REGIONAL SEPARATISM SEEN RISING.

Kommersant-Daily reported May 30 that”in recent times, regional separatism has been intensifying” in theUrals and Siberia. The paper suggested that Moscow’s ability to controlthe situation there had been reduced by the privatization of keyindustries–regional elites simply control more resources than theyever did before. But privatization is also inflaming the situation, thepaper said. Moscow has not allowed regional political elites into thebidding for certain major industries. To counter these centrifugaltrends, the Russian government has warned regional officials thatMoscow will cut subsidies to any region that does not spend the moneyaccording to Moscow rules, Finanovye izvestiya (no. 37) reported.

Internal Troops More Religious Than Regular Army Soldiers.