Russian president Boris Yeltsin on July 25 vetoed the draft Land Code passed by both houses of the Russian parliament because it outlaws the free sale of agricultural land. Yeltsin says this violates Russian citizens' constitutionally-guaranteed right to own land since the right to sell... MORE

President Boris Yeltsin devoted much of his regular Friday radio broadcast on July 25 to the steps he has taken recently to begin the reform of the armed forces. Yeltsin acknowledged that he would have preferred to initiate such a major initiative under more favorable... MORE

News about the Chechen banking system and renovation of its energy infrastructure is beginning to compete with stories about kidnappings and political instability. Under an agreement concluded earlier this year with federal officials, the Chechen government is to receive $4-5 in transit fees for every... MORE

Last week's trip by Russian Security Council secretary Ivan Rybkin and nationalities minister Vyacheslav Mikhailov to the Prigorodny district of North Ossetia appears to have yielded few results. Contrary to the expectations of those close to Ingushetia's president Ruslan Aushev and North Ossetia's president Akhsarbek... MORE

Although data for the first half of 1997 show that Ukraine's deep recession continues, the passage in late June of the 1997 budget and a portion of the tax legislation demanded by the IMF, combined with continued low inflation and exchange-rate stability, suggests that policy... MORE

The defense ministers of Romania and Moldova, Victor Babiuc and Valeriu Passat, signed on July 24 in Bucharest a set of agreements of intent on bilateral military cooperation. According to Romanian sources, the documents envisage: joint troop and staff exercises on Romanian territory, starting this... MORE

The first round of Georgian-Abkhaz negotiations under a new format was held in Geneva on July 23-25. The U.S., Germany, Britain, and France, which jointly comprise the Friends of Georgia group of countries, joined Russia and the UN as participants in the negotiations. However, the... MORE

Russian prime minister Viktor Chernomyrdin told the cabinet yesterday that President Boris Yeltsin will shortly sign a decree transferring responsibility for running the country's prisons from the Interior Ministry to the Justice Ministry. (Radio Mayak, July 24) The move to civilian control is being made... MORE

Shamil Tarpishchev, the tennis coach elevated by President Yeltsin to head Russia's State Committee for Sports and Tourism, is to join the staff of Moscow mayor Yury Luzhkov and help organize the World Youth Games in the Russian capital next summer. Tarpishchev fell from Yeltsin's... MORE

Moscow mayor Yury Luzhkov yesterday declared to reporters that it is dangerous to launch military reforms at the present time because of instability in the army. Luzhkov called instead for reform to be postponed until wage arrears are paid and conditions normalize for military personnel.... MORE