US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton’s, first visit to Ukraine on July 2, left the government satisfied, the opposition puzzled and many questions unanswered. On the one hand, no major statements were made or documents signed. On the other hand, thanks to Clinton’s visit, Ukraine... MORE

As Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, this week announced a new strategy to bring prosperity to the North Caucasus, people across the region publicly accused local authorities of abusing human rights. Putin said in the city of Kislovodsk in Stavropol Krai on July 6 that... MORE

Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, has outlined a revised and updated policy of regime change towards Georgia. Interviewed on July 8 by the Mir television channel, Lavrov raised the possibility of fomenting tensions among the Armenian and Azeri ethnic minorities inside Georgia. Lavrov urged Georgia... MORE

After a six-month lull, the Chechen capital Grozny has once again experienced another suicide bombing attack. On the evening of June 30, a suicide bomber attempted to enter the Grozny concert hall shortly before a performance. He was stopped, but managed to set off an... MORE

The ten alleged Russian spies arrested in the US by the FBI that had used falsified identities to infiltrate the country embarrassed Moscow and became an irritant in the process of the “reset.” There are growing indications that the Kremlin and the US President, Barack... MORE

On July 1, the Ukrainian parliament voted for a new law on “The Fundamentals of Domestic and Foreign Policy” that dropped the goal of seeking NATO membership. At 8:00 pm on July 1, only 50 deputies from the Stability and Reforms coalition were present and... MORE

On June 29, Dagestan’s President, Magomedsalam Magomedov, delivered his first annual presidential address to the parliament and people of the republic. Magomedov described the contemporary situation in the republic as “complicated, problematic and even prone to crisis.” He tried to strike a balance between criticizing... MORE

Russian officials have reiterated pledges to pursue pro-active Far Eastern energy policies, backed by sizable investments. Moscow would invest up to $100 billion to develop new natural gas deposits in the next five years, Deputy Prime Minister, Igor Sechin, announced (Interfax, RIA Novosti, June 18).... MORE

On July 2, the newspaper Vedomosti unveiled Aleksandr Khloponin’s long-promised ambitious plan to develop the North Caucasus Federal District. The three possible scenarios in the North Caucasus are described as inertial, basic and optimal, with the last being favored the most. The optimal scenario is... MORE

The biennial Vostok (East) 2010 operational-strategic exercise in the Siberian and Far East Russian military districts (MD’s), June 28 to July 8, was hailed by the top brass as the largest of its kind since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Defense ministry sources indicated... MORE