By Nabi Abdullaev The exchange of currency in Makhachkala--the capital of Dagestan, Russia's southernmost republic--goes on right in the town's streets. Dozens of young men wave around packs of dollars and rubles, urging passers-by to use their services. Although these dealers and their wads of... MORE

By Elena Chinyaeva On November 30, the presidents of Belarus and Russia, Alyaksandr Lukashenka and Vladimir Putin, signed an agreement about the introduction, in 2005, of the ruble as the only currency in both countries, thus taking the process of their unification to a qualitatively... MORE

By Elena Dikun On October 15 Russia saw the beginning of an election marathon, opened by elections for the president of Udmurtia. Before the year is out, elections will be held for the heads of thirty-three regions. As a matter of fact the regional election... MORE

By Aleksandr Tsipko Provincial Russians cannot as yet see the results of Putin's restructuring of the power hierarchy. For them--ordinary Russians--the governor is still the highest authority, just as in the Yeltsin era. The head of the local administration still decides where to build new... MORE

By Aleksandr Buzgalin NEW PRESIDENT, NEW CONDITIONS It was already clear from the presidential election campaign itself that President Vladimir Putin's rise to power would alter the conditions in which the Left operate. During the campaign Putin managed to employ the trump cards which the... MORE

By Zaira Abdullaev The trial in the case of Radio Liberty correspondent Andrei Babitsky came to an end on October 6 in the Dagestan capital. The circumstances of the case have not yet been fully explained. In January 2000 Andrei Babitsky left for Chechnya, was... MORE

By Nabi Abdullaev, Makhachkala Since the demise of the Soviet Union, the Russia's population has been dramatically decreasing, and the state's attempts to reverse the demographic catastrophe have proved to be useless. The monthly allowance of 65 rubles--around US$2.30--obviously cannot stimulate the birth rate. A... MORE

By Zaal Anjaparidze Russia is pressing ahead with its threat to set up a visa regime with Georgia following its decision this past summer to pull out of the CIS agreement on visa-free travel between member states. Last month, the Russian and Georgian sides held... MORE

By Peter Silantyev Whether it is a good thing or a bad thing, so-called "ordinary people" are not noted for political correctness, either in the West or especially in Russia--particularly if they are fed up with their lot and cannot see a way of changing... MORE

By Ilya Malyakin, Oleg Shiroky In August this year one of the authors of this article, a Russian national, was preparing for a trip to Lviv. He gradually began to get the impression that he was going to a war-zone: All his Russian friends saw... MORE