VOLSKY CONDEMNS CORRUPTION OF RUSSIAN BANKS IN CHECHNYA.

Russia’s negotiator in Chechnya Arkady Volsky charges that approximately two trillion rubles allotted through Russian banks for reconstruction work in the republic has virtually disappeared without a trace. According to Volsky, 700 billion rubles of this sum are definitely identified as stolen, and the balance is unaccounted for. Volsky also suggested that the attempt on the life of Oleg Lobov, Yeltsin’s special envoy in Chechnya and secretary of Russia’s security council, was linked to the fact that Lobov "investigated the misappropriation of funds too carefully." Volsky proposed to transfer all reconstruction funds to state channels. He also welcomed the idea of "self-restoration efforts" in Chechnya. (6)

GRU Steps Up Intelligence-Gathering in NATO Countries.