On April 16, Russia signed Protocol 6 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. (Itar-Tass, April 16) Russia undertook to sign the protocol and to abolish the death penalty within three years when it joined the Council of Europe... MORE

The state of negotiations between Russia and the NATO alliance on a proposed political agreement remains uncertain in the wake of Russian president Boris Yeltsin's recent visit to Germany and his confident prediction, made following talks with Chancellor Helmut Kohl on April 17, that he... MORE

According to figures released by First Deputy Prime Minister Piotr Prokopovich at a recent press conference in Minsk, Belarus's economic recovery is accelerating into a full-fledged boom. Belarusan GDP at the end of the first quarter was described as 9 percent above the level recorded... MORE

Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchma has restored Arkady Demydenko to the post of prime minister of Ukraine's Autonomous Republic of Crimea, from which he was dismissed by the Crimean parliament at the beginning of this month. The standoff between parliament and prime minister continued, however, when... MORE

Ukraine's Donuzlav naval base hosted a three-day conference over the weekend to plan the Sea Breeze-97 naval exercise, due to be held in that area as part of NATO's Partnership for Peace program. Officers representing most of the navies that will participate in the exercise... MORE

Russia's Duma on April 18 ratified the treaty with Armenia concerning Russian military bases in that country. Valid for 25 years with automatic five-year extensions, the treaty obligates Armenia to contribute 30 percent of the Russian troops' expenses and to allow unrestricted Russian overflights "in... MORE

The final sentence of the item "Chubais Warns of Budget Crisis,"

Russian president Boris Yeltsin has completed his visit to Germany and left for a 10- or 12-day holiday in Sochi on the Black Sea. To dampen speculation, the president's doctor issued a statement that Yeltsin was not taking the holiday for health reasons and would... MORE

Russian presidential press spokesman Sergei Yastrzhembsky told reporters on April 16 that Russia opposes all forms of terrorism but is also against efforts to isolate Iran and other, unnamed Middle Eastern countries. "The isolation of these states will only make them more radical," he was... MORE

Authorities in the Chukchi Autonomous okrug in northeastern Siberia have expelled a group of Greenpeace activists. The environmentalists wanted to investigate the deaths of some 10,000 reindeer in the remote Arctic peninsula this past winter. They have accused the local authorities of failing to take... MORE