REGIONAL DISPARITIES IN PURCHASING POWER.

The purchasing power of the income of an average Russian fell 14 percent last year, Rossiiskaya gazeta reported April 22. But in some regions, it fell by 40 percent or more, the paper said. Particularly hard hit were Russians in the Urals region because of the declines in defense-related production.

Moscow No Longer Worried About Tatar Separatism.