RUSSIAN PEACEKEEPERS READY FOR BOSNIA.

The Russian brigade which will take part in Operation Peacekeeper is ready for deployment in Bosnia, a Defense Ministry spokesman said yesterday. The 1,500-strong brigade, commanded by Colonel Aleksandr Lentsov, is comprised of servicemen from the 98th and 76th airborne divisions. Thirty percent of officers in the brigade took part in the Afghan war and 60 percent in the war in Chechnya. The brigade has been assigned the task of disengaging the warring sides and securing a cease-fire in the northern part of Bosnia-Herzegovina in the areas of Brcko, Zvornik, and Tuzla. It will cooperate with the 1st US Armored division, which will reportedly police the key Posavina corridor as part of the multinational forces. Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev said yesterday that Russia would also support a peacemaking operation in eastern Slavonia under UN auspices and is "ready to play a prominent role" there. (4)

Large Oil and Gas Prospecting Firm Established.