A NEW REGIONAL BLOC TO OPPOSE MOSCOW PARTIES.

Yeltsin’s Sverdlovsk nemesis Eduard Rossel has organized the “Motherland’s Transformation” electoral coalition to oppose both Yeltsin-backed Moscow blocs, Segodnya reported May 31. The new association is based on Rossel’s allies throughout the Urals region but will seek members from other regions as well. Last month, Yeltsin was forced to concede the Sverdlovsk region the right to elect a governor, a step that many saw as a victory for Rossel, who has long been at odds with the Russian president. Rossel’s latest move will only compound Yeltsin’s problems with the regions.

Paying For Disasters.