Clan warfare has once again erupted in the pages of the Russian press, and a central theme of the most recent round of charges is the allocation of interest-free credits by commercial banks. The latest volley was fired off in the government newspaper Rossiiskaya gazeta,... MORE

Russia, which will sit on the newly formed Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council and which itself concluded a sweeping political agreement with NATO in late May, nevertheless continued yesterday to view the summit's proceedings with something less than enthusiasm. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Gennady Tarasov did suggest... MORE

Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchma and the leaders of NATO's 16 member countries signed yesterday in Madrid a Charter of Distinctive Partnership between the alliance and Ukraine. The charter envisages consultations between Ukraine and NATO on political and security issues, conflict prevention, the control of arms... MORE

On the second day of its historic summit meeting in Madrid, NATO yesterday turned its attention to meeting the security concerns of both non-NATO members and those countries which aspire to join NATO but which were not invited into the alliance a day earlier. With... MORE

Only two days after Russian and Japanese delegations had wrapped up a tenth round of negotiations on regulating Japanese fishing around the Kuril Islands, Russian coast guard vessels on July 6 drove five Japanese crab fishing boats out of the disputed waters. The commander of... MORE

Russian judges, whose work sometimes subjects them to high risks, will soon be able to defend themselves against dissatisfied customers. According to the Interior Ministry, judges will soon receive specially designed mini-pistols measuring no more than 5-7 centimeters in length and taking only two rounds... MORE

The repatriation of Tajiks who fled to Afghanistan, including opposition fighters based there, is one of the major elements in the June 27 political agreement which proclaimed an end to the civil war in Tajikistan. (see Monitor, June 27) The repatriation is to be supervised... MORE

Late next month, U.S. Marines from the Sixth Fleet who are participating in the NATO-sponsored "Sea Breeze-97" exercise will either storm ashore on the Crimean Peninsula, or near Odessa. Or they might just sit tight on their ships. Ukrainian and American officials alike have been... MORE

Completing a three-year tour of duty in Belarus, U.S. ambassador Kenneth Yalowitz told a farewell news conference yesterday that the U.S. has "nothing against the Russia-Belarus union provided it is based on free consent and openness and if it does not aim to create a... MORE

Military police, an institution unprecedented in Russian history, will be introduced in the Russian armed forces. According to Lt. Gen. Vladimir Kudakov, head of the Russian General Staff's security directorate, the need to create such units is explained by "the complication of the criminal situation... MORE