovlev, commander of Russia's strategic missile forces. Yakovlev implied that the matter is one of some urgency as the lease is... MORE

According to Ukraine's Trade Union Federation (FTUU), more than two million workers and other employees were to participate in the country-wide protest action scheduled for yesterday. In advance of the action day, FTUU leaders handed over to President Leonid Kuchma and Prime Minister Valery Pustovoytenko... MORE

The first deputy speaker of the Russian Duma, Vladimir Ryzhkov, warned yesterday that the Russian parliament will not ratify the START II nuclear arms treaty if the United States launches air strikes at Iraq. "One should watch the carrier aviation in the Persian Gulf. If... MORE

The International Monetary Fund has agreed to extend for a further year -- until 2000 -- its present three-year $10 billion loan to Russia. The extension is intended to help Russia ride out the aftereffects of the Asian crisis. The agreement was announced yesterday at... MORE