The U.S. State Department announced yesterday that it had actually asked Belarus to desist at this time from sending its new ambassador to the U.S. The department cited the Minsk government's "authoritarian trend," including "attacks on democratic groups," violations of civil liberties, and curbs on... MORE

Russia has offered to sell Ka-50 "Black Shark" attack helicopters to Turkey and would possibly let the Turks build them under license. In late 1992 Turkey became the first NATO country to buy arms from Russia in a deal that included 17 Mi-17 "Hip" helicopters.... MORE

Yesterday's day of protest against wage and pension delays passed off peacefully all over Russia. Estimates of the numbers of demonstrators and strikers vary widely, though it seems that considerably fewer people took part than the unions had predicted and the government had feared. The... MORE

In general, the Russian population seems to have decided either that strikes and protests will not resolve their problems, or that the newly reshuffled government should be given the benefit of the doubt. The behavior of Russia's miners is a case in point. The miners... MORE

Dushanbe security troops and an opposition detachment under field commander Mullo Abdullo have in recent days launched a joint "final" operation against the renegade group of Rizvon Sodirov in the high-altitude Red Ridge, 60 to 80 kilometers east of Dushanbe. As of yesterday, some 20... MORE

Russian Security Council secretary Ivan Rybkin told the Ekho Moskvy radio station yesterday that "undue fuss" over the four Russian journalists kidnapped in Chechnya has delayed their release. He said preliminary agreement had been reached to exchange the journalists for Chechens being held in Russian... MORE

Russian Security Council secretary Ivan Rybkin has deplored proposals by Ukraine and Azerbaijan to transport Caspian oil by a route bypassing Russian territory. Rybkin said this would harm not only Russia's economy but that of the Chechen Republic. It would be hard to imagine the... MORE

Bulgaria's deputy defense minister, Simeon Petkovski, said on March 25 that his country was negotiating the purchase of 14 MiG-29SM jet fighters from Russia as well as the establishment of a joint venture in Bulgaria to overhaul MiGs. Petkovski said the Russians had offered a... MORE

At a regular meeting in Moscow yesterday, the Council of Defense Ministers of CIS member countries recommended extending the term of Russian general Viktor Samsonov as Chief of the Military Cooperation Staff of CIS Countries. The ministers endorsed Russia's proposal that Samsonov continue serving in... MORE

The Kremlin moved yesterday to defuse domestic criticism -- voiced primarily by the Communist and nationalist opposition -- of the concessions made by President Boris Yeltsin during last week's Russian-U.S. summit in Helsinki. In remarks to reporters, presidential spokesman Sergei Yastrzhembsky attempted to portray Yeltsin... MORE