By Volodymyr Zviglyanich The decision of the IMF board of directors to extend a loan of US$2.2 billion to Ukraine within the Extended Fund Facility program (EFF). brought a sigh of relief in both Kyiv and Washington. Ukraine will be able to pay off the... MORE

By Stan Lunev An extremely difficult situation has developed in Russia's armed forces, which, according to Russian legislation, includes not just soldiers in the regular army but also those serving in the Interior Troops, the Federal Border Guard and Russia's numerous special services. The military... MORE

By Igor Rotar The arrest of Magomed Khachilaev--a deputy in the Dagestan National Assembly, leader of the "Kazi-Kumukh" Lak national movement (the Laks are one of the nationalities in Dagestan). and deputy minister of agriculture--and the withdrawal of parliamentary privilege (immunity from prosecution). from his... MORE

VACUUM OF STATE POWER: RUSSIA'S MAIN WEAKNESS By Elizabeth Teague [Paper delivered at the National Convention of the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies in Boca Raton, Florida, on September 26, 1998.] The Russian federal government was clearly alarmed by the way Russia's... MORE

Russia finally got a new government, but there was little optimism that its partial return to Soviet era policies could lift the country from its current economic crisis. Russia's assertiveness in the foreign policy realm, meanwhile, appeared set to continue unabated. Moscow clashed yet again... MORE

By A.V. Buzgalin and A.I. Kolganov This question has long been asked figuratively. Today it has become relevant literally. Announcing a restructuring of its foreign debt, the Russian government has refused to meet its responsibilities. For the first time since they appeared, state short-term bonds... MORE

By Elena Dikun Gambling on a change of government against a background of economic crisis, the Kremlin was certain that, after putting up some resistance for the sake of appearances, the Duma would confirm Viktor Chernomyrdin as prime minister. The deputies' united front against him... MORE

Russia got a prime minister after three weeks without a functioning government. On September 11, the State Duma approved President Yeltsin's nomination of Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov. At 68, the Soviet-era KGB spy-master had expressed no presidential ambitions and was not seen by Russia's presidential... MORE

By Roger W. Robinson, Jr. EDITOR'S NOTE:

By David Satter Seven years ago, Russia experienced a new dawn of freedom. The Communist Party had been dissolved and Russia appeared ready to pursue a democratic future. The literary critic Yuri Karyakin spoke for many when he said that, "for the first time in... MORE