FEDERATION COUNCIL PASSES DEFENSE PAYMENT BILL.

In anothermove that opponents said would bust the budget as well as violate theconstitution, the Federation Council approved a bill that would guaranteepayments to defense contractors outside of the normal state budget,Segodnya reported May 25. Opponents–including the only civilian DeputyMinister of Defense Andrei Kokoshin–said that Yeltsin would almost certainly veto the measure.

Chernobyl Accident Hurt Russia Too.