MOSCOW MAY MOVE RUSSIANS TO CHINA BORDER REGION.

SeniorRussian officials discussed on August 24 the possibility of resettlingethnic Russians to regions along the Chinese border in order tosolidify Moscow’s control there, Russian television reported.The ministerial level meeting went beyond a discussion of thisissue and proposed building special housing for them and creatingan interdepartmental commission to oversee the resettlement. (FewRussians are likely to be interested in making such a move: unemploymentin the Russian Far East has shot up in recent months, Russiantelevision reported August 27.) Nationalities minister VyacheslavMikhailov told the group that some of the five million Russianslikely to move back from the former Soviet republics over thenext four years should be sent to the North Caucasus to solidifyRussian control there as well.

Rossel Promises Not to Revive Urals Republic Idea.