TOP OFFICIAL ARRESTED

. Petr Karpov, the deputy head of the State Bankruptcy Administration (FUDN), was arrested April 28 on suspicion of taking a bribe of 5 million rubles ($800,000) from a Saratov factory director seeking to remove his firm from the list of tax debtors threatened with bankruptcy. According to Karpov’s wife, he is being held in a cell in the Sailor’s Rest prison with 90 other suspects, where they sleep in three shifts. Karpov had been arrested last year on similar charges, but was released. (ORT, May 7)

Russian Commander Calls for Consolidation of Service Branches.