ESTONIA DENIES RESIDENCY PERMIT TO RUSSIAN LUKOIL’S CHIEF OF OPERATIONS.

The Estonian government yesterday refused to grant a residency permit to Mikhail Tsyplyakov, the Russian Lukoil company’s chief of operations in Estonia. The decision was made by an interministerial committee empowered to rule on residency permit applications submitted by servicemen of the former occupation forces. As a Soviet and then Russian army officer, Tsyplyakov left Estonia in 1994, but returned surreptitiously the following year as a civilian. Ultimately identified, he has refused to explain to Estonia’s immigration, citizenship and security authorities how he managed to gain reentry into Estonia (BNS, March 2). The questions surrounding Tsyplyakov’s status became public last month when Lukoil chairman Vahit Alekperov paid a business visit to Estonia. On that occasion Alekperov declared that he would defer to the Estonian authorities in this matter (BNS, February 12).

KYIV TO ELECT MAYOR.