Russia's organized crime problem shows no sign of waning by Aleksandr Zhilin It was an historical first when the Russian Interior Ministry'sCollegium recently announced that law enforcement agencies arelosing the battle against crime. An examination of the crime wavesweeping Russia makes understandable the MVD leaders'... MORE

Military reform, an oxymoron in Russia by Stanislav Lunev The shortcomings of the Russian Army, recently on displayto all the world courtesy of the Chechen war, are inherited. Backin 1992 the "new" military force of the Russian Federationwas established in place of the Unified Armed... MORE

The mouse that roared: Kalmykia's young president makes waves by Igor Rotar Since the rebirth of the Russian Federation in 1992, local aswell as federal politics has attracted new practitioners as honeyattracts bees. But among the thousands of political newcomers,none has had a more unusual... MORE

Russia's Ominous New Military Doctrine by Stanislav Lunev Last August, the last Russian military units left Germany tothe strains of cheerful marches played by a military band, directed,at times, by the president of the Russian Federation himself. These were the last Russian military formations officially... MORE

Organized Crime and Russian Banking: The Financial Crime of the Century by Aleksandr Zhilin Banking appears to be one of the most dangerous occupationsin Russia. Several dozen Russian bankers have been victims ofmafia-style killings in recent months. Among them were the headsof Proftekhbank, Tekhno-Bank, Pragma-Bank,... MORE

Elections in Chechnya: Will They Bring Stability or Further Conflict? By Igor Rotar The world will be watching closely on December 17th the outcomeof the State Duma election in Russia. On the same day, a leaderwill be chosen in the Chechen Republic. On the day... MORE

"New Russians," Banks, and the Election Campaign by Victor Yasmann Bankers and "New Russians" Russian bankers and financiers are striving to find a politicalrole commensurate with their economic position. Despite frequentmistakes and false starts, the bankers remain a political forceto be reckoned with. An understanding... MORE

Post-Election Duma Reshuffling Will Not Change Russia's Political Landscape By Andrei Zhukov One of the distinguishing characteristics of Russia's electioncampaign for the State Duma is its multitudinous parties. Thereare over three times as many parties participating in this campaign as in the previous election. Since... MORE

Profiles of Political Parties: Yabloko by Tamara Zamyatina Political analysts agree that the Communist Party, "RussiaIs Our Home," the Congress of Russian Communities, and Russia'sWomen will win the most votes in this month's elections for theRussian State Duma. Yabloko appears to be the only democraticparty... MORE

The Military's Enthusiasm for Politics Could Threaten Russia's Reforms by Aleksandr Zhilin At a recent press conference, President Yeltsin said he opposesthe active participation of the military in political parties.It appears, however, that the Army's participation in the Russianpolitical campaign is well beyond the control... MORE