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HEADLINE: Events
 
 

Accidents

Jan 1, 1997
SNOWBOUND TRAVELERS RESCUED.
Russian rescue teams airlifted some 148 people from a high mountain tunnel road in the Caucasus after avalanches had left them trapped for almost a week. Some 60 people opted to stay in the tunnel to guard their cars. The tunnel is known as the Roksky Tunnel and connects the Russian province of North Ossetia with its Georgian breakaway counterpart, South Ossetia.

Aug 29, 1996
RUSSIAN PLANE CRASH KILLS 143.
A Russian airliner crashed into a mountain on Spitsbergen, a Norwegian island in the Arctic Circle, killing 143 people, mostly Russian and Ukrainian coal miners and their families. The jet had departed from Moscow and was landing on the island to pick up an equal number of coal miners who were to take the plane back to Russia. The three-engine Tu-154 was operated by Vnukovo Airlines, a so-called "baby flot" created from the breakup of the Soviet airline Aeroflot, and apparently lost its way on its landing descent, crashing into the 3,000-foot Mount Opera near Longyearbyen, the island's main town. It was the third major crash involving a Tu-154 since 1993. The Soviet Union acquired mining rights to the Svalbard archipelago, of which Spitsbergen is the biggest island, in 1935. Two-thirds of the Svalbard's population of some 2,500 are citizens from former Soviet republics. Two mines in the archipelago extract some 600,000 tons of coal a year, twice the output of Norwegian mines.

Aug 16, 1996
FLOODS IN FAR EAST CAUSE MUCH DAMAGE.
Flooding in Russia's Far East caused an estimated $140 million in damage to roads, bridges, and homes, according to civil defense estimates. Two weeks of torrential rains caused rivers to overflow their banks, ruining hundreds of miles of roads, some 84 bridges, and 3,444 homes. At least 10,000 square miles of territory were declared a disaster zone.

Jul 29, 1996
HUGE OIL FIRE RAGES IN SOUTH RUSSIA.
A major fire at a southern Russian oil refinery was reported burning out of control. The Itar- Tass news agency said the blaze at an oil storage area at a Volgorad refinery that is a subsidiary of Lukoil, Russia's largest oil company, started five days ago because of a "breach of security" and was not likely to be put out for at least the next three days. The fire threatened a nearby thermal power station.

May 31, 1996
TRAIN CRASH KILLS DOZENS.
As many as 50 Russians were reported killed in western Siberia when runaway freight cars collided with a passenger train near the city of Kemerovo.

Apr 8, 1996
PLANE CRASH KILLS 21.
The wreckage of a Russian civilian cargo plane was found on the slope of a volcano in the Russian Far East. The IL-76 plane carrying 21 people was reported missing four days ago on a flight from Siberia to the Kamchatka Peninsula.

Dec 18, 1995
DEBRIS FROM PLANE FOUND.
Debris from a plane carrying 97 people that went missing in the Russian Far East on Dec 6 was found by accident in a remote region northeast of the city of Khabarovsk. A large crater and evidence of an explosion indicated to searchers that the plane crashed almost vertically at high speed.

Dec 14, 1995
SEARCH ON FOR LOST RUSSIAN PLANE.
Rescue officials widened their hunt for a three-engine jet with 97 people aboard that disappeared Dec 6 on its way from Sakhalin Island to the mainland in Khabarovsk in the Russian Far East. Roving planes, warships, helicopters, and ski and foot patrols have so far failed to find any wreckage. The disappearance came on the heels of two fatal airline crashes in Azerbaijan in which 50 lives were lost. Officials speculated that poor maintenance may be to blame for the jet's downing, reviving concerns about air safety in the former Soviet Union.

Dec 9, 1995
RUSSIAN SEARCHERS FIND EVIDENCE OF PLANE CRASH.
Russian searchers looking for a plane carrying 97 people said they may have found evidence of a crash in the Tatar Strait. The Tupolev-154 airliner was flying from Sakhalin Island to the Russian mainland when it disappeared from radar screens. The plane was reported to be carrying 5 tons of caviar, a substantial overload that may have contributed to its downing.

Apr 27, 1995
GAS RUPTURE SPOTTED BY AIRPLANE.
A gas pipeline in northern Russia exploded in the early morning, sending a fireball sky high and scorching acres of surrounding forest before it was put out. There were no injuries reported. The blast occurred in Ukhta, an oil-refining center 800 miles northeast of Moscow. The crew of a passing Japanese airliner reported seeing flames reaching thousands of feet into the atmosphere. A chief engineer with the gas company said gas traffic will resume by tonight.

Oct 14, 1994
RUSSIAN AIRLINE SAFETY QUESTIONED.
A joint U.S.-Russian report on Russian civil aviation concluded that safety standards will soon fall below minimum international guidelines unless Moscow intervenes to overhaul the system. A panel of experts estimated the cost of such an overhaul at $2 billion. To meet the minimum standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization, a United Nations agency, Moscow needs to ensure that Russian airlines are properly monitored and certified, and to centralize the country's air traffic control systems.

May 14, 1994
BOMB DEPOT EXPLODES.
A bomb storage complex housing ordnance for Russia's Pacific Fleet exploded in the far east of the nation, injuring several people and forcing the evacuation of 3,000 residents of the nearby town of Novonezhino. Authorities said no chemical or nuclear bombs were part of the blast.

Apr 5, 1994
CHILDREN RESPONSIBLE FOR PLANE CRASH IN SIBERIA.
Russian aviation officials revealed that a crew member of the Aeroflot passenger plane that crashed on Mar 22 in Siberia and killed all 75 people aboard had let his children inside the cockpit to teach them to fly. The findings were announced after study of the plane's black box, or flight recorder. Officials speculate that one or more of the children accidentally disengaged the plane's automatic pilot and sent it on an unrecoverable dive that caused it to slam into a mountain four minutes later.

Mar 23, 1994
PLANE CRASH IN SIBERIA KILLS 75.
An Aeroflot passenger plane en route from Moscow to Hong Kong crashed in the Siberian wilderness, killing all 75 people aboard. In 1993, there were a total of 11 air crashes in which 221 people died.

Afghanistan Civil War

Nov 28, 1992
HEKMATYAR REBELS THREATEN PRISONER EXECUTION.
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's fundamentalist Hezb-i-Islami rebel group threatened to start executing around 300 ex-Soviet prisoners of war if the Russian government does not stop printing money for Afghanistan as it has always done. Hekmatyar is trying to force the collapse of the Kabul economy so his group can oust the current government.

Aug 28, 1992
VIOLATING TRUCE, REBELS ATTACK RUSSIAN PLANE.
Ignoring a temporary cease-fire to permit evacuation of diplomatic personnel, rebels of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's Hezb-i-Islami fired on a Russian plane attempting to evacuate the Russian ambassador to Afghanistan as well as other diplomats and family members. Moscow closed its embassy in Kabul yesterday after more than a dozen rebel rockets hit the compound and injured two staff members.
 
 

Russian military plane after rocket attack by Afghan rebels in Kabul [Reuters/Bettmann]

May 13, 1992
RUSSIAN OFFICIAL ARRIVES FOR TRY AT PEACE.
Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev arrived in Kabul to help work out the continuing difficulties there in settling on a permanent government to lead Afghanistan out of its worst political crisis ever. Kozyrev congratulated the nation's mujaheddin on eliminating " communist totalitarianism" and succeeded in securing the release of one former Soviet prisoner of war, who will leave with him for Moscow today.

Jan 1, 1992
UNITED STATES, MOSCOW MEET AFGHAN ARMS DEADLINE.
Finalizing a Sep 13, 1991 agreement, Moscow and the United States met today's deadline for halting the supply of weapons and other military aid to Afghanistan, ending their 12-year-long covert war over control of the country. Both had long supported their respective allies in the region President Mohammad Najibullah's government and an informal confederation of Pakistan-based Islamic rebel groups.

Corruption and Scandal

Jul 15, 1997
ACCUSED MINISTER RETURNS, DENIES ALLEGATIONS OF CORRUPTION.
Former Deputy Finance Minister Andrei Vavilov returned to Russia to face charges alleging that he misappropriated $237 million in promissory notes that were supposed to be used to finance an order of MiG jets. Vavilov is also accused of being responsible for the disappearance of additional money, bringing the total amount of government funds unaccounted for to more than half a billion dollars. Vavilov denied any involvement, saying that "all accusations against me are groundless." An article in Izvestia, a newspaper that is partially owned by Oneximbank, the parent company of a financial institution involved in the alleged dishonesty, claimed that the charges are retaliation on the part of the Gazprom gas company for a June attempt by Oneximbank to obtain seats on the utility's board of directors. Vladimir Potanin, the president of Oneximbank who was also briefly the deputy prime minister in charge of privatization, is also scheduled for questioning regarding the matter.

Jul 12, 1997
ARMS SALES CORRUPTION PROBED.
Reports said that prosecutors plan to interview Vladimir Potanin on allegations of corruption. Potanin was formerly the Cabinet's point man on privatization and currently serves as president of one of the leading Russian financial institutions, Oneximbank. Andrei Vavilov is also scheduled to be questioned. Vavilov was dismissed as deputy finance minister on Apr 15, and then was appointed president of an Oneximbank subsidiary called MFK. In his finance post, Vavilov allegedly authorized the purchase of $237 million in promissory notes from MFK, professedly to pay for MiG jets that were being sold to India. However, the notes were never passed on to the MiG factory. Vavilov is believed to be out of the country, with the reasons for his absence unclear.

Jun 18, 1997
FIRED ADMIRAL IS CHARGED.
Press reports said the former head of the navy, Adm. Igor Khmelnov, who was fired by President Boris Yeltsin in April, has now been charged with siphoning off funds intended for the fleet. The charges represent the latest of a number of cases brought against senior officials as part of the president's continuing campaign against corruption.

May 21, 1997
KOBETS ARRESTED.
Gen. Konstantin Kobets was arrested on charges that he received a house worth $241,000 in return for steering military contracts to the Lyukon company. Yesterday, President Boris Yeltsin dismissed Kobets from his post as deputy defense minister.

Nov 15, 1996
SECRET TAPE SCANDALIZES TOP AIDE.
Anatoly Chubais, the president's chief of staff, conspired with other Kremlin officials to cover up a campaign financing scandal last summer during the reelection of Boris Yeltsin. These and other sensational revelations were contained in the purported transcript of a secretly recorded meeting published in a popular Moscow daily, the Moskovsky Komsomolets. The Kremlin quickly denied that the conversations ever took place and said the tape was a fake made "to discredit presidential power after the successful operation on Boris Yeltsin." The mostly hard-line State Duma spent the day arguing about the tape and how Chubais should be sacked if the tape is able to be authenticated. In the meeting, which supposedly took place on Jun 22 at Yeltsin campaign headquarters, Chubais admits that two campaign aides were caught transporting the equivalent of half a million dollars from the Russian White House in an incident that at the time was fiercely denied by Chubais and Kremlin insiders. The meeting took place several days after Yeltsin's former bodyguard Aleksandr Korzhakov was dismissed from the Kremlin. The newspaper suggested that the tape was released by members of the presidential security service who remain faithful to their former chief. Korzhakov has publicly called for the dismissal of Chubais since his ouster from the Kremlin.

Jul 5, 1996
GRACHEV AND OTHERS ACCUSED OF GRAFT.
The head of Russia's State Duma defense committee accused ex-Defense Minister Pavel Grachev, his key aides, and other high-ranking officers of graft and ordered a legal investigation that was approved in a unanimous 301-0 Duma vote. The committee chairperson, Lev Rokhlin, a retired general and ally of Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin, said top military officers are "mired in corruption."Rokhlin added, "While soldiers are on a hunger ration, while officers wait to get a flat for more than 10 years and get no salaries for months, those close to the defense minister are literally living it up." Reports of corruption among the top ranks of Russia's military are widespread and include tales of secret bank accounts and luxury dachas and cars bought with profits from the illegal sale of weapons for private gain. The corruption charges came as a replacement is sought for the ousted defense minister. Rokhlin has said he favors Gen. Igor Rodionov, who is also backed by Aleksandr Lebed, the new national security adviser who campaigned in June first-round presidential elections on an anticorruption platform. Grachev denied the charges against him. Two years ago, Dmitri Kholodov, a reporter for a Moscow daily, was assassinated while investigating graft by Russian troops while they were stationed in East Germany under Grachev's command. Kholodov had asserted that Grachev bought two Mercedes sedans by selling army equipment.

Nov 16, 1995
2,000 POLICE UNDER ARREST FOR GRAFT.
As many as 2,000 Russian police officers nationwide are under arrest for corruption or abusing their office, Interior Ministry chief Anatoly Kulikov announced. Kulikov said a major push is under way to purge all departments of crooked officers. In Moscow alone, 960 officers were dismissed this year for misconduct. Russian police are notoriously underpaid and easily tempted by organized criminals.

Dec 23, 1994
VLADIVOSTOCK MAYOR FIRED.
President Boris Yeltsin fired by decree Viktor Cherepkov, the democratically elected mayor of Vladivostock. Cherepkov was ousted from his post by federal police last Mar 17 on corruption charges. Criminal charges against Cherepkov were recently dropped and the formal firing was to prevent him from returning to his former post.

Nov 1, 1994
DEPUTY DEFENSE MINISTER SACKED.
President Boris Yeltsin fired Gen. Matvei Burlakov, a deputy defense minister, over allegations of corruption during his command of Russian forces in Germany. According to the presidential decree, Burlakov was dismissed "to preserve the honor of the Russian armed forces and its leaders . . . in connection with investigations which are currently in progress." A newspaper journalist was murdered two weeks ago while investigating allegations that military leaders profited from arms sales in Germany before the evacuation of Russian forces. The dismissal puts into question the future of Defense Minster Pavel Grachev, who was a staunch supporter of Burlakov and denied any wrongdoing was ever committed.

Jan 17, 1994
RUTSKOY ACQUITTED OF CORRUPTION CHARGES.
Former Vice President Aleksandr Rutskoy was cleared of corruption charges when documents implicating him in shady business dealings, including a sizable Swiss bank account of uncertain origin, were found to be faked. Officials of the anticorruption committee that indicted Rutskoy may be targeted for investigation. (Rutskoy was a rival of President Boris Yeltsin. He remains jailed while awaiting trial on charges relating to his role in an effort to depose Yeltsin last October.)

Crime

Sep 29, 1997
RUSSIA AND KAZAKHSTAN TO CRACK DOWN ON SMUGGLING.
Russian and Kazakh officials announced that they plan to reinforce their shared 4,350-mile-long border to halt the ongoing "massive smuggling" of arms and drugs. Contraband from Afghanistan and Tajikistan is smuggled easily through Kazakhstan, making its way into Russian and other Eastern European markets. The director of Russia's Federal Border Guard Service, Andrei Nikolayev, declared that "the conditions to provide calm in our states must be established on the border." Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said border guards from both countries must strengthen cooperation to address the situation.

Aug 18, 1997
ST. PETERSBURG OFFICIAL SHOT DEAD.
Mikhail Manevich, the deputy governor of St. Petersburg and the head of the municipal government's property commission, was killed by a rooftop sniper as he was driving to work. The gangland-style assassination fueled further suspicions about the connections between organized crime and the city government.

Nov 10, 1996
GRAVESIDE BOMB KILLS 14.
In a grisly bomb blast tied to the Russian mob, 14 people were killed and dozens injured at a graveside memorial service in Moscow. Some 150 people had gathered at the cemetery to pay their respects to Mikhail Likhodei, the leader of a group of Afghan war veterans who was himself assassinated two years ago in a gangland slaying. The powerful bomb, which was detonated by remote control, sent the bodies of mourners hurling into the trees and killed Likhodei's widow, mother, uncle, and his successor. Police said the contract murder probably stemmed from "some old score" between rival factions of the veteran's organization. Veterans of the Soviet Union's war against Islamic guerrillas in Afghanistan were granted special tax incentives and exemptions after the war in 1989, a status that organized criminals used to launder money by "investing" in the legitimate businesses of the veterans. The Russian press claimed the veteran's group that was targeted pulled in about $200 million a year, mostly from duty-free imports of cigarettes and alcohol. The Russian Fund for Invalids of the War in Afghanistan, whose members were gathered at the cemetery, split apart in 1993, one faction headed by Likhodei and the other by Valery Radchikov, who was arrested after the 1994 killing of Likhodei but was released for lack of evidence. Late last year Radchikov's car was sprayed with gunfire but he survived despite seven bullet wounds.
 
 

Plainclothes police officer taking notes on Nov 10, 1996 as he examines the scene of a graveside bomb blast linked to the Russian mafia [Reuters/Archive]

Nov 4, 1996
AMERICAN ENTREPRENEUR GUNNED DOWN IN MOSCOW.
A U.S. hotel executive involved in a drawn-out dispute over control of one of Moscow's top hotels was shot dead by an unknown assailant armed with a machine gun. Paul Tatum was killed outside a downtown subway station next to the Raddison-Slavanskaya hotel, where Tatum had his office and where since 1994 he had fought with the management of the joint venture that runs the riverfront hotel. The dispute was being investigated by U.S. and Russian courts and a decision was expected soon in the case, which Tatum, a founding partner of the hotel, had predicted would be in his favor. The killing of a foreign businessperson is rare in Moscow, although contract slayings of Russian entrepreneurs are on the rise.

Jul 19, 1996
BOMB AT RUSSIAN TRAIN STATION IS A DUD.
A home-made bomb left at a Russian train station failed to explode when its detonator went off at 6:00 A.M., Russian officials said. Two shopping bags containing about seven pounds of dynamite and packed with metal shrapnel were found in the main railway station in Voronezh, about 300 miles south of Moscow. Witnesses said a man and two women left the device and then fled in a car.

May 6, 1996
CRIME ON THE RISE.
Russia's prosecutor general predicted that the crime rate in Russia will more than double by 2000. Citing an increase in offenses by organized crime and minors, Yuri Skuratov said that the number of crimes reported last year was 2.7 million but that the actual number was as much as three times higher. According to Russian reports, crimes have doubled since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. In the United States by comparison, 14 million major crimes were reported in 1994, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Mar 14, 1996
FEWER PARDONS GRANTED.
Last year 86 Russian prisoners sentenced to death were shot and the number of stays of execution granted decreased, according to a member of the commission that oversees pardons. President Boris Yeltsin rejected some 30 appeals for mercy during the month of February 1996.

Jan 3, 1996
INTERIOR MINISTRY ANNOUNCES PRISON STATISTICS.
More than 1 million Russians of a population of about 150 million are in detention, according to Interior Ministry statistics. The number of prisoners in 1995 increased by 100,000 over the year before.

Nov 26, 1995
LAWMAKER SHOT BY BODYGUARD.
A young liberal member of the State Duma campaigning for reelection in his home district of Siberia was shot dead by his bodyguard in a drunken argument, according to press reports. Sergei Markidonov of the Stability Party became the fourth member of the lower house to be killed in the last two years. Police said the shooting was unpremeditated and that the bodyguard attempted unsuccessfully to take his own life after riddling the lawmaker's body with bullets.

Oct 17, 1995
RUSSIAN BANKER SLAIN.
In the latest contract murder to plague Russia's wealthy businessmen, the president of a commercial bank was shot in the head and killed as he walked to work. Mikhail Zhuravylov was president of Mostroibank, rated the 65th biggest bank in Russia. The murders are motivated by organized crime's interst in seizing control of the banking sphere.

Oct 15, 1995
BUS HIJACKER KILLED, HOSTAGES UNHARMED.
Police killed the armed attacker who took 24 South Korean tourists hostage on a bus in Moscow's Red Square yesterday. None of the hostages, who said they will continue their trip, were harmed. The hijacker remains unidentified.

Oct 14, 1995
SOUTH KOREAN TOURISTS TAKEN HOSTAGE IN MOSCOW.
An unidentified gunman took a busload of South Korean tourists hostage in Moscow's Red Square, demanding $1 million for their release. Preliminary, unconfirmed reports said the attacker is North Korean. The incident was the most shocking of its type since 1987, when a German teenager flew his light aircraft into the heavily guarded Red Square. The South Korean ambassador to Russia was dispatched to the scene, but he and others achived no results in brief talks with the gunman.

Aug 19, 1995
CHARGES BROUGHT AGAINST SATIRICAL PUPPET SHOW.
The producer of a televised puppet show that pokes fun at President Boris Yeltsin and his inner circle has been charged by the Moscow prosecutor's office with tax evasion and illegal currency dealings, according to the Itar- Tass news agency. The show, "Kukly," features puppet caricatures of such unpopular public figures as Yeltsin, Defense Minister Pavel Grachev, and Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin. "Kukly" had been under investigation for insulting top officials in a Jul 8 episode that depicted Yeltsin and his premier as flophouse bums boozily singing patriotic songs of the Soviet era. The financial fraud charges carry much stiffer penalties (up to 15 years in prison combined, plus fines) than the offense of insulting officials, which is punished by up to two years of "corrective" labor, typically a pay cut or banishment from certain jobs. The show is aired on the NTV television station, which pioneered aggressive coverage of the Chechen war. The producer of NTV told reporters that the investigation is part of a government push to "rein in" the airwaves before upcoming presidential and legislative elections.

Aug 16, 1995
RUSSIAN BANKERS DECRY CONTRACT KILLINGS.
Members of the Roundtable, a group of the 200 largest businesses in Russia, staged a protest in front of the former KGB headquarters in Moscow demanding greater protection from contract slayings. Dozens of businessmen have been killed in such murders over the past year. The demonstration was sparked by the death of Ivan Kiveldi, a banker who was fatally poisoned earlier in the month. The protesters, surrounded by their burly bodyguards, demanded a government crackdown on crime, then lit candles and observed a moment of silence for their murdered colleagues. They said 90 attacks over the last year have resulted in 46 deaths. Nine senior members of the Roundtable were part of the death tally.

Aug 1, 1995
RUSSIAN HEAD OF AUM SECT CHARGED.
A Moscow court leveled criminal charges against Toshiyasu Ouchi, the leader of the Russian branch of the Japanese Aum Shinrikyo religious cult. "He is charged with threatening public security and citizens' health, as well as illegal appropriation of property," the prosecutor's office said. The sect's Moscow branch was formed in 1993 and ran as many as six centers in the city with a total membership of 30,000 followers, three times more than in Japan. The centers were all closed following the March 1995 poison gas attacks in Tokyo that were allegedly masterminded by Aum leader Shoko Asahara.

Jul 20, 1995
BANK CHIEF MURDERED.
Oleg Kantor, the chairperson of the large Yugorsky bank, was found murdered at his country house along with his bodyguard. Authorities said the killings had the markings of a contract slaying.

Jun 8, 1995
TOP MOBSTER ARRESTED IN UNITED STATES.
Vyacheslav Ivankov, a reputed top gangster, was arrested in Brooklyn, New York, on U.S. federal extortion charges. Ivankov is a member of the so-called "thieves in law," a codified elite of Russian criminal society, consisting of not more than 200 members who forswear all trappings of a law-abiding existence. Ivankov is accused of running an organized crime ring in Russia from his home in Brooklyn, to where he emigrated from Russia in 1993 using fraudulent documents. He was imprisoned in Russia from 1981 to 1991 for theft. In the United States, Ivankov and his thugs allegedly extorted millions of dollars from a New York-based investment advisory firm, Summit International, using threats and violence and killing the father of a principal in the firm.

Mar 7, 1995
MOSCOW MAYOR SAYS HE'LL QUIT.
Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov abruptly threatened to quit his post unless President Boris Yeltsin reinstated two police officials he fired after the mob killing of television executive Vladislav Listyev. Luzhkov, a vastly popular mayor with a scrappy reputation, said the firings of the chief of police and prosecutor constituted an indirect attack on his authority and claimed that their dismissals will only benefit the criminal gangs so vilified by Yeltsin. Many view Luzhkov as a potential rival for president in 1996, especially Yeltsin's controversial bodyguard Gen. Aleksandr Korzhakov, and rumors have circulated in the city over the last month that a hidden power struggle between the Kremlin and Moscow is being conducted. One Moscow columnist alluded to the schism when he wrote, "if previously the president could firmly depend on Moscow in critical times, now he intends to rely exclusively on his security service."

Mar 6, 1995
YELTSIN FIRES MOSCOW POLICE.
True to the promise he made last week, President Boris Yeltsin today dismissed the Moscow chief of police, Vladimir Pankratov, and the city prosecutor, Gennadi Ponomaryov. The two were dismissed amid growing public outrage at contract killings and the growth of organized crime after the gangland-style murder of television personality Vladislav Listyev on Mar 1. Yeltsin's continual talk of a crackdown on crime and his condemnation and impulsive dismissal of subordinates has spread concern in democratic groups that Russia's hard-won gains in civil liberties will be erased. These groups point to the fact that laws to prosecute organized criminals, such as racketeering and conspiracy statutes, do not yet exist on the books and that police are poorly paid and easily bribed. Nevertheless, Yeltsin is also reported to be working on decrees aimed at shutting down fascist and hate groups that preach violence against Jews and dark-complexioned Caucasians.

Mar 3, 1995
THOUSANDS MOURN JOURNALIST'S DEATH.
At least 10,000 people in Moscow lined up to mourn the killing of prominent television journalist Vladislav Listyev and to pass before his open casket inside the Ostankino television headquarters in a practice reminiscent of Soviet-era goodbyes to Kremlin leaders. Just as deceased Soviet leaders were memorialized in the past, newspapers blackened the borders of their front pages and devoted every inch of the page to Listyev's death. The Interior Ministry released sketches of two men suspected in Listyev's contract killing, the motive for which is still the subject of paranoid speculation. Most seem to think the killing was linked to financial conflicts. Listyev had supported a controversial ban on lucrative advertising on the state-run television station that was opposed by shady business interests. Advertising executives have countered that the killing may have been political: "He represented for everyone the new democracy and that is why he was murdered," one ad man said. The vast turnout for Listyev's funeral and the shock expressed at his killing have underscored the powerful influence of television and its stars in the former Soviet Union.
 
 

Russian citizens paying their last respects to slain television personality Vladislav Listyev on Mar 9, 1995 [Reuters/Bettmann]

Mar 2, 1995
RUSSIANS DECRY DEATH OF JOURNALIST.
Crowds gathered outside the Ostankino television station to mourn and question the brutal murder yesterday of Vladislav Listyev, the well-liked celebrity who was recently appointed to head the public television station. Inside the network building, President Boris Yeltsin made a televised appearance before a solemn crowd of employees in which he condemned Listyev's gangland killing and pinned the blame for the city's increased lawlessness on Moscow's popular mayor, Yuri Luzhkov. Yeltsin also said he will fire the city's chief of police and chief prosecutor. All major television stations cancelled their evening programming, including the news, to broadcast a special memorial program about Listyev. On radio talk shows, journalists and intellectuals voiced suspicions that the killing was a prelude to a government crackdown on mass media and independent politicians, saying that the police "want to have the right to bug, spy, and compile dossiers on citizens." Police officials countered that the killers of Listyev were professionals hired by business interests that targeted Listyev because he planned to ban commercial advertising on Ostankino, revenues from which can reach $8 million a month. Others fingered the powers that be, seeing in Yeltsin's somber televised scoldings a deliberate campaign to discredit potential political rivals for upcoming 1996 presidential elections. Mayor Luzhkov, a former democratic ally alienated by the increasingly secretive Yeltsin, is considered a possible candidate for those elections.

Mar 1, 1995
POPULAR RUSSIAN JOURNALIST SLAIN.
A celebrated Russian journalist and executive, Vladislav Listyev, was killed in a gangland shooting outside his apartment, according to Moscow police. Listyev rose to stardom during the glasnost period for his hardnosed television interviews with former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and before his death was the host of "Chas Pik" (Rush Hour), an interview show patterned after CNN's "Larry King Live." Listyev had recently been named the top executive at the reorganized Ostankino public television network and supported a proposed ban on commercial advertising at the station that was to have begun on Apr 1. The station had recently installed an in-house agency that increased ad revenues from about $1 million a month to almost $8 million after it was reported that unscrupulous entrepreneurs, employees, and clients were siphoning off much of the ad money. There was widespread speculation in the Moscow press that Listyev's death was a mafia hit by enemies of the ad ban. The formerly state-owned Ostankino was privatized last November among corporate shareholders but the state kept a controlling 51% share. It is a politically influential station that reaches across the entire former Soviet Union. According to a government member on the board of shareholders at Ostankino, the ban on advertising was intended "to determine the proper correlation between advertising on the one hand and the interests of economic development and moral criteria on the other." Losses in ad revenue were to be made up by private shareholders.

Feb 2, 1995
LAWMAKER SLAIN.
A businessman and member of the State Duma was kidnapped and executed with a gunshot to the head, according to Russian police. Sergei Skorochkin's body was found in a wooded area south of Moscow after he was kidnapped Feb 1 from a restaurant by a group of four armed men posing as police. Skorochkin made headlines in May 1994 when he shot and killed on the Moscow streets a Georgian man he said was threatening him. He was acquitted of that killing and the death of a woman passer-by who was shot in the crossfire on grounds of self-defense: he had claimed he was the target of the local mafia for refusing to pay protection money. Skorochkin had spent the time since then in Britain, where he had business interests, and had just returned to Russia. He was the third lawmaker to be killed since the State Duma was formed in December 1993.

Nov 5, 1994
LAWMAKER DIES FROM INJURIES.
A State Duma deputy from the Communist Party, Valentin Martemyanov, died from injuries he received when he was robbed and beaten several days ago. The death brought some calls for the resignation of Interior Minister Viktor Yerin, who has been criticized lately because of rising crime and lawlessness.

Oct 17, 1994
BOMB KILLS JOURNALIST.
A bomb blast killed a reporter who had written several stories exposing corruption in the military. Dmitry Kholodov covered the military beat for the Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper and was scheduled to give testimony in the State Duma on illegal arms trading. The bomb was planted in a package that Kholodov picked up from a locker in a railroad station. Kholodov was told in an anonymous telephone tip that the box contained documents confirming that Russian military officials sold arms to Germany. According to a freedom of the press watchdog group in Russia, 25 journalists were killed and six disappeared in 1993 in the former Soviet Union.

Oct 13, 1994
HEAD OF MMM FUND RELEASED.
The jailed head of the failed MMM investment company was released on bail after serving two months in prison on charges of tax evasion and obstructing a federal investigation. Sergei Mavrodi swore not to leave Moscow until the question of his guilt is settled. He has registered to run for Oct 30 elections to the State Duma. If he wins, he will be immune from prosecution.

Aug 22, 1994
RUSSIA, GERMANY AGREE TO FIGHT NUCLEAR SMUGGLING.
High-level Moscow talks between Russian and German intelligence officials resulted in agreements to cooperate in the prevention of nuclear smuggling, including the tightening of border controls and improving the exchange of information between the two countries' security agencies.

Aug 18, 1994
THREE ARRESTED WITH NUCLEAR MATERIAL.
Russian police in Kaliningrad said they apprehended three men on Aug 12 who were trying to sell a container of unspecified radioactive material. The men told police they were asking for $1 million for the 132-pound container, which was leaking powerful radiation.

Aug 17, 1994
U.S. ENERGY CHIEF SAYS RUSSIA NEEDS ATOMIC SECURITY HELP.
U.S. Energy Secretary Hazel O'Leary said Moscow needs to strengthen security at Russia's nuclear research and production complexes to staunch the black-market flow of weapons-grade fissionable material, calling it an international issue that requires vast sums of financial aid. Nuclear experts said several nuclear plants in Russia are in urgent need of attention: the Mayak, Chelyabinsk-65, or Kyshtym production complex in the Urals; the Bochvar Institute of Inorganic Materials in Moscow; and the Institute of Atomic Reactors, located 450 miles east of Moscow in Dimitrovgrad. At these places workers are generally poor and security is sometimes nonexistent. The type of nuclear material recovered after being smuggled into Munich over the last week is thought to be an experimental Russian nuclear mix called Mox (mixed oxide fuel), a combination of uranium and plutonium oxides used to fuel nuclear reactors.

Aug 15, 1994
MMM CHIEF CHARGED WITH TAX EVASION.
News reports said the chief of the failed investment fund MMM was charged with tax evasion and obstructing an investigation. Sergei Mavrodi, who was arrested on Aug 4, masterminded the pyramid scheme that lured millions of Russians to invest with promises of high returns. He faces up to five years in prison if convicted of tax evasion.

Aug 15, 1994
GERMANS SUSPECT RUSSIA'S MILITARY IN NUCLEAR SMUGGLING.
German authorities said a small amount of weapons-grade plutonium 239 that was intercepted on a plane from Moscow to Munich last week was the first shipment in a 10-pound exchange worth $250 million. Officials also claimed that the extremely toxic compound came from Russian security services. The police arrested a Colombian and two Spaniards as couriers. There were not any leads on a prospective buyer of the fissionable material. Scientists say a tiny particle of plutonium 239 inhaled can cause lung cancer and a small amount dumped into a city's water supply can kill close to a million people. While some experts claim it takes at least 20 pounds of the radioactive substance to build a nuclear bomb, other reports have indicated a bomb can be manufactured using less than three pounds of material. (Plutonium is an element that exists only in small amounts in nature and is manufactured as a byproduct in some types of nuclear reactors.) The amount of nuclear material recovered last week was 1.23 pounds, and consisted of 87% pure plutonium 239. Russian officials have denied that the material originated from Russia's military stockpiles, a claim that German police have challenged on the strength of laboratory tests that trace the material to Russia. Russia lacks a single controlling body to account for radioactive material; its Defense Ministry and Atomic Energy Ministry keep separate records and Moscow does not claim responsibility for nuclear material produced in other countries of the former Soviet Union.

Aug 13, 1994
SMUGGLED NUCLEAR MATERIALS SEIZED IN GERMANY.
German officials announced that they have seized a large amount of weapon-quality nuclear material that was being smuggled out of Russia. The officials said the material was the largest amount seized yet and indicates that there is a serious criminal conspiracy under way that is aimed at equipping interested buyers with the means to build an atom bomb. The amount of radioactive plutonium 239 seized about 500 grams is about 5% of the amount required to make a bomb. It was seized from baggage on a Lufthansa flight between Moscow and Munich. Three people, apparently couriers, were arrested. German officials are concerned that Russian scientists or security staff are selling the material. Russian atomic officials said they have no reports of missing plutonium from any of their facilities.

Aug 11, 1994
SECOND ATOMIC SAMPLE FOUND IN GERMANY.
Press reports said German police discovered a second small sample of highly enriched nuclear weapons-grade uranium-235 in June after finding a similar sample of plutonium-239 in May. The samples are believed to be from much larger quantities of radioactive material smuggled out of Russia and intended for sale to third parties, such as Iran and Iraq, interested in making an atomic bomb. One German official said, "This could turn into the most serious security threat since the end of the cold war, and it is getting steadily worse." German police said there were 123 cases of atomic smuggling mostly cesium and uranium used in industry from former communist countries last year.

Jul 27, 1994
STOCK COMPANY FALTERS.
Thousands of investors in a shady stock company called MMM, a pyramid scheme, scrambled to sell their shares, which lost half their value in a day. The popular investment company's stock is owned by at least 5 million people. Observers say the company's rise and fall points to the overwhelming public fascination with capitalism and a desire to get rich quick. Political leaders are fearful the collapse of MMM and other companies like it will undermine the public's commitment to free-market reform. In a pyramid scheme each new round of investors supplies the money for the previous group so that original investors divide the money invested by those after them.

Jul 4, 1994
FBI OPENS IN MOSCOW.
The director of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Louis Freeh, opened a branch of the FBI in Moscow to fight organized crime there before it is allowed to become "a threat to world security." On a 10-day tour of Eastern Europe, Freeh said Russian gangsters could "use their existing and expanding criminal networks to exploit weapons-grade radioactive materials." Freeh also warned against the threat crime gangs pose to Russia's nascent capitalism and said that U.S. banks are vulnerable to Russian Mafia money-laundering practices.

Jun 23, 1994
THOUSANDS ARRESTED IN MOSCOW CRACKDOWN.
Television reports said 2,000 people were detained and 200 crimes "solved" as a result of a Jun 21 crackdown by 20,000 Interior Ministry troops in Moscow. The crackdown followed President Boris Yeltsin's Jun 14 decrees against organized crime, which enhanced police powers at the expense of civil rights.

Jun 23, 1994
YELTSIN REJECTS DUMA'S CALL TO SUSPEND CRIME BILL.
President Boris Yeltsin rejected a recommendation by the State Duma asking him to suspend his controversial Jun 14 anticrime decree.

Jun 22, 1994
DUMA REJECTS CRIME DECREE.
The State Duma rejected Boris Yeltsin's drastic anticrime decree because it violates the 1993 Constitution, the existing penal code, and basic public liberties. The Duma also rejected for the third time the national budget plan, which has faced strong opposition from conservative lawmakers because of its cuts in defense credits.

Jun 18, 1994
YELTSIN'S ANTICRIME DECREE SPARKS CONTROVERSY.
An anticrime decree that grants sweeping powers to police forces and suspends some of Russia's new basic civil liberties has set off a wave of protest from President Boris Yeltsin's enemies and supporters. The decree allows police to detain people at will and to conduct searches without warrants. While public dissatisfaction is high because of a soaring crime rate and gangland murders and car bombs, most view the new anticrime document as a universal threat to newfound rights and its critics see eerie similarities in the document to the age of Stalin, when simplified police and court procedures facilitated the mass terror of his regime. According to the Interior Ministry, there are more than 5,600 criminal gangs in Russia from which more than $70 billion worth of merchandise was confiscated in the last year alone. In 1993, over 25,000 crimes were committed with handguns. Yeltsin's decree, which bypassed the legislature, has aroused the opposition of the State Duma, which circulated a draft resolution calling the decree unconstitutional. Yeltsin cut short a trip to the Far East on Jun 17 to return to Moscow to contend with opponents of the decree.

May 16, 1994
ORGANIZED CRIME EYES NUCLEAR WARHEADS.
According to a report in the Atlantic Monthly, Russia's mobsters are seeking control of 15,000 nuclear warheads as a means to "hijack the state." The investigative report by an award-winning journalist revealed that a cache of stolen weapons-grade uranium was seized in April by government forces in the town of Izhevsk and that plutonium has been smuggled from Russia to North Korea.

Apr 27, 1994
LAWMAKER SLAIN IN CONTRACT HIT.
State Duma member Andrei Aizderdzis became the first politician to be killed in a gangland murder when he was shot with a shotgun outside of his home in the Moscow suburbs. Aizderdzis, a former banker, was a member of the centrist New Regional Policy party and owner of a newspaper that had recently published a list of the names and backgrounds of 266 alleged organized crime bosses. Press reports said that in 1993 10 bank directors were slain, apparently after refusing to pay out " loans" demanded by organized crime chieftains.

Feb 18, 1994
MOSCOW FLEA MARKET HIT BY RASH OF BOMB EXPLOSIONS.
Moscow police reported that the third explosion in a week occurred in the giant Luzhniki flea market after anonymous calls to police warned of a war on "speculators." Only one bystander was injured in the bomb blasts, which have targeted supplies of goods.

Feb 14, 1994
SERIAL KILLER EXECUTED.
President Boris Yeltsin rejected a last-minute appeal for clemency on behalf of Andrei Chikatilo, who was soon after executed after being convicted of 52 murders committed from 1978 to his capture in 1990. His victims included boys, girls, and women from Russia, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

Jan 28, 1994
REPORT FINDS GROWING NETWORK OF ORGANIZED CRIME.
A report on crime commissioned by President Boris Yeltsin found that almost 80% of private enterprises and commercial banks lose up to 20% of their turnover to gangsters through payoffs, kickbacks, debt collection, money laundering, and monopoly pricing. The report, which documented collusion between local law enforcement (including the Interior Ministry and the Security Ministry) and criminal gangs, claimed that this sort of crime accounts for a quarter of the inflation rate and poses a serious threat to entrepreneurialism and foreign investment in the country. The report traced a 250% jump from 1992 in crimes committed with firearms and predicted that if the government does not take decisive steps against increasing lawlessness millions of Russians will be more inclined to support the populist law-and-order appeals of the Liberal Democratic Party, headed by ultranationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky.

Oct 28, 1993
JURY TRIALS TO BE RESTORED.
The Justice Ministry announced that it will reintroduce jury trials next week in five regions. The system was abolished after the 1917 Bolshevik revolution on the grounds that it was a bourgeois and corrupt process.

Aug 28, 1993
POLICE ARREST MAN FOR TRYING TO SELL URANIUM.
A spokesperson from the Interior Ministry revealed that a man has been arrested for trying to sell uranium. Police acting on a tip-off made the arrest outside the Kurchatove Institute, a major nuclear studies center. The man was carrying a sealed container that was holding uranium.

Aug 18, 1993
VICE PRESIDENT ACCUSED OF CORRUPTION.
Justice Minister Yuri Kalmykov revealed the findings of a special government commission and accused Vice President Aleksandr Rutskoy of concealing government money in a Swiss bank account. Kalmykov asked the Constitutional Court to investigate Rutskoy, who is an opponent of President Boris Yeltsin. The commission also alleged that Prosecutor General Valentin Stepankov is corrupt and said it would ask the legislature to remove him from office. Other allegations were leveled at high officials in the Economy and Foreign Economic Affairs ministries regarding violations of quota and license laws relating to intergovernmental agreements.

Apr 22, 1993
CORRUPTION CHARGES FILED AGAINST YELTSIN ALLY.
The prosecutor general's office released a statement charging Defense Minister Gen. Pavel Grachev with involvement in "illegal deals" in connection with military property in the former East Germany belonging to what was the Soviet Union. Grachev has been a staunch backer of President Boris Yeltsin and has ensured the support of the military thus far. The prosecutor general's office also announced the interrogation of another Yeltsin ally, former First Deputy Prime Minister Gennady Burbulis, and other high-ranking officials in a separate corruption investigation. (The allegations followed last week's assertion by Yeltsin's chief opponent, Vice President Alexander Rutskoy, that Federal Information Service head Mikhail Poltaranin took part in the sale of former Soviet military property in Germany.)

Jan 30, 1993
MAN ARRESTED FOR YELTSIN ASSASSINATION PLOT.
The Itar- Tass news agency revealed that police have arrested an army major on charges of plotting to assassinate President Boris Yeltsin. The man was seized in a government building on Jan 27. Early reports indicate that the suspect, who has not been named, was acting alone and planned the killing to protest the nation's transformation from a communist to a capitalist system.

Nov 10, 1992
BELARUS CLAIMS TO HAVE DESTROYED URANIUM RING.
Belarusian government officials said they have uncovered and destroyed a smuggling ring that was taking uranium into Poland from Russia after arresting a Russian carrying 5.5 pounds of uranium at the Brest border crossing. The man admitted smuggling a larger quantity of the material into Poland earlier in the year.

Economic Affairs

Oct 31, 1997
IMF DELAYS DISBURSEMENT OF LOAN MONEY TO RUSSIA.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced that it will delay a $700 million installment of a three-year loan it has made to Russia. The installment will be withheld until early 1998, the IMF said, because of concerns over poor tax collection in Russia. In a joint statement with the Russian Finance Ministry, the IMF recognized Russia's overall economic efforts but explained that "despite increased tax collections, overall revenue performance of the federal budget remains insufficient for budget execution."

Oct 25, 1997
CASPIAN SEA PIPELINE OPENS.
A new pipeline opened to transport oil from the Caspian Sea through war-torn Chechnya for export to the west. It has been estimated that approximately 120,000 tons will flow through the pipeline by the end of 1997 and that it will eventually accommodate as much as several million barrels a day. If so, the Caspian region will rival the Middle East as a world energy source. Crude oil reserves in the Caspian Sea region are among the last known extensive oil reserves in the world.

Oct 13, 1997
BULGARIA AND RUSSIA SIGN GAS SUPPLY DEAL.
Press reports said Bulgaria and Russia have signed an agreement that will guarantee a gas supply to Bulgaria and will open the door for Russia to sell large amounts of gas to western Turkey. The 10- to 15-year agreement was reached at a meeting between Bulgargas, Bulgaria's state-run gas company, and Gazexport, Russian gas monopoly Gazprom's foreign trade division. Direct negotiations between the commercial companies marked a departure from previous state-to-state deals. "The gas deal is a landmark in our development. We either had to defend our independence and show that we were a sovereign European country or accept that we were a Russian satellite for ever," Bulgaria's Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandur Bozhkov said. The supply deal is tied to a separate agreement under which Bulgaria will continue to own the section of a transit pipeline in Bulgaria that delivers Russian gas to western Turkey and Istanbul. As winter approaches, a gas supply and transit agreement with Russia has been a priority for Bulgaria, which is totally dependent on Russia for its natural gas.

Sep 28, 1997
DESPITE U.S. WARNINGS, RUSSIAN AND FRENCH FIRMS AGREE TO GAS PROJECT IN IRAN.
Iranian and French press reports said a major French oil company, in partnership with Russia's largest gas company and a major Malaysian oil company, has signed a $2 billion gas deal with Iran. Despite a 1996 law threatening U.S. economic sanctions against any foreign companies who invest more than $40 million in Iran, the French oil company Total will share the contract with Russia's Gazprom and Petronas of Malaysia. The contract outlines a plan to extract 1,995 cubic feet of gas daily from a new part of the Pars-e Jonubi offshore field. The U.S. Clinton administration has warned Total, the leader in the deal, that the United States will take action against companies that defy the 1996 law. The law was enacted to prevent Conoco Inc., an American oil company, from participating in a similar deal. U.S. allies have criticized the policy, disputing the right of the United States to punish foreign companies who are conducting business outside its borders. Under the law, the U.S. government could ban the foreign companies from exporting any goods to the United States or prohibit them from borrowing more than $10 million from American banks.

Sep 24, 1997
YELTSIN TO TAKE STEPS TO ENSURE FREE-MARKET COMPETITION.
Signaling a fundamental shift in economic policy, President Boris Yeltsin announced that Russia's government will play a stronger role in protecting free competition in the country's economy. He outlined several steps he will take to help foster capitalism by shifting away from favoritism and cronyism toward a more apparent distinction between business and government. Outlining a plan aimed at redistributing income throughout Russia, he promised to revamp the tax system so that businesses will pay taxes in the regions where they are located instead of paying in Moscow, where many of their headquarters are located. He also vowed to move the government's money from favored private banks to a federal treasury to be established by 1998, and he reiterated his pledge to tighten government regulation of energy monopolies to drive down energy prices. Since the dissolution of communism in Russia, a small number of businesspeople and bankers have gained control over much of the newly capitalist economy, widening the already large gap between the rich and the poor.

Sep 9, 1997
RUSSIA, CHECHNYA SIGN OIL DEAL.
Russia signed a long-awaited oil deal with Chechnya, paving the way for 200,000 tons of Caspian oil to be moved from Azerbaijan through Chechnya to the Russian Black Sea port city of Novorossiisk by the end of 1997. After weeks of bargaining and negotiations, an agreement was reached in Moscow between Russia and the breakaway republic, fulfilling Moscow's obligations to the international consortium planning to begin the oil transportation in late September. Relations between Russian and Chechen leaders have been strained in recent months over Chechnya's public execution of criminals as well as the ongoing dispute over the region's autonomy.

Sep 9, 1997
WORLD BANK RECOGNIZES RUSSIA AS EMERGING ECONOMIC GIANT.
The World Bank released a report saying that over the next 25 years Russia, Indonesia, India, China, and Brazil will transform into economic powerhouses that will likely "redraw the economic map of the world." The bank forecast that the five economic giants will see their imports, exports, and share of world output more than double in the period from 1992 to 2020. The richest industrial countries share of world output is forecast to fall from 81.4% to to 66.7% during the same period. Developing nations will prosper from the increased worldwide stability and should anticipate economic growth, according to the report. The economies of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, which took a beating after the fall of communism, will begin to stage a comeback, the report said. The bank forecast a slowing in economic growth among the economies of east Asia, and forecast economic acceleration in sub- Saharan Africa, a region that has been known for extreme poverty.

Aug 4, 1997
DENOMINATION OF THE RUBLE TO CHANGE.
To show that the government has tamed inflation, President Boris Yeltsin announced that as of Jan 1, 1998, three zeros will be taken off the denomination of the ruble. In other words, instead of an exchange rate of about 6,000 rubles to one U.S. dollar, the rate will become six rubles to one U.S. dollar. The change is not a devaluation, and Yeltsin said, "Nobody will lose anything as a result of this reform." The decision was praised by many economists as a sign that the government is optimistic about its chances of stabilizing the economy.

Jul 25, 1997
PARTIAL SELLOFF OF TELECOM FIRM SUCCESSFUL.
In Russia's single largest privatization to date, the government's Federal Property Commission sold a 25% stake in the telecommunications holding company Svyazinvest for $1.9 billion. The purchaser, who paid 59% more than the first bid, is a consortium comprising Oneximbank, Russia's largest commercial bank, and Deutsche Morgan Grenfell, an international investment group. The government will put most of the money toward paying back wages to the armed forces, but a significant amount will be spent on updating Russia's archaic telecommunications systems.

Jul 18, 1997
TELEPHONE COMPANY PRIVATIZATION SALE ENDS.
Bidding for a quarter share of the giant Russian telecommunications company Svyazinvest was reported to have closed. The winning candidate will be announced on Jul 25. Although Jul 21 is officially the final day for taking part, the requirement that applicants make a $400 million deposit by today appears to preclude any additional tenders. The minimum bid was set at $1.18 billion. Russian banking groups Alfa, Most, and Oneximbank are believed to have formed consortia with Western companies in order to generate enough liquid capital to make a bid. Svyazinvest owns a minority interest in national long-distance carrier Rostelekom and 85 local telephone companies valued at $1.4 billion.

Jul 17, 1997
STATISTICS SUGGESTS COUNTRY'S ECONOMY IS NOT SO HEALTHY.
Press reports said data published this week by the country's state statistics committee is much less sanguine about Russia's economic position than the upbeat prognoses contained in recent speeches by Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin and President Boris Yeltsin. The released figures indicate that Russia's gross domestic product fell 0.2% in the first half of 1997, continuing a six-year downward pattern of overall economic activity.

Jul 14, 1997
CASPIAN SEA OIL DEVELOPMENT DISCUSSED.
Press reports said the Kazakh government and a group of seven Western oil companies are involved in talks concerning a major oil-drilling project off Kazakhstan, in the northern part of the Caspian Sea. It is not known whether the area actually contains any petroleum, but scientists have identified promising geological patterns. The consortium members are Agip, British Gas, British Petroleum, Mobil, Shell, Total, and Statoil. Two Russian enterprises, Lukoil and Rosneft, are also believed to want to participate in the undertaking, a proposal that is welcomed by all the current negotiators. Kazakhstan already has functioning land-based oil fields located near the Caspian Sea.

Jul 13, 1997
DETAILS OF GAZPROM ACCOUNTS REVEALED.
The Financial Times reported that, for the first time, an audit using International Accounting Standards was performed for the giant Russian utility company Gazprom. The figures were prepared by the international accounting firm Price Waterhouse. Bruce Edwards of Price Waterhouse, who was in charge of the project, said the quality of raw accounting data used for the audit was good. Gazprom, which contributes 8% of Russia's gross domestic product, recently paid back some of the taxes it owes to the Russian government, which in turn allowed a pension backlog to be wiped out.

Jul 13, 1997
YELTSIN TO SCRAP HOUSING SUBSIDIES
Press reports said President Boris Yeltsin plans to end housing and utility subsidies by 2003. The proposal affects three-quarters of those currently receiving the allowances, with only the poorest Russians continuing to be eligible. Although the popular system, a holdover from communist days, provides a measure of economic protection in a country where salary and pension payment is unreliable, the subsidies retard growth and have a particularly negative impact on local governments, which spend up to a third of their budgets on the payments. Utility subsidies also encourage recipients to waste environmentally limited resources because they have an unrealistically low price.

Jul 4, 1997
ECONOMY MUCH IMPROVED, YELTSIN TELLS NATION.
President Boris Yeltsin announced that Russia's five-year economic recession is finally at an end. The prognosis, contained in a radio speech given on the anniversary of Yeltsin's re-election, followed an announcement by Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin that Russia's gross domestic product rose by 1% in the first six months of 1997. Nonetheless, Yeltsin's remarks were greeted with substantial skepticism. While acknowledging that some modest success has been achieved, most commentators portrayed Yeltsin's comments as characteristically over-optimistic.

Jun 27, 1997
PENSION DEBTS TO BE PAID OVER WEEKEND.
First Deputy Prime Minister Anatoly Chubais announced that $480 million has been assigned so that the backlog of pensions that is owed by the government to retirees can be paid off by Jul 1. Banks will stay open over the weekend so that the arrears can be swiftly disbursed. A campaign directed by Chubais to collect delinquent taxes from large companies such as the Gazprom natural gas utility, which at one point owed $3 billion in taxes, has been successful. Other revenue has come from a bond issue and from international loans. These actions generated enough income to permit the payments to pensioners.

Jun 27, 1997
RUSSIA-CHINA TRADE DEAL CONCLUDED.
Prime ministers Viktor Chernomyrdin of Russia and Li Peng of China signed an agreement to boost trade between the two nations to $20 billion by 2000. Meeting in Beijing, the two leaders agreed to continue collaborating on oil, gas, electricity, and railroad projects, including a proposed $7 billion pipeline construction plan that would connect the oil deposits of Siberia's Irkutsk region with areas in China that are experiencing rapid economic development.

Jun 21, 1997
YELTSIN MEETS WITH U.S. BUSINESS LEADERS.
While the other "Summit of the Eight" conference participants talked about finance targets, President Boris Yeltsin and one of two recently appointed first deputy prime ministers, Anatoly Chubais, met with representatives of U.S. businesses, including Lockheed Martin, DuPont, U.S. West, and United Technologies. Among the topics discussed at the gathering, which took place at Denver's Museum of Natural History, was Lockheed Martin's $1 billion deal with Russia to build the new Atlas rocket engine near Moscow. Yeltsin said the existence of a number of such contracts is evidence of the market's faith in Russia's economic future. (The "Summit of the Eight" brings together Group of Seven member states and Russia.)

May 21, 1997
PRIME MINISTER SUBMITS REDUCED 1997 BUDGET PLAN.
Responding to a difficult economic situation, with government revenue less than had been anticipated in the original version of the 1997 budget, Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin submitted a revised proposal to the State Duma. The plan reflects the thinking of reformers in the government, including the new first deputy prime minister, Boris Nemtsov, who was appointed after the prior budget was approved. It imposes spending cuts of 20% over the original, reduces military funding, and cuts subsidies to the coal industry and other traditionally state-aided segments of the economy.

Apr 28, 1997
YELTSIN APPROVES MONOPOLIES REFORMS.
First Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov announced that the government has decreed sweeping changes in key energy monopolies, which include the electricity and gas industries. According to President Boris Yeltsin's decree, the state will retain authority over the utility companies but a partial sell-off will occur to generate new capital. The reforms are also aimed at ensuring continuous, reliable service.

Mar 27, 1997
RUSSIANS STRIKE FOR PAY.
More than 1 million Russians gathered in cities and squares in a nationwide strike protesting chronic economic privations. The protests called by trade union officials were observed by state workers from Siberia to the Black Sea. Many workers have not been paid for as long as eight months. As many as 100,000 people showed up at rallies in Moscow and St. Petersburg. The Interior Ministry said there were formal protests in another 1,200 cities. No significant violence was reported and the turnout was below union officials' hopes for some 21 million protesters.

Dec 28, 1996
BUDGET APPROVED.
The State Duma approved by a 243-117 vote the final draft of the Kremlin's budget without the haggling that has characterized past budget votes. The 1997 budget calls for spending some $96 billion, or 530 trillion rubles. "By backing the draft federal budget the Communists have taken a major step toward transforming themselves into a party of responsible opposition," remarked the newspaper Segodnya on the unusual cooperativeness of President Boris Yeltsin's leading parliamentary opponents. Those who most strongly opposed the budget plan were Yabloko, the party headed by Grigory Yavlinsky. The budget's biggest allowances go to the military and toward servicing the Kremlin's debt. Recently, government revenue has been consistently below expectations.

Dec 15, 1996
IMF RESTARTS LOAN TO RUSSIA.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) resumed its disbursement of a $10.1 billion loan to Moscow after suspending payments in October because the Kremlin was not doing enough to raise tax revenue and close tax loopholes. The Kremlin's recent decision to prosecute several companies for tax evasion prompted the IMF to release its delayed $336 million tranche. While inflation is down, Moscow has done little to further privatize the economy and large inefficient industries are still being allowed to operate. The State Duma today approved the first draft of the government's 1997 budget, which Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin claimed would reverse industrial decline and spur a 2% growth in the economy.

Dec 11, 1996
MINERS END STRIKE.
Russian coal miners decided to resume work after calling a nationwide strike last week to demand back wages. The miners' union said the Kremlin had promised to pay salary arrears by the end of the year. As many as 400,000 miners from 180 mines quit work because of a $400 million government debt owed the coal industry.

Dec 6, 1996
CASPIAN PIPELINE DEAL GETS GO-AHEAD.
The governments of Russia, Kazakhstan, and Oman, and nine oil companies, including Chevron and Russia's Lukoil, finalized a deal to export fuel from Kazakhstan to the international marketplace. The Caspian Pipeline Consortium had been mired in various snags since its inception in 1992. The accord clears the way for the building of a $2 billion pipeline slated for completion in 1999. "This is a momentous occasion. We have agreed to build a pipeline that will unlock the reserves of the Caspian region," said a Chevron representative.

Dec 3, 1996
COAL MINERS STRIKE FOR PAY.
As many as 40,000 Russian coal miners went on strike today to protest the nonpayment of wages and to call for the resignation of the government. Some miners have not been paid since June, according to Vitaly Budko, the leader of the main coal miners' union. Other state-funded workers, such as power plant workers and teachers, joined the strike. Budko claimed that 161 of the country's 189 mines will be closed, amounting to four-fifths of the mining work force. Tens of thousands of teachers in eastern Siberia joined the strike and in St. Petersburg some 150 workers at a nuclear plant staged a one-day "warning strike." Russia relies on coal for the majority of its heating needs and for half of its electrical needs. With $500 million in help from the World Bank, Russia is expected to shut down some 80 coal mines in the near future. State wage arrears are expected to reach $9 billion by the end of the year.
 
 

Striking coal miners at a Dec 3, 1996 rally to protest the nonpayment of wages and call for the government's resignation [AP/Wide World]

Oct 31, 1996
SUICIDE OF TOP SCIENTIST PROMPTS RENEWED CALLS FOR PAYMENT OF BACK WAGES.
Russian police said a leading nuclear scientist shot himself yesterday. The suicide of Vladimir Nechai, the director of the top-secret Chelyabinsk-70 nuclear complex in the Urals, became headline news in Moscow as nuclear physicists called for the payment of months of back wages and other relief to the depressed cold war-era nuclear center. Millions of state workers, including soldiers, miners, teachers, doctors, and others, have gone unpaid for months because of a country-wide tax crisis. The Chelyabinsk center employs some 16,000 workers and the surrounding town has a population of some 46,000. Nechai was a weapons designer and had managed the closed city since 1988. His deputy director said that the center's financial troubles had aggravated Nechai's depression.

Oct 24, 1996
IMF MAY SUSPEND MULTIBILLION DOLLAR LOAN.
Officials of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) left Moscow today without an agreement with Russia's Central Bank, putting the balance of a $10 billion loan to Russia on hold until further evaluation next month. The IMF has already disbursed $2.4 billion of the loan. The IMF cited chronic tax evasion as the main reason behind the suspension of funds. A new emergency tax commission created earlier in the month has so far targeted four relatively small companies, with collective delinquencies at $100 million, for bankruptcy proceedings. The huge gas monopoly Gazprom, with $3 billion in unpaid government taxes, was conspicuous by its absence from the commission's list of tax delinquents. The State Duma has compiled its own list of 73 corporate tax dodgers, which together owe almost $5 billion.

Oct 12, 1996
YELTSIN TO GET TOUGH ON TAXES.
President Boris Yeltsin announced the creation of a new government commission on tax-collecting headed by Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin and directed by Anatoly Chubais, the president's chief of staff. The news was welcomed by Western economists, who have long complained that Russia's tax laws are not being enforced aggressively enough. The radio announcement came as the State Duma rejected the 1997 government budget because its revenue projections were too optimistic. The new government commission reestablishes for Chubais, the former head of privatization, a direct role in economic decision-making. Unofficial estimates put the sum of uncollected federal and local taxes at some $28 billion. Gazprom, the huge natural resources monopoly, has not paid about $2 billion in taxes it owes for the current year alone. Millions of state workers have not been paid their wages in months, and the threat of widespread strikes has grown steadily.

Oct 1, 1996
ALL CORNERS APPEAL TO KREMLIN FOR MORE FUNDING.
Russian Defense Minister Gen. Igor Rodionov warned that army officers are so poor they may sell their own weapons because their stipends have not been paid in months. The warning echoed protests from leading economic and cultural institutions that rely on state funding that strikes and closures are imminent unless the Kremlin loosens its tight purse strings. Rodionov said the military's financial problems would not provoke a mutiny, as his ally Aleksandr Lebed had warned, but that "chronic under-financing" threatens to tear the armed forces apart. "The army has denied itself a lot of the things but if things go on like this the situation will become intolerable," Rodionov said, adding that hundreds of thousands of soldiers live below the poverty line and that more than 110,000 officers do not have housing. Rodionov said that the $18.3 billion earmarked for the military in the 1997 draft budget will cover only one-third of its needs. Rodionov said the military ranks now number some 1.5 million troops and that the forces will be reduced to 1.2 million in 1997. (Rodionov also said that the military has postponed to 2005 its plans to convert to a professional, all-volunteer force.) Meanwhile, St. Petersburg cultural figures issued an open letter to Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin warning that various libraries, theaters, and museums including the Hermitage Museum and the Markinsky theater are closing their doors today because of a lack of state funding. In related news, the entire northern city of Vorkuta went on strike to protest five months of wage arrears.

Sep 16, 1996
ENERGY WORKERS STRIKE AGAIN IN FAR EAST.
More than 16,000 workers at power plants in Russia's Far East went on strike to protest wage arrears dating to April. Other workers such as doctors and bus drivers in the Primorski region have threatened to join the strike. Most strikers want the federal government to intercede and sack the regional governor, Yevgeny Nazdratenko, whom they accuse of fixing local energy prices at low, unprofitable rates. A public referendum on Nazdratenko was due to be held next week. The powerful governor was elected by a wide margin last December. A power blackout hit Primorski in July after local fuel reserves ran out. Nazdratenko has sought against the dictates of the Kremlin to import coal from Asian nations in lieu of the more expensive alternative of shipping coal from European Russia.

Aug 21, 1996
IMF TO RELEASE MONEY TO RUSSIA.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreed to pay Russia an installment of $330 million after having delayed the payment because of concerns about the government's low tax-collection revenues. The funds are part of a $10.2 billion three-year loan approved in February. "Executive directors were satisfied that the Russian government and Central Bank met their July targets and are pursuing policies consistent with the attainment of macroeconomic objectives of the program," the IMF said. The IMF reportedly eased the terms of its loan to Moscow so that President Boris Yeltsin could pay for his campaign promises, stretching the limit for Russia's budget deficit from 4% to 5.3% of gross domestic product.

Aug 6, 1996
RUSSIAN MINERS RETURN TO WORK.
About 12,000 coal miners in the Russian Far East region of Primorski returned to work after a three-week strike to protest wage arrears. The miners received state promises to pay most of their back wages. The entire Pacific region was paralyzed by strikes and power blackouts last month when power companies were too poor to purchase fuel oil to make electricity. Many state industries and military bases lacked state funds to pay their utility bills, which amounted to some $180 million.

Jul 22, 1996
IMF DELAYS MONTHLY PAYMENT TO RUSSIA.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced that it is withholding a $330-million payment to Russia because Russia's tax revenue was below projections. It was the first such delay in a monthly payment since the IMF began loaning money to Russia to bring its budget deficit and inflation under control. The IMF approved a three-year, $10.2 billion loan in February with stringent month-by-month reviews of the economy's status. With tax collection faulty to begin with, the drop in Russia's tax revenue was attributed in part to the refusal of some companies to pay taxes until after the recent June/July presidential elections, when the defeat of the Communist Party candidate was assured. President Boris Yeltsin also stretched the budget considerably with a flurry of campaign spending promises, necessitating a $1 billion transfer of funds from the Central Bank to the federal budget. IMF officials said they expect Moscow to act quickly to fix the problem and that the payment will likely be disbursed within the month.

Jul 19, 1996
COMMUNISTS QUASH BILL ON FOREIGN OIL INVESTMENT.
In a setback to the privatization efforts of the administration of Russian President Boris Yeltsin, the communist-dominated State Duma voted against legislation intended to encourage foreign investment in the oil and gas industry. The politically charged legislation outlines the legal framework for sharing oil production. Foreign and U.S. companies said the law would have cut taxes on oil and gas output in exchange for a share of the oil produced by the foreign companies (which have balked at investing billions of dollars in the industry until sharing arrangements are worked into the legal system). Communists and nationalists have long opposed the market reform measures because they see them as a means by which the West will exploit Russia's natural resources. Major oil development projects have been put on hold pending approval of the new laws. Russia's own Ministry of Fuel and Energy has estimated the total long-term investment potential of production-sharing agreements at $50 billion. The new legislation, rejected by a 150-148 vote, was supplemental to a broad production-sharing bill that was approved by the Duma in December 1995.

Jun 10, 1996
CENTRAL BANK SEEKS TO LIMIT INFLATION.
In a bid to reassure anxious Western and Russian economists, Russia's Central Bank said it has taken measures to contain economic damage from the release of $1 billion into the federal budget to cover President Boris Yeltsin's campaign promises. Central Bank officials had at first balked at the president's order, fearing that the printing of new money would raise inflation and undermine the bank's independence, and had planned a court challenge. After meeting with Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin, Central Bank chief Sergei Dubinin said, "I think we will manage to neutralize the inflationary effects." To compensate for the transfer, which has already taken place, the bank said it is tightening credit by increasing its reserve requirements for commercial banks. Yeltsin has said he plans to spend the money before presidential elections on Jun 16. The money will be used to back Yeltsin's campaign promises to teachers, doctors, and the military.

Jun 8, 1996
CENTRAL BANK RELENTS ON FUNDS DEMAND.
The Central Bank of Russia agreed to fulfill President Boris Yeltsin's demand to release the equivalent of $1 billion into the federal budget to cover the incumbent's campaign promises before presidential elections on Jun 16, according to the Interfax news agency. Bank directors had said they would challenge the president's order in court because they said it undermined the bank's independence and posed a threat of hyperinflation to the Russian economy.

Jun 6, 1996
YELTSIN TELLS BANK TO RELEASE FUNDS.
In a move that violates Russia's agreements with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), President Boris Yeltsin told the nation's Central Bank to release $1 billion into the federal budget to back his campaign promises to teachers, doctors, and the military. IMF and Central Bank officials said the order, which was approved by the State Duma, will lead to inflation and weaken the bank's independence. "This money does not in fact exist. This money is not backed by anything," the Central Bank chairperson protested. Yeltsin claimed that the transfer of funds will not hurt the economy because the bank has funds in reserve. Bank officials said they are prepared to challenge the order in court because the bank is legally independent from the president and the legislature. Western economists said the order contradicts assurances the Kremlin made to the IMF, which approved a three-year, $10.1 billion loan to Russia on the condition that it adhere to anti-inflationary measures and a strict program of free-market reforms. About $1 billion of the loan has already been released to Russia.

Jun 1, 1996
RUBLE TO TRADE ON WORLD MARKETS.
For the first time since the 1920s, the Russian ruble will become a fully convertible currency, able to be bought and sold inside and outside Russia, according to an announcement by the Central Bank. The lifting of currency regulations brings the Russian economy into compliance with the norms of the free market and meets requirements set by the International Monetary Fund as a condition for loans and assistance.

May 28, 1996
COMMUNISTS RELEASE ECONOMIC PLAN.
Russian Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov unveiled the resurgent party's plan to rescue the declining economy of the former superpower. The document, titled "From Destruction to Construction," proposes state intervention and large-scale spending, including heavy protectionism, state control of major industries, and wage and price controls. Unlike the free-market reforms of President Boris Yeltsin, the plan focuses on tight governmental control and regulation, calling for massive state spending on the country's aging military-industrial complex and on education and medical care. It calls for price controls on consumer goods and raw materials, advocating a cut in energy prices as a means of boosting production. The Communists propose to raise money not from treasury bonds and Western loans, as the Yeltsin administration does, but through better tax collection, government bonds, and central bank credits. Comprehensive taxes would be applied on goods to drive out the widespread use of the U.S. dollar. Moscow press coverage of the plan was uniformly negative, viewing it as a threatening and unrealistic attempt to return to an outmoded Soviet command economy. One Western economist quoted in the New York Times said, "It won't work now because it didn't work before. If factories don't efficiently produce what consumers want to buy, no amount of government aid can turn that around."

Apr 29, 1996
PARIS CLUB RESCHEDULES RUSSIA'S SOVIET DEBT.
After a weekend of "difficult" negotiations, the Paris Club, a group of 18 creditor nations, agreed to reschedule $40 billion of former Soviet debt owed them by Russia, extending by six years a grace period on principal payments and spreading out total payments over a 25-year period. Loan officials warned that the deal was founded on Russia continuing with economic reforms and maintaining an accord with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which earlier this year agreed to loan Russia $10 billion over three years. The deal was seen as an effort to "lock in" Russia to economic reforms ahead of presidential elections in June, in which Communist candidate Gennady Zyuganov is favored by a slight margin over Yeltsin. The largest creditor nations to Russia, in descending order, include Germany, France, Italy, and the United States.

Apr 8, 1996
RUSSIAN BANKS IN CRISIS.
At least 10% of Russia's commercial banks are failing, according to the Association of Russian Banks. A stabilization program designed to reduce inflation has squeezed weaker banks, many of which have cashed in their treasury bill portfolios to stay afloat. Central Bank chief Sergei Dubinin has said the government will not bail out banks in crisis. A European Union report said as many as 1,600 of Russia's 2,285 active banks will collapse during the next few years.

Mar 25, 1996
RUSSIA DROPS TARIFF PLAN.
Western economists said Moscow has dropped a controversial plan to raise import tariffs by as much as 20%, thus clearing the way for approval of a new $10.2 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The tariff threat had stalled the IMF loan, which will now deliver as much as $1 billion to the Kremlin before presidential elections in June 1996, giving a boost to the chances of the incumbent, President Boris Yeltsin. Many believe the speedy approval of the IMF loan, the second largest in the fund's history, was politically motivated by the West's fear of a return to power of the Communist Party should presidential candidate Gennady Zyuganov win upcoming elections. Washington announced that Russia has also dropped a protectionist ban on American poultry imports but is still considering raising tariffs on the frozen birds.

Mar 8, 1996
YELTSIN MAKES LAND A COMMODITY.
President Boris Yeltsin signed a decree privatizing the land the government ceded to villagers and farmers when the Soviet Union was dissolved in 1991. The decree, which applies to about 40 million owners of garden plots and 12 million workers at collective and state farms, permits people to rent, lease, buy, or sell land for the first time since the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. Agrarian and communist parties and the owners of loosely reorganized collective farms criticized the move, saying it will invite "speculation" and "plundering." The decree forbids the sale of land to foreigners and does not apply to urban land. Many viewed the decree as a ploy by Yeltsin to give the rural poor a tangible reason to support reform over communism in June presidential elections.

Feb 22, 1996
IMF, RUSSIA AGREE ON NEW LOAN.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) reached an agreement with Russia to loan that nation $10.2 billion over the next three years as long as it continues to privatize its economy, liberalize trade, and follow other guidelines to make it run according to capitalist rules. Quick to capitalize on the loan for political purposes, President Boris Yeltsin, running for reelection this year, called the agreement a vindication of his international credentials. IMF Managing Director Michel Camdessus warned that the agency will cut off funds if a new government elected in June decides to end reforms. Nearly $4 billion is slated to be loaned within the first year, but funds will be disbursed in monthly installments. By Apr 1, the Kremlin is supposed to lift most oil and gas export tariffs and close tax loopholes.

Feb 8, 1996
IMF GIVES $1 BILLION TO RUSSIA.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved a $1.05 billion loan to Russia, the last installment of a $6.3 billion loan approved last year. The IMF said nothing about the status of a proposed new $9 billion loan to be disbursed over the next three years.

Feb 5, 1996
COAL MINERS END BRIEF STRIKE.
Coal miners returned to work after staging a two-day strike to demand back pay and increased state subsidies for the ailing industry. The Kremlin agreed to sink $2.2 billion into the coal industry for the year, a sum that includes $133 million in unpaid wages since October 1995. The miners had demanded $200 million in salary arrears, most of which is owed by power stations and coal consumers, not the government. The Russian Coal Workers Union said it will strike again if funds are not paid by Mar 1.

Feb 1, 1996
COAL MINERS STRIKE.
As many as half a million Russian coal miners went on strike, demanding $200 million in back wages. The miners, representing about half of the industry's workers, joined nearly 250,000 teachers who struck the day before, also in demand of unpaid wages. Coal miner strikes in the past have foreshadowed major political shakeups, preceding the decline of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1989 and the ascent to power of Boris Yeltsin in 1991. Sensitive to this trend, especially during a presidential election year, the Kremlin sought unsuccessfully to defuse today's strike and is expected to placate the miners despite concerns about how to scrape up the money. The Kremlin has sought to reassure international lenders that it will maintain economic austerity measures demanded by the West. According to a World Bank study, only two-thirds of Russia's coal industry is strong enough to survive without state subsidies, which means that about 900,000 miners stand to lose their jobs if the industry were to be made viable.

Jan 30, 1996
CHERNOMYRDIN VISITS WASHINGTON.
In a routine visit to Washington, Russian Premier Viktor Chernomyrdin assured the U.S. government that Russia is still committed to free-market reforms despite President Boris Yeltsin's shift to hard-line politics in a presidential election year. In a bid for reelection this June, Yeltsin has made numerous spending promises that if kept could shoot the Russian economy into a high rate of inflation. At stake for Russia is a three-year $9 billion International Monetary Fund loan negotiated mostly by dismissed economy minister Anatoly Chubais. U.S. President Bill Clinton said he approves of the loan, which is likely to be granted dependent on an ongoing review of the Russian economy.

Dec 26, 1995
SELL-OFF PLAN HALTED.
The Kremlin suspended a controversial privatization plan to sell shares in 29 state industries in the face of complaints that the auctions were plagued by insider trading and fraud. The sell-off plan was organized last fall by a consortium of banks as a way of satisfying the Kremlin's short-term need for currency. The first auctions caused an uproar when shares were snapped up by the organizing banks at fire-sale prices.

Dec 20, 1995
UPPER HOUSE APPROVES DRAFT BUDGET.
As communists and nationalists tightened their grip on the State Duma, Russia's lower parliamentary chamber, the Federation Council, or upper house, approved a strict budget for 1996. Meanwhile, Premier Viktor Chernomyrdin vowed that the strong showing by communists in the Dec 17 legislative balloting would not deter the government's policy of capitalist economic transformation. However, Chernomyrdin hinted that the government may soften the impact of austere reforms by increasing some import duties and paying compensation to the elderly whose incomes cannot keep up with the pace of inflation.

Nov 22, 1995
CHERNOMYRDIN ALLY GETS BANK JOB.
On a vote of 344-1 the State Duma ratified the appointment of the new Central Bank head, Sergei Dubinin. The former finance minister in Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin's Cabinet, Dubinin is, according to Western opinion, an experienced and respected financial reformer. President Boris Yeltsin sacked him in 1994 after the precipitous fall of the ruble. Dubinin is a board member of Gazprom, the huge monopoly gas producer of which Chernomyrdin himself was once the chief executive.

Nov 15, 1995
DUMA OKAYS BUDGET.
The State Duma approved by 237 votes to 77 the draft 1996 budget after the Kremlin agreed to increase social spending by $1 billion over the previous proposal. Meanwhile, the Federation Council, or upper house, confirmed that next year's presidential poll will be held on Jun 16.

Nov 10, 1995
RUSSIA GETS BIGGEST STAKE IN AZERI OIL DEAL.
Azerbaijan gave Russia the biggest stake in a $1.7 billion international contract to develop the Caspian Sea oil fields. The deal is separate from a recent $8 billion deal from which Russia received a much smaller share. Russia's Lukoil oil monopoly will have a 32.5% stake in the projects, followed by Italy's Agip gas company, the U.S. Pennzoil company, and the Azeri SOCAR company.

Nov 8, 1995
CENTRAL BANK GOVERNOR FIRED.
President Boris Yeltsin sacked the acting head of Russia's central bank. The departure of Tatiana Paramonova, an internationally respected bank governor, raised doubts among Western powers about the direction of the former Soviet Union's economic reforms, especially as parliamentary and presidential elections loom. The State Duma has so far been unable to agree on next year's budget while the Kremlin seeks a three-year loan from the International Monetary Fund for upwards of $12 billion. Paramonova was unpopular with the communist- and nationalist-dominated legislature for her tight control of the Kremlin's purse strings. "This is a very disconcerting development because Mrs. Paramonova had all the right instincts. There has been talk of pressure on the government to spend and maybe that is why she went. If that is true then we are in for a rocky time," said a Western economist based in Moscow. Alexander Khandruyev, the bank's first deputy chair, was appointed acting governor. He had close ties to Viktor Gerashchenko, the discredited bank governor who resigned in October 1994.

Nov 1, 1995
YELTSIN INCREASES MINIMUM WAGE.
From his hospital bed, President Boris Yeltsin signed laws increasing the minimum wage and minimum pension by 15%.

Oct 30, 1995
GERMANS SEIZE RUSSIAN RESEARCH VESSEL.
A German shipyard seized a Russian Antarctic research ship for nonpayment of services. The ship may have to forgo its annual voyage to Antarctica because Moscow has not released funds to cover the $3.2 million in repairs to the vessel's engines.

Oct 23, 1995
U.S. COMPANY GETS RIGHTS TO RUSSIAN CLASSICAL MUSIC ARCHIVE.
The Russian government has given a U.S.-based entertainment company exclusive distribution rights to a rare musical archive estimated to be worth $9 billion, according to a company official. Phoenix Entertainment will gain the rights to as many as 400,000 recordings dating from the 1930s, which feature such artists as Dmitry Shostakovich, Mstislav Rostropovich, and such Western musicians as Yehudi Menuhin, Luciano Pavarotti, and the folk singer Pete Seeger. A British company, Telstar Records, will distribute the recordings, some of which are in decay. Russian politicians and others had stalled the deal since 1992, playing on nationalist sentiments in an effort to keep the recordings out of the hands of Westerners.

Oct 18, 1995
DUMA TURNS DOWN DRAFT BUDGET.
Telling the Kremlin to rethink its spending plans, the State Duma, Russia's lower parliamentary house, voted against a draft reform budget by a vote of 138-129. Lawmakers said they will create a special commission to reexamine the budget's figures.

Oct 15, 1995
MOSCOW, HAVANA SIGN NEW TRADE PROTOCOLS.
Russian and Cuban officials signed a trade protocol for 1996-98. The two governments say the pact heralds a new stage in trade relations between the nations. Under the agreement, Havana will provide Moscow with 1.5 million metric tons of sugar in return for 4.5 million metric tons of oil. Oleg Soskovets, Russia's first deputy premier, and Carlos Lage, vice minister of the Cuban council of state, also signed protocols designed to bring the countries into closer collaboration in such fields as tourism, industry, and transportation. Both officials expressed optimism in the new trade pact, although neither country has met its trade quotas for the current year 1 million tons of sugar in exchange for 3 million tons of petroleum. Russia also announced that it would provide $300 million toward completion of Cuba's unfinished nuclear power plant near Cienfuegos.

Oct 9, 1995
FALL GRAIN HARVEST LOOKS GRIM.
Government officials announced that Russia's fall gain harvest will be its lowest since 1965, totaling only some 66 million tons. Drought and farm mismanagement were listed as the leading causes of the poor harvest. Russian officials claimed that the nation will not need outside help to make up for the low harvest and that Russia "will remain self-sufficient in grain until the 1996 harvest." The eventual effects of the harvest include economic strife for farmers and price increases in milk and meat. The grain harvests in neighboring former Soviet republics Kazakhstan and Ukraine were similarly low, with the former recording a harvest of 12 million tons and the latter one of about 135 million tons.

Oct 9, 1995
RUSSIA HOPES TO SELL OFF PHONE COMPANY.
The Kremlin is looking to raise up to $2 billion by selling a quarter stake in the Svyazinvest state-owned telecommunications holding company. Fourteen major telecommunications companies in Europe, Asia, and North America have already been approached.

Sep 27, 1995
FARMER'S MARKET VENDORS ARRESTED.
Several dozen fruit and vegetable vendors were arrested and interrogated by the Interior Ministry police in Moscow on suspicion of widespread price fixing. The vendors all came from the open food market in Istra, outside Moscow.

Sep 26, 1995
TEACHERS STRIKE.
Press reports said as many as 500,000 teachers from 11,000 public schools throughout Russia struck to air their grievances about low pay, delayed paychecks, and staff shortages. Most teachers make at most half of the average monthly income of $111. Many teachers have not been paid for the last four months, excluding most of those in and around Moscow, where they are closer to the capital's coffers. Several days ago, Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin ordered the state to pay the teachers' back pay, which amounted to $56 million.

Sep 25, 1995
BANKS TO GET CONTROL OF STATE ENTERPRISES.
President Boris Yeltsin decreed that several major banks will get the titles to large state-owned industries in exchange for cash loans to the Kremlin.

Sep 15, 1995
IMF GIVES MOSCOW $525 MILLION IN VOTE OF CONFIDENCE.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) released a $525 million loan to the Kremlin in a sign that the West had confidence in the Russian economy, which has managed to stabilize its inflation rate as part of an austerity campaign urged by the IMF. President Boris Yeltsin said last week that he would not oppose a rise in inflation if it helped to pay pensions to those throughout Russia who have not been paid their state wages in months. Monthly inflation for the month of August was 4.6%, the lowest since reforms began in 1992. The IMF released the loan despite the Kremlin's inability so far to guarantee a new source of revenue from taxing Gazprom, the huge natural gas monopoly that has so far enjoyed exemption from government taxation.

Sep 6, 1995
CHUBAIS TARGETS LUKOIL FOR TAX PAYMENTS.
Moscow's economy minister said Russia's rich energy producers are jeopardizing the country's fragile new budget by not paying their fair share of taxes. Anatoly Chubais, the deputy prime minister in charge of the economy, ordered Lukoil, Russia's largest gas and oil company, to pay about $250 million in overdue taxes by Oct 1. Lukoil, formerly headed by current Premier Viktor Chernomyrdin, has traditionally been sheltered from the high taxes now imposed on new companies and corporations.

Sep 5, 1995
CHUBAIS SEES ROSY FUTURE FOR RUSSIAN ECONOMY.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Anatoly Chubais told reporters "that after 1997, for ten years the Russian economy will have a period of high growth." Chubais also predicted that within two years Russia's economy will enjoy a growth rate comparable to the tiger economies of Asia. Chubais attributed his optimism to the government decision to raise taxes on Gazprom, the natural gas monopoly that is Russia's largest single company. The gas company has enjoyed Soviet-era protections against Russia's new tax laws. Gazprom officials have vowed to fight the new levies.

Aug 31, 1995
YELTSIN APPROVES PLAN FOR PRIVATE COMPANIES TO RUN STATE AGENCIES.
With state coffers pinched by tough austerity measures, President Boris Yeltsin approved a controversial plan allowing private companies to run and profit from state-owned companies in return for loans to Moscow. Under the plan, which was put forward earlier this year by a consortium of bankers offering $2 billion in cash to Moscow, private businesses will offer loans at auction for a controlling stake in leading state manufacturing and natural resources companies. The companies will be allowed to sell off the government stake on the Kremlin's behalf next year. Auctioning must be completed by the end of 1995 to meet the government's budget needs.

Aug 24, 1995
AUSTERITY MEASURES SQUEEZE BANKS.
Russian banks stopped lending money to one another as fears arose that many banks are on the verge of collapse. Interbank lending rates shot up by as much as 1,000% in some cases. The government announced that it will extend until the end of the year exchange controls that limit fluctuations of the ruble to between 4,300-4,900 rubles to the dollar. Tatiana Paramonova, acting head of the Central Bank, vowed that she will not help banks caught on the brink of insolvency by the government's ongoing attempts to cut the money supply and stabilize the ruble.

Jul 22, 1995
RUSSIA-LIBYA ACCORDS SIGNED.
Russia and Libya signed several bilateral economic agreements in Moscow, a first step in reestablishing full trade and even cultural ties between the two countries. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Oleg Davydov, who signed the agreements, said that the joint projects outlined in the accords are worth at least $1.5 billion and include the building in Libya of oil and gas pipelines, power stations, and electricity transmission lines. Libya had had an outstanding debt to the Soviet Union of about $2.4 billion, a debt that had chilled relations between Russia and Libya since the breakup of the Soviet Union. Libya has since recognized Russia as the legal successor to the Soviet Union.

Jul 19, 1995
DUMA DOES NOT CONFIRM BANK CHIEF.
In a slap at tough economic austerity measures pushed by the government, the State Duma refused to confirm Tatiana Paramonova as permanent Central Bank chief. She is currently the acting chief and the vote has no binding effect on her status. Described by Western economists as Russia's iron lady because of her achievements at reining in Russian spending, Paramonova said she will stay on the job despite the vote and await President Boris Yeltsin's decision on her future. Yeltsin is the only one with the power to dismiss the chief.

Jul 17, 1995
RUSSIA, EU SIGN TRADE PACT.
The European Union (EU) signed an interim trade pact with Russia. The pact had been delayed for the last seven months to protest Moscow's crackdown in the breakaway Chechnya region. Representatives of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) also started talks with Russia to hammer out a new treaty by year's end that will allow NATO to extend some sort of limited partnership to central European countries and even to former Soviet republics.

Jul 10, 1995
MOSCOW SETTLES DEBT WITH SOUTH KOREA.
Moscow reached an agreement with South Korea to reschedule the debt to the Asian country that was incurred during the Soviet era. Moscow will provide $450 million worth of raw materials and defense equipment in partial payment of outstanding loans.

Jul 5, 1995
RUBLE FIXED.
Government officials announced a plan to fix the exchange rate of the Russian ruble at its current value, approximately 4,500 rubles to the dollar. The fixed rate is designed to stabilize the volatile currency, curb runaway inflation, and reduce deficit spending rates. The Central Bank said it will institute a trading band ranging from 4,300 to 4,900 rubles to the dollar within which the ruble will be allowed to fluctuate. The trading band is scheduled to end on Oct 1.

Jul 3, 1995
NEW RUSSIA COMPARED TO OLIGARCHY.
In a press interview on the state of the Russian economy, the president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Jacques de Larosiere, said that while the economy has improved it is vulnerable to manipulation by a small group of people. De Larosiere said the economy could go one of two ways: "Russia could become a distorted market economy centered on a limited group of powerful lobbies vying for a slice of the stagnant economic pie," or it could become an effective market economy consistent with Western models. The banking official specifically cited three structural problems in the economy: a poor tax system, uncertain laws governing business, and a poorly regulated securities market.

Jun 30, 1995
RUSSIA, EXXON SIGN OIL DEAL.
Moscow and the U.S. Exxon company signed a $15 billion oil and gas development deal related to the Sakhalin Islands. The project, known as Sakhalin I, was finalized during a visit by U.S. Vice President Al Gore, who held two days of meetings with Russian Premier Viktor Chernomyrdin. U.S. officials speculated that the fields contain as many as 2.5 billion barrels of oil and gas condensate. Gore said that the two sides had also made progress in a stalled deal that calls for the United States to purchase 500 tons of weapons-grade uranium from Russia, but that he was unsuccessful in dissuading the Kremlin from carrying out a $1 billion deal with Iran to develop a nuclear power plant.

Jun 13, 1995
UNPAID WORKERS PROTEST.
As many as 2,000 angry workers staged a protest in the industrial town of Yekaterinburg to demand the payment of back wages. The workers, from the air defense equipment factory Vektor, have not been paid since February, partly because the government has failed to pay the company for goods delivered. The government recently clamped down on spending as part of an austerity package required by foreign lenders.

Jun 5, 1995
SOCIAL WELFARE SPENDING TO RISE.
Anatoly Chubais, the first deputy prime minister in charge of the economy, said Moscow will increase financing of the social welfare sector as more and more workers lose their jobs to a changing economy in which the government has cut back on inflationary subsidies to ailing factories. Chubais said the money will come from sources outside the government's budget. Western lenders have expressed satisfaction so far with Russia's more disciplined economy, which has enjoyed a stable inflationary rate and growing industrial production. "Russia has never been closer to real economic revival," Chubais said.

May 5, 1995
BANKS OFFER LOANS TO GOVERNMENT.
A coalition of Russian banks has offered loans to the government in return for shares in newly privatized companies, according to press reports. The proposal, which would help ease the budget deficit with a credit of $2 million, is to be reviewed by the government. The plan has stirred controversy among some large enterprises, which resent the banks' encroachment on the industrial infrastructure.

Apr 11, 1995
IMF APPROVES LOAN FOR RUSSIA.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) formally approved a $6.8 billion loan to Moscow, saying the country was finally following a "bold and ambitious" economic reform plan.

Mar 27, 1995
INVESTORS FAVOR RUSSIA, KAZAKHSTAN.
A United Nations study released today shows that Kazakhstan and Russia head the list of economies of the former Soviet region and eastern Europe that are the beneficiaries of long-term foreign investment projects. Of the nearly $118 billion invested in the region in 1994, Kazakhstan and Russia accounted for $82 billion, mostly in the form of oil and gas development deals. U.S. companies have funded about half of these deals, followed by Turkish and western European investors.

Mar 10, 1995
MOSCOW GETS IMF LOAN.
Moscow secured a $6.4 billion standby loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after weeks of negotiations and promises that it will exert more fiscal discipline over its economy. The loan will be paid out in monthly installments (most likely beginning in April) instead of quarterly so that IMF officials can monitor Russia's progress. The loan is the most formal yet from Western countries, which have insisted that Russia liberalize its energy sector, cut price controls and import taxes, and nullify internal tax exemptions as conditions for this standby loan. Western donors have also expressed concern over the cost of Russia's military campaign in secessionist Chechnya. In related news, the State Duma voted 240-75 to dismiss the human rights commissioner, Sergei Kovalyov, who has been a fierce critic of the Chechen war. The vote is not binding and was largely taken as a gesture of the dominant nationalist sentiment of the legislature.

Mar 4, 1995
WORLD BANK TEAM ASSESSES RUSSIAN OIL SPILL.
A monitor group from the World Bank left for the Russian Arctic region of Usinsk to clear the way for a possible $200 million oil cleanup project. U.S. officials estimate that 270,000 tons of oil have spilled from leaky pipelines in the area. Bank officials said a major leak noticed there last fall has been stopped. Russian attempts to clean up the oil before the spring thaw have been criticized as inadequate.

Mar 1, 1995
YELTSIN DECREES NEW SPENDING LIMITS.
Bowing to pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), President Boris Yeltsin signed new decrees today aimed at ensuring fiscal discipline, eliminating corruption, and raising revenue. The IMF is at the tail end of negotiations with Moscow to loan Russia $6.2 billion in installments tied to the country's enactment of difficult economic reforms. The decrees, announced by First Deputy Prime Minister Anatoly Chubais, are designed to keep Russia's budget deficit to 8% of its gross domestic product and reduce inflation. They affect all spending not mandated in the 1995 budget and will require all spending decisions to be overseen by Yeltsin and a commission created by Chubais. Yeltsin will also have control of special tax and customs exemptions, which have been the source of widespread favoritism and corruption in government, and authority to regulate prices, thus curtailing the artificial raising of prices on products made by state monopolies.

Feb 24, 1995
DUMA PASSES BUDGET AGAIN.
The State Duma approved the third reading of the 1995 budget, removing farm subsidies from the proposed budget in a bid to please the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and secure a standby loan of $6.25 billion. Finance Minister Vladimir Panskov said the passage of the budget will reflect well on IMF talks, which reconvened yesterday.

Feb 23, 1995
YELTSIN VETOS MINIMUM WAGE INCREASES.
President Boris Yeltsin vetoed legislation passed by the State Duma that triples the minimum wage. At the same time he decreed a 70% increase in such social aid programs as family subsidies and student loans.

Feb 7, 1995
IMF LOAN TALKS STALLED.
Preliminary talks between Russian officials and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to secure a $6.25 billion loan were reported unsuccessful but the two sides said they expected to reach agreement by the end of the month. High inflation, the Chechen war, and poor tax revenue were cited as the main obstacles to agreement on an accurate picture of Russia's budget. Inflation for January reached a high of 17.8%, plunging the ruble to a low today of 4,133 to the dollar. Causes of the high inflation rate are tied to the payment of credits last summer to farming and factory lobbies. Costs of the Chechen war so far stand at about $1 billion. Moscow's policy of not taxing its biggest industries, such as the natural-gas monopoly Gazprom, was cited by analysts as a consistent problem in Russia's tax system; revenue from enforcing these taxes would more than cover the budget's current shortfalls. Compounding the budget crisis, the State Duma has approved a minimum wage hike; President Boris Yeltsin is expected to veto it. Under IMF pressure, Moscow passed legislation on Dec 31 that liberalized oil exports but Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin issued a decree last week that perpetuates the former, restrictive system. Meanwhile, coal miners began a strike on Feb 1 to demand unpaid wages totalling $320 million.

Jan 25, 1995
DUMA PASSES 1995 BUDGET.
The State Duma passed the 1995 budget, clearing the way for negotiations with the International Monetary Fund for loans worth $6.25 billion. However, Western economists were skeptical of the figures in the budget, especially estimates of the cost of the Chechen war, and pointed to the political instability in Moscow as an obstacle to IMF aid approval. The Duma tacked on several amendments to the budget, including a hike in the minimum wage, that increased by almost half a billion dollars the proposed deficit in the government version of the budget.

Jan 13, 1995
RUSSIAN OIL ON WAY TO CENTRAL EUROPE.
Russian and Ukrainian officials signed a deal that allows the resumption of crude oil shipments to central Europe. Shipments through Ukraine last year had been interrupted because of disputes about the size of pipeline fees paid to Ukraine.

Jan 8, 1995
RUSSIA WILL COMPLETE IRANIAN NUCLEAR PLANT.
In a deal worth $800 million, Russia contracted to complete construction of a nuclear plant in southern Iran that was begun by German engineers in 1974, stalled after the overthrow of the Shah, then heavily damaged in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War. The plant at Bushehr is designed as a civilian power source, but Israel and the U.S. have recently expressed concern that Iran may plan to convert it to nuclear weapons production.

Jan 5, 1995
MOSCOW AGREES TO LIBERALIZE OIL MARKET.
Amid intense lobbying by international lending institutions, Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin signed a decree on domestic oil prices that eliminates quotas requiring oil companies to sell more than half their production at artificially depressed prices. The decree will raise the cost of energy, which now stands at a low 30% of world levels, for most Russians but will open the way for $13 billion in cash loans from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to supplement the strained 1995 budget. The decision was welcomed by Western diplomats, who said the Russian economy has nevertheless experienced monthly inflation rates in the double digits. To make matters worse, the unexpected costs of the Chechen war, which some estimate at $5.5 billion, have put an added strain on the budget. Also today, the ruble at 3,623 to the dollar traded at the lowest rate since the market crash in October. The new cuts in oil sales quotas are designed to reduce state planning in the industry and to raise needed tax revenue and profit so that companies can dig new wells and make upgrades and repairs to damaged pipelines. Last month, President Boris Yeltsin's influential security chief, Aleksandr Korzhakov, had appealed to Chernomyrdin in a letter not to liberalize Russia's oil market, temporarily stalling Moscow's plans to do so. In the unusual letter, Korzhakov said the decision to liberalize the market and open it up to foreign influence was "absolutely impermissible."

Dec 23, 1994
DUMA PASSES 1995 BUDGET.
The State Duma adopted by 231 votes to 127 the federal 1995 budget. The Federation Council (higher house) and President Boris Yeltsin must still approve the text of the bill, which differs slightly from the version supported by the government.

Dec 9, 1994
RUSSIA APPLIES TO JOIN WTO.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Trade Minister Oleg Davydov presented an application by his nation to join the World Trade Organization (WTO), the new body that will absorb the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade on Jan 1, 1995. Davydov said his nation wishes to be admitted without any concessions being placed on entry because of its clear commitment to free trade, and to be treated equitably for its goods.

Nov 23, 1994
BANK NOMINEE NOT CONFIRMED.
The State Duma rejected President Boris Yeltsin's Central Bank nominee by 119 votes in a political gesture. The rejection of Tatyana Paramonova, who recently replaced Viktor Gerashchenko, has no binding effect on her appointment and several deputies conceded that the legislature will eventually ratify her appointment. Deputies said they disagreed with the constitutionality of Yeltsin's unilateral decision making and the forced resignation of the conservative Gerashchenko.

Nov 23, 1994
SOVIET DEBT STANDS AT $113 BILLION.
According to a Finance Ministry document obtained by Reuters, Moscow and its former Soviet republics had accumulated $112.7 billion in debt at the start of 1994. Russia took responsibility for the outstanding debts of its former republics when the Soviet Union broke up in 1991. Germany, Italy, and the United States head the list of international creditors owed payments in the billions of dollars.

Nov 21, 1994
INVESTIGATION INTO CAPITAL FLIGHT STYMIED.
A spokesperson for Kroll Associates, a private corporate investigating firm, said the agency's inquiry into the flight of capital from Russia has been blocked by the country's internal security apparatus. The firm was hired in 1992 with the support of the International Monetary Fund and the Group of 7 leading industrialized countries. The firm has found bank accounts in the West where funds from Russia have been illegally transferred but efforts to name and locate those responsible have been frustrated by the noncooperation of Russian intelligence officials.

Nov 19, 1994
RUSSIA TO CONTINUE OIL SHIPMENTS TO CUBA.
Russian Minister for Foreign Economic Relations Oleg Davydov announced that Moscow will continue terms of an agreement made in December 1993 with Cuba and trade 1 million tons of oil for 500,000 tons of Cuban sugar. The announcement contradicts a report published last month from the Itar- Tass news agency saying Russia was going to terminate the agreement because Havana did not have enough sugar to sell. In the 1993 deal, Russia promised to exchange 2.5 million tons of oil for 1 million tons of Cuban sugar.

Oct 31, 1994
ILO REPORT PLUMBS DEPTHS OF "HIDDEN UNEMPLOYMENT."
A report by the International Labor Organization (ILO) indicated that over one-third of the Russian workforce is in "hidden unemployment," a term denoting long-term leave. In addition, the number of Russians openly unemployed is at least five times higher than official figures currently represent.

Oct 20, 1994
CABINET APPROVES AUSTERE NEW BUDGET.
The government approved a strict 1995 budget amid criticism of the fall of the ruble earlier in the week and the loose spending policies that triggered the drastic depreciation. With lending by the International Monetary Fund contingent on tight fiscal control, the Cabinet drafted a budget that aims to reduce next year's budget deficit to 8.3% of the gross domestic product and lower inflation to 1% a month. The agriculture and coal industries are targeted for reduced state subsidies.

Oct 18, 1994
NEW CENTRAL BANK CHIEF NAMED.
President Boris Yeltsin named Tatyana Paramonova to succeed Viktor Gerashchenko as acting chairperson of the Central Bank. She is the only woman in the bank's senior management and is described as "tougher on inflation" than Gerashchenko, who has been blamed for the ruble's recent precipitous fall in value. Her appointment must still be approved by the State Duma to be permanent. Russian bankers said they were surprised by the choice but Western economists said she is "basically promarket."

Oct 14, 1994
CENTRAL BANK CHIEF QUITS.
Central Bank Chairperson Viktor Gerashchenko resigned in the wake of a ruble crisis that saw the currency lose roughly a quarter of its value against the U.S. dollar within a day. President Boris Yeltsin publicly demanded that Gerashchenko step down because the Central Bank waited too long to shore up the ruble. The ruble ended the week at 2,998 to the dollar after dropping to 3,926 on Oct 11. Gerashchenko was regarded as a foe of market reformers because of his advocacy of issuing credits to ailing state-supported industries a Soviet-era practice that increases inflation.

Oct 12, 1994
YELTSIN FIRES MINISTER AFTER RUBLE'S DROP.
President Boris Yeltsin sought to calm fears over the ruble's drop in value yesterday, dismissing Finance Minister Sergei Dubinin and calling for the firing of Central Bank head Viktor Gerashchenko. Economists attributed the ruble's weakening to currency speculation, inflationary expectations, and the slowness of the Central Bank to shore up the currency. Government credits pumped into agriculture and industry over the summer have also contributed to higher inflation: the ruble's value for 1995 is figured at 3,500 to the U.S. dollar, compared to 2,000 over the summer. The government intervened to stop the ruble from dropping to 4,000 to the dollar; today the market closed at 3,736 rubles to the dollar. Andrei Vavilov replaced Dubinin.

Oct 11, 1994
RUBLE FALLS BY ALMOST A QUARTER OF ITS VALUE.
The ruble's value plunged by nearly 25% in its steepest one-day decline ever. The government announced it will defend the currency's value by buying more rubles in the financial market and raising short-term interest rates to discourage the borrowing of rubles for speculation.

Oct 5, 1994
LOAN PAYMENTS POSTPONED.
Russia was granted preliminary permission to postpone payment on about $29 billion in loans made to Moscow prior to the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. The agreement was reached after a year of negotiations that finally saw Russia accorded First World status in the eyes of its creditors. Lending banks had wanted the right to seize government funds and property around the world if Moscow defaulted on its loans a standard practice in dealings with Third World and developing countries. Under the agreement, Moscow will not have to make payments on the loans for another five years.

Sep 28, 1994
RUBLE DROPS IN VALUE.
Financial reports indicated that the Russian ruble fell 16.5% against the U.S. dollar this month, raising fears of inflation and the suspension of international loans. Inflation stands at 8%, twice that of last month. Notwithstanding, U.S. officials said Moscow stands to receive an immediate $10 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund if the government maintains its austere economic reform program.

Sep 26, 1994
MOSCOW PROPOSES CASPIAN SEA COMMITTEE.
The government proposed a multinational coordinating committee on the future of Caspian Sea oil production after lawmakers voiced objections to an $8 billion foreign oil deal off the Azerbaijani coast. Several government ministers say they oppose the deal because of the potential ecological damage to the Caspian, which provides a dwindling supply of high-quality caviar.

Sep 20, 1994
OIL DEVELOPMENT DEAL SIGNED.
A joint foreign and Azerbaijani oil agreement worth $8 billion was signed in Baku, the Azerbaijani capital. Russian Foreign Ministry officials refused to recognize the deal to exploit oil reserves in the Caspian Sea, claiming Moscow should have a greater influence over the terms of the contract. The oil consortium consists of members from Russia, the United States, Norway, Turkey, and Britain. Russia wants the oil pumped out of the Caspian to pass through Russian territory, a prospect that most consortium members accept because the alternative pipeline would pass through Iran. The deal must still be ratified by the Azerbaijani legislature, which has shown resistance to allowing the entry of Western oil companies.

Sep 9, 1994
RUSSIA, IRAQ SIGN TRADE AGREEMENT.
Press reports said Russia and Iraq have penned a $10 billion trade accord to take effect when the United Nations-backed oil and economic embargo of Baghdad is lifted. Baghdad will pay in oil and hard currency for Russian technical aid in building steel, methanol, and other industrial plants.

Sep 1, 1994
GOVERNMENT REGULATES TV ADS.
Moscow approved a draft law on advertising designed to prevent the blanket advertising that contributed to the success of the now-collapsed MMM investment fund. The law, which still must be passed by the State Duma, bans unlicensed companies from advertising and limits a company from running more than two ads per hour on television and radio. The bill also outlaws subliminal advertising and ads for cigarettes and alcohol.

Aug 22, 1994
MMM INVESTMENT FUND REOPENS.
Press reports said the collapsed MMM investment fund reopened for business selling "tickets," not shares, to long lines of prospective investors. The tickets are not officially registered as shares and the government claimed that they are nothing more than "pretty postcards." The fund had been closed since Aug 4, when founder Sergei Mavrodi was arrested on charges of tax evasion. The company claims it will exchange the tickets for shares at some later date at a rate of 10 tickets to a share. The tickets cost 1,515 rubles. MMM shares have been selling on the black market for 3,000 rubles each.

Aug 22, 1994
CENTRAL BANK CUTS INTEREST RATES.
Press reports said Russia's central bank cut its interest rates for the seventh time this year. The bank cut its three-month refinancing rate from 150% to 130%. The rate is equivalent to 10% a month, twice the current 5% inflation rate. The ruble stands at an all-time low of 2,190 to the U.S. dollar.

Aug 17, 1994
RUSSIA, UKRAINE AGREE ON GAS DEAL, AGAIN.
For the third time this year, Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement covering Ukraine's gas debt to Russia. Kiev has agreed to pay one-quarter of its $1.2 billion fuel bill to Russia's Gazprom gas company over the next three months, the balance of which will take the form of a Russian ownership stake in Ukraine's own gas supplies.

Aug 17, 1994
ANOTHER INVESTMENT FUND GETS THE AX.
News sources said an investment fund similar to the collapsed MMM company is the target of a state crackdown. The unlicensed fund, Russki Dom Selenga (Russian House of Selling), has roughly 1.5 million investors and operates in Siberia and central Russia, focusing on the provincial market where MMM exploited urban investors.

Aug 15, 1994
NEW CREDITS FOR ENTERPRISE.
Under a decree signed by President Boris Yeltsin last week, close to $2 billion in government credits were made available for industry and agriculture to stimulate and rebuild foundering enterprises. Companies eligible for the money must be "viable commercial projects," put up one-third of their own money for conversion projects and one-half for investment schemes, and pay back the loans within a year.

Aug 15, 1994
MMM CHIEF CHARGED WITH TAX EVASION.
News reports said the chief of the failed investment fund MMM was charged with tax evasion and obstructing an investigation. Sergei Mavrodi, who was arrested on Aug 4, masterminded the pyramid scheme that lured millions of Russians to invest with promises of high returns. He faces up to five years in prison if convicted of tax evasion.

Jul 31, 1994
MOSCOW WILL NOT BAIL OUT MMM.
Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin said the government will not compensate the millions of investors in the wildcat MMM investment fund but allowed that the government is partly to blame for the company's collapse by not closely regulating the securities market. He also cited the company's aggressive television ads with their get-rich-quick attitude as powerful but irresponsible lures to investors. MMM had not paid taxes and did not have a proper license to quote its shares when the government stepped in last week to warn the public of its uncertain financial health.

Jul 28, 1994
GOVERNMENT SEEKS TO CALM INVESTORS.
In a gesture to placate some 10 million panicked investors in the collapsing MMM investment fund, the government announced it will now regulate the securities market. Investors have mobbed MMM to get cash for their shares, which have experienced a tenfold drop in their value over the past week. Government officials have called MMM a classic pyramid scheme, or a "group of qualified swindlers taking advantage of imperfect legislation, fooling people and lining their own pockets." MMM officials have blamed the government for causing investor panic when it announced last week it could not guarantee investments in MMM and similar funds.

Jul 3, 1994
MOSCOW, MINSK SIGN TRADE PACT.
Russia and Belarus signed a free trade agreement meant to bring their economies closer together. Russian Deputy Prime Minister for the Economy Aleksandr Shokhin expressed caution about a proposal to unite the Belarus currency on a one-to-one basis with the Russian ruble because Moscow will be forced to absorb the loss of the devalued currency, which currently trades on the open market at a 10-to-one ratio.

Jun 29, 1994
RUSSIAN PRIVATIZATION ADVANCES TO SECOND STAGE.
Moscow announced the end of the first stage of its state privatization program, the distribution of vouchers to all citizens for investment in former state-run enterprises, and approved the go-ahead for a second stage. The second stage gives privatized enterprises the right to buy and sell the land where they are located and cuts employees' stakes in their own firms to 10% from 51%. One official said that trade on the new Russian stock exchange will now focus primarily on the trade of securities, but that vouchers will still be traded at a fluid pace.

Jun 24, 1994
RUSSIA, EU SIGN FREE TRADE DEAL.
Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed a trade agreement with the European Union (EU) as part of his campaign to foster closer links with Western economies. The agreement provides Russia with some protections from European competition as it struggles to develop a free- market economy, removes quotas on some Russian goods, and allows European companies to be established in Russia.

Jun 23, 1994
RUSSIA, JAPAN SIGN WASTE PLAN.
Russia and Japan signed an agreement to build a joint nuclear waste processing facility near Vladivostock that will handle the liquid waste contained in 60 Russian submarines and several tankers docked off the Russian coast. The plant is expected to be finished within a year.

Jun 22, 1994
CHERNOMYRDIN SIGNS ENERGY, LOAN DEALS.
On a trip to Washington, D.C., Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin signed an international oil and gas deal worth billions of dollars and secured further loans from the World Bank. The project to develop the oil reserves off Russia's Sakhalin islands is valued at $9 billion. The World Bank loans total $820 million, with $300 million earmarked for highway repair, $200 million for the banking sector, $240 million for the farming industry, and $80 million for land reform.

Jun 10, 1994
YELTSIN BEMOANS DISMAL ECONOMY.
In a news conference held to commemorate the fourth anniversary of Russia's independence from the fallen Soviet Union, President Boris Yeltsin blamed bureaucrats for lagging on economic reform and contributing to the expansion of poverty, which has reached 25% of the population. He said his economic decrees including easing restrictions on foreign banks in Russia and regulating the securities market will keep inflation down and revive the country's industrial slump.

May 30, 1994
MOSCOW SEEKS VETO POWER OVER CASPIAN OIL DEALS.
Press reports said Moscow has demanded the right to reject lucrative Caspian Sea oil deals that former Soviet republics have signed with foreign companies. In a letter sent to the British Embassy in Moscow, the Russian government said that oil projects "cannot be recognized" without its approval. Moscow has long sought a piece of foreign oil investment in the republics of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan and has maneuvered to have all oil and natural gas funneled through Russia for sale to the West.

May 23, 1994
YELTSIN SIGNS NEW ECONOMIC MEASURES.
President Boris Yeltsin signed a series of economic decrees intended to increase tax collection and stimulate production and trade. The measures eliminate quotas and licenses for oil and gas exports and provide a three-year tax exemption on profits to foreign investors in the manufacturing sector.

May 22, 1994
BELARUS BANK ORDERS USE OF NATIONAL CURRENCY.
The Belarus National Bank ordered that all payments be made with the national currency instead of the Russian ruble, despite an agreement signed in April to unite currencies sometime in May. Currently, both rubles are in use, contributing to runaway tax dodging and economic instability owing to a roughly 11-to-one conversion rate between the Belarusian ruble and the Russian ruble.

May 19, 1994
MOSCOW TO RAISE TAX ON FOREIGNERS.
Press reports said the Finance Ministry has drafted new regulations that will force foreign residents to pay income tax or face prosecution. A 23% tax on foreign capital proposed last month has alarmed international investors. The unregulated economy is losing large amounts of potential revenue because of a lack of effective collection procedures.

May 18, 1994
DE BEERS DIAMOND DISPUTE ON THE MEND.
Press reports said De Beers, the international diamond cartel, has agreed to renegotiate a $5 billion diamond contract with Moscow in return for Russia's assurance that it will not try to sell rough (uncut) diamonds on the open market. A recent flood of diamonds from Russia has violated a contract signed with De Beers and threatens to destabilize the artificially controlled world market. With an 80% control of the market, De Beers obtains nearly 25% of its diamonds from Russia, which signed a five-year exclusive marketing agreement with the cartel in 1990. The contract allows Moscow to sell only 5% of its diamond resources on the open market, a frustratingly small allowance for the cash-poor post-Soviet state.

May 16, 1994
JAPAN TO HELP FUND OFFSHORE NUCLEAR WASTE PLANT FOR RUSSIA.
Japanese press reports said Tokyo has agreed to lend financial help to Moscow toward the building of a floating nuclear waste processing plant. In return, Moscow has agreed to stop dumping nuclear waste into the Sea of Japan. Last October Moscow drew international condemnation when it dumped a large quantity of liquid nuclear waste from dismantled submarines into the Sea of Japan.

May 11, 1994
DEFENSE SPENDING TO INCREASE BY 66%.
An unidentified senior parliamentarian stated that President Boris Yeltsin and Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin agreed last week to a 66% increase in the 1994 defense budget. The jump in defense spending marks a significant deviation from the government's promises to the International Monetary Fund to maintain a tight money policy. Yeltsin and Chernomyrdin reportedly agreed to the increase as part of efforts to encourage legislators to finally adopt a new budget.

May 11, 1994
STATE DUMA APPROVES BUDGET PLAN.
Members of the State Duma, the lower legislative body, passed a preliminary budget plan that keeps new spending to a minimum a move interpreted by financial analysts as a way of satisfying the International Monetary Fund and other creditors that the country is taking measures to reduce inflation. Deputies opposed to the budget criticized it as unrealistic and said government spending will likely exceed its limits.

May 9, 1994
DECLINE IN OUTPUT INDICATES SEVERE ECONOMIC TROUBLE.
News sources reported that over the past few days the Economy Ministry has released new data for the first quarter of 1994 that signal a deep economic crisis in the country. According to the ministry, industrial production has fallen 25% from 1993 levels, affecting hundreds of thousands of workers who are being dismissed with meager or no layoff benefits at all. The ministry warned that a decline in consumer goods output "threatens the economic independence of the country and brings the danger of a social explosion." On May 6, First Deputy Prime Minister Oleg Soskoevets, who is responsible for managing the day-to-day economy, said "Russia is living through the toughest phase of its transition" to a free- market economy.

Apr 24, 1994
MOSCOW CALLS FOR STATE MONOPOLY ON VODKA.
Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin signed orders to "restore a state monopoly" on vodka and other spirits after a spate of poisoning cases was reported in the media. The state licensing requirements would also apply to foreign alcohol imports. Press reports said street hawkers have been peddling Russian vodka with such names as "Terminator" and "Rasputin."

Apr 20, 1994
IMF GIVES MOSCOW $1.5 BILLION LOAN.
At a meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), agreement was reached on giving Moscow a long-anticipated $1.5 billion loan. IMF officials praised Russia's apparent success at keeping inflation down to 7% after recording a rate of 950% last year.

Apr 17, 1994
MOSCOW POSTPONES TARIFF INCREASE.
The government postponed until Jul 1 a scheduled Mar 15 increase in import tariffs after protests from cities and foreign (especially U.S.) exporters that the taxes were too high.

Apr 8, 1994
NUCLEAR POWER OFFICIALS SEEK MORE CREDITS.
Nuclear power industry chiefs convened in Moscow to demand more government subsidies. They warned that unless Moscow disburses more funds the country risks a nuclear disaster similar to the 1986 Chernobyl catastrophe. Safety procedures are reported to be lax at the cash-strapped facilities. The country derives 11% of its energy needs from eight functioning reactors, which typically supply the brunt of their power to urban areas.

Apr 6, 1994
UNEMPLOYMENT ON THE RISE.
Fyodor Prokopov, the head of the Federal Employment Service, predicted that unemployment will rise to 15 million people by the end of the year, or 18% of the workforce. Industrial output for the month of February recorded a 27% drop compared to last year.

Mar 22, 1994
$1.5 BILLION LOAN APPROVED.
After months of negotiations, Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin and International Monetary Fund (IMF) managing director Michel Camdessus signed an agreement that will provide Moscow with a further $1.5 billion loan (the IMF has lent the country $2.5 billion since 1992) despite unmet contingencies that the government reduce the budget deficit and inflation. Chernomyrdin promised to cut government spending and raise taxes in return for the anxiously anticipated loan, the approval of which is perceived as a vote of confidence for the government. Moscow owes a total of $80 billion to foreign lenders. Obstacles to economic improvement include a 25% drop in industrial production since the beginning of the year, continued government support for inefficient factories, and a weak tax-collecting apparatus.

Mar 17, 1994
RUSSIA SEEKS SHARE OF KAZAKH OIL BUSINESS.
According to Western diplomats, Moscow has pressured two oil production ventures in Kazakhstan to grant Russia an equity share on the justification that it has "an inherent proprietary interest" in the oil fields, which were discovered during Soviet rule. The two oil fields affected include a Chevron project and a British-Italian project. Already, Moscow has reduced the amount of oil Chevron can export, citing a chemical contaminant in the oil that has forced the U.S. company to set up a separate refinery to remove the odorous substance.

Mar 17, 1994
IMF DIRECTOR VISITS MOSCOW.
International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Michel Camdessus arrived in Moscow to negotiate a $1.5 billion loan to Russia that has been delayed because of uncertainty over the economic reform efforts of the country. Burdened by an industrial production slump, a growing internal debt, and an unstable inflation rate, the country's economy is in poor shape and plans for a 1994 budget or a recovery strategy have not been announced. If Camdessus grants the IMF loan, it will signal a mark of approval for Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin, who has endeavored to persuade Western creditors that Russia is on the road to economic reform. He has struggled to hold down inflation in the face of pressure from industrial and bureaucratic lobbies not to dispense with desperately needed government credits. Former Finance Minister Boris Fyodorov praised Chernomyrdin's efforts to control the economy, saying that his "promise a lot, but give no money" policy has worked so far. However, Moscow's decision earlier this month to increase tariffs on imports was loudly criticized by economic reformists, who view the increase as a short term way of protecting inefficient industries. The latest Central Bank figures indicate that cash-poor factories that have not paid one another for goods and services have rung up a mutual debt of close to $27 billion, leading to work stoppages at 4,000 factories for the month of February alone.

Mar 15, 1994
COAL STRIKES LESSEN.
The payment of overdue wages helped to ease coal strikes throughout the nation but thousands of workers have still not returned to work, prompting some union leaders to consider increasing the pressure on state government. The government is not expected to accede to miners' demands for $7 billion in state support.

Mar 13, 1994
GAS DEAL WITH FINLAND PLANNED.
Gazprom, Russia's monopoly gas company, signed a deal with Neste, a Finnish state energy group, to take a 25% stake in a joint gas supply venture that will increase exports of Russian gas to Finland over a 20-year partnership. Gazprom also has partnerships in Austria, Germany, France, and Italy.

Mar 8, 1994
PHONE COMPANY SHARES TO BE SOLD TO THE PUBLIC.
The government announced that it plans to sell 22% of Rostelekom, the state telecommunications company, to Russian and foreign investors.

Feb 26, 1994
G-7 URGES RUSSIA TO DO MORE FOR AID.
Finance officials of the Group of 7 (G-7) said that Russia must act to cut inflation and reduce government deficit spending if it wants to receive money from the International Monetary Fund and other international lenders. Officials promised to advise Russia on mitigating the adverse social consequences of reform, including unemployment from obsolescent state-run industries, but did not offer to fix these problems with financial aid. Finance Minister Sergei Dubinin and Economics Minister Aleksandr Shokhin pledged to bring monthly inflation down to 7% from a current 22%. Last year, G-7 authorized $28 billion in aid to Russia in grants and loans of which it has so far received $2.5 billion. An extra $1.5 billion in promised aid has not been delivered because of a perceived relaxation of reform efforts. Moscow has pledged to reduce the deficit by $30 billion and cut annual inflation to 400% contingent on Western aid and an agreement to roll over $80 billion in foreign debt.

Feb 15, 1994
WORKFORCE STRIKES ON THE RISE.
A miners strike was called off after government officials agreed to pay workers several months of back wages. Workers in the national coal and oil industries have led a growing rise in strike threats in response to nonpayment of wages and reductions in the workforce. College teachers and ambulance workers in Moscow have also threatened to strike.

Feb 15, 1994
SPIRIT TAX RESCINDED.
Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin ordered the reduction of excise duties on foreign spirits in the face of complaints from foreign vodka producers. The tax stands at 85%, but the government had planned to increase import duties to 300%.

Feb 15, 1994
OIL COMPANY BEGINS PRIVATIZATION.
Dmitri Romanov, an official of the state property committee, announced that Lukoil, Russia's biggest oil conglomerate, plans to offer shares to the public. Lukoil accounts for one seventh of the republic's oil production and employs 100,000 people.

Feb 10, 1994
FISCAL CRISIS WORSENS.
First Deputy Economics Minister Jakov Urinson warned the State Duma (legislature) that the government will have to print large quantities of money or face economic collapse. He claimed that 75% of state-supported industries were on the verge of insolvency as the budget deficit and inflation rise. Urinson targeted state security and social services for increases in state funding while defense spending remained constant.

Jan 19, 1994
RUBLE DECLINES AS MINISTERS JOCKEY FOR POWER.
The ruble continued to lose value against the U.S. dollar as uncertainty persisted over the makeup of the new government. Reformist Finance Minister Boris Fyodorov threatened to resign if he is not granted the rank of deputy prime minister in addition to his current portfolio. Meanwhile, the liberal Russia's Choice Party in the State Duma (legislature), headed by the former Economics Minister Yegor Gaidar, has suffered intraparty recriminations based on the defection of Fyodorov and others to the Union of December 12, a grouping of liberal independent deputies. The losses have further diminished the party's narrow majority over nationalist and right-wing groups.

Dec 21, 1993
IMF ADVISES YELTSIN ON AID CONDITIONS.
The Board of Governors of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) called on Russian President Boris Yeltsin to direct more economic reforms toward the impoverished classes and less toward rejuvenating the country's inefficient state-run industries. The chief IMF negotiator in Russia, Ernesto Hernandez-Cata, stated that the IMF, contrary to widespread criticism, was not insensitive to the nation's economic hardships and is considering relaxing stringent funding requirements if Yeltsin can display visible signs that he is introducing economic reform.

Oct 27, 1993
YELTSIN GIVES FARMERS RIGHTS TO LAND.
President Boris Yeltsin issued a decree that allows farm workers to freely own and sell land and also took steps to begin the reformation of collective farms. There will still be some limits on farm ownership under the reforms. The move reflects Yeltsin's interest in advancing programs that had been held up by the legislature before last month's clashes between Yeltsin and his hard-line opponents in the legislature. However, the decree is also believed to represent a compromise between radical reformist and conservative views.

Oct 15, 1993
GOVERNMENT DROPS BREAD PRICE SUBSIDY.
The government dropped its long-standing subsidy on bread. The old price was about 11 cents, and the loss of the subsidy is expected to double that cost. The government also increased the cost of a subway journey from less than one cent to about 2.5 cents. (Russian salaries are much lower than those in the United States.) The government has ceased purchasing grain and is ending its program of centralized grain imports as part of its privatization plan.

Sep 19, 1993
IMF FUNDS DELAYED.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced that it has delayed sending $2 billion in funds to Russia because of Moscow's failure to cut its 29% monthly inflation rate in accordance with IMF requirements. However, IMF Undersecretary Lawrence Summers said, "the recent inflation rate has been high, but I am encouraged by Russia's official plans to get financial conditions back under control."

Aug 27, 1993
PARLIAMENT REJECTS BUDGET.
In its continuing battle with President Boris Yeltsin, the legislature rejected his federal budget on a 151-3 vote. The conservative-dominated legislature opposes the reformist plans of liberal Finance Minister Boris Fyodorov.

Aug 6, 1993
LEGISLATURE BLOCKS PRIVATIZATION PLAN.
The Supreme Soviet blocked President Boris Yeltsin's privatization decree, but Cabinet members said the program will continue and went on to approve a program to introduce three more years of economic reforms.

Jul 26, 1993
YELTSIN MODIFIES BANK NOTE MOVE.
President Boris Yeltsin issued a decree to dilute the drastic currency move announced by the central bank two days ago, saying citizens will be permitted to convert up to about $100 in the old notes instead of $35, and will be given until the end of August to convert the notes instead of Aug 7. He also ruled that authorities should exchange 1992 10,000 ruble notes for new notes beyond the $100 limit and that any notes of denominations less than 10 rubles could continue to be used until the end of August. Yeltsin's move effectively destroyed the bank's plan, which had also been condemned by Yeltsin's archrival, Ruslan Khasbulatov, who said the move was tantamount to confiscation. Yeltsin also issued a decree to speed up the privatization of state-owned businesses.

Jul 25, 1993
BANK NOTE MOVE DIVIDES GOVERNMENT.
The government was divided by the central bank's move yesterday to withdraw old bank notes as top Finance Ministry officials complained to President Boris Yeltsin about the action, which they said is inappropriate. Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin supported the move, underscoring divisions within the government over monetary and fiscal policy. A U.S. economist who is an expert on the Russian system, Jeffrey Sachs, said the policy may have been a ploy by allies of hard-liners to reverse privatization and other reforms.

Jul 24, 1993
GOVERNMENT WITHDRAWS OLD BANK NOTES.
The central bank announced it is withdrawing all ruble notes that were issued before the start of 1993. The bank made the move in an effort to regain control of the nation's money supply. The bank gave citizens two weeks to exchange up to about $35 and will allow people to deposit any remaining cash in special savings accounts, although the money must be invested before Aug 7 and will be frozen for the next six months at an interest rate lower than inflation. The bank said the move was aimed at ridding the system of counterfeit and outdated notes, but economists say it is also a way of slowing the flow of money through the economy, thus slowing inflation.

Jul 18, 1993
RUSSIA CUTS OFF BELARUS OIL.
Press reports revealed that Russia has cut off oil supplies to Belarus because Minsk has failed to pay what it owes for previous purchases despite a generous subsidy from Moscow.

Jul 8, 1993
G-7 AGREES TO ACCELERATE RUSSIAN AID.
Leaders from the Group of 7 (G-7 the world's top industrial nations) agreed to accelerate their plans for aid to Russia and to give Moscow $3 billion immediately. The leaders also agreed to press for reduced trade barriers and economic expansion. The $3 billion will consist of grants, loans, and export credits.

Jul 6, 1993
UNITED STATES TO LOAN RUSSIA $2 BILLION.
Russian and American officials signed an agreement under which the United States will give Moscow $2 billion in loans and loan guarantees to support gas and oil production in the former Soviet republic. Production has recently fallen sharply. The money, which will be provided by the Export-Import Bank of the United States, is designated for the purchase of spare parts for refineries and oil wells. (Almost one-quarter of Russian facilities are currently out of production, undermining Russian exports.)

May 19, 1993
GROUP PLANS NEW RUSSIAN AID.
International Monetary Fund (IMF) officials leaked plans for an agreement with Russia providing for $3 billion in aid in exchange for Moscow's pledge to reduce rampant domestic inflation. The funding was designed to be completed within five months in an effort to help Russian President Boris Yeltsin transform his country into a market economy. The plan is part of the IMF's new program that makes loans available under more relaxed terms for former communist nations.

Apr 15, 1993
G-7 PLEDGES $28 BILLION FOR RUSSIAN AID.
The Group of 7 (G-7, the world's top industrial nations) concluded an emergency session in Tokyo and pledged to provide $28 billion in aid for Russia. Most of the aid will be administered in 1993 but will be dependent on the imposition of austerity measures by Russia, some of which may be hard to implement. Most of the money will come from the International Monetary Fund or the World Bank, but a small amount will also be provided by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the United States. The G-7 package is designed to help shore up the embattled presidency of Boris Yeltsin, as many Westerners fear that the cold war may resume if he is ousted.

Feb 3, 1993
IMF CRITICIZES RUSSIA ON HIGH INFLATION.
International Monetary Fund (IMF) Director Michel Camdessus issued a sharp criticism of the Russian government for permitting inflation to run rampant, bringing the country to the brink of hyperinflation and risking the ruination of its new democracy. Prices for common items in Moscow are currently increasing by about 50% a month. Camdessus said most of the inflation is because of the infusion into the marketplace of billions of new rubles, most of them in the form of credits to save dying state enterprises.

Feb 1, 1993
GOVERNMENT RAISES GAS PRICES.
The government increased telephone service and natural gas prices in an effort to stem massive inflation, although it also doubled minimum pensions to mollify the public. In announcing the cuts, President Boris Yeltsin called for national resolve and, noting the 50th anniversary of the Nazi capitulation in Stalingrad (now Volgograd), said "the difficulties, the deprivations will be overcome, and we will triumph, because behind us is Stalingrad." The changes will effectively double the cost of domestic energy because natural gas is used to generate electricity.

Jan 29, 1993
CAR PLANT FORCED TO CLOSE.
A shortage of engines forced the closure of the giant Moskvich car plant, which has provided a principal source of export income for the nation for over 20 years. The Ufa engine plant in Bashkortostan has a massive deficit after losing much of its substantial military business following government cutbacks and has run out of parts and raw materials.

Jan 1, 1993
PRICE CONTROLS REIMPOSED.
Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin issued a decree reimposing price controls for several basic foods, saying the action is required to "curtail inflation and unjustified price increases." Chernomyrdin has vowed that he is committed to reforms, but the reimposition of controls seems to reverse some of the free-market innovations introduced by his acting predecessor, Yegor Gaidar.

Oct 9, 1992
CIS LEADERS AGREE ON RUBLE ZONE.
Six members of the Commonwealth of Independent States signed an agreement establishing a single monetary system, or ruble zone, for their nations, but did not form a centralized body with executive powers as some members had hoped. The six countries are Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. Ukraine refused to sign the accord and Moldova, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan said they must consult their parliaments first.

Sep 30, 1992
GOVERNMENT BEGINS SHARE VOUCHER PLAN.
Press sources said the government is preparing to begin issuing vouchers to all citizens, including children, that will provide the basis for the development of a capitalist system. The government is planning that 5,000-7,000 large and medium-sized factories will convert themselves into joint-stock companies by the end of the year. The vouchers will then be valid for the purchase of shares, although citizens will also be allowed to pay cash. However, the plan has already encountered some problems only three-quarters of the vouchers will have been distributed by the end of the year and many of the factories may not be able to complete the conversion in time to join in the share offering currently scheduled to begin on Dec 1. In addition, members of the public appear to be ignorant or skeptical of the plan.

Sep 22, 1992
GAS PRICES RAISED TO AID OIL INDUSTRY.
Gas prices rose by almost 50% as a result of President Boris Yeltsin's decision last week to abolish state control on domestic energy prices. The most common grade of gasoline was raised from 7.8 rubles to 15 rubles per liter. Experts said the price hike, demanded by the International Monetary Fund to help the nation's ailing oil industry, is a step toward establishing a market economy, but also a major blow to citizens experiencing severe inflation.

Aug 19, 1992
YELTSIN ANNOUNCES PROPERTY HANDOUTS.
In a speech marking the first anniversary of last year's failed Aug 18 coup against the government of the now-defunct Soviet Union, President Boris Yeltsin revealed plans to issue to every man, woman, and child in the country vouchers entitling them to ownership in privatized property. Yeltsin said the nation's future will be more secure if there are more property owners and businesspeople. Also, he announced 150% wage increases for health workers, teachers, and other public service workers. The move was designed to limit the impact of declining living standards.

Jul 16, 1992
CENTRAL BANK HEAD QUITS.
Central bank Chairperson Georgy Matiukhin resigned from the post, a position in which he had lost the confidence of both the legislature and the government. The growing industrial lobby had been making increasingly vehement attacks on Matiukhin's policies, which included a tight hold on credit. Also, the legislature voted to reduce the rate of value-added tax from 28% to 20%, effective next year. The rate on "socially necessary" foodstuffs will be reduced immediately to 15%, however.

Jul 5, 1992
RUSSIA, IMF SET LOAN AID AGREEMENT.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Russian government announced a lending agreement providing Western support for President Boris Yeltsin's economic policies but also requiring Yeltsin to reduce government spending as the deficit continues to mushroom. The IMF has scaled down the degree of reforms it requires in exchange for a less extensive aid package.

Jul 1, 1992
ECONOMIC REFORMS ENTER SECOND STAGE.
The government introduced the second stage of economic reforms designed to help transform the nation into a market economy. The changes include a single, floating rate of exchange, export and import rule changes, and a privatization plan. The second round is being initiated even though the first stage did not stabilize the economy, as was intended, largely because the government fears that curtailing credits to state enterprises would result in massive layoffs. The reports add that the stabilization efforts have been failing because of obstructions imposed by former Soviet Communist Party hard-liners, rather than because of failures on the part of President Boris Yeltsin or new Prime Minister Yegor Gaidar.

Jun 24, 1992
IMF RELAXES REQUIREMENTS.
International Monetary Fund (IMF) Director Michel Camdessus and Prime Minister Yegor Gaidar agreed on the relaxation of some of the institution's prerequisites for a promised $24 billion loan and the IMF will advance Moscow $1 billion in the meantime. The breakthrough represents the IMF's qualified approval of President Boris Yeltsin and his economic plans.

Jun 19, 1992
IMF ACCORD EFFORTS FAIL.
Talks between Russia and International Monetary Fund (IMF) officials ended as the officials failed to gain Russian concessions that the body requires before it will grant financial aid. The required measures include policies designed to cut the budget deficit, increase control of the money supply, and set a fixed exchange rate for the ruble. The greatest obstacles reportedly relate to the last two requirements. The IMF believes that the establishment of a stable exchange rate is crucial if foreign investment is to be cultivated.

Jun 15, 1992
RUSSIA CLAIMS IMF DEMANDS WILL OUTWEIGH LOAN BENEFITS.
Russian officials complained that the demands and conditions of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concerning its proposed $24 billion loan to Russia will likely cancel out any economic benefits to the former Soviet state, saying the tight restrictions and regulations on using the money will render it practically useless. However, an IMF spokesperson declared, "If we gave the Russians the fund under the terms they want, the money would disappear into a black hole in two days." President Boris Yeltsin is expected to return to Moscow today for a scheduled economic summit at which the loan is expected to be a central issue for discussion.

Jun 4, 1992
BANK LEADER'S RESIGNATION REJECTED.
The legislature voted 88-58 to reject the resignation of central bank Chairperson Georgy Matiukhin, while 53 members abstained. First Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Shumeiko told the legislature that Matiukhin should not be held solely to blame for the nation's financial problems.

Jun 2, 1992
GOVERNMENT BEGINS RUBLE CONVERSION.
The government appeared to be beginning the process of making the ruble internationally convertible by abolishing the 55 rubles per U.S. dollar rate that enterprises must use for 40% of their hard currency proceeds. The International Monetary Fund has been pressing for a unified ruble but the move may be postponed if substantial opposition emerges. (Enterprises could reject the plan because it would increase the cost of imported goods.)

Jun 1, 1992
CENTRAL BANK HEAD QUITS.
Georgy Matiukhin, chairperson of the nation's central bank, resigned the post, claiming his move was prompted by intense criticism from lawmakers of his interest rate and other policies. The government has faced strong legislative opposition over its banking policy and President Boris Yeltsin's efforts to control the bank, which the 1978 Constitution declares is the responsibility of the legislature.

May 13, 1992
DOCTORS, TEACHERS GET PAY RAISES.
The government announced that it is increasing the pay of doctors and teachers, who have been threatening to strike because their pay is so low. The salaries of the two groups will increase to more than two times their current level, which is about half the average salary of industrial workers.

May 7, 1992
GOVERNMENT FREES PRICES.
The government freed gold and vodka prices in keeping with vows made earlier this year, and other price controls will reportedly be phased out soon. The government also ended its monopoly on beer and wine production, although it will remain in control of vodka production.

Apr 27, 1992
MOSCOW HEALTH WORKERS STOP ISSUING PRESCRIPTIONS.
Thousands of Moscow's doctors, nurses, and health workers stopped issuing prescriptions and threatened to go on strike if the government does not raise their pay and buy more equipment and medicine. A member of the strike committee said that next week health workers will move to a second stage in their protest, refusing to offer any medical aid except in cases of emergency.

Apr 14, 1992
GOVERNMENT LEADERS REACH COMPROMISE.
The Congress of People's Deputies issued a declaration supporting economic reform "in principle," a move that helps defuse tensions between the legislature and the government and neutralizes some of the changes legislators had attempted to make in the reform program. Congressional efforts to tone down the reforms were reportedly jeopardizing foreign aid offers.

Mar 31, 1992
IMF APPROVES RUSSIAN ECONOMIC PLAN.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved Russia's economic reform program, which means Russia will be able to receive as much as $4 billion in IMF aid in the next year. The approval also paves the way for Russian membership in the organization.

Mar 27, 1992
LEGISLATURE REJECTS BUDGET.
The legislature rejected the draft budget for the second quarter of this year in a move that reflects the legislature's displeasure with the administration's harsh reform program. The legislature ordered First Deputy Prime Minister Yegor Gaidar to return with a new proposal on Apr 20, but is actually hoping that the government will either be forced to relax some of its austerity policies or collapse before that date.

Mar 13, 1992
FORMER COMMUNIST PAPER CEASES PUBLICATION.
The former newspaper of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Pravda, ceased publication for lack of funds. The paper sold up to 11.1 million copies a day at one time, but high prices and the loss of its Communist Party subsidy were among the factors that forced the paper into financial straits.

Feb 27, 1992
FOOD SUPPLIES, PRICES IMPROVING.
A survey carried out by Associated Press found that food prices have started to level off and supplies of some staple foods are improving following the shortages and steep price rises that occurred after President Boris Yeltsin released price controls on Jan 2. The survey found that supplies of milk, sausage, eggs, and other products have improved, although other shortages continue and shoppers still face long lines at food stores.

Jan 31, 1992
YELTSIN VOWS TO GIVE NUCLEAR EXPERTS RAISES.
President Boris Yeltsin told a U.S. television interviewer that he will increase the salaries of the nation's nuclear weapons experts in an effort to prevent them from trying to sell their skills overseas. According to reports, U.S. and Russian officials have been concerned that the experts might accept job offers from Third World governments that aspire to develop nuclear arms. Yeltsin said his government intends to help the nuclear scientists make the transition to working in the civilian sector.

Jan 30, 1992
GOVERNMENT CONSOLIDATES NEWS AGENCIES.
President Boris Yeltsin issued an order changing the name of the state-run Tass news agency to the Information Telegraph Agency of Russia (ITAR-Tass), merging the agencies in an effort to save money. The Russian government inherited Tass from the Soviet government when it collapsed last year but could not afford to maintain both Tass and ITAR.

Jan 19, 1992
RALLIES HELD AGAINST PRICE INCREASES.
Citizens held rallies to protest the massive price increases introduced as part of efforts to develop a capitalist economy. About 3,000 people gathered in St. Petersburg to demonstrate against the price controls.

Jan 17, 1992
SHORTAGES WORSEN AFTER PRICE RISES.
Factories in several former Soviet republics were reported to be ceasing production of many items because consumers and stores cannot afford to make purchases since most of the former republics raised their prices. The price rises are part of an effort to begin the transition to a market economy and prevent the wealthier Russian state from raiding the supplies of other former republics. Stores were leaving their shelves empty because they cannot afford to stock them.

Jan 14, 1992
INDUSTRIAL SUPPLIES RUN LOW.
Moscow officials said raw materials for the city's industrial enterprises are running out because other former Soviet republics are no longer supplying them. Some industries may run out of supplies within the next few days. Rumors of currency reform plans are combining with the industrial problems to cause panic among the city's residents, who fear that the government will confiscate rubles, destroying their value, in the same manner as the communist government did in its final days.

Jan 10, 1992
GOVERNMENT SETS EMBARGO ON BASIC GOODS EXPORT.
President Boris Yeltsin issued a decree barring the export to other former Soviet republics of basic items, including food and consumer products. Yeltsin adopted the measure in an effort to conserve the state's resources and begin the transition to a free-market system. It is not yet clear how the government plans to enforce the ban.

Jan 2, 1992
SCARCE GOODS REAPPEAR.
Press reports said a number of goods that disappeared under the government's subsidized pricing system, including butter, are now beginning to reappear on store shelves, although the price is about four times higher than before. The reports added that officials are hoping an increase in government-controlled prices will reduce market prices.

Jan 1, 1992
FIXED PRICE SYSTEM ENDS.
The former Soviet republic ended its system of controlled prices at midnight, paving the way for manufacturers and retailers to set their own prices. Ceilings will remain in place for basic foods and fuel, although the cost of those items will also increase.

Dec 28, 1991
YELTSIN SIGNS LAND REFORM LAW.
President Boris Yeltsin signed an executive order beginning a process of agricultural land reform that will give workers on collective farms more rights to buy and sell plots of land and grant nonfarmers plots they can use as country gardens. The order indicates that Yeltsin plans to go ahead with broad-based economic reforms despite pleas from other states that he delay the process.

Dec 24, 1991
PRICE INCREASES SET FOR JANUARY.
Government officials said a series of price increases will be put into effect on Jan 2, increasing costs for food and other products. The increase is directed at aiding Russia's transition to a market economy.

Dec 18, 1991
AIRLINES RUNNING LOW ON FUEL.
Press reports said the nation has only 10 days' worth of aviation fuel left, prompting the cancellation of flights all over the country. Aeroflot, the state airline, reported that 10,000 people have been left stranded so far.

Elections

Jul 27, 1997
PRO-KREMLIN CANDIDATE WINS SIBERIA ELECTION.
Initial election results confirmed that Boris Govorin, the mayor of Irkutsk and a pro-Moscow candidate, won the governorship of Siberia. He earned 40%-50% of the vote, while Sergei Levhenko, a Communist Party candidate, won only 25%-30%. Govorin's victory in what is a key vote represents a triumph for reformers and a blow to hard-liners.

Jul 14, 1997
NIZHNY NOVGOROD ELECTION CHOICE PRAISED.
First Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov lauded the choice of Ivan Sklyarov as his successor as governor of Nizhny Novgorod, which has 4 million residents. (The city of Nizhny Novgorod was formerly known as Gorky.) Sklyarov, who like Nemtsov is considered a reformer, obtained 52% of the vote in the second round of elections that were held yesterday. The Communist candidate, Gennady Khodyrev, received 42%. Nemtsov resigned as the region's governor in March to take his present position.

Jun 2, 1997
CHECHEN ELECTION VOIDED.
Grozny's central electoral commission nullified the May 31 elections for mayor of the Chechen capital following the discovery of ballot shortages and other aberrations at some polling stations, as well as a turnout of less than 50%, the minimum permitted by law for the vote to be upheld. The government had been able to assign only $150,000 to the elections, an amount that commission chair Mumadi Saidayev considered inadequate if irregularities were to be avoided.

Feb 10, 1997
KORZHAKOV WINS DUMA SEAT.
President Boris Yeltsin's ousted former bodyguard today won a seat on the State Duma. Aleksandr Korzhakov campaigned in the depressed Tula region, a burned-out industrial district two hours south of Moscow, for the parliamentary seat vacated by Aleksandr Lebed, winning it with a paltry 26% of the vote. Korzhakov told Russian media that he would soon be releasing "kompromat," or compromising material, about his days in the Kremlin: "Many people have something to be afraid of," he warned. Kremlin pundits predicted a "sleaze war" and tit-for-tat recriminations once the vengeful former right-hand man to Yeltsin takes his seat. Korzhakov's competitors for the empty seat included Anatoly Karpov, the chess player, and Yelena Mavrodi, a former beauty queen married to the mastermind behind a pyramid scheme that drained the life savings of thousands of Russians.

Jan 28, 1997
CHECHEN COMMANDER WINS PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS.
A moderate Chechen rebel commander declared victory a day after presidential elections in Chechnya. Preliminary results indicated that Aslan Maskhadov solidly beat his closest opponent, Shamil Basayev, a more radical rebel leader who led a daring assault on the Russian town of Budyonnovsk in 1995. "The preliminary results of the voting give a serious chance for productive negotiations to continue between the Russian Federation and the Chechen republic," the Kremlin said in a prepared statement. Maskhadov followed his victory declaration with a vow to secure for the breakaway region a lasting independence from Russia. "All that remains is that our independence must be recognized by all states, including Russia," he said. Maskhadov won the unenviable job of putting back the pieces of the mostly Muslim republic after a withering 21 months of battle with Russian troops. Chechnya's economy is in shambles and hooliganism and crime are widespread in the Caucasian republic.
 
 

Aslan Maskhadov speaking to reporters following his Jan 28, 1997 victory in Chechen presidential elections [Reuters/Archive]

Oct 21, 1996
RUTSKOY WINS GOVERNORSHIP.
Former Russian Vice President Aleksandr Rutskoy was elected the governor of his home region of Kursk, a western region bordering Ukraine, in elections held yesterday. A rival of Yeltsin who was imprisoned after leading a failed coup to stop Yeltsin's reforms in 1993, Rutskoy won some 79% of the vote, entitling him to a seat in the Federation Council, the upper parliamentary house. Rutskoy beat out the Kremlin-backed incumbent of Kursk overwhelmingly despite having had only two days to campaign there because of a registration dispute. Rutskoy will join a growing number of nationalists and communists being elected to the upper chamber. In other regional elections yesterday, an opposition candidate won in the Kirov region while a Yeltsin appointee held on to his governorship of Sakhalin Island.

Sep 30, 1996
COMMUNISTS FARE WELL IN REGIONAL POLLS.
A Communist Party candidate won St. Petersburg gubernatorial elections in an upset victory over the Kremlin-backed incumbent as Russian regional elections began. Communists celebrated the upset, which analysts attributed to the poor economy in many Russian provinces, and predicted more victories as the harsh winter sets in. Russia is electing 52 governors and 32 mayors in first-ever democratic local elections. Of four gubernatorial elections held so far, two Kremlin-supported incumbents, including the governor of the southern Rostov region, have kept their posts while two Communist candidates have won the other contests.

Sep 1, 1996
REGIONAL ELECTION SEASON OPENS.
Gubernatorial and mayoral democratic elections spanning scores of provinces across Russia began today with elections for the governor of the southern region of Saratov. Throughout the fall, 52 provinces will elect governors for the first time, 32 cities will elect mayors, and 24 regions will fill local legislatures. "It will be the last stage in the development of legitimate structures of political authority in Russia, of the first legitimate government we have had since the revolution of 1917," opined one Russian democratic strategist. Most of the elections will pit a presidentially appointed incumbent against a communist rival.

Jul 3, 1996
YELTSIN WINS REELECTION BY WIDE MARGIN.
President Boris Yeltsin defeated Communist Party opponent Gennady Zyuganov in the second round of Russia's first-ever democratic presidential elections, confirming the nation's turn away from its communist past and toward painful economic reforms. Official results of the runoff poll indicated that with 65% of the vote counted Yeltsin leads by a 55-39 margin and that 5% of voters voted against both candidates. In the first round of voting just two weeks ago, in which neither candidate was able to claim majority support, Yeltsin led Zyuganov by only a 3% margin. Yeltsin's victory appeared to be helped by his appointment of an early opponent, the nationalist Aleksandr Lebed, to the post of national security czar. Yeltsin also lifted his dismal popularity ratings by conducting a free-spending and vigorous anti-Communist election campaign. In the aftermath of the whirlwind campaign the 65-year-old head of state, who has a history of heart problems, has appeared infrequently in public, leading to speculation about the state of his health. Yeltsin appeared briefly today to cast his ballot at a polling station near his country home before he was whisked away by bodyguards. As Zyuganov cast his ballot, he told reporters: "Nobody will lose today and nobody will win. In the current conditions, Russia itself will lose if our course continues. But it cannot continue, even if everyone wanted it to." Zyuganov, who has lately jockeyed for an opposition role, said his party will likely participate in Yeltsin's second-term government, which will be led by Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin. Budget problems and legislative infighting are expected to head the new government's list of woes.
 
 

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexy II casting his ballot in Jul 3, 1996 second-round presidential elections [AP/Wide World]

Jun 16, 1996
YELTSIN AND ZYUGANOV TO FACE EACH OTHER IN RUNOFF.
President Boris Yeltsin led his Communist Party challenger, Gennady Zyuganov, by a slim margin in presidential balloting that constituted a virtual referendum on the incumbent and the painful course of Russia's economic and social reforms since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Early returns gave Yeltsin a 35% share of the votes and Zyuganov 32%. In a surprise third-place showing, the retired general and popular nationalist Aleksandr Lebed amassed about 15% of the votes cast. The most significant vote-getters after Lebed were the liberal Grigory Yavlinsky and ultranationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky, who trailed with between eight to nine percentage points apiece. With no candidate getting more than 50% of the vote, the Central Electoral Commission announced that a second round of voting must be held, pairing Yeltsin and Zyuganov in a runoff vote expected to be held in early July. Remarking on his unexpected showing, Lebed said in a televised interview that Russia, which "has seen all the horrors that mankind has invented," must nevertheless "push ahead and never backward," suggesting that he is likely to support Yeltsin over Zyuganov in the runoff contest.

May 6, 1996
YELTSIN SAYS ELECTIONS WILL HAPPEN ON TIME.
Rebuking a top aide who said presidential elections in Russia should be postponed, President Boris Yeltsin assured reporters that voting will take place as scheduled. Yeltsin confidant Aleksandr Korzhakov, the Kremlin security chief, told the Interfax news agency in a rare interview yesterday that elections could spark a civil war because there are "entire regions of Russia where the civilized expression of people's will is not yet possible." The statements caused a political furor, confirming the suspicions of those who believe Yeltsin will call off elections rather than lose them to Communist Party chief Gennady Zyuganov, who is leading Yeltsin in the opinion polls for the Jun 16 elections. Yeltsin said today that he told Korzhakov "not to get involved with politics anymore" but that his security chief "is not alone in thinking that a Zyuganov victory would start a civil war." The sentiments gave rise to speculation that a powerful faction of the Kremlin, led by Korzhakov, may seek ways to derail the elections.

Apr 13, 1996
GORBACHEV QUALIFIES FOR BALLOT.
The Central Electoral Commission qualified Mikhail Gorbachev to run for president in June after the former Soviet leader collected 1 million voter signatures, joining President Boris Yeltsin, Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov, and the ultranationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky on the presidential ballot. Others expected to be certified include Grigory Yavlinsky, a reformer; Aleksandr Lebed, a retired general; and Svyatoslav Fyodorov, an eye surgeon. The commission rejected the candidacy of Vladimir Bryntsalov, a wealthy businessperson and lawmaker, because many of the signatures on his voter list were thought to be fakes. The decision was appealed to the Supreme Court, which told the commission to reverse its decision.

Mar 1, 1996
GORBACHEV ANNOUNCES PRESIDENTIAL RUN.
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev announced that he will run for president in June elections despite poll standings that give him just 1% of electoral support. Gorbachev, who has accused President Boris Yeltsin of using democracy "as a cloak for creating an oligarchic regime," said he will step aside if a stronger democratic challenger emerges among presidential candidates. Most observers speculated that Gorbachev, who enjoys no support from any political parties, would bow out of the race before elections in Jun 16.

Feb 15, 1996
YELTSIN ANNOUNCES BID FOR REELECTION.
Painting himself as the defender of democracy and economic reforms, President Boris Yeltsin announced that he will seek a second term as Russia's leader in presidential elections in June. Communist Party chief Gennady Zyuganov also formally launched his election campaign, ridiculing Yeltsin as a weak and ailing candidate. Yeltsin, who has sought to curry nationalist support by appointing more hard-liners to his government, said he is Russia's best hope for preventing a slide back to state communism. After his announcement, Yeltsin released a decree firing Oleg Poptsov, a Russian state television executive, accusing him of "lying," because the RTR network was deemed too critical in its coverage of the war in Chechnya. Other possible candidates for president include the economic reformer Grigory Yavlinsky, ultranationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky, and retired general Aleksandr Lebed. To qualify to run, candidates must collect 1 million signatures by Apr 14. The election itself is expected to entail a runoff in late June.

Dec 26, 1995
YELTSIN BACK IN THE KREMLIN; VOTING RESULTS RELEASED.
President Boris Yeltsin was released from a sanitarium after recovering from a second heart ailment and planned to spend the new year with his family. He returns to a government rattled by the strong showing of leftist parties in the Dec 17 legislative elections. Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Shakhrai, a liberal reformer despised by communists, resigned to take up his place as a deputy in the State Duma. He is expected to be followed by Foreign Affairs Minister Andrei Kozyrev. Yeltsin also created a new foreign policy body, the Council on Foreign Policy, which is to report directly to him. Official preliminary results from the Dec 17 vote were released: In proportional representation voting, by which 225 of 450 State Duma seats are allotted, the Communists won 22.31% of the vote, followed by Vladimir Zhirinovsky's Liberal Democratic Party with 11.06%, the pro-government Our Home Russia with 9.89%, and the reformist Yabloko party with 6.93%. No other party cleared the 5% minimum required for seats in this half of the voting. In first-past-the-post voting for the remaining 225 seats, the Communists won 58 seats. Agrarian party candidates won 20 seats and other more left-wing parties won 10 seats. If the Communists manage to ally themselves with the Agrarians and other left-wing parties, they may be able to muster a coalition of as many as 190 deputies all told in the 450-seat chamber. If they win over enough of the 77 independent candidates inducted they may be able to control a majority bloc in the Duma, observers estimated.

Dec 19, 1995
COMMUNISTS VOW TO "END REFORM."
With some 40% of the Dec 17 parliamentary vote counted, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation jumped to claim victory on the strength of its 22% showing. The ultranationalist Liberal Democratic Party trailed the communists with 11.1% of the vote and the progovernment party Our Home Russia had garnered just 9.6% of the popular vote. Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov announced he will immediately press for the dismissal of the unpopular Foreign Affairs Minister Andrei Kozyrev, who landed a seat for himself in the State Duma, and outlined a plan to erase Russia's "radical" economic reform policies that he said are the source of widespread inequities in post-Soviet Russia. The reformist party Yabloko has so far won 8.4% of the vote: its leader Grigory Yavlinsky warned that unless the government did something to improve the economy and stop the war in Chechnya, a communist or nationalist would prevail in presidential elections in June 1996. "We are facing a very difficult situation. At this point it is important to unite all forces opposed to attempts to restore a totalitarian system in Russia," Yavlinsky warned.

Dec 17, 1995
VOTER TURNOUT IS HIGH.
Russians turned out in record numbers to vote in the country's second democratic legislative elections since the fall of the Soviet Union. Early returns indicated that communists and nationalists had polled well. The leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, Gennady Zyuganov, announced he will create a powerful new bloc in the State Duma when the new body convenes next month. President Boris Yeltsin announced he will not replace Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin, whose pro-government party, Our Home Russia, appeared to perform below expectations. Voters received two ballots, one for selecting one of 43 parties and one that listed candidates running in the voters' districts. Parties must receive at least 5% of the popular vote to win a corresponding proportion of 225 seats allotted in proportional voting for half of the 450-seat State Duma. In the second ballot for the remaining 225 seats, the candidate with the most votes in each race wins. As many as 104 million Russians spread across 11 time zones were eligible to vote.

Dec 16, 1995
YELTSIN WARNS OF RETURN TO "FIRES OF CIVIL WAR."
In a last-ditch effort to swing the public away from voting for communists and agrarians in tomorrow's parliamentary elections, a pale and frail President Boris Yeltsin appeared on television to deliver an emotional speech about the dangers of returning to Russia's totalitarian past. "You should not allow the forces of the past to come to power again," he warned, because voting for the communists could lead to "the terrible fires of civil war." Polls have indicated that a large majority of voters intend to cast their ballots for the resurgent Communist Party of the Russian Federation and for various agrarian and nationalist parties, including Vladimir Zhirinovsky's Liberal Democratic Party. While the liberal and reformist camps squabble amongst themselves, these populist parties have been efficiently exploiting the average Russian's dissatisfaction with the government's performance and society's prevailing nostalgia for Soviet-style order and equality. Communist Party officials predicted that the movement would carry as many as 70 of Russia's 89 regions.

Nov 20, 1995
CONSTITUTIONAL COURT CLEARS WAY FOR ELECTIONS.
Russia's Constitutional Court paved the way for legislative elections to be held on Dec 17, refusing to review alleged flaws in the electoral laws.

Nov 14, 1995
CONSTITUTIONAL COURT TO REVIEW ELECTORAL LAWS.
At the request of the Supreme Court and parliamentarians, Russia's Constitutional Court will review electoral laws to root out any ambiguities that critics of the laws claim may undermine the legitimacy of upcoming Dec 17 legislative elections. Some deputies have warned that certain flaws could be manipulated by President Boris Yeltsin to annul a new, more "hostile" legislature. Communists and nationalists are expected to do well in the elections. The leader of the left-of-center Agrarian party criticized the legal review as needless stalling: "The rules of the game for the elections have been established. It would be a crude violation to introduce any changes to the electoral law," he said. "To put off elections now would be to create a much worse situation than anything that could arise from the elections," said Yegor Gaidar, the leader of the liberal Russia's Choice party.

Oct 4, 1995
CHERNOMYRDIN WITHDRAWS AS PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE.
Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin announced that he will not run for president in the June 1996 presidential elections. Chernomyrdin told reporters "I have never planned and I am not planning" to seek the executive office. Leading contenders for president now include Communist Party chief Gennadi Zyuganov and Gen. Aleksandr Lebed.

Aug 22, 1995
NEW CENTRIST PARTY FAILS IN YELTSIN'S HOME REGION.
Final gubernatorial elections results from the centrally located Sverdlosk oblast (region) indicated a sweeping victory for Eduard Rossel over the incumbent, Aleksei Strakhov, who had replaced Rossel as governor by presidential appointment in 1993. Associated with the new centrist party Our Home Russia, the Moscow-backed Strakhov had been considered a shoe-in in the popular elections, the only such democratic elections allowed in a provincial district since 1993. Rossel beat out Strakhov by about two to one in runoff elections on a platform advocating greater independence from central Moscow control. Strakhov, who spent five times the money Rossel did on his campaign, had advocated allegiance to central control for the resource-rich, industrially strong region whose capital, Yekaterinburg, President Boris Yeltsin once considered home.

Jun 15, 1995
ELECTION LAW PASSED.
The upper house of the legislature approved a controversial election law that clears the way for legislative elections in December. President Boris Yeltsin dropped his insistence that the number of candidates elected to party lists be reduced, a process that favors such populist groupings as communists and nationalists. In return, the legislature abandoned its insistence that government officials resign from their state jobs to run for seats in the State Duma.

Apr 15, 1995
YELTSIN SAYS ELECTIONS ON SCHEDULE.
Responding to widespread press speculation that he was preparing to postpone or call off upcoming elections, President Boris Yeltsin today announced that December 1995 legislative balloting and 1996 presidential elections will take place within their specified time limits.

Oct 31, 1994
MMM HEAD MAVRODI ELECTED TO PARLIAMENT.
The head of the failed MMM investment company, Sergie Mavrodi, won election to the State Duma from an electoral district in Mystishchi, north of Moscow. Mavrodi faces charges of tax evasion stemming from what government officials describe as a pyramid scheme that bilked the savings of millions of investors. As a deputy, Mavrodi now has immunity from prosecution, although the Moscow prosecutor said the investigation of Mavrodi will continue. Mavrodi said he campaigned for his shareholders to uphold "their fight" against government prosecutors and the seizure of MMM funds by the government. At least 36,000 MMM shareholders live in Mystishchi.

May 4, 1994
PANEL ASSERTS ELECTION FRAUD.
An electoral panel organized by President Boris Yeltsin to investigate December 1993 legislative elections and a constitutional referendum reported that the legislative poll results were falsified. Panel officials said the vote rigging cheated the reformist Russia's Choice group out of 2 million votes while the conservative Liberal Democratic Party led by Vladimir Zhirinovsky was credited with 6 million fraudulent votes. The Communist Party and the Agrarian Party also benefited from the ballot fraud. The report also said that under 50% of the population voted in the plebiscite for a revised constitution, less than necessary to make the document official. A government official called the panel's announcement a "provocation" and said it was no longer part of the presidential administration.

May 4, 1994
PANEL REPORTS FALSIFIED VOTES IN LAST ELECTIONS.
The Izvestia newspaper reported that a special investigatory panel commissioned by President Boris Yeltsin's government has determined that 9.2 million votes were falsified in Dec 12, 1993 legislative elections, which included a popular referendum on a new constitution. Panel experts said voter turnout for the elections was actually only 46.1%, lower than the 50% required to make the vote valid. If confirmed, the panel's findings would invalidate both the new constitution, which expanded Yeltsin's powers, and the new legislature. (Proreform groups did very poorly in the elections, while communists and ultranationalists made a strong showing, capturing a significant number of seats in both the upper and lower houses.)

Dec 15, 1993
DISTRICT RESULTS CHEER REFORMISTS.
Election officials revealed that the reformist Russia's Choice, which fared poorly in the party-preference half of the Dec 12 legislative election, has done much better in the district elections that determined the other half of the seats in the new 450-seat State Duma (lower chamber). It now appears that Russia's Choice will make up the largest single group in the new legislature. The district election votes took longer to collate than the party-preference votes, which gave a strong and surprising lead to the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party.

Dec 13, 1993
RIGHT WING DOMINATES ELECTION EVEN AS CONSTITUTION PASSES.
Despite the passage of the reformist-oriented Constitution (1993) supported by President Boris Yeltsin in yesterday's voting, early returns indicated that communists and nationalists dominated party-preference voting for the new legislature. Reformist politicians attacked Yeltsin, saying disunity among reformists opened the door for extremist successes. Early returns showed a turnout below 60%. The new Constitution gives a high degree of power to the president, who can overrule the legislature, issue decrees, and appoint a government. Yeltsin said he will not consider holding a presidential election prior to the end of his current term of office, which ends in 1996, but he refused to tie his decision to the apparent successes of right-wing candidates led by Liberal Democratic Party leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky. As more returns came in throughout the day it became evident that the Liberal Democrats had taken almost 25% of the vote, compared to about 14% for Russia's Choice, the party of the reformist leadership. However, analysts say it is possible that the head of Russia's Choice, First Deputy Prime Minister Yegor Gaidar, may be able to construct a coalition to freeze out the Liberal Democrats.

Dec 12, 1993
ZHIRINOVSKY SECURES DUMA MAJORITY.
Nationalist and former communist parties scored well in the party-preference section of State Duma (lower chamber) elections, including the ultra right-wing Liberal Democratic Party led by Vladimir Zhirinovsky. His party secured 64 seats, while the proreform Russia's Choice party won 58 seats of a total of 444. In elections to the Federation Council (upper house), which does not reserve party seats, 143 of 171 members claimed no party affiliations. Anatoly Lukyanov, the former chairperson of the Soviet Congress of People's Deputies who faces trial for his role in the attempt to overthrow President Mikhail Gorbachev in August 1991, was elected to coordinate the new lower chamber.

Nov 6, 1993
YELTSIN HOLDS OFF ON PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS.
President Boris Yeltsin reversed himself on his agreement to hold an early presidential election, saying instead that he will serve out his term, which ends in 1996. The statement reportedly surprised many of his supporters and also drew fire from many of his opponents. Yeltsin had decreed that a presidential vote would be held next year, but some officials said he has the right to reverse his decrees.

Oct 15, 1993
YELTSIN SETS REFERENDUM FOR CONSTITUTION.
President Boris Yeltsin, who recently survived a challenge to the legitimacy of his government, called for a referendum on a proposed constitution. The vote will take place on Dec 12, the same day as the planned legislative election. Yeltsin said that if the public approves the document it will take effect without any debate by the legislature. The draft constitution is not yet complete, but would create a decentralized federal state.

Oct 11, 1993
YELTSIN ISSUES DECREE ON ELECTIONS.
President Boris Yeltsin issued a decree stipulating that elections for a new upper legislative house, to be known as the Federation Council, will be held on the same day as those for the lower house, which will be known as the State Duma. The elections are set for Dec 12. The decree came one day after Yeltsin acted to place local councils under control of regional administrators, who are appointed. All unsympathetic administrators have been replaced. The move is aimed at reducing the risk of challenges to Yeltsin while he is in Japan for an important visit with that country's leadership. It is not yet clear how authority will be divided between the two parliamentary chambers.

Aug 20, 1993
YELTSIN FAILS IN EFFORT TO GET ELECTION CALLED.
President Boris Yeltsin was rebuffed by the legislature after he requested that the body call legislative elections earlier than planned. In a continuation of his conflict with the president, Speaker Ruslan Khasbulatov instead proposed that the presidential election be held earlier than planned.

Apr 26, 1993
KHASBULATOV REJECTS REFERENDUM RESULTS.
Congress of People's Deputies Speaker Ruslan Khasbulatov rejected the results of yesterday's referendum, which endorsed President Boris Yeltsin and his economic reform plans. Turnout was recorded at 65.7% and support for elections was too low to mandate that they be held.

Apr 25, 1993
REFERENDUM APPEARS TO ENDORSE YELTSIN'S PLANS.
Citizens voted in a referendum designed to determine the country's political future, and exit polls indicated that a majority support embattled President Boris Yeltsin and his demands for elections to the Congress of People's Deputies, which tried to oust him last month. Addressing the first two questions on the ballot, early returns showed a majority of the people expressing confidence in Yeltsin and his economic reform plans. Only 29% supported early presidential elections, the third question, while in the fourth question 78% endorsed early legislative elections. The final results will not be complete until May 5. Turnout is expected to be more than 60%, which bodes well for Yeltsin, since his opponents had tried to prevent the referendum from taking place. However, the turnout may not be high enough to make the result binding, since at least 50% of eligible voters must support the third and fourth questions, rather than just 50% of those voting.

Apr 20, 1993
YELTSIN GAINS MINOR VICTORY ON REFERENDUM ISSUE.
The Constitutional Court issued a ruling that marked a minor victory for President Boris Yeltsin regarding a national referendum scheduled for Apr 25. The court ruled that Yeltsin may declare himself the winner on two of the four questions the referendum is addressing if he receives more than 50% of the vote, rather than support from 50% of eligible voters, as stipulated in the referendum questions drafted by the Congress of People's Deputies. However, the court also ruled that an absolute majority of registered voters is required to force the government to hold presidential and legislative elections an unlikely result, since turnout is expected to be low.

Mar 29, 1993
REFERENDUM ON YELTSIN, ELECTIONS SET.
The Congress of People's Deputies agreed to an Apr 25 referendum asking the Russian people whether they support the presidency of Boris Yeltsin. However, the legislature set conditions, including the posing of some additional questions, that may make the outcome indecisive. The other questions ask whether voters approve of the government's economic and social policies and whether early elections should be held for the presidency and the legislature. The chamber also stipulated that to pass, the measures must receive the approval of more than 50% of the Russian population 18 years of age and older, rather than just 50% of people voting.

Environment

Oct 23, 1997
IWC GRANTS WHALE QUOTA TO RUSSIAN AND U.S. INDIANS.
Convened in Monaco for its annual meeting, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) agreed to allow the Chukchi of eastern Siberia and the Inuits of Alaska to hunt a limited number of gray whales as part of their Indian tribal traditions. The whales will be taken from a stock that inhabits the ocean between Russia and the United States. Then, in a deal between those two countries, the Washington State Makah will have the right to take four gray whales per year from those allotted to the Chukchi. While the Indians of both nations celebrated, animal rights and environmental groups threatened to hold up the deal through lawsuits in the United States.

Jun 2, 1997
GAPS FOUND IN OZONE LAYER OVER RUSSIA.
Scientists reported that two large new holes have appeared in the ozone layer this year over Russia. One lies to the east of the Ural Mountains while the other is centered over the Baltic states and northwest Russia, an area that includes both Moscow and St. Petersburg. Although the cause of the openings, which were discovered by weather satellites in March and threaten to expose the population to dangerous ultraviolet radiation, is unknown, Russian and Western scientists are pondering a number of possible explanations. These include the presence of gas-making and other industrial plants that were set up in Siberia without adequate attention to potential environmental consequences, the eruption of Mount Pinataubo, the use of aerosols, and refrigerators that contain the chlorofluorocarbon freon.

Nov 28, 1996
REINDEER STARVE IN RUSSIAN ARCTIC.
As many as 700 Russian reindeer have starved to death and another 150,000 face the same fate in the remote Chukotka Peninsula, according to regional officials. Two weeks of rain and snow in the area have covered most of the pastureland into ice fields, making it impossible for the animals to graze. Some 240,000 reindeer live in the region. The Chukotka Peninsula sits across from the Bering Strait from Alaska and is home to nomadic herders who depend on the reindeer for their livelihoods. Many of the herders have tried to move some 60,000 reindeer to more hospitable pastures.

Sep 26, 1996
RUSSIA, UNITED STATES, NORWAY SIGN NUCLEAR WASTE PACT.
Russia, the United States, and Norway signed the Arctic Military and Environmental Cooperation (AMEC) treaty that will tackle several issues regarding the nuclear waste left over from the cold war. The pact includes plans for cleaning up and storing spent nuclear fuel and paves the way for an agreement on a solution to the environmental problem of nuclear submarine reactors that were dumped into the ocean during the cold war by the Soviet Union. The treaty also addresses the nuclear waste dump on the barren Kola Peninsula in Russia, where the spent reactors of retired Soviet submarines litter the ports. For the first time, U.S. military officials will visit former Soviet submarine stations in Murmansk, the main town on Kola. Norway is involved because it shares around 125 miles of Arctic ocean with Russia and is anxious to solve the environmental hazards of the neighboring Kola Peninsula. The AMEC treaty was signed by Russian Defense Minister Igor Rodionov, U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry, and Norwegian Defense Minister Joergen Kosmo. Each country pledged to give $1 million for preliminary cleanup projects. An initial planning conference, as yet unscheduled, will be held in Murmansk.

Jan 8, 1996
OIL SPILLS IN RUSSIA'S URALS.
Oil from a pipeline that sprang a leak on Dec 27 began to seep into a mountain river in southwestern Russia, according to the Itar- Tass news agency. As many as 180 workers rushed against cold weather to clean up about 165,000 gallons of oil from the Nurlino-Novosibirsk pipeline located just 15 yards from the Belaya River in the Ural Mountains, which separates the republics of Bashkortostan and Tatarstan. The oil was seen drifting beneath the ice of the Belaya, a branch of the Kama, which in turn leads into the larger Volga River.

Nov 14, 1995
RUSSIA TO ASK FOR REPRIEVE IN OZONE TREATY.
The Interfax news agency said Russia will request a four-year delay to meet a global ban on ozone-destroying gases set to begin in 1996. The ban is part of the 1987 Montreal Protocol, which calls for the phasing out of chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs. Russia produces 90,000 tons of the gas each year. Russia says it will need $600 million over four years to make its industries comply with the law.

Oct 19, 1995
EX-SOVIET CHEMICALS TAINT JAPAN'S SEA.
The former Soviet Union dumped over 20,000 tons of first-generation chemical arms in the Sea of Japan, according to a report in the Sankei Japanese journal. The chemicals, including mustard gas and phosgene, were placed in metal containers that quickly eroded.

Jun 2, 1995
OIL SPILLS FROM SAKHALIN QUAKE.
A ruptured pipeline on the quake-stricken Sakhalin Island is oozing crude oil in the absence of enough competent workers to repair it, according to a report in The New York Times. The official toll of casualties from the earthquake that shook the island and virtually leveled the Neftegorsk ("oil town") village less than a week ago is 866 bodies and 405 survivors. As many as 2,000 people are feared dead. The relatively small spill about 21,000 barrels from a 17-mile-long pipeline that passes through the island from offshore fields in the Sea of Okhotsk to terminals on mainland Russia threatens rich salmon and crab breeding grounds on the island. "The problem is that all the people who ran the pumping stations and knew the pipeline are dead, missing, or so distressed that they can't possibly work," a Russian researcher explained. Meanwhile, the oil industry has pressured for the quick reopening of the line to meet production quotas.

Jan 25, 1995
HIGH COST OF NUCLEAR CLEANUP CITED.
An environmental adviser to the government said it will take 50-60 years for Russia to clean up its military and civilian nuclear waste at a cost of over $270 billion. Vladimir Karassev made the estimate at a Brussels conference on marine pollution in the Barents Sea.

Nov 8, 1994
WORLD BANK FUNDS ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANUP.
The World Bank approved a $110 million loan targeted at cleaning up Russia's extensive environmental contamination. "This is the first installment of a large program of environmental lending for the Russian Federation," a bank official said. According to the bank, about 45 Russian cities are afflicted with severe air pollution. Outdated factories pump such pollutants as sulfur dioxide (the active chemical in acid rain) into the air in quantities greater than the rest of Europe combined. Rapid deforestation is also a problem. The aid will be focused in three regions: the Upper Volga, North Caucasus, and the Urals.

Nov 6, 1994
NEW OIL SPILL REPORTED IN ARCTIC.
The environmental group Greenpeace said at least 90,000 barrels of oil have spilled from a pipeline in the Russian Arctic. The spill is 40 miles north of the town of Usinsk along the same pipeline that was reported last week to have leaked nearly 2 million barrels from a different spot.

Oct 25, 1994
LARGE OIL SPILL REPORTED IN ARCTIC.
The U.S. Department of Energy said as much as 2 million gallons of hot oil have spilled from a Russian pipeline in the northern Komi region of the Russian Arctic. A jury-rigged dam to hold back months of accumulated oil leaking from the pipeline, which sends oil to a terminal in Usinsk, gave way earlier in the month and reports indicated that the spill had reached a tributary of the Pechora River, which empties into the Arctic Ocean in warmer months. U.S. officials estimate the magnitude of the leak at eight times that of the 1989 Exxon Valdez tanker spill. Russian officials downplayed the significance of the spill and said no more than 500,000 gallons had leaked from the pipeline. One expert on the Russian oil industry said at least 40 million gallons of oil are spilled on Russian and former Soviet soil each year "as a matter of routine." The leaky, 62-mile pipeline was built in 1975 and ruptures were first observed in 1988. U.S. officials showed reporters a bootleg copy of a Russian video of the spill, which depicted a dam breaking and a fiery river of oil with tornadoes of fire at the edges of the slick.

Sep 7, 1994
SUNKEN NUCLEAR SUB SEALED.
Authorities said Russian divers have completed the first part of a deep-sea operation to seal a nuclear submarine that sank 300 miles off the northern coast of Norway in 1989. The submarine, known as the Komsomolets, sank carrying a nuclear reactor and two nuclear-tipped torpedoes and lies over one mile below the surface of the ocean. Using submersible craft, divers sealed several holes and launch tubes with rubber and titanium plugs. Radioactive sensors did not reveal any leaks of plutonium or cesium.

Feb 21, 1994
RUSSIA WILL NOT COMPLY WITH BAN ON NUCLEAR DUMPING.
An International Maritime Organization spokesperson confirmed that Russia registered its noncompliance with an international ban on dumping nuclear waste at sea, making it the only country to continue the practice. In October 1993 Russia disposed of a large quantity of nuclear waste in the Sea of Japan.

Feb 19, 1994
BRITAIN, CHINA JOIN ANTIDUMPING PACT IN SURPRISE MOVE.
Britain and China announced in a joint statement that they will comply with a section of the London Convention, a 72-nation international ban on sea pollution, that outlaws the disposal of nuclear waste at sea. Environmental groups were surprised by the move, since both countries abstained during voting for the ban in November 1993. Russia is now the sole signatory of the convention that has not accepted the ocean-dumping ban.

Jan 3, 1994
WIDESPREAD ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE REPORTED.
Environment Ministry officials reported that roughly 15% of Russian land suffers from major ecological damage with over one half of arable land unsuitable for farming because of radioactive pollution. About 100,000 people live in territory considered to have dangerously high levels of radiation while only one-fifth of industrial waste is adequately treated.

Nov 12, 1993
THIRTY-SEVEN NATIONS BAN NUCLEAR DUMPING.
During a special meeting in London, the United States and 36 other nations voted to impose a permanent ban on dumping any kind of nuclear or radioactive waste at sea. Delegates to the meeting comprised 42 of the original 71 nations that signed the 1972 treaty, known as the London Convention, on ocean dumping. Five nations Russia, France, Britain, Belgium, and China abstained in the vote. The new ban transforms the 1972 treaty from an agreement regulating ocean dumping to a permanent ban on the disposal and incineration of toxic industrial waste in the world's oceans.

Oct 21, 1993
RUSSIA SUSPENDS NUCLEAR WASTE DUMPING AT SEA.
Moscow announced it will suspend its dumping of low-level nuclear waste in the Sea of Japan because of pressure against the plan by Japan and the United States. Moscow also asked for foreign aid in accelerating the building of a nuclear waste processing plant, saying that delays in its completion would force Russia to resume dumping waste at sea. About 900 tons of radioactive water has been dumped in the latest Russian operation, causing a furor in Japan days after President Boris Yeltsin visited that country in an effort to improve relations. (The waste is low-level radiation produced by nuclear submarines belonging to Russia's Pacific Fleet.)

Oct 17, 1993
RUSSIAN TANKER DUMPS WASTE IN SEA OF JAPAN.
Even as Russian President Boris Yeltsin met in Tokyo with Japanese Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa to sign accords designed to improve the countries' chilly relations, a Russian naval tanker dumped 900 tons of low-level radioactive liquid waste into the Sea of Japan off Japan's northernmost island, Hokkaido, where most of the region's much-sought-after squid are harvested. Ocean dumping of radioactive waste has been globally banned for over three decades, and the restriction was extended to low-level waste in the early 1980s. The action canceled out whatever goodwill Yeltsin had managed to muster among Japanese in the past few days by signing the various agreements. Observers said the Russian dumping was carried out in a bold manner, occurring in the daylight hours with the cargo clearly marked with the symbol for radiation. (Russia admitted several months ago that it has been dumping radioactive materials in the oceans since the 1950s, despite the ban.)

Oct 12, 1992
RUSSIA CAPTURES GREENPEACE SHIP.
The Russian Coast Guard arrested the operator of a Greenpeace ship investigating nuclear waste in Russian waters. The ship Solo, which included several Russians among its crew of 34, was stopped and boarded by armed officers and sailors following warning shots by the coast guard. According to Greenpeace spokesperson Eleanor O'Hanlon, the ship has been placed under "official arrest," although it is unclear what this entails. The Solo was investigating an alleged 1982 disposal of a Soviet nuclear attack submarine, the K-27, which was reportedly sunk at the mouth of the Stepovov Gulf.

Foreign Affairs

Nov 1, 1997
YELTSIN AND HASHIMOTO AGREE ON ECONOMIC COOPERATION PLAN.
President Boris Yeltsin and Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto held talks in Russia and agreed on a six-point package to increase economic cooperation between the two countries. The agreement, called the Hashimoto-Yeltsin Plan, outlines steps to encourage a balanced free- market economy in Russia and promote energy resource development there. The plan includes measures expanding Japanese support for Russian economic reforms as well as for Russia's integration into world economic organizations. The talks, held in Karsnoyarsk, eastern Siberia, focused largely on economic issues, but the two leaders also agreed to promote cooperation on security and political issues in the Asia- Pacific region.

Oct 31, 1997
RUSSIA MAKES BID FOR ROLE IN MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS.
Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov, during an official visit to the Middle East, blamed Israel for impeding the peace process in the region. Primakov spoke from Cairo, Egypt, saying, "It is clear that the present deadlock is the result of the fact that Israel's government has deviated from the agreements and understandings concluded by the previous government." Primakov's statement answers a recent call by Egyptian Prime Minister Hosni Mubarak for Russia to be more active in stimulating the stalled talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. It has been suggested by Egypt that a Russian role in the peace process will counterbalance U.S. involvement that has been seen as pro-Israel.

Oct 30, 1997
JOSPIN AND YELTSIN PLEDGE TO IMPROVE ECONOMIC TIES.
French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin visited Moscow in his first major foreign trip since his election to office in June and met with President Boris Yeltsin for talks aimed at strengthening economic ties between Russia and France. They also discussed a diplomatic code for establishing a more "multipolar" balance of world affairs. The leaders repeated their rejection of U.S. attempts to impose sanctions on foreign companies that do business with outlaw countries like Iran. (Russian and French companies announced a gas deal in Iran on Sep 28, provoking warnings from the United States that they could face U.S. sanctions under a U.S. law that limits foreign investment in Iran.)

Oct 28, 1997
RUSSIA DENIES ILLEGALITY IN ACQUISITION OF AMERICAN COMPUTERS.
Russian officials insisted that the country's purchase of 16 advanced IBM computers from the United States was made under completely legal circumstances. The U.S. Clinton administration said two days ago that the United States explicitly turned down a request by Russia to purchase them. The computers have been acquired by a Russian nuclear weapons laboratory, although American law prohibits the sale of any computer to Russian nuclear weapons installations without prior government approval.

Oct 26, 1997
RUSSIA DENIES ASSISTING IRAN IN DEVELOPMENT OF MISSILES.
Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov spoke out against allegations by Israel that Russia has been helping Iran procure ballistic missiles. In Israel on a diplomatic visit, Primakov denied Israel's charges, saying, "Russia does not intend to supply Iran any technology or other goods for the use in the production of weapons of mass destruction." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel and Russia have differing facts on the issue. Israeli Foreign Minister David Levy said of Israel's allegations, "The information in our hands is concrete." Israel has insisted that Russia has helped Iran develop a long-range missile that will be capable within two years of targeting Israel. Iran is a self-professed enemy of the Jewish state.

Oct 24, 1997
RUSSIA OFFERS SECURITY PLEDGE TO BALTIC STATES.
President Boris Yeltsin, during a visit from Lithuanian President Algirdas Brazauskas, pledged to protect Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania against foreign aggressors. In a formal Kremlin declaration Yeltsin offered the three Baltic states security guarantees that were received with skepticism. Anti-Russian sentiment runs high in the three countries, where citizens resent 50 years of Soviet rule. Lithuania and Russia also signed treaties defining their mutual borders and outlining the management of the Baltic continental shelf. Brazauskas is the first leader from the Baltic states to visit Moscow since they established sovereignty in 1991.

Oct 24, 1997
RUSSIA TO OVERHAUL LIBYAN NUCLEAR REACTOR.
A Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Russia has signed an agreement with Libya to overhaul a nuclear reactor there. The project is to take place at the Tajura Nuclear Research Center and is part of a program to improve commercial ties between the two countries. Libyan Energy Secretary Abdullah Salim Badri visited Russia recently to discuss various forms of cooperation. Russia has insisted that the program is within the limitations of United Nations-imposed sanctions that have been in place against Libya since 1992.

Oct 23, 1997
CIS SUMMIT YIELDS LITTLE AGREEMENT.
Leaders of the former Soviet states held a summit in Moldova to assess the progress of their alliance, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma said of the CIS, "At some point we have halted in our development . . ." Other leaders said that agreements that have been reached since the formation of the CIS have been implemented poorly if at all. Members have also criticized the group's lack of effectiveness in regulating regional and ethnic disputes throughout the former Soviet Union. Member republics have expressed contrasting visions of the future of the organization that was formed in 1991 upon the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Oct 9, 1997
CIS MEMBERS SIGN ACCORDS TO BOOST ECONOMIC COOPERATION.
The 12 former Soviet republics that now make up the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) signed 24 economic accords to help strengthen their alliance. The agreements covered such issues as transport policy in an effort to increase cooperation among CIS republics. Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin addressed the group, noting that trade turnover among CIS members has fallen by 10% in the first half of 1997 compared with figures from the first half of 1996. "This situation must be changed completely," Chernomyrdin said, "because mutual trade is the main criterion for the intensity of our economic ties." The group is scheduled to hold a full-scale summit on Oct 23 in Moldova.

Oct 7, 1997
BELARUS RELEASES LAST ORT JOURNALIST AMID TENSION WITH RUSSIA.
Journalist Pavel Sheremet was released from a Belarusian provincial jail, where he had been held since July on charges of illegally trying to cross the Belarus-Lithuania border. Sheremet is a Belarusian citizen employed by Russia's ORT television network. He had been covering a story on smuggling, which apparently was unflattering to the Belarusian autocratic government, when he and other journalists were seized by border guards. The other reporters were subsequently released. Sheremet had insisted that his arrest was politically motivated. Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has expressed anger over the coverage his government receives in the Russian media, whose reports can be seen in Belarus, circumventing Belarusian censorship. Russian President Boris Yeltsin had demanded Sheremet's release, but Lukashenko had remained unresponsive. The tension between the two leaders peaked on Oct 2 when Yeltsin refused to allow Lukashenko's aircraft to land in Russia unless he met certain conditions, including securing the journalist's release; Lukashenko was forced into a last-minute cancellation of plans to visit two Russian cities. Upon Sheremet's release to his home in Minsk, he was told he is still under investigation and is not to leave Belarus.

Oct 2, 1997
YELTSIN REFUSES ENTRY TO BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT.
President Boris Yeltsin denied Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko entry into Russia just hours before he was scheduled to begin a visit to the country. Yeltsin sent a telegram outlining conditions under which the visit would be permitted. The conditions related to the release of Pavel Sheremet, a Belarusian citizen working for Russia's ORT television who has been detained in Belarus since July. Belarusian border guards seized seven ORT employees in two separate incidents in July; Sheremet is the only one who has not been freed.

Sep 27, 1997
CHIRAC ANNOUNCES DETARGETING OF MISSILES.
At the end of a three-day visit to Moscow, French President Jacques Chirac announced that his country has detargeted all of its nuclear missiles. The action is a symbolic gesture intended to alleviate the antiquated cold war distrust between France and Russia. Chirac stated that "with the dismantling of the ground-to-ground missiles on the Albion Plateau, none of France's nuclear deterrents are henceforth targeted" at Russia or any other country. Chirac also met with Russian legislators during his visit to take steps to increase trade between the two countries.

Sep 26, 1997
UNITED STATES AND FORMER SOVIET REPUBLICS SIGN ARMS CONTROL AGREEMENTS.
The United States signed agreements with Russia in an effort to resolve issues surrounding the long-stalled START II (the second Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty). Russia's Federal Assembly has lagged on ratifying 1993's START II, and President Boris Yeltsin says he needs more time to convince lawmakers to endorse it. Under today's agreement, Russia will have until 2003 to disarm its nuclear weapons-launching systems and through the end of 2007 to completely disassemble them. The United States agreed not to test or launch any space-based missile defense system. Both sides put on paper that they agree to reduce the number of nuclear warheads by between 2,000 and 2,500 in a third START. The pacts must be ratified by the Federal Assembly and the U.S. Congress. The United States signed parallel agreements with Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Belarus that allow the building of defenses against short-range ballistic missiles without jeopardizing the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.

Sep 16, 1997
RUSSIA JOINING PARIS CLUB.
The French Finance Ministry announced that Russia will officially join the Paris Club of creditor nations. The terms of the group's agreement with Russia were decided at a June summit meeting of the Group of Seven, the cooperative group of leading economic nations.

Aug 29, 1997
RUSSIA, ARMENIA ENDORSE WIDER-RANGING COOPERATION TREATY.
In Moscow, President Boris Yeltsin and Armenian President Levon Ter-Petrosyan signed a wide-reaching economic and military friendship treaty that in theory will align the two countries more closely than Russia is aligned with any other former Soviet republic. "It's an all-embracing document whose realization would bring us not just a strategic partnership but also more close-knit relations with Russia," Ter-Petrosyan said of the pact.

Aug 26, 1997
RUSSIA, UKRAINE AGREE NOT TO SPY ON ONE ANOTHER.
Defense ministers Igor Sergeyev of Russia and Oleksandr Kuzmuk of Ukraine signed a military cooperation pact in which Ukraine and Russia agreed not to spy on each other. Sergeyev and Kuzmuk also made headway on the implementation of several agreements reached last May regarding the countries' military interdependence and the former Soviet Black Sea Fleet.

Aug 23, 1997
RUSSIAN HOSTAGES FREED.
The Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Georgian rebels freed three Russian servicemen overnight, ending a week of captivity for them in the western Zugdidi region of Georgia. The Russian hostages were in Georgia as part of the peacekeeping troops acting as a buffer between Georgia and the separatist region of Abkhazia. They were seized by a paramilitary group of Georgian refugees called the White Legion.

Aug 22, 1997
RUSSIAN JOURNALISTS RELEASED.
Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko ordered that four Russian ORT-TV reporters be released from jail and that a fifth be sent by train to Moscow. The journalists were the second group of Russian reporters detained recently while trying to cross the Belarus-Lithuania border. After the first group was jailed on charges of illegally crossing the border, the second group attempted to do the same. Both crews were covering the liberal movement of illegal goods over that border.

Jul 18, 1997
CHERNOMYRDIN WANTS RUSSIA TO BE PART OF EU.
Speaking in Brussels after a day of talks with representatives of the European Union's (EU) European Commission, Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin said Russia's recent success in restructuring its economy brings the country closer to its eventual objective of membership in the EU. Chernomyrdin's discussions were the first ever between a Russian premier and the commissioners.

Jul 3, 1997
FOCUS OF NUCLEAR PROJECT EXPLORED BY RUSSIA, IRAN.
Russia and Iran are reportedly meeting in Teheran to discuss how to complete the 1,000-megawatt nuclear reactor being constructed at the Persian Gulf port of Bushehr. The power plant was begun by a German company before Islamic fundamentalists came to power, and the Russians agreed to complete the project in August 1995 in a deal worth $800 million. According to a report in the English-language Teheran Times, the talks are taking place between the Iran Atomic Energy Organization and Russia's Supreme Government Atomic Supervision Organization. The United States, which fears the plant may allow Iran to manufacture nuclear weapons, persuaded Russia in 1995 not to include a gas-centrifuge facility for the enrichment of uranium, an addition that would expedite conversion to arms production. Retiring President Hashemi Rafsanjani denied earlier this year on the CBS program "60 Minutes" that Iran has any desire for nuclear weapons. Russian Atomic Energy Minister Viktor Mikhailov said on Jun 23 that Russia, which needs this type of project to strengthen its balance-of-trade position, might ultimately build three additional reactors in Bushehr.

Jul 2, 1997
CIA SAYS CHINA AND RUSSIA ARE TOP SUPPLIERS OF BANNED WEAPONS TECHNOLOGY.
Press reports detailed a recently released report by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) that says China is the largest source for technology used by Third World nations building chemical weapons, nuclear bombs, and ballistic missiles. According to the report, China is the number-one supplier of nuclear-related equipment and technology to Pakistan and a main supplier to Iran. The report lists China and Russia as the foremost proliferaters of banned arms technology, with India, Iran, Pakistan, and Syria as the foremost purchasers. The report lists China and India as the main providers of chemical warfare equipment. The CIA said Iran, North Korea, and Russia have been helping Egypt and Syria develop technology to build medium-range ballistic missiles. The report also describes Iran as "unrelenting" in its efforts to buy weapons technology, and says Libya has continued to attempt to import ballistic missile materials despite a United Nations embargo.

Jul 1, 1997
NO AMERICAN SOLDIERS TAKEN TO RUSSIA, STUDY CONCLUDES.
A joint U.S.-Russian commission announced that it had failed to find any documentation that American prisoners of war were taken to the former Soviet Union during the Cold War. Nevertheless, U.S. delegation chief Malcolm Toon said he believes that the inquiry should continue. In the last five years, the commission has examined more than 10,000 documents, some of them recently declassified, and talked to hundreds of Russians thought to have information about missing Americans. The commission also has been investigating what happened to Soviet soldiers stationed in Afghanistan during the 1980s, whose whereabouts are also unexplained.

Jun 27, 1997
RUSSIANS DECRY KAZAKH TEST SITE PROJECT.
Press reports said Russia has urged Kazakhstan not to continue with a planned cooperative aerial data collection project with the United States. Under the plan, a U.S. Navy P-3 Orion airplane armed with sophisticated Airborne Multi-Sensor Pod System detection equipment is to fly over a former Soviet nuclear weapon test site in Semipalatinsk Province, in northern Kazakhstan. From the Kazakh and U.S. viewpoint, the project is scientific in nature; the Russians, however, regard it as an attempt to conduct reconnaissance within the borders of the Commonwealth of Independent States. U.S. Department of Energy official Randy Bell, who is in charge of the undertaking, acknowledged in an interview with the British newspaper Financial Times that even information about the nature of the soil in the region could be strategically valuable. For example, it might allow Western nations to build an oil pipeline that bypassed Russian territory.

Jun 25, 1997
RUSSIA PROMISES NOT TO TARGET MISSILES AT JAPAN.
Presidential spokesperson Sergei Yastrzhembsky said Russia will shortly re-aim its nuclear missiles so that none are directed at Japan. The announcement followed a similar pledge by President Boris Yeltsin to Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto at the Jun 20-22 Denver "Summit of the Eight" conference. That exchange had reportedly surprised Japanese leaders, who were not aware that Russia had any missiles pointed in their country's direction.

Jun 21, 1997
G-8 BECOMES A REALITY FOR YELTSIN.
Russia, whose weak economy and threatening military capabilities were once discussed nervously by world economic leaders at past Group of Seven (G-7) meetings, participated on an approximately equal footing for the first time at the Jun 20-22 "Summit of the Eight" conference in Denver. Led by President Boris Yeltsin, who had hoped that the gathering would be the occasion for the promotion to take place, the Russian delegation was allowed to participate in all meetings but one. Although Russia's markets are much less developed than those of the other seven members, U.S. officials expressed their satisfaction at Yeltsin's inclusion.

Jun 6, 1997
RUSSIAN DUMA APPROVES UNION WITH BELARUS.
Political and military union between Russia and Belarus moved a step closer as the State Duma overwhelmingly approved a treaty signed in May by President Boris Yeltsin and his Belarusian counterpart, Aleksandr Lukashenko. Although the Duma voted 363-2 in favor of the union, some Russian liberals were skeptical, and press reports suggested that Lukashenko, a supporter of the old Soviet Union, was motivated to sign the treaty by a desire for even more power than he has already obtained from his authoritarian rule of Belarus.

May 31, 1997
RUSSIA, UKRAINE APPROVE TREATY.
President Boris Yeltsin and his Ukrainian counterpart, Leonid Kuchma, signed a treaty pledging mutual political and economic cooperation. The pact was composed two years ago, but conflict over the status of the Black Sea Fleet and other political matters delayed its implementation. The change in perspective was reportedly prompted by Russia's need to shore up alliances in the face of expansion by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Although Ukraine views NATO's growth with less apprehension, Russia has agreed to write off most of Ukraine's oil debts and made other concessions.

May 30, 1997
RUSSIA DESIRES "GROUP OF EIGHT."
The Interfax news agency reported that President Boris Yeltsin's spokesperson, Sergei Yastrzhembsky, has stated that Russia wishes to quickly turn the Group of Seven (G-7) into a "Group of Eight." Now that Japanese resistance to allowing Russia to become a full member has subsided amid improved relations between the two countries, Yeltsin hopes that the Jun 20-22 G-7 "Summit of the Eight" conference can be the vehicle for creating an official G-8.

May 30, 1997
YELTSIN PROMISES TO AID UKRAINE.
President Boris Yeltsin gave a commitment to "jointly providing security" and to coming to the aid of Ukraine "in extreme situations." Similar agreements exist between Russia and the majority of the nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States, but Ukraine had been one of the few exceptions.

May 27, 1997
RUSSIA, NATO LEADERS SIGN ACCORD.
Russian President Boris Yeltsin and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) leaders met in Paris to sign the Founding Act on Mutual Relations, Cooperation, and Security. Details of the Founding Act were settled two weeks ago after several months of negotiations. Under the terms of the accord, NATO agreed to refrain from deploying or storing nuclear arms in new NATO member nations. The accord also calls for the establishment of a NATO-Russian commission to discuss security concerns. Yeltsin said of the pact: "This document will help and promote stability throughout Europe and even beyond the borders of that continent. This is our joint accomplishment, and this is also a victory for reason."

May 23, 1997
RUSSIA AND BELARUS SIGN COOPERATION PACT.
Russia and Belarus pledged greater economic, military, and international cooperation with each other, although the text of their agreement was not made public. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko described the accord as the formalization of a situation that already exists in practice and said he is hopeful that the pact will eventually be embraced by additional nations.

May 14, 1997
RUSSIA, NATO SETTLE TERMS OVER EASTERN EXPANSION.
Russia reached an accord with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) over the terms for NATO's eastward expansion. The move comes after months of negotiation over concerns by Russia that NATO's admission of prospective members Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic could pose a risk to Russian security. The accord, known as the Founding Act on Mutual Relations, Cooperation, and Security, stipulates that NATO will refrain from stationing or storing nuclear arms within the borders of new member nations and that NATO and Russia will form a board to address security issues. Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov and NATO Secretary General Javier Solana are scheduled to endorse the agreement later this month.

Apr 25, 1997
FORMER SINO-SOVIET BORDER PACT REACHED.
The presidents of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan signed an agreement providing for a decrease in military presence along the former Sino-Soviet border. No specific details of the pact were released, but Russian experts quoted by the Interfax news service said the treaty sets limits to ground forces, antiaircraft weapons, and military aviation over a 62-mile-wide zone along the 4,350-mile-long border. The legislatures of the five countries still must ratify the pact.

Apr 23, 1997
YELTSIN, JIANG MEET FOR MOSCOW SUMMIT.
Russian President Boris Yeltsin and Chinese President Jiang Zemin began a five-day summit in Moscow, tacitly vowing to cooperate to limit U.S. global power and influence. In a joint statement, they said, "No country should seek hegemony, practice power politics, or monopolize international affairs." Relations between Russia and China, which share a 4,000-mile border, have warmed in recent years. China provides a huge market for Russian-built arms, and Russia is a potential Chinese ally against Washington's foreign policy, even though both countries need technology and investment capital from the West.

Apr 4, 1997
LEGISLATURE VOTES TO RETAIN ARTWORK SEIZED FROM NAZI GERMANY.
The Federal Assembly's upper house voted to pass a measure allowing the government to retain priceless artwork confiscated from Nazi Germany by the Soviet military after World War II. The legislature justified the move, asserting that the collection of paintings and sculptures, much of which was looted from other countries by the Nazi regime, serve as compensation to Russia for harm caused by the Nazis during the war. The bill has already been passed by the State Duma in a 308-15 vote, despite concerns by President Boris Yeltsin that keeping the artwork will pose a threat to Russia's relationship with Germany.

Apr 2, 1997
RUSSIA AND BELARUS ENDORSE SPECIAL UNION AGREEMENT.
Russian President Boris Yeltsin and his Belarusian counterpart, Aleksandr Lukashenko, endorsed an agreement aimed at building a special union between the two countries. Yeltsin backed the treaty despite concerns from Russian liberals who have opposed the integration with Belarus, suggesting that the move could trigger a decline in Russia's economy. Yeltsin defended his endorsement of the document, saying: "The union does not create a single state. Each side maintains its sovereignty. At the same time it takes our integration on to a qualitatively new phase." He added that the treaty will allow Russian and Belarusian citizens to travel freely between the two countries, own property, and vote in both countries' elections.

Mar 21, 1997
YELTSIN, CLINTON ANNOUNCE HELSINKI SUMMIT ACCORDS.
President Boris Yeltsin and U.S. President Bill Clinton said they have agreed to disagree over the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The announcement came at a press conference in Helsinki, Finland, following two days of summit talks there. Moscow continues to see NATO enlargement as a threat to Russia, but Clinton said NATO will add new members probably Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic at its meeting this July in Madrid, Spain. NATO and Russia are to develop a charter and consult on any volatile issues. Russia will have a say in NATO, but not a veto. Clinton and Yeltsin also asked that their representatives in Vienna speed up their efforts to enact new restrictions on conventional forces stationed in Europe. Yeltsin said he will push for the quick ratification of the START II ( Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) so that the United States will consider even more arms cuts under a START III. Yeltsin also said Russia will pass tax reforms that clarify laws, penalties, and means with which to resolve disputes. The United States said it will help Russia drum up support for new investments and will endorse Russia's membership in the World Trade Organization and the Paris Club. The nations in the Group of Seven are to give Russia a larger role at their next meeting now to be called the "summit of the eight." All in all, the two leaders expressed satisfaction with their meeting and were sanguine about future relations.
 
 

Russian President Boris Yeltsin and U.S. President Bill Clinton posing for photographers ahead of March 1997 policy discussions held in Helsinki, Finland [AP/Wide World]

Mar 14, 1997
NATO OFFERS REASSURANCE TO RUSSIA OVER MILITARY ISSUES.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) announced that it will not install new military units in member nations where troops have not already been stationed. The declaration was made in an effort to reassure Russia that NATO's eastward expansion will not pose a threat to its national security. NATO plans to continue negotiations over military issues with Russia in upcoming Russian-American summit talks in Helsinki, Finland. One NATO official expressed concern over the military discussions with Russia, saying, "The Russians want veto power over NATO decisions to send troops on peacekeeping missions outside of its territory and they want an agreement that the Baltic states and other former parts of the Soviet Union will never become NATO members, but that's not going to happen."

Feb 12, 1997
RUSSIAN TYCOON SUES FORBES.
Russian businessman and government official Boris Berezovsky sued Forbes for libel after the U.S.-based magazine alleged that he had connections to the Russian mob and was behind the slaying of Moscow television reporter Vladislav Listyev. The suit was filed in Britain because that nation's libel laws are more favorable to plaintiffs than those in America.

Jan 13, 1997
MOSCOW TO REMOVE NUCLEAR FUEL FROM CAUCASUS.
Russia promised the United States it will remove a cache of weapons-grade nuclear fuel from Georgia by March. Anxious U.S. officials had made repeated entreaties to Moscow to dispose of the byproduct at a reactor outside Tbilisi, Georgia before it fell into the wrong hands. Bureaucratic snafus have hampered the transfer of the material in the past.

Dec 25, 1996
TAJIK FIRE FIGHTS RAGE ON AFTER PEACE SIGNING.
Russian troops fought with Tajik rebels along Tajikistan's southern border with Afghanistan despite the signing of a fresh cease-fire agreement on Dec 23 in Moscow between President Imamoli Rakhmnov and rebel leader Sayed Abdullah Nuri. The Itar- Tass news agency said Russian troops were fired on by Islamic rebels based on northern Afghanistan and returned fire but that there were no casualties.

Dec 24, 1996
RUSSIA DELIVERS SUBMARINE TO IRAN.
Russia delivered the last of three submarines to Iran, a Pentagon official said. The diesel vessel is part of the Iranian navy's program to modernize its fleet. "Iran could use the submarine for attacks on tankers or for mine-laying operations," the official was quoted as saying. America deploys a formidable naval contingent in Persian gulf waters.

Dec 1, 1996
GOVERNMENT CHANGES POLICY ON SAKHALIN.
A Foreign Ministry spokesperson, in what amounts to a major shift in national territorial policy, announced that Japan will accept Russia's claim to the southern half of Sakhalin Island. The announcement was hailed by the government as a big step toward resolving the countries' 51-year-old dispute over Sakhalin, which lies north of Japan and west of Russia, and three other islands off Hokkaido, Japan's main island.

Oct 30, 1996
RUSSIA CANCELS MISSILE ACCORD.
American negotiators said Russia decided not to sign an arms agreement on regional missile defenses that was set for an official Geneva signing tomorrow. The pact was the first phase of arms control agreements that have aroused controversy in nationalist circles in Russia.

Oct 30, 1996
NATO POSTPONES DECISIONS ON EXPANSION AND RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Javier Solana announced that NATO will not make a formal decision in 1996 on the issues of eastward expansion or its relationship with Russia. Solana also denied a report by the news organization Interfax, which claimed that he said the Western alliance intends to sign a cooperation accord with Russia by December. Solana contended that NATO plans to delay the decisions until 1997.

Oct 29 , 1996
CIS MEMBERS BALK AT RUSSIAN COMMAND.
Member nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) rejected the nomination of a Russian general to replace the existing Russian chief of the CIS military command. At the meeting in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, Russia nominated Mikhail Kolesnikov, the ex- chief of staff of the Russian army. A majority of Russian soldiers compose the peacekeeping force in Tajikistan.

Sep 4, 1996
RUSSIA, LIECHTENSTEIN TO TRADE RARE HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS.
Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov said Moscow will return to Liechtenstein the royal family archives that were stolen by the Red Army near the end of World War II. In exchange, Prince Hans Adam will give Russia a document known as the Sokolov Archive, which describes the last moments of and details the 1918 executions of the last Russian czar, Nicholas II, and his family. Hans Adam recently purchased the document in order to gain leverage with Russia, which had not been responsive to repeated entreaties for the return of the Liechtenstein royal family's archive. Officials said that although the details of the exchange still need to be worked out, the deal will assuredly take place.

Jul 23, 1996
RUSSIA, UNITED STATES TO PUSH ATOMIC TEST BAN.
As the deadline for an international nuclear test ban treaty neared, the United States and Russia agreed to approve the draft of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty as it now stands to break a deadlock in negotiations. The treaty, which will outlaw nuclear testing anywhere in the world, has been under negotiation by the 61-nation Conference on Disarmament for the past 18 months and is due for signature by the United Nations in September. Even though neither country agrees that the draft treaty is perfect, the two major nuclear powers have agreed to overlook minor disagreements to press other nations to sign the treaty. The five declared nuclear powers the United States, Russia, China, France, and Britain have set the end of this year as a deadline for completion of the treaty, which will then need to be ratified by 44 countries before it is enacted. It is as yet unclear whether the three countries that are assumed to have nuclear weapons India, Pakistan, and Israel will all need to ratify the treaty for it to take effect.

Jul 16, 1996
GORE MEETS YELTSIN AFTER DELAY.
U.S. Vice President Al Gore met with Russian President Boris Yeltsin at a sanitarium a day after Yeltsin called off their scheduled meeting in the Kremlin. After their 45-minute meeting, Gore sought to dispel persistent rumors about the Russian leader's poor health: "He looks very good to me," Gore said. On his three-day visit, Gore penned various cooperation agreements with the Russians on such issues as nuclear security, ecology, foreign investment, and the destruction of Russia's chemical weapons cache.

Jul 14, 1996
GORE ON THREE-DAY KREMLIN VISIT.
U.S. Vice President Al Gore met with Russian Premier Viktor Chernomyrdin in the Kremlin to discuss economic reforms and the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Jun 20, 1996
INDIA SAYS NUCLEAR TEST BAN TREATY INADEQUATE.
Indian officials warned the participants at a nuclear disarmament conference in Geneva that it will not sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty unless the document mandates the destruction of existing nuclear weapons within a certain time limit. The officials reassured the other participants that New Delhi does not intend to block the treaty's progress, but experts say India's dissent could keep the document from being ratified. Four of the world's five declared nuclear powers Russia, China, France, and Britain want a requirement in the treaty that Pakistan, India, and Israel, which are believed to have nuclear weapons, sign and ratify the accord before it can become effective. The United States, the fifth nuclear power, is now wavering on which position to take, although it originally wanted less-stringent requirements in order to expedite the ban process.

May 28, 1996
CANADA ARRESTS TWO RUSSIAN SPIES.
The Canadian government announced the detention of two Russians that it suspects are spies. The government has launched proceedings to deport them. According to Solicitor General Herb Gray, the two men had taken on identities belonging to Canadians who died as children. Russian Embassy officials in Ottawa did not comment. Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy said he will speak to Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov about the issue when they are at a North Atlantic Treaty Organization meeting in Berlin next week.

May 17, 1996
RUSSIA, BRITAIN CLASH OVER SPYING.
The Russian government expelled four British diplomats, accusing them of being involved in espionage, and Britain expelled four Russian diplomats in retaliation. The dispute began at the start of the month when Moscow told British authorities that a Russian official had been charged with spying for Britain's M.I.6 spy agency. Russian officials said nine British diplomats were involved and would probably have to leave the country. British officials insisted that there was no evidence to support the allegations and threatened tit-for-tat expulsions. Foreign policy experts contend that much of the dispute is based on concern over the current political situation in Russia, with a presidential election campaign going on in which nationalists are calling for a tough stand against the West.

May 8, 1996
COMPROMISE SOUGHT IN RUSSIAN-BRITISH SPY CASE.
Russia appeared to backpedal from a threat to expel as many as nine British diplomats on charges of running a spy ring after Britain said the allegations were groundless and threatened a tit-for-tat retaliation. The dispute arose after Russia's Federal Security Service arrested a Russian official last month for passing secrets to British agents. Russian officials yesterday presented Britain with a list of nine British diplomats who had contacts with the accused spy and said a number of diplomats would be expelled within 24 hours. The subsequent exchange of threats reminded Western observers of Soviet-era cold war disputes. Observers cited the timing of the allegations and their public nature as indications that they were in part politically motivated. "The government has been accused of being too pro-Western. There may be the intention to show we are independent, we are tough," commented a former KGB official on Russian television.

Apr 25, 1996
SINO-RUSSIAN SUMMIT YIELDS "PARTNERSHIP."
At a Beijing summit meeting, the leaders of Russia and China announced a "strategic partnership" combining economic and security agreements and released a joint communique warning the West not to try to dominate the post- cold war world. Western officials likened the summit to a ceremonial stop in the presidential campaign of President Boris Yeltsin, who faces elections in June. The communique, part of 14 agreements signed by Yeltsin and Chinese President Jiang Zemin, accused the West of "hegemonism, power politics, and the repeated imposition of pressures on other countries." Other agreements included plans to install a "hot line" between the two leaders for direct communications; the possibility of joint nuclear and gas development deals; and accords on intellectual property rights, organized crime, and environmental protection along their 2,580 mile-long common frontier. Chinese trade with Russia last year amounted to about $5.5 billion, less than one-tenth of the volume of trade China conducted with the United States.

Apr 20, 1996
WEST BACKS YELTSIN AT G-7 SUMMIT.
Leaders of the Group of Seven (G-7) ended a two-day summit meeting in Moscow by urging the speedy enactment of a nuclear test ban and safeguards against the spread of nuclear materials from the former Soviet Union. Criticized as long on ceremony and short on substance, the meeting supplied a measure of prestige to the embattled Russian President Boris Yeltsin, who faces a difficult race for reelection against Communist candidate Gennady Zyuganov. At a news conference after the meeting, Yeltsin said, "The status of Russia not only as a great power but also as one of the leading countries of the world was recognized." Russia agreed to a G-7 plan to negotiate a total ban on nuclear tests by September, making China the only major nuclear power to resist a comprehensive test ban. Without pledging any funds for the purpose, the world leaders also stressed the importance of cooperation in making sure that Russian nuclear material is prevented from reaching the hands of smugglers. Estimates put the amount of bomb-grade fuel in the former Soviet Union at 1,300 tons of uranium and 200 tons of plutonium, some of it stored in relatively unprotected facilities. Yeltsin also vowed to stop dumping nuclear waste at sea. On the issue of closing the nuclear power plant Chernobyl in Ukraine, the leaders repeated an earlier pledge to close it by 2000 with $3 billion in aid. Russia was turned down in its renewed appeal for membership in G-7, a group of the world's richest industrialized nations, mainly because of opposition from the United States and Japan.

Apr 11, 1996
TREATY DECLARES AFRICA NUCLEAR-FREE.
Forty-three African states signed the Treaty of Pelindaba, which bans the possession or deployment of nuclear weapons throughout Africa and the surrounding islands and declares Africa a nuclear-free continent. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said the signing ceremony, held in Egypt, was an example to others and urged Middle Eastern countries and states worldwide to take similar steps. Britain, China, France, and the United States (four of the five nuclear powers) signed separate accords promising not to use or test nuclear weapons or threaten to use them in any African state. Russia, the fifth nuclear power, refrained from signing any such protocol. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Victor Passouvaliouk said his government is "thoroughly examining the question of signing" and will need time to make "the appropriate decisions."

Apr 9, 1996
RUSSIA AND POLAND DISAGREE ON NATO EXPANSION.
The presidents of Poland and Russia met in Moscow to discuss the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) expansion agenda, but failed to settle their differences. President Aleksander Kwasniewski of Poland made it clear that he will not cease efforts to have Poland enter NATO, although he asserted that "Poland does not want to be in NATO against Russia." Russian President Boris Yeltsin said he and Kwasniewski agreed on everything except the NATO issue. Russia is afraid that if countries in Central and Eastern Europe join NATO, Russia's own security will be threatened, but Kwasniewski said, "NATO can be a pillar of pan-European society in a Europe without blocs."

Mar 29, 1996
ACCORD BRINGS EX-SOVIET REPUBLICS CLOSER.
Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed an agreement with the leaders of Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan to build stronger economic and foreign policy ties. The agreement is open to other former Soviet republics and calls for a common market between the countries, integrated agricultural and industrial policies, and a joint governing council of presidents and prime ministers. "We are entering into an agreement on the free movement of people, services, goods, and capital," said Yeltsin. The accord, which seeks to bring some semblance of order to economies in disarray after the breakup of the Soviet Union, overlaps several separate agreements signed recently, including a special union between Russia and Belarus, and a free trade accord between Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan. The vague but lofty-sounding accord is being viewed mostly as a political gesture by Yeltsin to undercut the program of the Communist Party, which has exploited Russians' nostalgia for the Soviet past, and to prevent the party's candidate for president, Gennady Zyuganov, from winning elections in June.

Mar 24, 1996
BELARUSIANS PROTEST PLAN TO MERGE WITH RUSSIA.
Tens of thousands of Belarusians demonstrated in the streets of Minsk, the capital of Belarus, to protest a plan to merge the former Soviet republic with Russia. Riot police injured dozens in the 30,000-strong crowd. Last week, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko signed a treaty with Moscow to merge the countries on Apr 2 in a union that if approved by the parliaments in both countries will eventually result in a common budget and joint leadership. Observers speculated that the plan is aimed at bolstering the reelection campaign of Russian President Boris Yeltsin as he seeks to steel the thunder of hard-liners in the communist- and nationalist-dominated State Duma.

Mar 23, 1996
BELARUS, RUSSIA SEEK "UNION STATE."
The leaders of Russia and Belarus agreed to reintegrate their lands in a "union state," a cultural, economic, and political union that keeps their governments separate. Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko announced the agreement in Moscow after being hastily summoned to the Kremlin the day before. The timing of the much-anticipated agreement was ascribed to election-year politics, coming on the heels of the resolution several days ago of the Communist-dominated Russian State Duma to denounce the 1991 accord hatched in Belarus that led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Under the new agreement, Minsk and Moscow would be governed by a "supreme council" of leaders and would share a budget and legal system, but the timetable for formation of these unions was left unclear. Belarus has a very weak economy and estimates of the cost to Russia of an economic union range in the billions of dollars.

Mar 17, 1996
RUSSIANS, AMERICANS COLLABORATE ON SUPERSONIC JET.
In an ironic reversal of their roles in the cold war, Russian and U.S. warplane manufacturers are working together on the possibility of jointly producing a commercial airliner that will travel over twice the speed of sound. In a ceremony at an airfield outside Moscow, the Tupolev Design Bureau, makers of the huge Soviet-era Blackjack bomber, unveiled the TU-144 supersonic plane, aboard which experiments will be conducted on the likelihood of developing a commercial high-speed civilian airliner. As part of a plan to spend almost $2 billion by 2001 researching the feasibility of civilian high-speed jets, the United States has contracted with the Russians to spend about $9 million in experiments involving the TU-144. The plane is one of 17 built by Russia in 1968, the same year that France and Britain successfully coproduced the supersonic Concorde plane, a smaller jet of similar design. Shortly after the jets were built, Russia phased them out as uneconomical and the United States ruled out making a supersonic jet for similar reasons.

Feb 11, 1996
PACT REACHED ON RUSSIAN GUN IMPORTS TO AMERICA.
Russian and U.S. trade officials reached agreement on importing Russian guns into the United States. Designed to limit the influx of cheap Russian handguns, the pact allows the importation only of Olympic-style target pistols, rifles, and antique firearms more than 50 years old. U.S. officials said they had received applications to import from Russia as many as 3 million rifles, 1.2 million handguns, and 9 billion rounds of ammunition.

Feb 6, 1996
CHINA MAKES LARGE RUSSIAN FIGHTER PURCHASE.
Press sources revealed that the Chinese and Russian governments have concluded a deal in which China will buy 72 high-performance Russian Sukhov Su-27 Flanker fighter jets. The fighters will be used to upgrade China's aging air force equipment. The transaction has been expected but stalled since 1992 over Russian accusations that the barter goods China used to buy the first 24 Flankers were inadequate payment. Military experts said China's purchase of the aircraft, which will significantly extend the air force's combat range, will change the region's balance of power at a time when Chinese relations with Taiwan are suffering increasing tension over the issue of unification.

Jan 25, 1996
COUNCIL OF EUROPE ADMITS RUSSIA.
Despite reservations about Russia's poor human rights record, members of the 38-nation Council of Europe voted 164-35 to admit Russia into its ranks. Some assembly members boycotted the vote entirely to protest Russia's military crackdown in Chechnya. The Council of Europe was founded in 1949 to safeguard democracy and human rights across the continent. Most members agreed that accepting Russia was a better alternative than to snub it and thus risk isolating the giant nation.

Jan 19, 1996
CIS SUMMIT HELD IN MOSCOW.
The 12 regional leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) met in Moscow for the 18th summit gathering of the former Soviet republics. Russian President Boris Yeltsin said after the meeting that the leaders had agreed to impose sanctions on Abkhazia, a separatist Georgian territory, "until that republic agrees to unite with Georgia." CIS members also agreed to extend the mandate of the CIS peacekeeping force in Tajikistan until Jun 30, 1996 (CIS forces were deployed there in 1993).

Jan 7, 1996
SWISS EXPEL RUSSIAN DIPLOMAT.
Swiss police said they have expelled a Russian diplomat for "illegal espionage activities." The diplomat was part of Moscow's mission at the United Nations in Geneva. The Swiss said they have uncovered 12 cases of spying for the former Soviet Union during 1984-94.

Jan 4, 1996
RUSSIAN, U.S., UKRAINIAN DEFENSE CHIEFS MEET IN KIEV.
The defense chiefs of Russia, the United States, and Ukraine met in Kiev, the Ukrainian capital to prepare for a series of arms reduction talks that will begin tomorrow. During the talks a long-range missile silo at a military base in Ukraine will be ceremonially demolished. The Pervomaysk missile base is supposed to be totally nuclear free by June and all Ukrainian silos are scheduled to be dismantled by 1998.

Dec 8, 1995
CIA FOOLED BY RUSSIA FOR ALMOST A DECADE.
Aided by a mole (Aldrich Ames) in the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Kremlin "diminished our ability to understand" the true course of events in the Soviet Union and Russia during 1986-1994, according to a report by John Deutch, the CIA director. Specifically, the United States failed to gauge the decline of the Soviet and Russian military as America spent disproportionately on its own defenses. Washington also underestimated hard-line KGB and Communist Party resistance to the reforms of former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and did not grasp the breadth of current President Boris Yeltsin's sometimes hostile attitudes toward former Soviet republics. Using Ames as a conduit, Soviet double agents fed a line of false information to the CIA for nine years, the report says. "The net effect was that we overestimated their capability," Deutch concluded.

Nov 16, 1995
CHINA ISSUES ATTACK ON OTHER NUCLEAR POWERS.
The Chinese government issued a policy statement in which it issued a sharp attack on the world's four other nuclear powers the United States, Britain, Russia, and France for continuing to make "nuclear weapons and outer space weapons, including guided missile defense systems" while simultaneously trying to keep developing nations from using nuclear technology peacefully. Political observers say the statement may in part be intended to divert international attention from China's scheduled third underground test explosion of a nuclear device this year. However, Beijing leaders have promised to sign a global nuclear test ban treaty in 1996.

Nov 8, 1995
RUSSIA, UNITED STATES FIND WAY TO HAVE RUSSIAN PEACEKEEPERS IN BOSNIA.
Officials from Russia and the United States found a way to enable Russian soldiers to participate in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) peacekeeping effort in Bosnia & Herzegovina. (Russia is not a member of NATO but its participation in Bosnia is considered crucial to any peace treaty that results from the current talks taking place in Dayton, Ohio.) Under the agreement, about 1,000 Russian soldiers will serve as part of a U.S. division. The agreement was established by U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry and Russian Defense Minister Pavel Grachev.

Oct 23, 1995
U.S.-RUSSIAN SUMMIT ACHIEVES LITTLE.
A four-hour summit meeting in Hyde Park, New York between Russia's President Yeltsin and U.S. President Bill Clinton yielded little progress on the role Russian forces might assume in Bosnia & Herzegovina. "We agreed today that Russian armed forces will participate in these operations but how they go about doing it is the affair of the military," Yeltsin told reporters after the summit. Feelings between the two heads of state were warm, defying predictions by some observers that the former cold war enemies were headed toward frigid relations again.

Oct 19, 1995
YELTSIN RAILS AGAINST WEST.
At a news conference held in the Kremlin, President Boris Yeltsin told Western reporters that Russia will fight the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization into Eastern Europe, that capitalism is responsible for corruption in Russia, and that he plans to fire his foreign minister, Andrei Kozyrev. With a scheduled summit meeting in America with U.S. President Bill Clinton just a week away, the leader's bluster was interpreted by pundits as aimed more at quelling criticism from communists and nationalists at home. Yeltsin said he had no replacement for Kozyrev in mind, adding: "For now, since he is trying, let's not squash him. Let him work. But my decision remains." Kozyrev has been criticized by some for being too accommodating to the West.

Sep 27, 1995
RUSSIA NABS JAPANESE FISHING VESSELS NEAR THE KURILES.
A Russian coastguard cutter fired on and detained two Japanese fishing trawlers in the Soya Strait, between Japan and Sakhalin Island. The incident, in which three Japanese fishermen were injured, was the sixth this year. Russia has vigilantly guarded its 12-mile exclusion zone in the fish-rich waters near the Kurile Islands as many Japanese vessels knowingly seek to harvest its waters. Japan, the top consumer of fish in the world, has virtually exhausted its own fishing stocks, according to scientists.

Sep 26, 1995
NATO SAYS IT HAS MADE NEW RUSSIA PARTNERSHIP DEAL.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) announced it has finished and submitted to Moscow new proposals for a special relationship with Russia that covers all "basic principles for security and cooperation as well as for the development of mutual political consultations."

Sep 25, 1995
ZHIRINOVSKY REFUSED ENTRY VISA TO BELGIUM.
Foreign Affairs Minister Eric Deryjke announced that the government has denied Russian ultranationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky an entry visa. Zhirinovsky is one of several Russian deputies invited to Brussels for a meeting of European deputies.

Sep 18, 1995
KAZAKH CAPITAL TO MOVE.
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev formally issued a decree moving Kazakhstan's capital from Alma-Ata to Akmola, a northern provincial city that many Russian nationalists have sought to annex. The move, which is unpopular with Western diplomats and businessmen, is viewed as a deliberate attempt on the president's part to thwart Russian designs on the Kazakh territory. Only 27% of the 300,000 citizens of Akmola are ethnic Kazakhs. Alma-Ata will remain the capital until the government and legislature move to the new city, which is expected to take place by 2000.

Sep 17, 1995
ANTI-AMERICAN PROTESTERS THRONG U.S. EMBASSY.
Several hundred people demonstrated outside the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, shouting anti-American slogans and protesting bombing raids by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) against Bosnian Serbs in Bosnia & Herzegovina. The crowd waved Soviet-era flags and black, white, and gold Russian nationalist banners, some shouting "Yankee, go home!" Moscow has accused NATO of " genocide" in its bombing campaign against the Bosnian Serbs, who have lain siege to the predominantly Muslim city of Sarajevo for the last three years.

Sep 15, 1995
NATO BENDS TO MOSCOW ON TROOP MOVEMENTS.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) decided to let Russia keep more tanks and artillery in the Caucasus region than would have been allowed under a 1990 treaty set to take effect on Nov 17. The Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces, signed by 30 Western and former Soviet bloc countries, calls for major reductions in conventional forces along the territory running from the Atlantic Ocean to the Urals. NATO officials said they made the changes as a concession to the Kremlin, which had said it would ignore the treaty's constraints. "We're trying to preserve the treaty, to gain Russian compliance and to get the added security that would come even from a modified treaty," said one U.S. official.

Sep 13, 1995
GRENADE FIRED AT U.S. EMBASSY IN MOSCOW.
A rocket-propelled grenade pierced the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, damaging a photocopier inside but injuring no humans. The grenade, of the antitank variety, was fired across an eight-lane boulevard in the late afternoon during the peak of rush hour. Russian and American officials speculated that the attack was the manifestation of increasing anti-Western feelings brought on by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) bombing campaign against the Bosnian Serbs in Bosnia & Herzegovina. The Russians are traditional allies of the Slavic Serbs. Communist and nationalist politicians in the State Duma have lately been calling for the Kremlin to sever Russia's relationship with NATO. "This is not a reflection of the relationship between our countries. It's the act of a lone maniac," one Russian official told Western news sources.

Sep 9, 1995
DUMA URGES YELTSIN TO DROP NATO.
In a special session called to consider Russia's position on the war in Bosnia, communist, nationalist and some moderate State Duma lawmakers voted 258-2 on a nonbinding resolution that calls for Russia to suspend its cooperation agreement with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and recommends the dismissal of Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev. Most liberal deputies in the 450-seat lower house boycotted the resolution altogether. The lawmakers are ostensibly angry that NATO planes, over Russia's objections, have bombed Bosnian Serbs in the former Yugoslavia. However, pundits said the impassioned politicians are simply posturing and bemoaning Russia's loss of superpower status to a disenchanted electorate as December parliamentary elections loom.

Sep 8, 1995
YELTSIN LASHES OUT AT NATO.
In a news conference at the Kremlin, President Boris Yeltsin criticized the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) for its bombing campaign against Bosnian Serbs in the former Yugoslavia. Yeltsin said NATO's planned expansion into eastern Europe "will mean a conflagration of war throughout Europe, for sure." Yeltsin also said: "The political leaders who are championing the rapid bloating of NATO should be very careful and accurate in their thoughts. NATO is already showing what it is capable of. Only of bombing, and then counting the trophies, of how many are killed among the civilian population." Yeltsin's remarks were interpreted by knowledgeable observers as grandstanding and as being deliberately made in anticipation of a special State Duma session on Bosnia scheduled for tomorrow.

Sep 6, 1995
MOSCOW DROPS TREATY WITH NORTH KOREA.
Press reports said Moscow has decided to formally end a long-standing treaty of mutual friendship with North Korea. Russia will now no longer be bound to militarily assist its old hard-line communist ally in the event of war. The treaty, dating from 1961, was last renewed in 1991 and was due to come up for renewal on Sep 10, 1996. Russia's relations with Pyongyang have chilled since Moscow established formal diplomatic relations with South Korea in 1990 and have only gotten colder as the new Russia courts Seoul for capitalist investments.

Aug 30, 1995
KOREAN WAR-ERA U.S. CAPTIVES HELD IN SOVIET UNION.
A joint U.S.-Russian commission searching for traces of Soviet-era prisoners of war related the testimony of a former Soviet soldier who said he saw U.S. soldiers in a military hospital in 1951 in the Russian Far East. The commission said the men may have been the crew of an American bomber downed near Vladivostock by the Soviets on Nov 6, 1951.

Aug 24, 1995
BOSNIANS GET GAS SUPPLY TO YUGOSLAVIA CUT OFF.
Despite a subsequent loss of its own supplies, the Bosnian government succeeded in persuading the Hungarian government to stop supplying Russian gas to former Yugoslavia. The United Nations had been permitting the flow of gas to Yugoslavia despite international sanctions against that country because some of it was being sent to Sarajevo, much of which is still in the hands of the Muslim-led Bosnian government. In recent months, however, Serbian forces have cut off the supplies to the government-held parts of the city. Consequently, the government, which anticipates a military or diplomatic breakthrough in the Balkan conflict before long, acted to force Yugoslavia's own cutoff. Yugoslavia currently owes Russia about $100 million for gas it has received and has not paid for since the Balkan war began.

Aug 20, 1995
RUSSIANS TO BUILD NUCLEAR PLANT IN IRAN SOON.
Russia plans to build a nuclear power complex in Iran within three months, according to a Russian atomic energy official quoted by Iran's Islamic Republic News Agency. Preliminary technical studies of the complex, in Bushehr, "will soon be completed," the official said. The power plant was begun by a German company before the Islamic Revolution in Iran and was abandoned in 1979. About 200 Russian nuclear scientists have been working in Bushehr since the contract was signed to complete the plant and supply the fuel and two light water reactors needed to power it. As many as 3,000 more Russian engineers are expected to arrive in Iran soon. The United States has pressed Moscow without much success to drop the project, which it claims will enable Iran to make its own atomic weapons.

Aug 10, 1995
YELTSIN CALLS FOR BALKAN PEACE TALKS.
President Boris Yeltsin called for an international peace conference on the Balkan conflict to be held in Moscow. "I renew my offer to hold a summit of leading states with the participation of the warring sides. Russia is ready to organize direct discussions between the leaders of the three states," said Yeltsin, who met with Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic in Moscow today. The three states Yeltsin referred to are Yugoslavia, Croatia, and Bosnia & Herzegovina. Yeltsin, an ally of the Slavic Serbs, warned that Russia may unilaterally end international sanctions against the rump Yugoslav state, which consists of Serbia and Montenegro. It is highly unlikely that Yeltsin's summit offer will be accepted.

Aug 8, 1995
MINSK, MOSCOW SETTLE GAS DEBTS.
Press reports said Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has signed an agreement settling Belarus' $420 million debt to the Russian Gazprom gas monopoly. The agreement, details of which were not available, includes a deal for Gazprom to build a pipeline network that will eventually deliver oil from Russia's Yamal Peninsula in the Russian Arctic to Western Europe via Belarusian territory. Gazprom will also build a thermal power plant in Minsk.

Aug 8, 1995
AMERICAN DETAINED IN RUSSIA.
An instructor from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point was caught on Aug 3 using surveying equipment next to a sensitive nuclear installation in eastern Siberia, according to Moscow officials. The Itar- Tass news agency quoted military officials as saying that the American was probably "improving programs for cruise missile guidance systems" at the mining and chemical plant in Krasnoyarsk-26, a remote town that was once the scene of numerous nuclear tests. The U.S. Embassy said that the man in question is Capt. Jason Lynch of the U.S. Army and that he was conducting environmental research at the invitation of Russian scientists. Lynch is an assistant professor of geography and military engineering at West Point, New York.

Jul 22, 1995
RUSSIA-LIBYA ACCORDS SIGNED.
Russia and Libya signed several bilateral economic agreements in Moscow, a first step in reestablishing full trade and even cultural ties between the two countries. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Oleg Davydov, who signed the agreements, said the joint projects outlined in the accords are worth at least $1.5 billion and include the building in Libya of oil and gas pipelines, power stations, and electricity transmission lines. Libya had had an outstanding debt to the Soviet Union of about $2.4 billion, a debt that had chilled relations between Russia and Libya since the breakup of the Soviet Union. Libya has since recognized Russia as the legal successor to the Soviet Union.

Jul 10, 1995
SHEVARDNADZE ATTACKS RUSSIAN AID TO ABKHAZIA.
President Eduard Shevardnadze angrily criticized Moscow's decision last week to grant humanitarian aid to Muslim separatist Abkhazia, a breakaway republic in northern Georgia. Moscow had kept its distance from Abkhazia following the war in Chechnya and the signing of a military cooperation accord with the Georgian government last year. However, Moscow granted the aid in the wake of torrential rains in Abkhazia during June that damaged most of its infrastructure, including roads, communications, and agriculture.

Jul 10, 1995
MOSCOW SETTLES DEBT WITH SOUTH KOREA.
Moscow reached an agreement with South Korea to reschedule the debt to the Asian country that was incurred during the Soviet era. Moscow will provide $450 million worth of raw materials and defense equipment in partial payment of outstanding loans.

Jun 12, 1995
U.S.-RUSSIAN NUCLEAR DEAL IN DOUBT.
A 1992 post- cold war deal that called for the United States to buy Russian nuclear material is threatened with collapse, according to an article in The New York Times. The agreement calls for the United States to pay about $12 billion in much-needed hard currency to Moscow in return for 500 metric tons of bomb-grade uranium salvaged from Russian nuclear weapons, which will be diluted for use in standard American nuclear power plants. Moscow has warned it may scrap the contract, which has been the focus of squabbles over the price of uranium, governmental bureaucracy, and trade disputes. U.S. Vice President Al Gore is scheduled to meet in Moscow later this month with Russian Premier Viktor Chernomyrdin to hash out the countries' differences and rescue the deal. Russia is thought to possess nearly 1,200 metric tons of bomb-grade uranium and 170 metric tons of plutonium, which is also used to make nuclear weapons.

May 31, 1995
NATO OFFICIALS MEET WITH RUSSIANS.
Russia began high-level talks with officials from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) designed to forge closer ties between East and West and facilitate the development of new security arrangements in Europe. The talks began six months after Russia pulled out of the Partnership for Peace (PFP) because of NATO's proposed expansion. The PFP is a limited form of membership that allows for the sharing of Western military expertise. Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev said Russia still opposes the expansion of the organization and will exit the alliance if NATO attempts to expand eastward into the republics of the former Soviet Union, but is willing to cooperate with the alliance. Although committed to securing membership for several former Warsaw Pact countries like Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, NATO officials have not set any firm timetables for this year. Kozyrev called on NATO to declare that Russia is no longer its enemy and to begin transforming itself into a political, rather than military, organization. Kozyrev made his remarks at meetings with NATO officials and officials from NATO member countries that were held in Noordwijk, the Netherlands.

May 26, 1995
CIS SUMMIT HELD IN MINSK.
At a meeting in Minsk, Belarus of the 12 members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Russia and Belarus agreed to remove border posts separating them and signed a new customs union. Today's CIS meeting was the first since Feb 10. Russian President Boris Yeltsin praised the economic reintegration with Belarus and encouraged other former Soviet republics to join the customs union; so far Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan have expressed a desire to do so. The autocratic energy-rich Central Asian state of Turkmenistan, on the other hand, has mocked the CIS. Ukraine also has vowed to maintain its sovereignty within the CIS, reflecting a more general cynicism about the post-Soviet commonwealth organization, which has effected hardly any concrete goal since its founding in 1991. In other moves, CIS members agreed to extend the mandate of Russian " peacekeeping troops" in Tajikistan and Georgia's Abkhazia region. Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan all opposed a proposal for collective security along the Commonwealth's external border, an idea the Russian military supports because its inner post-Soviet land borders are actually longer and harder to defend than before.

May 21, 1995
RUSSIA, SOUTH KOREA SIGN DEFENSE AGREEMENT.
Russian Defense Minister Pavel Grachev and his South Korean counterpart, Lee Yang Ho, signed a pact establishing the countries' mutual cooperation in the research and development of military supplies. The agreement may also lead to joint production of the unspecified supplies. Grachev is the first Russian defense minister to visit South Korea.

May 20, 1995
AMERICAN STILL MISSING, NOT DEAD.
The Tass news agency quoted a woman as saying a body found last week is not that of missing U.S. disaster relief expert Fred Cuny. "I knew Fred Cuny in person and I saw the dead body that had been found," said a Russian government employee, adding "The dead body was that of a person some 28 or 30 years old." Cuny, 50 years old, was setting up a hospital in the Chechen region for the Soros Foundation when he disappeared on Apr 17.

May 13, 1995
U.S. DIPLOMAT COMES UNDER TANK FIRE IN CHECHNYA.
A U.S. official travelling in a convoy with members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe was fired upon by tank rounds in the separatist Chechen war zone. The diplomat was in one of four cars on their way to the village of Shatoi to investigate a report that the body of missing American Fred Cuny had been found there. Halfway between Grozny and Shatoi a Russian tank opened fire and the convoy members were forced to take cover behind a house as shells exploded nearby.

May 10, 1995
YELTSIN, CLINTON EASE TENSIONS.
After a summit meeting in Moscow the leaders of Russia and the United States said they had cleared up recent misunderstandings but had not resolved any major foreign affairs issues. Washington has pressed Moscow to drop a contract to provide Iran with nuclear power; to allow the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) into Eastern Europe; and to resolve the brutal military crackdown on secessionist Chechnya. After three hours of intense negotiations, Russian President Boris Yeltsin said he will restrict his criticism of the expansion of NATO, clearing the way for Russian membership in the limited "Partnership for Peace" plan, and will remove from the nuclear contract with Iran a verbal agreement to sell it a device that enriches nuclear fuel (commonly used for atomic bombs). U.S. President Bill Clinton kept his criticism of the war in Chechnya to a minimum on his visit to Moscow to mark Russia's victory over Nazi Germany 50 years ago.

May 4, 1995
IRAN MAKES CONCESSIONS ON NUCLEAR DEAL.
An Iranian official attending a United Nations (UN) conference on extending the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty said his country will return to Russia the spent fuel from Russian-made reactors that could be used to make nuclear weapons. Washington, which is opposed to a $1 billion Russian contract to supply Iran with nuclear reactors, welcomed the statement but said it will still insist that Russia drop the project entirely.

May 2, 1995
RUSSIA TO REVIEW IRAN SIDE DEAL.
The U.S. State Department disclosed that Russia has said it will review a deal with Iran to sell it equipment that enriches uranium, a fuel needed to build atomic bombs. U.S. officials predicted that Moscow would drop the controversial side agreement to appease Washington's concerns. However, Moscow is not expected to cancel the main $1 billion agreement with Iran to provide it with two nuclear reactors near the Persian Gulf.

Apr 28, 1995
DETAILS OF MOSCOW DEAL WITH IRAN COME OUT.
The U.S. State Department disclosed that Moscow has promised to sell Iran high technology equipment that can be used to produce fuel for nuclear weapons. According to Washington, a top Russian atomic official agreed to the sale as a side deal to a contract that calls for Russia to build four light-water nuclear reactors in the Bushehr region of Iran. U.S. officials pointed to the side agreement as damning proof of Iran's covert intentions to produce an atom bomb. Washington has pressed Moscow unsuccessfully to abandon its nuclear energy deal with Iran. Iranian and Russian officials maintain that the sale of nuclear materials and technology is for peaceful purposes only. Iran already has a self-sufficient energy system.

Apr 26, 1995
RUSSIA SIGNS OIL DEAL WITH IRAQ.
Iraq has granted Russian companies the right to develop southern Iraqi oil fields as soon as United Nations sanctions are relaxed, according to press reports. The fields would increase Russia's current oil output by one sixth.

Apr 25, 1995
RUSSIA DENIES ENTRY TO U.S. JOURNALIST.
Press reports said Moscow revoked the visa of a U.S. journalist in possibly the first case of its kind since the breakup of the Soviet Union. Steve Levine, a part-time reporter for Newsweek and The Washington Post, landed in Moscow from Tbilisi, Georgia, on Apr 24 and was told that his valid multiple-entry visa would not be accepted and that he was "an undesirable person." Levine had been covering the war in Chechnya. He spent the night at the airport and flew back to Tbilisi.

Apr 21, 1995
SOUTH KOREA TO SWAP RUSSIAN ARMS FOR DEBT.
A South Korean Finance and Economy Ministry spokesperson announced that Seoul has decided to accept $450 million worth of raw materials, arms, and nonmilitary helicopters by 1998 as payment for Russia's debt. The debt is mostly left over from a $3 billion loan South Korea gave the Soviet Union in 1990 just before the latter's disintegration. Only $1.47 billion of the loan was disbursed before a coup had initiated the Soviet Union's collapse, and Russia assumed responsibility for the loan's repayment. A spokesperson for the South Korean Defense Ministry said the Russian arms will not be deployed militarily, but will be used only to figure out strategies against North Korea, which uses old Soviet military equipment.

Apr 18, 1995
RUSSIAN OVERFLIGHTS TO BE BARRED.
The Lithuanian Seimas voted to temporarily ban flights of Russian military aircraft in Lithuanian airspace after a public outcry was provoked by a Mar 29 fly-by over Vilnius of three armed Russian combat helicopters. The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said it will revise transit regulations by Jun 1 to prevent any such future incidents.

Apr 11, 1995
RUSSIAN GENERAL REMOVED FROM CROATIA PEACEKEEPING FORCE.
The United Nations (UN) ousted Maj. Gen. Aleksandr Perelyakin, a Russian, from his post as commander of the UN Sector East in Croatia. The region is controlled by Serbian forces and UN officials claim Perelyakin did nothing to stop sales of UN gasoline to the Serb forces and also permitted a shipment of antitank vehicles and artillery from Serbia to the Serbian forces. Russian officials protested the move and said Perelyakin has remained in his post. A UN spokesperson in the region said Perelyakin has been dismissed for lapses that caused "discipline and morale problems in the sector" and for his failure to address his own shortcomings after he had been told about them. Perelyakin was at the center of a conflict between Belgian and Russian peacekeeping forces, with the latter trying to force the former to dismantle a checkpoint that made it harder to the Serbian forces to conduct military movements. (Both Russians and Serbs are Orthodox Slavs, creating a strong bond between the two.) It has become increasingly apparent that the weakness of the UN embargo against Serbian-dominated Yugoslavia is directly linked to the corruptability of some UN forces, who will sell goods to the Serbian forces or ignore the transit of banned goods.

Apr 11, 1995
WASHINGTON RENEWS CRITICISM OF CHECHEN CAMPAIGN.
A day after reports of Russian atrocities in Chechnya, new U.S. State Department spokesperson Nicholas Burns said Russia's military operation in the secessionist Chechen region "is having a corrosive effect on the development of Russian democratic institutions and Russian democracy and it's having a negative effect on U.S.-Russian relations." The criticism was leveled at Moscow less than a month away from a scheduled May 9 visit by President Bill Clinton, who had hesitated to accept a Russian invitation to join in 50th anniversary celebrations of the Allied victory over Nazi Germany so soon after Russia's invasion of Chechnya. "There doesn't seem to be an effort to promote any kind of political reconciliation or political dialogue," Burns said of the Russian invasion, which he called a major miscalculation.

Apr 8, 1995
WASHINGTON WARNS RUSSIA AGAIN ON ATOM DEAL.
In a continuing bid to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear expertise, the U.S. Clinton administration has threatened to drop its nuclear cooperation program with Moscow if Russia does not cancel its contract to develop nuclear reactors in Iran, according to U.S. officials. The U.S.-Russian cooperation agreement is a 22-year-old accord due for broad revisions this year, including possible joint ventures and U.S. funding for Russia's cash-starved Atomic Energy Ministry. Washington has said it may not renew the agreement, which is valued by Russia at about $100 million, if Russia carries out its plans to build up to four nuclear reactors for Iran, which may pay almost $1 billion for the reactors.

Apr 3, 1995
MOSCOW STILL PLANS TO SELL ATOM PLANTS TO IRAN.
Despite increased pressure from Washington to make the Kremlin reconsider its plans, Moscow said it will sell light-water nuclear reactors to Iran, which the United States fears will use the atom by-products of such energy plants to pursue its avowed nuclear weapons manufacturing campaign. U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry, on a visit to Russia, said the Russians offered instead to "take actions to reduce the proliferation risk," or to introduce safeguards to make the sale less dangerous. U.S. officials said they will continue to press the Russians to call off the deal entirely.

Apr 1, 1995
RUSSIA, UNITED STATES UNVEIL PILOT NUCLEAR PROGRAM.
A Russian-U.S. remote-control nuclear monitoring system was unveiled that allows both countries to monitor each other's large caches of weapons-grade plutonium and uranium. The experimental program, scheduled to last six months, consists of remote sensors and cameras installed at the Russian Kurchatov Institute, which holds about 154 pounds of enriched uranium, and at the U.S. Argonne-West laboratory in Idaho, which holds about 286 pounds of uranium. The system transmits computer printouts and photographs of any activity recorded inside the nuclear storerooms. Informal estimates put Russia's nuclear stockpiles at 130 tons of plutonium and 1,200 metric tons of uranium spread out across various sites. The West has been concerned about reports of lax security at these Russian sites and the pilot monitoring program is meant to show a shared commitment to security, although Russian officials have so far refused to consider opening up all their storage sites to sensors.

Mar 29, 1995
MOSCOW SHUTS DOWN JAPANESE DOOMSDAY CULT.
Officials closed down a Russian branch of the Japanese religious cult Aum Shinrikyo, which is believed responsible for a recent poison gas attack in the Tokyo subway system. An aggressive recruiter, the cult is thought to have at least 30,000 followers in Russia. Authorities ostensibly shut the cult down out of concern for the well-being of its members, after cult leaders suggested group suicide as a means of last resort, but some politicians ascribed a political motive to the closing. The newspaper Isveztia reported that the Russian leadership, including President Boris Yeltsin and Security Council leader Oleg Lobov, provided special treatment to cult leader Shoko Asahara in 1992 and secured a Russian headquarters for the controversial but wealthy religious cult in Moscow. Russian military hardware, including a helicopter and gas detector, was also uncovered in Japan during raids on the cult's bases. In 1994, a Russian parents' group filed criminal charges against the cult on the basis of kidnapping and brainwashing allegations and its funds were frozen. Until it was closed, the cult ran a daily radio program in Moscow, operated several communes, and organized mass rallies.

Mar 29, 1995
RUSSIAN MISSILE CARRYING ISRAELI SATELLITE CRASHES.
Russian official said a converted nuclear missile carrying a $3.5 million Israeli satellite crashed in the ocean in Russia's Far East yesterday. The experimental commercial space launch involved an intercontinental ballistic missile modified with two extra rocket stages to launch its payload, which also included two Russian satellites, into orbit. Israeli technicians said the "Russians alone are to blame" for the launch's failure.

Mar 20, 1995
CLINTON TO ATTEND MOSCOW SUMMIT.
After some hesitation, U.S. President Bill Clinton has agreed to attend a Moscow summit meeting and the 50th anniversary ceremonies commemorating Russia's and the Allies' victory in World War II. Clinton had delayed his acceptance of the Moscow invitation to pressure Moscow into making concessions on its policies in the Chechen war and withdraw its resistance to the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in the former Warsaw Pact. Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev told a meeting of the European Stability Conference that Moscow protested NATO's "rush" to expand east.

Mar 16, 1995
YELTSIN SEEKS TO DRAW CLINTON TO MOSCOW.
Eager to have U.S. President Bill Clinton visit Moscow for the 50th anniversary of the Allied victory in Europe, President Boris Yeltsin said he will omit a show of arms in the traditional May 9 Red Square military parade to avoid any link to the much-criticized Chechnya crisis. Leery of appearing to endorse Yeltsin's brutal tactics in the bloody secessionist war, Clinton has not said whether he will join other European leaders in Moscow for the celebration. Yeltsin wants Clinton to visit and then extend his stay to hold a summit on issues like the proposed expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in former republics of the Soviet Union, a controversial plan that Yeltsin continues to oppose.

Mar 11, 1995
CHRISTOPHER, KOZYREV TO HOLD NATO TALKS.
Press reports confirmed that U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher will meet Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev in Geneva Mar 22-23 for talks on expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in former Warsaw pact countries, according to the Interfax news agency. Russia recently informed Washington that it will accept an expansion of NATO as long as nuclear arms and foreign troops are not stationed in Eastern Europe.

Mar 1, 1995
U.S. DELEGATION VERIFIES START I.
A group of U.S. military monitors arrived in Moscow to verify Russia's implementation of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty I (START I) nuclear accord. The treaty was signed in 1991 but only went into effect in December 1994 after Ukraine ratified it. The other former Soviet republics with nuclear weapons on their territories that have ratified the treaty are Belarus and Kazakhstan. The arms limitation treaty, designed to reduce the superpower's long-range nuclear arsenals, sets a ceiling of 8,556 U.S. and 6,449 Russian warheads. A delegation of Russian monitors is expected to leave for the United States tomorrow to check military facilities there.

Feb 24, 1995
RUSSIAN PLANES BOMB AFGHAN PROVINCE.
Russian planes bombed Maymay, an Afghan town in Badakhstan Province, killing 10 people and injuring 24 others in the attack. According to official radio in Kabul, the Russian planes were deployed by the Tajik government as part of Dushanbe's fight against Islamic rebels based in northern parts of Afghanistan. (Tajikstan is being helped by Russia in that offensive.)

Feb 22, 1995
U.S. CONGRESS THREATENS TO CUT RUSSIAN AID.
With Russia involved in a $1 billion deal to build four nuclear reactors in Iran, U.S. politicians have threatened to withhold aid to Moscow unless it backs down from the deal. Republicans in the U.S. Congress have said the energy contract with Iran will speed that country's development of nuclear weapons. The U.S. aid in question is a $269 million loan slated for next year. On Feb 20 Russia's nuclear energy minister announced that the deal with Iran had been finalized and that 150 Russians were already building a reactor site at Bushehr on the Persian Gulf. Washington is also upset at Moscow over conventional arms sales to Iran, saying the sales are holding up the creation of an international mechanism to prevent the sale of military technology to potentially dangerous nations.

Feb 21, 1995
MOSCOW, MINSK SIGN FRIENDSHIP TREATY.
President Boris Yeltsin met with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko in Minsk and signed friendship and cooperation treaties between the two countries. The agreements covered customs regulations and joint protection of borders but failed to meet Belarus' demands for cheaper oil deliveries from Russia. Yeltsin said, "Our states have taken a firm course towards a common market in goods, services, capital, [and] labor as well as for cooperation in investment, industry, and finance."

Feb 20, 1995
RUSSIA REVEALS ATOMIC PLANS WITH IRAN.
Moscow issued the details of a controversial nuclear energy contract with Iran that is opposed by Washington and by one of Russia's top environmental officials. The deal calls for Russia to help build up to four nuclear power plants at Bushehr on the Persian Gulf; 150 Russians are already working at the site. The U.S. government has objected to the deal because it could help Iran develop a nuclear weapons arsenal. Alexei Yablokov, the head of an ecological committee on the powerful Russian Security Council, supported U.S. concerns.

Feb 17, 1995
U.S. TO SELL WEAPONS TO EX-SOVIET BLOC.
U.S. officials announced Washington has decided to permit sales of sophisticated offensive military equipment to 10 former Eastern bloc nations. The arms sales are part of the U.S. policy to extend to eastern Europe membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The countries included in the decision are Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Albania. The weapons to be sold include fighter jets, such as the sophisticated F-16 attack jet. Critics of the decision claimed the arms policy will ignite an arms race and raise East-West tensions with Russia.

Feb 11, 1995
SWEDEN REVEALS ERROR ON SOVIET SUBMARINES.
Swedish Prime Minister Ingvar Carlsson revealed that intrusions into its territorial waters that it has previously claimed were Soviet submarines were in fact minks or some other swimming animals. The chief of staff of the military, Owe Wiktorin, said the military in 1992 received new hydrophonic instruments that enabled it to determine that the sound patterns previously believed to indicate the presence of submarines actually indicated the presence of the hunting minks, which give off similar signals. Wiktorin said the military had not detected any Russian submarines in Swedish waters since 1992.

Feb 10, 1995
CIS SUMMIT HELD IN ALMA-ATA.
At a summit meeting of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, leaders of the 12 former Soviet republics forged no pact stronger than a nonbinding agreement to promote "peace and stability." Russian President Boris Yeltsin delivered a report to other CIS leaders on the war in separatist Chechnya in which he was reported to have expressed regret for the bloodshed there. The brutal Caucasian campaign seemed to cast a pall over the summit's proceedings as CIS states struggle to define their political, economic, and military relationship to the dominant Russian republic. Little progress was made on the issue of collective security and creating common external borders to be guarded by CIS troops. Russia favors a unified (Russian) command of such forces, a prospect that is especially resisted by such wary states as Ukraine and Azerbaijan. A Russian journalist summarized the predicament this way: "Russia still insists on being sole guarantor of peace in the post-Soviet geopolitical space but now its right to act as a peacekeeper in other countries' armed conflicts may be subject to doubt in the context of the Chechen events." Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma said before the meeting that "the experience of the CIS up to now confirms that not a single decision made is working." Yeltsin was the only leader not to attend a scheduled press conference after the summit; news cameras recorded him looking ill and shaky and requiring the help of aides to climb some stairs.

Feb 9, 1995
CLINTON, KOHL CRITICIZE YELTSIN.
At a joint Washington press conference, U.S. President Bill Clinton and German Chancellor Helmut Kohl chided Moscow for its heavy-handed war in Chechnya but voiced support for Russian President Boris Yeltsin, warning that ending such support could lead to reversals of the democratic reforms in Russia. "If we were to push the forces of reform and the President into a corner, isolate them, and say, 'We give up on you there's nothing we can do here,' then this will immediately bring us back to the old, bad structures of the past," Kohl said. Clinton announced that the United States will send $20 million worth of emergency aid to war-ravaged Chechnya in the form of food, medicine, and shelter. The Western leaders stressed that financial aid to Moscow was contingent on Yeltsin continuing "the hard work of building democratic institutions and implementing market-oriented reforms."

Feb 8, 1995
RUSSIA-UKRAINE PACT DRAFTED.
Moscow and Kiev signed a preliminary friendship treaty that splits Soviet-era Black Sea fleet equipment in half and repairs strained trade and energy contacts between the two republics. President Boris Yeltsin is scheduled to sign the agreement in Kiev next month before it goes before both legislatures for ratification.

Jan 25, 1995
MOSCOW SAYS IT SHOT DOWN MISSILE.
The Interfax news agency said Russian forces had shot down a missile launched from northern Europe, then quickly retracted the story. The rocket was identified as a Norwegian research rocket launched away from Russia; its mission was apparently a success and it landed over 600 miles from Russian territory. President Boris Yeltsin said he had monitored the rocket's launch with his "black box" and claimed it was a test of Russia's air defenses in the midst of the Chechen war. The news report caused alarm in Western countries and the world currency market, where it was viewed as a bizarre indication of cold war era paranoia and confusion in the Moscow leadership.

Jan 24, 1995
RUSSIA, UKRAINE ACCORDS SIGNED.
Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin and his Ukrainian counterpart Vitaly Masol signed two accords in Moscow. According to the Interfax news agency, one accord provided for military and economic cooperation and the other concerned the restructuring of Ukrainian debt to Russia.

Jan 24, 1995
U.S. AID FOR RUSSIAN NUCLEAR SECURITY INCREASES.
The U.S. State Department said it will spend an extra $20 million to safeguard Russia's nuclear materials from theft. The money will finance security systems and the monitoring of uranium and plutonium stores in plants throughout the country. The U.S. Defense Department has already allocated $900 million to the three major former Soviet republics that house nuclear arms.

Jan 23, 1995
KAZAKH-RUSSIAN REINTEGRATION GROWS.
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said his country was moving closer to a "Euro- Asian Union" with Moscow after agreements were signed last week on military and economic cooperation. Alma-Ata plans to combine its armed forces with those of Moscow sometime before the end of the year. With help from Oman, the two former Soviet republics have also agreed to cooperate on the building of a new oil pipeline from the Caspian Sea to Russian ports on the Black Sea.

Jan 8, 1995
RUSSIA POSTPONES NATO MANEUVERS.
German officials said the Russian government has deferred peacekeeping maneuvers it planned to conduct with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) later this year. In a related statement, German Defense Minister Volker Ruhe said he does not support breaking off links with Russia, although he said Moscow must be explicitly informed that there are some agreements it has breached in its efforts to suppress the secessionist campaign in Chechnya, including one that requires Moscow to tell its neighbors it has deployed forces to that region.

Dec 24, 1994
U.S. PENTAGON BUYS RUSSIAN MISSILE PARTS.
In a secret purchase, the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency has acquired a missile defense system equivalent to the U.S. Patriot system used in the 1991 Persian Gulf War, according to the New York Times. The deal was brokered through a company owned by Frank Carlucci, who served as defense secretary under President Ronald Reagan. The secret military campaign to buy the Russian-made S-300 missile system was begun over two years ago. The apparatus was purchased from Belarus, the paper said.

Dec 23, 1994
KOSTIKOV TO BECOME VATICAN AMBASSADOR.
Presidential spokesperson Vyacheslav Kostikov was named the Russian ambassador to the Vatican, according to the Interfax news agency. He had said in November he was going to quit his post because of differences with the premier, Viktor Chernomyrdin.

Dec 23, 1994
RUSSIA, INDIA SIGN TRADE, MILITARY AGREEMENTS.
Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin and and Indian Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao signed eight trade and military pacts in New Delhi, but said many obstacles remain before the countries' relations, warm during the cold war, will be normalized. (When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 the ruble's value plunged, causing confusion in bilateral terms of trade and repayment of debts. The Indian armed forces, long dependent on grants of Soviet military equipment, also suffered severe shortages.)

Dec 9, 1994
MOSCOW AND WASHINGTON TO RESOLVE STRAINS.
Press reports said Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev and U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher plan to meet soon to smooth over differences in foreign policy. Russia has recently backed out of a plan to cooperate with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and President Boris Yeltsin accused the United States of trying to dominate the world by using NATO to split Europe and isolate Russia.

Dec 5, 1994
YELTSIN VOICES DISAPPROVAL OF NATO.
At the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, a 53-nation summit meeting held in Budapest on the topic of European security, Russian President Boris Yeltsin angrily declared his opposition to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) plans to offer membership to the countries of the former Warsaw pact. "Why sow the seeds of mistrust? After all, we are no longer adversaries but practically partners," he said. The Russian leader's sentiments were at odds with U.S. support of NATO expansion but observers speculated that the comments were meant to curry favor with nationalist politicians in Moscow and did not signal Russia's opposition in principle to NATO's plans.

Nov 30, 1994
VISA PROCEDURE IMPROVED.
U.S. Ambassador to Russia Thomas Pickering said changes have been made to the visa application process at the U.S. embassy in Moscow after complaints of rudeness were reported. Pickering said the "comportment and deportment" of American consular officers as well as their "use of the [Russian] language" will be monitored as they conduct interviews. An express line was created to speed the application process and a charge was instituted to cover the costs of a new computer system. Applicants will now be required to pay $20 for a single-entry application and $120 for a multi-entry visa. Visas were previously free. Last month, Georgy Grigorenko, the son of a well-known dissident, was denied a visa to the United States to visit his dying stepmother. The decision was eventually reversed after appeals to higher authorities at the embassy.

Nov 20, 1994
CHERNOMYRDIN COURTS RIYADH.
Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia to improve relations and trade between the two countries. The general trade accord clears the way for exchanges touching culture, technology, and sports, as well as economics and politics. In a high-level meeting with King Saud Fahd, the Russian delegation petitioned for concrete agreements in space technology, heavy industry, trade, and investments.

Nov 1, 1994
U.S. VISA GRANTED TO ZHIRINOVSKY.
The U.S. State Department granted a visa to ultranationalist deputy Vladimir Zhirinovsky, who will speak in San Francisco on Nov 7 at a convention of foreign policy specialists. A State Department spokesperson said: "Our decision to issue Zhirinovsky a visa neither endorses his views nor supports his ambitions. The United States government finds his views anathema."

Nov 1, 1994
OIL SHIPMENTS SUSPENDED.
Trade Minister Oleg Davydov said Moscow has suspended shipments of oil to Cuba because the island nation has not met a previously agreed level of sugar exports to Russia. Davydov said Cuba owes Russia 550,000 tons of sugar. Cuba's last two sugar harvests have been very poor. Moscow's announcement, while in line with its policy toward other countries it has bartered with for oil at prices below the world market's, is expected to levy further penalities on Cuba's depressed economy.

Oct 21, 1994
CIS SUMMIT MEETING CONCLUDES.
At a meeting in Moscow of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the heads of state of former Soviet republics agreed to form closer economic ties and reduce trade barriers. Member states also agreed to create the Interstate Economic Committee, a Moscow-based body devoted to encouraging mutual trade and investment among the former republics.

Oct 21, 1994
RUSSIAN TROOPS TO WITHDRAW FROM TRANS-DNIESTER.
The prime ministers of Russia and Moldova signed an agreement in Moscow that provides for a three-year phased withdrawal of Russian troops from the pro-Russian Trans-Dniester region. The Russian 14th Army occupied the self-declared Trans-Dniester region in 1992 to quell fighting when the Moldovan government sought to establish control over the territory, which lies across from the Dniester River. Gen. Aleksandr Lebed, the popular commander of the Russian troops and an emerging nationalist presidential candidate, said his soldiers "would like to spit on this agreement." The rebel government in Tiraspol, the capital of Trans-Dniester, wants to keep ties to Russia, and its population considers Russian its mother tongue. The main language of Moldova is Romanian, although Russians, Romanians, Ukrainians, and smaller ethnic groups live on both sides of the Dniester River. Of Moldova's total population of 4.4 million, Trans-Dniester has a population of 800,000.

Oct 17, 1994
QUEEN ELIZABETH VISITS.
Queen Elizabeth became the first reigning British monarch to visit Russia when she arrived in Moscow today. She and her husband, Prince Philip, were greeted by Deputy Prime Minister Oleg Soskovets and later received a red carpet welcome from President Boris Yeltsin in the Kremlin.

Oct 11, 1994
MINSK BANS FOREIGN CURRENCY.
Just months after advocating a monetary merger with Russia, the Belarus government banned the Russian ruble and other foreign currency in all cash and domestic transactions. Stores were given a week to conform to the new law. Central banks in both countries determined that the plan to unite the countries' currencies was unworkable. Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has pledged to lower the inflation rate to 7% by next June and reduce the budget deficit. Inflation now stands at 25%, down from 53% in August.

Oct 10, 1994
RUSSIA TO GRANT ENERGY CREDITS TO ARMENIA.
Moscow pledged hundreds of billions of rubles in aid to impoverished Armenia. More than half of the money will fund the reactivation of a nuclear power station there. An "acute shortage of electricity" has slowed Armenia's industrial and economic development. On Oct 5, opposition parties formed an alliance against President Levon Ter-Petrosyan, who they blame for the poor economy, and called for early presidential and legislative elections.

Sep 28, 1994
YELTSIN, CLINTON AGREE TO ACCELERATE ARMS DESTRUCTION.
Meeting in Washington, D.C., President Boris Yeltsin and U.S. President Bill Clinton reached an agreement to accelerate the destruction of nuclear weapons that was mandated in the second Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START II). (The START II cannot be implemented until the START I takes effect.) The two sides vowed to reduce their nuclear stockpiles to around 3,000 warheads each within several years. The leaders made limited progress on other issues being discussed at the summit meeting, despite a ceremony in which they signed documents of cooperation on security and economic issues. The two sides are in conflict over finding a solution to the crisis in Bosnia & Herzegovina as well as over Russia's shipment of arms to Iran, which the United States opposes. Yeltsin also used the summit to urge private business groups to invest in Russia Washington has pledged at least $525 million in risk insurance for new Russian investments, which are expected to top $1 billion for the year. During opening ceremonies, Clinton said, "Today we meet not as adversaries but as partners in the quest for a more prosperous and more peaceful planet."

Sep 26, 1994
MOSCOW PROPOSES CASPIAN SEA COMMITTEE.
The government proposed a multinational coordinating committee on the future of Caspian Sea oil production after lawmakers voiced objections to an $8 billion foreign oil deal off the Azerbaijani coast. Several government ministers say they oppose the deal because of the potential ecological damage to the Caspian, which provides a dwindling supply of high-quality caviar.

Sep 21, 1994
U.S. TRADE RESTRICTIONS LIFTED.
The U.S. government lifted cold war-era trade restrictions on Moscow, granting an indefinite extension of most-favored-nation trade status in a goodwill gesture on the eve of a two-day summit meeting in Washington, D.C. Previously, Moscow was required to submit an annual petition for a waiver of the restrictions. The trade restrictions were part of the Jackson-Vanik Amendment of 1974-75, which imposed high import duties on Soviet goods to pressure Moscow to ease its emigration policies against Jews. President Boris Yeltsin had complained that the amendment was unfair to Russia since the collapse of communism and the breakup of the Soviet Union in late 1991.

Sep 8, 1994
ARMENIA-AZERBAIJAN PEACE TALKS HELD IN MOSCOW.
Azerbaijani President Geydar Aliyev met with Armenian President Levon Ter-Petrosyan in Moscow to devise a peace agreement in the war over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. A Russian spokesperson said the talks, which focused on seeking an end to hostilities, the deployment of mostly Russian peacekeepers, and the return of hostages, were not conclusive and that another round of talks will be necessary "to finalize the document." The agreement does not indicate the final status of the enclave, which has declared independence from Azerbaijan.

Sep 3, 1994
RUSSIA TELLS UNITED STATES NOT TO LIFT ARMS EMBARGO IN BOSNIA.
U.S. officials said Russia has made a private appeal to President Bill Clinton not to lift the arms embargo against the Bosnian government. The message is a new sign of division within the so-called contact group Russia, Britain, France, Germany, and the United States in reaching a peaceful solution to the ethnic violence in Bosnia & Herzegovina. Russia proposed instead an immediate easing of the economic embargo against Serbia, Russia's traditional ally, in reward for its efforts to persuade Bosnian Serbs to accept peace terms.

Sep 3, 1994
RUSSIA, CHINA FORGE MILITARY, ECONOMIC PACTS.
President Boris Yeltsin and Chinese President Jiang Zemin signed a comprehensive pact in Moscow in which the countries agreed to no longer aim nuclear missiles at each other, strictly limit the number of troops deployed at their common border, and never use force against each other. Russia and China became bitter enemies in the late 1950s and 1960s, when they represented the world's greatest communist powers and fought for domination. Calling the agreements an "achievement of historic scope," Yeltsin announced that he also signed a number of economic agreements with Jiang, which observers considered even more significant. Those agreements provide for the development of even stronger economic relations between the countries. (China is already Russia's second-biggest trading partner.)

Aug 31, 1994
RUSSIAN TROOPS IN BERLIN BID FAREWELL TO GERMANY.
Ceremonies were held to mark the end of Russia's 49-year military presence in Germany as President Boris Yeltsin and German Chancellor Helmut Kohl gave speeches and presided over marches. The two leaders mostly congratulated each other, but their speeches also evinced the mixed emotions and tensions underlying the countries' complicated relationship. Although over 3,000 Soviet troops died liberating Germany from Nazi rule in 1944 and 1945, the Soviet Union's subsequent occupation of the eastern part of the country led to the communist-ruled nation of East Germany. West and East Germany were unified in 1990 following the fall of the Berlin wall a year earlier. Kohl said, "Ten years ago, or even six years ago, very few of us could have imagined the events we are now witnessing. The division of Germany, of Europe, and of the world seemed fixed in concrete." More than half a million Russian troops have withdrawn from Germany since 1991, 50,000 of whom have yet to find permanent housing in their impoverished homeland. Germany paid $9 billion to aid in their transfer and to subsidize officer housing. It has been estimated that the extensive environmental damage at the troops' former bases will cost several billion dollars to clean up.

Aug 31, 1994
RUSSIA COMPLETES TROOP PULLOUTS FROM LATVIA, ESTONIA.
The last Russian troops left Latvia and Estonia and Baltic leaders celebrated their final withdrawal. Estonian President Lennart Meri said: "As of today there are no more foreign troops on Estonian soil. Today signifies the end of the saddest chapter of our history." Victims of Soviet occupation were honored in both countries. Tens of thousands of people were killed following the Soviet Union's annexation in 1940 of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Russia pulled its troops out of Lithuania last year.

Aug 22, 1994
RUSSIA, GERMANY AGREE TO FIGHT NUCLEAR SMUGGLING.
High-level Moscow talks between Russian and German intelligence officials resulted in agreements to cooperate in the prevention of nuclear smuggling, including the tightening of border controls and improving the exchange of information between the two countries' security agencies.

Aug 19, 1994
TAJIK INSURGENTS KILL RUSSIANS AT AFGHAN BORDER.
An official Russian spokesperson reported that seven Russian border guards were killed and 13 others injured during an attack by about 500 Tajik separatists at the border between Tajikstan and Afghanistan, which the Russian troops were guarding. The spokesperson said at least 50 rebels were killed in the skirmish. Russia has been patrolling the Tajik-Afghan border under an agreement with the Tajik government. The separatists have lived in neighboring Afghanistan since they were forced out of their own country.

Aug 13, 1994
RUSSIAN SHIPS FIRE ON JAPANESE FISHING BOATS.
Press reports said Russian border patrol ships off the coast of northern Japan fired on Japanese fishing vessels that had violated Russian territorial waters. One crew member was injured and one ship was taken into custody, according to Russian officials. Although no exact location was given, the incident is known to have happened somewhere in the Northern Territories off Hokkaido near the Kurile Islands, four islands seized by Russia during the last years of World War II. Japan wishes to reclaim the islands and has withheld major financial aid to Russia because of the dispute.

Aug 10, 1994
RUSSIA TO WITHDRAW ALL TROOPS FROM MOLDOVA WITHIN THREE YEARS.
Russia and Moldova agreed to a timetable of three years for Russia to withdraw some 15,000 remaining troops from the country. The accord must still be ratified and signed by the governments of the two nations. Moldova had wished to have Russian forces out earlier but more time was needed to remove vast Soviet-era military stockpiles.

Jul 30, 1994
RUSSIA, ESTONIA AGREE TO DISMANTLE NAVAL BASE.
Russia and Estonia signed an accord to dismantle the Soviet-era Paldiski nuclear naval base by September 1995. The base, which sits 25 miles west of Tallinn, contains two experimental nuclear reactors.

Jul 26, 1994
RUSSIA AGREES TO WITHDRAW TROOPS FROM ESTONIA.
Moscow formally agreed to withdraw the last remaining 2,000 troops from Estonia after wavering on the issue over the last several months. In return, Estonia has agreed to let the 10,000-strong retired Soviet-era officer community apply for residency. President Lennart Meri said, "After five decades of Soviet occupation, we are now anew becoming a part of Europe." The agreement came as a surprise as both sides entered current talks with pessimism.

Jul 23, 1994
NEW U.S. AMBASSADOR APPOINTED.
President Boris Yeltsin said Yuli Vorontsov, Russia's representative to the United Nations, will become ambassador to the United States. Vorontsov replaces Vladimir Lukin, who was elected to the State Duma last December. In the Soviet regime, Vorontsov served as ambassador to France, India, and Afghanistan.

Jul 11, 1994
MOSCOW LIFTS SANCTIONS AGAINST SOUTH AFRICA.
Moscow lifted all remaining sanctions against South Africa after the United Nations Security Council lifted a 17-year-old arms embargo against Pretoria last week.

Jul 10, 1994
YELTSIN SAYS HE WILL NOT WITHDRAW TROOPS FROM ESTONIA.
At a meeting of the Group of 7 the first time a Russian leader has been invited to a meeting of industrialized democracies Russian President Boris Yeltsin said he will not meet a commitment to withdraw some 2,000 remaining troops from the former Soviet republic of Estonia until more favorable terms for retiring officers are met. The deadline for complete withdrawal of forces from the Baltic countries is set for Aug 31, 1994.

Jul 5, 1994
RUSSIA, EUROPE, UNITED STATES OFFER NEW BOSNIA PEACE PLAN.
Foreign ministers from Russia, the European Union, and the United States met in Geneva and announced a new peace proposal for Bosnia & Herzegovina that they say could be the final opportunity to resolve the conflict in the region before it escalates once more. The proposal would give 51% of Bosnian territory to the Muslim-led Bosnian government and would connect the isolated Muslim enclaves of Gorazde, Srebenica, and Zepa, along with the Sarajevo area. The plan would also give Serbs a key corridor in the north of the nation to link the Serbian-held eastern and western parts of the nation.

Jul 4, 1994
FBI OPENS IN MOSCOW.
The director of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Louis Freeh, opened a branch of the FBI in Moscow to fight organized crime there before it is allowed to become "a threat to world security." On a 10-day tour of Eastern Europe, Freeh said Russian gangsters could "use their existing and expanding criminal networks to exploit weapons-grade radioactive materials." Freeh also warned against the threat crime gangs pose to Russia's nascent capitalism and said that U.S. banks were vulnerable to Russian organized crime money-laundering practices.

Jun 25, 1994
RUSSIAN TROOPS IN BERLIN BID FAREWELL.
Over 1,500 Russian troops marched down a boulevard in east Berlin in a farewell parade watched by over 30,000 Germans. The Russians were earlier denied a chance to participate in an Allied parade held on Jun 18 in the center of town. Under the terms of the 1990 agreement that unified East and West Germany, all foreign forces must leave the city. (Russian troops, along with other Allied forces, remained in Germany long after World War II ended.)

Jun 23, 1994
RUSSIA, JAPAN SIGN WASTE PLAN.
Russia and Japan signed an agreement to build a joint nuclear waste processing facility near Vladivostock that will handle the liquid waste contained in 60 Russian submarines and several tankers docked off the Russian coast. The plant is expected to be finished within a year.

Jun 23, 1994
RUSSIA, UNITED STATES AGREE TO JOINT SPACE STATION PLAN.
In high-level meetings in Washington, D.C., Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin and U.S. Vice President Al Gore signed an agreement calling for cooperation on the development of a joint space station.

Jun 22, 1994
RUSSIAN PEACEKEEPERS TO BE SENT TO ABKHAZIA.
Russian military officials said a 3,000-strong peacekeeping force will be sent to Georgia's troubled Abkhazia region on Jun 26. The Abkhazia force is the biggest deployment of its kind although Russia also has troops stationed in Tajikistan, the South Ossetia province of Georgia, and the Dnestr region of Moldova.

Jun 16, 1994
RUSSIA, VIETNAM SIGN COOPERATION, FRIENDSHIP TREATIES.
During a visit to Russia, Vietnamese Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet met with Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin to sign a treaty ensuring friendship between their countries. The document replaced a similar 1978 agreement between the Soviet Union and Hanoi. The cooperation agreements centered on mutual defense and security arrangements.

Jun 10, 1994
MOSCOW PLEDGES TO JOIN NATO PARTNERSHIP PLAN.
Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev said Russia will join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Partnership for Peace plan despite the fact that Russia was not accorded a "full-blooded strategic relationship" with the organization. Moscow is expected to formally join NATO within a month.

Jun 9, 1994
NATO DENIES MOSCOW EQUAL PARTNERSHIP.
In a meeting in Istanbul, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) officials honored Moscow's desire for special treatment in its Partnership for Peace alliance with the former Warsaw Pact nations but denied its request to have a voice in NATO decision making. Officials said there is not a need for "an extra document accorded to Russia and not to others." While denying Moscow any veto power over NATO decisions, officials acknowledged that "Russia's size, broad interests, resources, and military capabilities provide the basis for a productive relationship with NATO in addition to the Partnership for Peace."

May 31, 1994
WASHINGTON TAKES RAIN CHECK ON JOINT EXERCISES WITH MOSCOW.
Press reports said the United States has agreed to postpone joint military exercises with Russia scheduled for early July because of nationalist sentiment in Moscow. Instead, American-Russian military exercises will be held sometime in the future on U.S. soil.

May 30, 1994
MOSCOW SEEKS VETO POWER OVER CASPIAN OIL DEALS.
Press reports said Moscow has demanded the right to reject lucrative Caspian Sea oil deals that former Soviet republics have signed with foreign companies. In a letter sent to the British Embassy in Moscow, the Russian government said that oil projects "cannot be recognized" without its approval. Moscow has long sought a piece of foreign oil investment in the republics of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan and has maneuvered to have all oil and natural gas funneled through Russia for sale to the West.

May 26, 1994
MOSCOW ASKS UN PERMISSION FOR GEORGIA PEACEKEEPING FORCE.
Moscow appealed to the United Nations (UN) Security Council for permission to deploy a peacekeeping force with other Commonwealth of Independent States forces in Georgia to oversee a tenuous cease-fire agreement between government forces and Abkhazian separatists. The Security Council is expected to "take note of" Russia's intention to send forces without "approving" or "authorizing" the deployment.

May 24, 1994
RUSSIA SAYS IT WILL JOIN PARTNERSHIP FOR PEACE.
In a meeting in Brussels, Russian Defense Minister Pavel Grachev assured officials of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) that Moscow looks forward to joining the Partnership for Peace, a cooperative alliance between the Western military organization and its former Warsaw Pact enemies. However, Grachev did not say when Moscow plans to join the pact but alluded to a "more comprehensive" Russian proposal to be disclosed tomorrow that fleshes out the relatively shallow partnership plan with provisions for serious political consultations and joint peacekeeping missions between Moscow and NATO.

May 24, 1994
KRAVCHUK CRITICIZES YELTSIN OVER CRIMEA.
Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk accused Russian President Boris Yeltsin of making threats to another sovereign nation when Yeltsin warned Kiev not to use force to bring Crimea into line after it reinstated a Constitution that borders on secession from Kiev. Although Crimea already has a federal-type status within Urkaine, Kiev fears that the province will merge with Russia. Press reports said that the Ukrainian leadership also fears that eastern Ukraine itself, which is predominantly ethnic Russian, will seek Russian citizenship.

May 18, 1994
NATO GRANTS RUSSIA GREATER STATUS IN PARTNERSHIP.
Leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) meeting in Bonn said that Russia will be granted a broader alliance in NATO than outlined in the Partnership for Peace plan offered to other East European and ex-Soviet countries. According to analysts, the concession was made to allay President Boris Yeltsin's fears that Moscow may lose diplomatic face at a time when nationalist sentiment at home dictates that Russia look tough on the international scene. German diplomats have also agreed to Yeltsin's demands that Russia assume an economic partnership in the Group of 7 industrial democracies when that group convenes in July in Naples. German Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel said: "I am worried about an isolated Russia that is more in search of a new identity after losing its world power status. Russia has become much more sensitive."

May 16, 1994
JAPAN TO HELP FUND OFFSHORE NUCLEAR WASTE PLANT FOR RUSSIA.
Japanese press reports said Tokyo has agreed to lend financial help to Moscow toward the building of a floating nuclear waste processing plant. In return, Moscow has agreed to stop dumping nuclear waste into the Sea of Japan. Last October Moscow drew international condemnation when it dumped a large quantity of liquid nuclear waste from dismantled submarines into the Sea of Japan.

May 13, 1994
YELTSIN VISITS GERMANY.
On a visit to Germany, President Boris Yeltsin secured German Chancellor Helmut Kohl's help in lobbying the Group of 7 leading industrial nations for Russia's inclusion in the body. In return Yeltsin promised Kohl that he would support Germany's bid to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

May 13, 1994
RUSSIA JOINS WEST ON EFFORTS TO END BOSNIA WAR.
Russia formally joined with the European Union and the United States in a renewed effort to bring peace to Bosnia & Herzegovina, which has been riven by ethnic war for two years. Moscow expressed its support for a plan that would require Bosnian Serb forces to give up one-third of the land they have conquered to date. The plan would give the Muslim-dominated Sarajevo government, which has agreed to a federation with the nation's Croatian population, 51% of Bosnian territory. Meanwhile, Russian legislators called for an end to sanctions against Serbia, but Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev said he supports the European plan to phase out sanctions once it becomes clear the Serbs are adhering to a peace plan in good faith. Western officials said the situation is very delicate and that it remains unclear whether they can persuade the warring sides to return to the negotiating table.

May 7, 1994
GOVERNMENT SAYS NO TO CURRENT NATO COOPERATION PLAN.
Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev rejected Russian participation in "Partnership for Peace," a U.S.-proposed forum for limited cooperation between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and former Soviet bloc nations. (Fifteen former Eastern bloc countries have joined the partnership so far.) Kozyrev said Russia "needs a more serious program of cooperation, one that corresponds to its status and special conditions." His remarks were similar to ones made yesterday by Defense Minister Pavel Grachev, who said "the latest developments in Yugoslavia show that it is impossible to resolve European problems without Russia." (Moscow had earlier been set to join the Partnership for Peace, but it delayed the move after NATO launched air strikes against Serbian positions in Bosnia & Herzegovina without consulting the Kremlin.) Grachev said Russia may "become the link between the existing and future structures of collective security in Europe and Asia." The Defense Ministry hopes to present a proposal incorporating that concept to a May 24 meeting of NATO representatives and defense ministers of former Warsaw Pact nations.

May 6, 1994
TALKS ON RUSSIAN WITHDRAWAL FROM ESTONIA STALL.
Defense Minister Pavel Grachev said the 2,500-member Russian force in Estonia will stay there until the Estonian government guarantees the rights of ethnic Russians living in the Baltic nation. In recent negotiations on withdrawal of the Russian troops, the Estonian government has refused to link the two issues. Many of the retired Russian soldiers and their families have lived in Estonia, a former republic of the Soviet Union, for decades.

May 5, 1994
GOVERNMENT DENIES RECEIVING ATOMIC SECRETS FROM OPPENHEIMER.
The U.S. Foreign Intelligence Service issued a statement denying that top U.S. physicists at one time supplied the former Soviet Union with atomic energy secrets. The statement came in response to assertions in the memoirs of former Soviet agent Pavel Anatolievich Sudoplatov, excerpts of which were published on Apr 16. Sudoplatov writes that Robert Oppenheimer and several other U.S. physicists passed on information about U.S. efforts to build an atomic bomb because they opposed violence and believed such sharing would help establish a balance of power and prevent a nuclear war. The intelligence service's statement said that "allegations that Soviet intelligence received information on the atomic bomb directly from such noted scientists as Enrico Fermi, Leo Szilard, Robert Oppenheimer, and others do not correspond to reality."

Apr 30, 1994
RUSSIA TO WITHDRAW TROOPS FROM LATVIA.
President Boris Yeltsin and Latvian President Guntis Ulmanis signed an agreement in Moscow to remove remaining Russian troops from the Baltic nation by Aug 31. While the status of 20,000 Russian Army retirees posed a stumbling block to past negotiations, the new accord sidesteps the issue in favor of pulling out the last 10,500 active Russian troops.

Apr 27, 1994
RUSSIA, SYRIA SIGN MILITARY PACT.
Moscow signed a military and technical cooperation pact with Damascus, Syria to bolster Russian ties to Arab countries and increase Moscow's visibility in the international Middle East peace effort. The pact, which includes provisions for greater trade and scientific and economic links, opens the way for the sale of "defensive weapons and spare parts" for Syria's aging Soviet-made arsenal.

Apr 24, 1994
EXTERNAL DEBT RELIEF PEGGED AT $34 BILLION.
Press reports said the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank have estimated that Moscow's external financing needs will rise to $34 billion for the year in addition to a just-approved $1.5 billion loan. Loan officials predict that $26 billion will be raised through foreign creditors, while the balance is expected to be picked up by bilateral creditors and IMF and World Bank credits.

Apr 22, 1994
BLACK SEA FLEET TALKS HIT SNAG.
After finally agreeing recently on how to divide the former Soviet Navy's massive Black Sea Fleet between them, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators failed to reach agreement on the issue of where to base their respective naval fleets on the Black Sea. Russia wants full control of the Ukrainian port of Sebastopol and the Crimean region a demand Ukraine staunchly opposes.

Apr 19, 1994
SERBIAN SOLDIERS SEIZE HEAVY GUNS FROM UN GUARD.
A force of Serbian soldiers seized 18 heavy guns from a United Nations (UN) weapons collection site near Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia & Herzegovina, returning 13 of them later in the day after a warning from President Boris Yeltsin. (The guns had been in the hands of the Serbian forces until they agreed to give them up earlier this year.) The Serbs also began releasing some of the UN military observers they took hostage last week after the North Atlantic Treaty Organization conducted two air attacks against the Serbian insurgents who are trying to gain control of the "safe area" of Gorazde. However, the pressure from Yeltsin, whom Serb leaders view as a near-ally, was not sufficient to force the Serbs to ease their attacks on the Muslim-dominated area. Nevertheless, political analysts say Yeltsin's remarks were a turning point in Russia's relations with Serbia, marking the first time Moscow has rebuked Belgrade for reneging on diplomatic assurances. Yeltsin is under pressure from Riussian right-wing nationalists to support the Bosnian Serbs, who have traditional Slavic ties to Russia.

Apr 15, 1994
RUSSIA, UKRAINE REACH AGREEMENT ON BLACK SEA FLEET.
President Boris Yeltsin and Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk signed an accord that grants between 15-20% of the disputed 300-vessel Black Sea Fleet to Ukraine and allows for separate sovereign bases. (The powerful fleet once belonged to the Soviet Navy.) The agreement was one of several reached during a meeting of the Commonwealth of Independent States in Moscow, at which Ukraine agreed to become an associate member of the economic union of former Soviet republics after shunning the group in the past.

Apr 12, 1994
MOSCOW, MINSK TO JOIN ECONOMIES.
Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin and Belarusian Prime Minister Vyacheslav Kebich signed a treaty to unify their economies and eliminate trade barriers, prompting some Western diplomats to warn of Russian neoimperialism. The agreement calls for Belarus to give up control of its money supply and military bases to Russia in return for subsidized energy supplies, the lifting of all customs, and the eventual exchange of the vastly devalued Belarusian currency on a one-to-one basis with the Russian ruble, which financial analysts say will cost Russia billions of dollars. Tajikistan is the only other former Soviet republic to use the Russian ruble. Moscow controls nearly 70% of the Tajik state budget while it funds Russian troops defending the Tajik border from incursions by Afghan Islamic insurgents.

Apr 11, 1994
YELTSIN VOICES DISMAY OVER NATO BOMBING IN BALKANS.
President Boris Yeltsin said Moscow should have been consulted before North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) planes bombed Bosnian Serb positions outside the besieged town of Gorazde. Political analysts say the remark continues a trend of greater Russian assertiveness in international affairs and reflects Moscow's dismay at being left out of the decision-making process during such crises.

Apr 9, 1994
UKRAINIAN SHIP HEADS FOR RUSSIAN SIDE.
A Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesperson said a military ship carrying $10 million worth of marine research and navigation equipment fled the port of Odessa headed for Russia's Black Sea Fleet headquarters. The ship's Russian commander defied orders to stay docked at the port. The incident underscores the ongoing dispute between Ukraine and Russia over control of the powerful Black Sea Fleet, which was once the star of the Soviet Navy. Stalled negotiations over ownership of the fleet's naval property are scheduled to resume next week.

Apr 8, 1994
FBI CHASES LEAD IN SOVIET SPY BOOK.
U.S. law enforcement officials announced that they are investigating claims made in the soon-to-be-published cold war memoirs of a Soviet spy and KGB (Soviet secret police) recruiter that a political aide to former U.S. President Jimmy Carter stole secrets for Moscow. Written by former KGB agent Yuri Shvets, the book Washington Station: My Life as a KGB Spy in America mentions a Carter administration official, code-named "Socrates," whom Shvets purports to have successfully recruited into espionage.

Apr 4, 1994
UN CHIEF VISITS MOSCOW.
United Nations (UN) Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali announced on a visit to Moscow that talks will be held in Geneva to assess the possibility of sending UN peacekeepers to the breakaway region of Abkhazia in Georgia. At issue is whether to introduce a multinational force or grant Russian troops already on the ground a full or partial UN mandate to quell the separatist insurrection.

Apr 2, 1994
NATO CONCERNED OVER RUSSIAN TROOP NUMBERS.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) officials voiced concern at the apparent repositioning of Russian forces returning from Central Europe along the southern and northern flanks of Russia. They said the size of the forces exceeds limits agreed upon in a 1990 treaty to reduce conventional weapons in Europe that is scheduled to take effect in 1995. Moscow officials have stated that the security situation in the country has changed since 1990 and that turmoil in the southern and northern regions now requires a greater troop presence. Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson Vitali Laptyev said, "Under the Soviet Union, there was no need to keep forces in these regions. Now the frontiers have changed, and our interior forces have become border troops." Moscow cited political instability in the northern territory, where a secessionist campaign in Chechnya and ethnic conflicts between the Ingushi and Ossetian peoples exist. In addition, there are conflicts in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.

Apr 1, 1994
MOSCOW WAVERS ON NATO PARTNERSHIP.
Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev said Russia will join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) "partnership for peace" program by the end of April, contradicting remarks made by presidential spokesperson Vyacheslav Kostikov yesterday that Moscow might take six or seven months to decide whether to join the organization.

Mar 31, 1994
MOSCOW VOICES RESERVATIONS ABOUT JOINING NATO.
Presidential Press Secretary Vyacheslav Kostikov said the Moscow administration plans to contemplate the pros and cons of limited partnership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and reach a decision within six months. Saying that the alliance may conflict with the "political and military might of Russia," Kostikov's statements contradicted the Foreign and Defense ministries' pro-NATO sentiment. The statements were interpreted as a way for the president to appease critics and nationalist opposition lawmakers.

Mar 30, 1994
INDIA TO BUY RUSSIAN ROCKET ENGINES.
Indian space program director U.R. Rao announced that New Delhi has agreed to buy seven rocket engines from Russia's Glavkosmos commercial space group. A similar deal collapsed under pressure from the U.S. government recently. Rao said the first of the engines, which will reportedly be used to launch Indian satellites, will be delivered in 1996.

Mar 29, 1994
MOSCOW SIGNS PACT WITH KAZAKHSTAN.
Russian President Boris Yeltsin and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed documents in Moscow on increased cooperation, including an agreement by Russia to lease the Baikonur space complex in the northern part of the central Asian republic for the next 20 years at $115 million a year.

Mar 28, 1994
WASHINGTON CRITICIZES RUSSIAN TARIFFS.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Ron Brown voiced dissatisfaction with Moscow's tariff structure on the first day of a six-day trade delegation visit to Russia. He said Russia's recent tariff hikes on food imports and oil exports "serve as an impediment to economic growth in Russia." However, Brown expressed confidence in Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin to effect Western-recommended economic reforms that will make foreign investment more attractive.

Mar 21, 1994
RUSSIA BLOCKS WHEAT SEED SHIPMENT TO ARMENIA.
U.S. diplomats confirmed that Russia has held up a shipment of over a thousand tons of U.S.-bought wheat seed intended to relieve severe food shortages in Armenia. Russia is demanding payment of a 30% export duty on the seeds. The delay violates an agreement signed between Russia and the United States two years ago that specifically exempts relief shipments from export duties. Armenia typically imports roughly 70% of its wheat and other agricultural items from Russia via Azerbaijan, which has imposed a strict economic blockade of the country in reprisal for the conflict over control of the Azerbaijani enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, the population of which is mostly Armenian.

Mar 18, 1994
NATO PARTNERSHIP ASSURED.
After a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin, U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry said that Moscow will play a major role in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), "possibly including refereeing disputes in neighboring countries."

Mar 17, 1994
NATO PARTNERSHIP PLANNED.
Defense Minister Gen. Pavel Grachev said Moscow "will be ready" at the end of the month to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in a loose alliance known by Warsaw Pact countries and former Soviet republics as the Partnership for Peace. Despite opposition to the plan from communist and nationalist deputies, who view membership in NATO as a trick to disarm the country, Washington has pledged to contribute $100 million to a defense-conversion plan for housing for Russian troops. U.S. Secretary of Defense William Perry, who met with Grachev, plans to visit top secret former Soviet military installations in Kazakhstan and Ukraine. Although leery of NATO expansion, Russia views a NATO partnership as a way of manipulating its future relationship with satellite countries in the West.

Mar 17, 1994
RUSSIA, ARMENIA SIGN PACT TO RESTART NUCLEAR STATION.
Russia and Armenia signed an agreement to cooperate on restoring an Armenian nuclear power plant disabled in a 1988 earthquake. The Transcaucasian republic has suffered severe energy shortages and industrial stoppages.

Mar 16, 1994
RISE IN BORDER ATTACKS REPORTED.
News sources reported that Russian border guards have been put on alert in response to increased attacks from Afghan and Tajik border areas.

Mar 16, 1994
NUCLEAR DISMANTLING TO BE INSPECTED.
U.S. and Russian defense officials signed agreements in Washington, D.C. that allow for joint inspections of nuclear dismantling facilities. Moscow also proposed an agreement to stop the military use of plutonium, a key ingredient in nuclear weapons. Washington agreed to help finance the conversion of Russian plutonium reactors into natural gas and coal power plants.

Mar 15, 1994
AGREEMENT REACHED ON LATVIA TROOP PULLOUT.
Russian and Latvian diplomats meeting in Moscow agreed on an August deadline for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Latvia and an extended Russian lease of an air-defense installation on the Baltic coast at Skrunda. About 13,000 troops will leave the former Soviet territory by Aug 31 and 600 will stay at the early warning radar station. The agreement was hailed by officials in both countries as a significant improvement in tense relations between Russia and the Baltic countries of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia over the troop withdrawal issue. Russian troops have already left Lithuania but negotiations with Estonia are stalled because of disagreement on the status of Russian military pensioners. Large ethnic Russian minorities in Estonia and Latvia also face new restrictive requirements for full citizenship that were instituted by the republics after independence, prompting Russian officials to condemn the measures as tantamount to " ethnic cleansing."

Mar 14, 1994
SPY NAMED.
The identity of a senior arms industry official arrested in January for spying for Britain was disclosed as Vadim Sintsov.

Mar 11, 1994
U.S. SHIPYARD TO SCRAP RUSSIAN SHIPS.
First Secretary for Arms Control and Disarmament Boris Ivanov collaborated with U.S. lawmakers on a proposal to keep a Philadelphia shipyard in business past its 1995 closing date by turning Russian military ships into scrap metal. The deal would generate desperately needed hard currency for Russia, keep thousands of American workers from losing their jobs, and prevent the resale to hostile countries of sensitive Russian military technology.

Mar 10, 1994
RUSSIA RESUMES GAS SERVICE TO UKRAINE.
Moscow reached an agreement with Ukraine to resume gas deliveries in return for payment of unpaid bills totalling $705 million. Ukraine will pay half of its debt in cash and half in equipment. Factory production was reduced two-thirds and 300 industrial plants closed after Russia sharply reduced the flow of fuel to Ukraine last week.

Mar 7, 1994
SHEVARDNADZE SECURES U.S. AID IN WASHINGTON VISIT.
Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze appealed for a U.S. peacekeeping troop presence in the war-torn Abkhazian region but U.S. President Bill Clinton would only promise to support an international troop presence that does not include U.S. forces or a Russian commander. Shevardnadze assured Clinton that, despite the presence of Russian troops in Georgia, the country is independent, and defended his policy of reestablishing economic ties with Russia to recover from the effects of war and poverty.

Mar 7, 1994
ACCORD ON BLACK SEA FLEET DIVISION RULED OUT.
A Ukrainian Navy commander said that the agreement reached between President Leonid Kravchuk and Russian President Boris Yeltsin to split Ukraine's share of the Black Sea Fleet to pay for gas and oil debts has been rejected. Ukraine's energy debt stands at $3.2 billion. The informal agreement between the two leaders suffered from a political backlash in Ukraine, fueled by nationalist outrage that the deal made Ukraine look weak in the face of Russian pressure. Instead, Russia and Ukraine will inventory the 300-odd ships and divide them according to an earlier agreement that will split all Black Sea Fleet assets down the middle by 1995. Ukraine has already acquired four new ships as part of a navy buildup that consists of a total of five ships.

Mar 5, 1994
FIRST LOAD OF MISSILES LEAVES UKRAINE FOR RUSSIA.
According to Russian officials, the first load of 60 nuclear warheads to be dismantled in Russia left Ukraine by rail. A second shipment is scheduled for mid-March.

Mar 3, 1994
RUSSIA AGREES TO UN PLAN ON BOSNIA.
Moscow assented to a French-backed United Nations (UN) plan to further the peace process in Bosnia & Herzegovina in an unexpected move that further enhances its diplomatic role in the Balkan crisis. The resolution calls for freedom of movement of all civilians in Sarajevo, unfettered circulation of relief supplies, and a prompt return to "normal life" in the city. The plan also formally appeals for the lifting of Serbian sieges of the embattled towns of Mostar, Vitez, and Maglaj using the threat of North Atlantic Treaty Organization air attacks as in the case of Sarajevo.

Mar 3, 1994
MOSCOW SHUTS OFF FUEL TO NEIGHBORS.
Moscow began cutting off gas service to Ukraine and Belarus for nonpayment of bills. Fuel deliveries to Western Europe were cast into doubt because almost all pipelines run through Ukraine, where the severe winter cold has raised the likelihood of illegal siphoning. According to officials of the Russian Gazprom gas company, Ukraine owes $900 million while Minsk is $240 million in arrears. Gazprom pumps 500 million cubic meters of gas a day to Ukraine, half of which is intended for customers in Germany, France, Italy, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary.

Mar 2, 1994
RUSSIA, ESTONIA TALKS FOUNDER.
Talks between Russia and Estonia to withdraw about 2,600 troops of the former Soviet Army still stationed in the former republic were reported to be in jeopardy as a result of Moscow's demand that Estonia foot a $23 million bill for a housing project for the departing soldiers. A Russian official said Moscow also wants permanent resident status granted to retired Soviet Army soldiers living in Estonia.

Mar 2, 1994
JAPAN RESCHEDULES MOSCOW DEBT.
Japan agreed to reschedule about $750 million in loans made to Moscow that came due in 1993. According to Japanese news sources, payment of the debt will be extended over 10 years.

Mar 2, 1994
RUSSIA DELIVERS PIECE OF OLD SPY PLANE TO THE UNITED STATES.
In a gesture of goodwill, Moscow gave the United States a part of a U.S. spy plane flown by Francis Gary Powers that was shot down in 1960. The part came from a U.S.-Russian commission charged with investigating the fates of U.S. servicemen in the Soviet Union since World War II.

Mar 1, 1994
RUSSIA CONVINCES SERBS TO OPEN KEY AIRPORT.
Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev persuaded Serbian nationalist leader Radovan Karadzic to stop his troops' siege of the town of Tuzla, Bosnia & Herzegovina and to open a key airport there for air deliveries of food and medicine. Tuzla has been under renewed Serbian attack since yesterday.

Feb 28, 1994
MOSCOW TO COOPERATE WITH NATO.
Deputy Foreign Minister Vitaly Churkin assured visiting members of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) diplomatic mission that Moscow is prepared to join a limited partnership with NATO first offered to Warsaw Pact countries in January. The move helped to ease Western fears that Moscow is set on a hard-line confrontation with the West.

Feb 25, 1994
UNITED STATES EXPELS TOP RUSSIAN SPY.
The United States expelled Russian diplomat Aleksandr Lyskenko, the top officer of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service operating in Washington, D.C., after Moscow refused to withdraw him in return for its alleged employment of Central Intelligence Agency mole Aldrich Ames and his wife Maria del Rosario Casas Ames. Lyskenko, who U.S. officials claimed was in a position to have directed the espionage activities of Ames, is the first Russian to be expelled from the United States since 1986. Prior to the expulsion, U.S. President Bill Clinton said Washington was prepared to "take action" if Moscow did not make amends for its purported role in the Ames spying case but tempered his remarks by pledging to continue Russian aid and arguing that retaliation against Russia ran counter to U.S. foreign policy interests.

Feb 22, 1994
CIA OFFICIAL CHARGED WITH SPYING FOR RUSSIA.
Aldrich Ames, a former chief official of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) Soviet counterintelligence branch, was charged with accepting more than $1.5 million over a decade of spying for the Soviet KGB and Russia's successor intelligence agency. His wife Maria, who at one time served as a CIA informer, was also arrested for complicity in compromising some of the most closely guarded secrets in U.S. intelligence, including the identities of CIA operatives abroad and classified operations. Aldrich Ames was working as a counternarcotics agent at the time of his arrest, and it was unclear why the CIA's internal security failed to notice the couple's extravagant lifestyle as was later evidenced in court-confiscated files. U.S. President Bill Clinton filed a protest with the Russian government and ordered the National Security Council and the CIA to investigate the level of damage done to national security. Intelligence officials said the case represents a disaster for current American intelligence operations. However, despite Washington's protest to Moscow, the case spotlights the continuation of an espionage war even after the fall of the Soviet Union and the dismantling of the KGB.

Feb 20, 1994
YELTSIN TIGHTENS CONTROL OF ARMS EXPORTS.
Marshal Yevgeny Shaposhnikov said President Boris Yeltsin has reimposed tight control of arms exports in an effort to improve profits and stop "dubious" dealmaking. A new state company now has sole control of arms exports replacing a system under which three state enterprises competed against one another for sales. Western governments have voiced concerns about the possible sale of Russian military hardware to Third World countries.

Feb 20, 1994
RUSSIAN TROOPS ARRIVE IN PALE TO HELP WITH PULLOUT.
Serbians in Bosnia & Herzegovina jubilantly greeted about 400 Russian soldiers who arrived in the battered town of Pale, the Serbian nationalist headquarters near Sarajevo, to help United Nations (UN) efforts to disarm the Serbians. The nationalists reportedly regard the Russian force as their guarantee against a threatened air attack by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which could still occur within nine hours if the Serbs' heavy weapons are not withdrawn to at least 12 miles outside Sarajevo or handed over to UN personnel. Bosnian Vice President Ejup Ganic criticized the UN's choice of the town of Grbavica as the repository for all the Serbian weapons collected today, saying that if the Serbians decided to attack and regain their weapons NATO forces would not be able to execute the air strike because so many civilians live in the area.

Feb 19, 1994
RUSSIAN TROOPS HEAD FOR SARAJEVO.
A Russian official in Croatia said about 400 paratroopers left Croatia to serve as peacekeepers with the United Nations in Bosnia & Herzegovina. The troops will join other forces in monitoring a cease-fire zone around Sarajevo from which Bosnian Serbs are required to remove their heavy weapons. The decision to deploy Russian troops came after envoy Vitaly Churkin persuaded Bosnian Serbs to pull back their weapons in the face of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ultimatum that threatens air strikes by midnight on Feb 20 if the Serbs do not comply. Moscow had opposed the use of NATO air strikes in the past and its intervention was perceived by analysts as a way for Russia to claim a diplomatic role in the Bosnian crisis while enabling its Serbian allies to save face during their withdrawal.

Feb 18, 1994
RUSSIA, BELARUS AGREE TO MONETARY UNION.
Prime Minister Vicktor Chernomyrdin and Belarusian Prime Minister Vyacheslav Kebich signed an agreement in Moscow to merge the sputtering Belarus economy with that of Russia. The conservative former Soviet republic will cede its monetary, fiscal, and budgetary independence in return for Russian currency and subsidized energy and raw material resources.

Feb 17, 1994
SERBS WITHDRAW IN RUSSIAN PLAN TO AVOID NATO BOMBING.
In a surprise move, Russian President Boris Yeltsin interceded in the standoff between Bosnian Serbs and Croats in the former Yugoslavia, offering Serbian nationalists a way to comply with a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) deadline to move their heavy artillery at least 12 miles outside the besieged city of Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina by Feb 20 or risk bombing runs by NATO forces. Serbian nationalist leader Radovan Karadzic agreed to the Russian withdrawal plan, which includes the deployment of about 800 Russian troops to the area for undisclosed duties and is expected to be concluded by midday on Feb 19. United Nations officials remained unconvinced of the plan's potential for success.

Feb 15, 1994
YELTSIN, MAJOR SIGN MISSILE TREATY.
Russian President Boris Yeltsin and British Prime Minister John Major signed an agreement to stop pointing nuclear missiles at their respective countries as part of talks aimed at strengthening bilateral relations. The two leaders also signed agreements to promote British investment in Russia and to conduct joint military exercises.

Feb 3, 1994
RUSSIA, GEORGIA FORM MILITARY ALLIANCE.
Russian President Boris Yeltsin and Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze signed a military cooperation treaty that will allow Russia to maintain three bases in Georgia beyond 1995 and to train and supply the Georgian Army indefinitely. The agreement has caused protests in Moscow and Tbilisi, where a bomb killed Georgian Deputy Defense Minister Nika Kekelidze several hours before Yeltsin's visit. While protesters in Georgia see the treaty as a diminution of Georgian independence, Russian dissent has focused on concerns that Georgia will use Russian military force to retake the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Legislators of the reformist Russia's Choice party threatened to oppose the treaty when it is submitted for ratification in the Russian State Duma (legislature). Shevardnadze is also contemplating an economic union with Russia that would shore up a weak economy while ceding economic sovereignty to Moscow.

Feb 1, 1994
HEAD OF IMF DEFENDS RUSSIA LOAN POLICY.
International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Michel Camdessus publicly defended the body against criticism that it has been too timid in granting loans to Russia and maintained that responsibility for the faltering Russian economy lies with Moscow. The IMF has provided $2.5 billion in loans since 1992 and has postponed granting another $1.5 billion until Russia implements measures to curtail inflation and control its budget. Camdessus stated that the new Russian government has failed to meet loan conditions that require it to reduce inflation, cut subsidies to inefficient state industries, eliminate price controls, privatize state industries, and cut the budget. The Russian government has been reluctant to stop funding unprofitable state industries because they provide valuable social services and health care to their workers.

Jan 24, 1994
UNITED STATES ISSUES WARNING TO MAINTAIN ECONOMIC REFORM.
A top U.S. expert on the former Soviet Union testified that if Russia does not accelerate its economic reforms and lower inflation its government risks being toppled. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State-designate (and Ambassador at Large for Russia and other former republics of the Soviet Union) Strobe Talbott issued the warning in a move to pressure the government of President Boris Yeltsin to rethink its fiscal direction under a new Cabinet that favors greater government subsidies. Talbott hinted that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) could delay an anxiously anticipated $1.5 billion loan to Russia if Moscow does not meet limits on inflation and the budget deficit. Meanwhile, in what analysts characterized as a response to negative reaction to the revised Cabinet by the West, Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin met with recalcitrant Finance Minister Boris Fyodorov and refused to accept his resignation, which he has now submitted twice. (Fyodorov has stuck to his demands that his rank be enhanced to first deputy prime minister and that Central Bank leader Viktor Gerashchenko resign for him to accept the job.) Chernomyrdin also persuaded the IMF to carry out its scheduled visit this week to discuss new loans despite unofficial reports that the government is planning to more than double the amount of money it asks the Central Bank to print in the first quarter of 1994.

Jan 19, 1994
NORTH KOREA SAID TO BE BUYING RUSSIAN SUBMARINES.
Japanese, South Korean, and U.S. officials said their tracking processes have revealed that North Korea has been quietly engaged in buying 40 old attack submarines that used to be part of Russia's enormous Pacific Fleet. Officials in Moscow said the Pyongyang government intends to use the submarines only for scrap metal, but the international observers believe that after restoration the vessels could be used to enlarge the North Korean naval forces.

Jan 14, 1994
TRILATERAL AGREEMENT SIGNED.
U.S. President Bill Clinton, Russian President Boris Yeltsin, and Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk signed a denuclearization accord in Moscow that calls for the deactivation of all of Ukraine's SS-24 strategic missiles and the dismantling of other older missiles and warheads amounting to a total of about 11% of the republic's nuclear arsenal. The uranium in the warheads will be extracted in Russia and mixed with lower-grade uranium and then shipped back to Ukraine for use in civil nuclear power stations. Russian President Boris Yeltsin also promised support for a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) plan, styled the Partnership for Peace, that provides limited NATO membership to the nations of the former Warsaw Pact. Meanwhile, U.S. President Bill Clinton assured Russia of at least $2 billion in U.S. aid within the next two years in return for Yeltsin's commitment to continue economic reforms. The agreements face resistance from hard-line elements in the Russian and Ukrainian parliaments. The Ukrainian agreement must be ratified by its Supreme Council, an action that analysts predict stands a 50-50 chance of success.

Jan 10, 1994
UKRAINE AGREES TO GIVE UP NUCLEAR ARMS.
U.S. President Bill Clinton revealed that the United States, Russia, and Ukraine have reached an agreement under which Ukraine will give up the nuclear arms on its territory. The agreement calls for the destruction of the complete arsenal, which includes 175 long-range missiles and at least 1,800 warheads. Key details regarding ratification and schedules have yet to be resolved but U.S. officials hope the agreement will reduce tensions between Ukrainian and Russian leaders, who have been locked in conflict over the control of the Black Sea Fleet. Ukraine is the last of the three ex-Soviet republics other than Russia that had nuclear arms on their territory to agree to give up those arms. The uranium from the warheads will be reprocessed for use as nuclear fuel, netting the former republics about $12 billion within the next 20 years. Ukraine will earn about $1 billion. The agreement prompted Clinton, who is in Europe for a North Atlantic Treaty Organization meeting and a visit to Moscow, to add a symbolic visit to Ukraine to his itinerary. He will meet with Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk at the Kiev airport while he is en route to Moscow.

Jan 5, 1994
FRANCE REFUSES VISA FOR ZHIRINOVSKY.
The French government said it will not issue an entry visa for right-wing Russian nationalist politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, which was surprisingly successful in December's legislative elections. The statement from Paris implied that Zhirinovsky will have to moderate his statements before he is considered for a visa.

Jan 5, 1994
LITHUANIA APPLIES TO JOIN NATO.
Lithuanian President Algirdas Brazauskas formally requested that his nation be considered for membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The move prompted a negative reaction from Russia, with presidential press spokesperson Vyacheslav Kostikov saying, "Promotion of such a tendency would contradict the proclaimed intentions to build relations on principles of trust, partnership, and balance of forces." Russian officials feel a strengthening of NATO would play into the hands of Russian nationalist extremists who could use such moves to demonstrate the nation's growing isolation from the West. However, analysts say that Lithuania does not have much chance of being accepted as a member of the group and that Brazauskas only made the request as a symbolic gesture.

Jan 4, 1994
RUBLE TO BECOME OFFICIAL TAJIK BANKNOTE.
The Tajik government announced that the Russian ruble will become the official currency starting on Jan 8, when it will discontinue its use of Soviet-era rubles. The change effectively cedes economic sovereignty to Russia, which has a strategic interest in Tajikistan.

Dec 29, 1993
ZHIRINOVSKY REFUSED ENTRY TO GERMANY.
Germany refused entry to Russian nationalist leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky and seven of his associates one day after he was ordered out of Bulgaria for urging the overthrow of that country's president, Zhelyu Zhelev. Zhirinovsky requested that the German Embassy in Sofia give him permission to enter the country so he could attend a political rally in Berlin. Zhirinovsky has recently made statements bringing into question the current borders between Germany and Poland, implying that Russia and Germany should negotiate the fate of Kaliningrad, a former part of Prussia that is now in Russia. He briefly visited Germany last week en route to Austria, causing an uproar among Germany's mainstream politicians. The German Foreign Ministry denied Zhirinovsky and his associates entry into the country on the grounds that their visit would undermine state interests. Zhirinovsky returned home claiming that Zhelev is jealous and that Germany is seeking political provocation after admitting him to the country on three previous occasions. The Russian government distanced itself from Zhirinovsky, who is leader of the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party that was surprisingly successful in recent legislative elections.

Dec 28, 1993
UKRAINE SEIZES BLACK SEA FLEET OFFICES.
An unnamed Ukrainian officer said Ukrainian marines took over two offices belonging to the disputed, 300-vessel Black Sea Fleet, which has been claimed by both Russia and Ukraine. However, the deputy commander of the Ukrainian Navy, Col. Olexander Stakhov, denied the claim. The officer making the claim about the takeover said there was no shooting in the incident. (In September Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk agreed to sell his nation's share of the fleet to Russia.)

Dec 25, 1993
RUSSIA TO LEASE KAZAKH SPACE CENTER.
Press sources said Russia has signed an agreement with Kazakhstan to rent its Baikonur space complex, which Kazakhstan cannot afford to maintain on its own.

Dec 24, 1993
CIS MEMBERS REJECT CONCESSIONS FOR RESIDENT RUSSIANS.
The members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) rejected a proposal by Russian President Boris Yeltsin that they give a special status to Russians living within their borders. Yeltsin made the proposal at a meeting in Ashkhabad, Turkmenistan of the 12 current members of the CIS (Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Moldova, and Uzbekistan). The plan was initiated on the basis of claims that many former Soviet republics, especially those in central Asia, are discriminating against ethnic Russians within their borders. The claims were largely made by Yeltsin's conservative critics, including Liberal Democratic Party leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky. Other CIS members now cooperate more closely with Russia than they did in the months immediately following the breakup of the Soviet Union, largely due to its greater economic resources, but officials from Ukraine and Kazakhstan refused to permit the consideration of the proposal presented by Yeltsin. The final declaration of the conference stresses the territorial integrity of the CIS members and advises the group's members to "abstain from any actions that may be considered as interference in internal affairs, infringement of the interests of sovereign states, and lack of respect to the national dignity of peoples."

Dec 23, 1993
RUSSIA, TURKMENISTAN SIGN DUAL CITIZENSHIP AGREEMENT.
President Boris Yeltsin and Turkmen President Saparmurad Niyazov met in Ashkhabad, Turkmenistan and signed an agreement allowing ethnic Russians in Turkmenistan to hold dual citizenship. Turkmenistan is the first former Soviet republic to reach such an agreement after a period of strong nationalism by nearly all the former republics. There are about 400,000 Russians in Turkmenistan.

Dec 23, 1993
RUSSIAN TROOPS TO PATROL TURKMENISTAN BORDERS.
Russian President Boris Yeltsin and Turkmen leader Saparmurad Niyazov signed an agreement that calls for Russian forces to patrol the Turkmen/Iranian border. Russia and Ukraine are the only former Soviet states with substantial armed forces.

Dec 18, 1993
RUSSIA, UKRAINE AGREE ON ATOMIC ARMS COMPENSATION.
The Ukrainian government said it has established a preliminary agreement with Russia and the United States regarding compensation for removing Soviet nuclear arms from its territory. The preliminary agreement was reached after talks in Kiev and covers weapons already transferred to Russia and arms remaining in Ukraine. Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Valery Shmarov said the compensation package will include a five-year supply of uranium for the nation's nuclear power plants.

Nov 9, 1993
RUSSIA, CHINA COMPLETE MILITARY PACT.
Russian Defense Minister Gen. Pavel Grachev signed a military cooperation accord with his Chinese counterpart in Beijing. The pact is expected to result in increased transfer of arms-related technology from Moscow to authorities in China.

Nov 3, 1993
GOVERNMENT DROPS NUCLEAR "FIRST USE" DOCTRINE.
The Security Council approved a new defense doctrine that abandons the nation's "no first use" doctrine for nuclear weapons. Diplomats said the change merely makes the Russian doctrine equivalent to that of other countries. Russia created the no first use approach as a propaganda weapon during the cold war, but Western nations never believed the doctrine was genuine. For nonnuclear states that are signatories of the 1968 Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, the new doctrine bars the use of atomic weapons against them.

Nov 1, 1993
RUSSIANS KILL GEORGIAN REBELS.
A Russian officer said Russian Army units protecting railways in Georgia killed several rebels loyal to former Georgian President Zviad Gamsakhurdia. The officer, Maj. Gen. Boris Zhukhov, said the Russians returned fire after being attacked in two locations in western Georgia yesterday. Zhukhov did not reveal how many Georgians were killed but did say there were no casualties on the Russian side.

Oct 26, 1993
RUSSIA AGREES TO PAY 50% OF BORDER GUARD COSTS.
Russian border guard commander Gen. Boris Pyankov said the Russian government has consented to pay half of the cost of maintaining 25,000 fresh troops at the border between Afghanistan and the former Soviet republic of Tajikistan, where Tajik rebels have been fighting along with Afghan mujaheddin to overthrow the Dushanbe government. Twenty-five Russian border guards were killed by the rebels in July.

Oct 21, 1993
TAJIK SEPARATISTS KILLED AT AFGHAN BORDER.
Tajik government troops and Russian border guards killed about 70 Tajik separatist rebels and injured many more during a raid against a group of the rebels in an unspecified location. Russia has 15,000 border troops at the Tajik-Afghan border.

Oct 21, 1993
RUSSIA SUSPENDS NUCLEAR WASTE DUMPING AT SEA.
Moscow announced it will suspend its dumping of low-level nuclear waste in the Sea of Japan because of pressure against the plan by Japan and the United States. Moscow also asked for foreign aid in accelerating the building of a nuclear waste processing plant, saying that delays in its completion would force Russia to resume dumping waste at sea. About 900 tons of radioactive water has been dumped in the latest Russian operation, causing a furor in Japan days after President Boris Yeltsin visited that country in an effort to improve relations. (The waste is low-level radiation produced by nuclear submarines belonging to Russia's Pacific Fleet.)

Oct 20, 1993
RUSSIA DEPLOYS TROOPS TO PROTECT GEORGIAN SUPPLY LINES.
Rebel forces loyal to former Georgian President Zviad Gamsakhurdia continued their advances against Kutaisi, as military officials in Russia began deploying forces to protect rail and sea links in Georgia. Russian officials said they were responding to a request from Georgian head of state Eduard Shevardnadze to help protect routes that go through Georgia from the Black Sea to Azerbaijan and Armenia. A spokesperson for Russian President Boris Yeltsin said the troops were serving in a peacekeeping capacity.

Oct 17, 1993
RUSSIAN TANKER DUMPS WASTE IN SEA OF JAPAN.
Even as Russian President Boris Yeltsin met in Tokyo with Japanese Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa to sign accords designed to improve the countries' chilly relations, a Russian naval tanker dumped 900 tons of low-level radioactive liquid waste into the Sea of Japan off Japan's northernmost island, Hokkaido, where most of the region's much-sought-after squid are harvested. Ocean dumping of radioactive waste has been globally banned for over three decades, and the restriction was extended to low-level waste in the early 1980s. The action canceled out whatever goodwill Yeltsin had managed to muster among Japanese in the past few days by signing the various agreements. Observers said the Russian dumping was carried out in a bold manner, occurring in the daylight hours with the cargo clearly marked with the symbol for radiation. (Russia admitted several months ago that it has been dumping radioactive materials in the oceans since the 1950s, despite the ban.)

Oct 13, 1993
RUSSIAN, JAPANESE LEADERS SIGN ACCORD ON ISLAND DISPUTE.
After two days of talks in Tokyo on the Kurile Islands, which both countries claim, Russian President Boris Yeltsin and Japanese Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa signed the Tokyo Declaration on Japanese-Russian Relations. The accord emphasizes the need for Moscow and Tokyo to normalize their long-chilly relations by resolving the territorial dispute over the Etorofu, Habomai, Kunashiri, and Shikotan islets, which together make up the Kuriles. It also mandates that top Russian and Japanese officials will continue to meet on the issue. Following the declaration's signing, Japanese Foreign Minister Tsutomu Hata and Andrei Kozyrev, his Russian counterpart, signed 16 documents establishing bilateral cooperation between the countries in a number of other political and economic areas.

Oct 8, 1993
AFGHAN-TAJIK BORDER DISPUTE REPORTED CONTINUING.
A Tajik government spokesperson reported at a meeting of the United Nations (UN) in New York that Afghan fighters and Tajik rebels fought with Russian troops guarding the Tajik border for the sixth day in a row. Tajik Foreign Minister Rashid Alimov demanded that the Afghan UN delegation denounce the attack and work toward an end to the hostilities.

Oct 8, 1993
TAJIK GUERRILLAS FREE RUSSIAN GUARDS.
Tajik rebels freed six Russian border guards less than 24 hours after they were taken hostage near the town of Khorog. The guards had been taken to Afghanistan after a "decisive action" by Russian troops in Tajikistan.

Sep 28, 1993
RUSSIA ASKS UN FOR PEACEKEEPING HELP.
Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev addressed the United Nations (UN) General Assembly and called for increased peacekeeping and peacemaking support from the organizations, saying the ethnic strife that has erupted throughout the former republics of the Soviet Union is as dangerous as the threat of nuclear war.

Sep 24, 1993
TEN FORMER REPUBLICS SIGN ECONOMIC UNION PACT.
Ten former republics of the now-defunct Soviet Union signed a treaty of economic union. The signatories are Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. Georgia sent an observer. The treaty provides a framework for further cooperation and focuses on eventually eradicating all customs tariffs and trade barriers, providing equal legal status for businesses from each member state and promoting jointly owned firms, and a multicurrency clearance union. The signing of the treaty also served as a significant display of Russian President Boris Yeltsin's legitimacy as he battles with the Russian legislature over the future of the state. Ukraine will be an associate member of the union until its legislature approves the plan.

Sep 23, 1993
CAMDESSUS URGES STAND-BY AID TO RUSSIA.
During a meeting of the Board of Governors, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Michel Camdessus called on industrial nations to extend standby financial support to Russia, which is in the midst of a severe political crisis that has challenged Russian President Boris Yeltsin's ability to implement the economic reform programs required to qualify for further international funding. Camdessus said the organization has of late worked very closely with Russia to bring the factionalized government back on track with its reform programs, adding that the IMF cannot determine funding on the basis of a nation's political climate, but must look primarily at policies so far in place. A $1.5 billion funding package has been delayed until early next year, but Camdessus urged industrial nations to provide independent bilateral support on a standby basis until permanent funds can be released.

Sep 20, 1993
PLANE ATTACK SUGGESTS RUSSIAN AID TO SEPARATISTS.
Two fighter-bombers attacked Georgian government-held positions in Sukhumi, Abkhazia and areas of the Black Sea coast, causing speculation that the region's separatist forces are being aided by Russia, since the separatists do not possess any aircraft. The Georgian government has previously shot down aircraft that have attacked government positions and have been carrying Russian pilots. Head of state Eduard Shevardnadze accused Russia of aiding the separatists in their campaign for a separate homeland. The attacks took place shortly after Russian Defense Minister Pavel Grachev had declared that the situation had deteriorated to such a degree that there was no longer any point in Russia deploying peacekeeping forces to Georgia to serve as a buffer between the two sides.

Sep 10, 1993
OBSERVER NATIONS ASK FOR UN SANCTIONS AGAINST ANGOLAN REBELS.
Russia, the United States, and Portugal called on the United Nations (UN) to initiate sanctions against the rebel National Union for the Total Independence of Angola, which they accused of renewing military offensives in the country's civil war. The three nations are official observers of a 1991 peace accord that has since collapsed. (The latest round of peace talks were held in May under the supervision of UN mediator Alioune Blondin Beye.)

Sep 6, 1993
KRAVCHUK DENIES BLACK SEA FLEET PLAN IS FINAL.
Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk denied that the Sep 3 deal to sell Ukraine's share of the Black Sea Fleet to Russia is final, saying it is subject to legislative approval. Russian President Boris Yeltsin had earlier claimed that the deal was complete.

Sep 3, 1993
UKRAINE WILL LET RUSSIA BUY BLACK SEA FLEET.
Urkaine agreed to let Russia purchase Ukraine's share of the contested Black Sea Fleet and said Moscow will also be permitted to dismantle Ukraine's share of the former Soviet nuclear arsenal provided that Russia give Ukraine the uranium taken from the warheads. President Leonid Kravchuk reached the agreement with Russian President Boris Yeltsin after realizing that his nation's economic crisis is worsening and the country is becoming increasingly indebted to Russia for oil and gas imports, owing Russia more than $600 million so far. (The Black Sea Fleet has about 70,000 sailors, along with 350 ships and numerous aircraft, and was a key element of the Soviet armed forces. The fleet's mainly Russian officer corps resisted a plan to divide the fleet equally between Russia and Ukraine.)

Sep 2, 1993
RUSSIA, TURKMENISTAN SIGN MILITARY AGREEMENT.
Russian and Turkmen defense officials signed an agreement under which Turkmenistan will pay for the maintenance of Russian troops in Turkmen territory after Jan 1, 1994 if Moscow preserves some of the strategic bases there that belonged to the former Soviet Union.

Aug 26, 1993
YELTSIN SIGNS FRIENDSHIP PACTS WITH SLOVAK, CZECH LEADERS.
During brief visits to Prague and Bratislava, Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed friendship treaties with leaders from Slovakia and the Czech Republic. In a conciliatory gesture, Yeltsin joined Czech President Vaclav Havel in laying a wreath at a memorial recognizing civilian casualties from the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia by Warsaw Pact forces. The treaty with the Czech Republic also included an agreement on mutual exchanges that is designed to ensure the landlocked Czech Republic a supply of Russian oil. The pact between Russia and Slovakia includes an agreement on the exchange of weapons and spare parts.

Aug 23, 1993
SHEVARDNADZE, YELTSIN REACH AGREEMENT ON ABKHAZIA.
President Boris Yeltsin met with Georgian head of state Eduard Shevardnadze in Moscow to agree on a pact restoring peace in Abkhazia, which has been split by separatist fighting for more than a year. The treaty will be signed next month. The two men also addressed the issue of finding ways to repatriate the more than 140,000 refugees who have fled Abkhazia since the fighting began. Russia participated in the effort to reach a peace settlement in Abkhazia because of its strategic interests in the region.

Aug 22, 1993
LITHUANIAN PRESIDENT CANCELS VISIT TO MOSCOW.
Lithuanian President Algirdas Brazauskas canceled a planned visit to Russia after Moscow said it will withdraw the ex-Soviet troops remaining in Lithuania only when it is convenient.

Aug 18, 1993
LITHUANIA CLAIMS RUSSIA HAS SUSPENDED TROOP PULLOUT.
Lithuanian Defense Minister Audrius Butkevicius claimed that Russia has suspended its withdrawal of troops from the former Soviet republic. Russian officials did not confirm the claim, but last week they threatened to halt the withdrawal if Vilnius does not drop its demand that Moscow compensate the Baltic nation for 50 years of Soviet occupation. There are currently about 2,500 former Soviet soldiers remaining in Lithuania.

Aug 7, 1993
EX-SOVIET REPUBLICS TO DEFEND TAJIK BORDER.
At a meeting in Moscow, President Boris Yeltsin and the presidents of Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Krgyzstan told Afghanistan they will defend the Tajikistan/Afghanistan border and retaliate against any cross-border aggression. However, the leaders called for political rather than military means to end the dispute. (Afghan mujaheddin based in the border area have allied with Tajik rebels in attacks on the Tajik government.)

Jul 24, 1993
RUSSIA RULES OUT OLD ISLAND ACCORD WITH JAPAN.
Press reports confirmed that the Russian government has determined it is no longer bound by a 1956 agreement with Japan that prescribed Moscow's return of Habomai and Shikotan islands to Japan after signing a peace agreement with Tokyo to officially end World War II. The ownership of these and other disputed islands is causing an increasing chill in the countries' diplomatic relations, President Boris Yeltsin having already twice canceled planned visits with Japanese leaders.

Jul 24, 1993
ASEAN APPROVES REGIONAL SECURITY FORUM.
The foreign ministers of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states (Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Indonesia, and the Philippines) ended the group's 26th annual ministerial meeting in Singapore with the endorsement of a proposal to create an Asian- Pacific forum for regional security. The new forum would also include the major influences in the region, such as the Russia, United States, Japan, and China. Singapore Foreign Minister Wong Kan Seng stated: "In promoting dialogue with these countries, we are building a network of friendly and cooperative ties that will reinforce regional peace and stability."

Jul 21, 1993
UN CONDEMNS RUSSIAN LEGISLATURE.
The United Nations (UN) Security Council approved a statement by its president condemning a Jul 9 decree issued by the communist-dominated Russian legislature claiming control of the Ukrainian city of Sevastopol. President Boris Yeltsin opposed the decree and ordered his Foreign Ministry to declare it invalid on Jul 10. The Russian legislature countered that Sevastopol was not included in a 1954 territorial transfer from Russia to Ukraine because it was a military city and home of the disputed Black Sea Fleet (formerly part of the Soviet Red Army). The UN, responding to Ukrainian appeals to intervene in the conflict, declared the decree "without effect" and in violation of a 1990 treaty between Ukraine and Russia, which requires mutual respect of territorial integrity. (Last month, Yeltsin met with Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk and agreed in principle to split the remaining 350 warships of the Black Sea Fleet.)

Jul 19, 1993
RUSSIA SENDS TROOPS, BOMBS REBEL STRONGHOLDS.
Russian aircraft bombed rebel positions east of Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan, as troops deployed by Moscow took up their positions to help the Tajik government after a week of attacks by Afghan rebels. Meanwhile, Tajik Prime Minister Abdumalik Abdullojonov charged the ruling Afghan coalition of being responsible for the deaths of 25 Russian border troops last week.

Jul 18, 1993
RUSSIA VOWS RETALIATION FOR ATTACK AT AFGHAN BORDER.
Defense Minister Pavel Grachev flew to Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan, upon hearing of an attack on Russian forces stationed at the Afghan border two days ago and pledged to retaliate against Afghan rebels. The guerrillas are fighting to overthrow acting Tajik President Imamoli Rakhmonov in alliance with Tajik rebels. Meanwhile, the Afghan government called for emergency aid to treat the victims of what it called "cruel" artillery attacks by Russian troops from across the border.

Jul 17, 1993
INDIA TO BUILD ROCKET ENGINES DESPITE U.S.-RUSSIA PACT.
An Indian Foreign Office statement declared that despite an accord this week between Russia and the United States, the country's Defense Department will continue to develop the technology to build rocket engines. The statement also said, "The government of India will not allow any setback to India's space technology and space program." Washington and Moscow officials met to discuss the issue in recent days, the Russian government agreeing to back down from its recent pledge to New Delhi that it would sell cryogenic, hydrogen-fueled rocket engines and any associated technology to India to speed up its space program. The United States maintains that Russia's deal with India violated the international Missile Technology Control Regime, but India insists that its desire for the rocket technology is based on a civilian program only.

Jul 15, 1993
RUSSIA APPROVES FORCE TO PROTECT AFGHAN BORDER.
The Russian legislature approved a measure allowing the nation's armed forces to take action to protect Russian personnel at the Afghan border, where they are trying to save the Tajik government from an allied attack by Afghan mujaheddin and Tajik separatists. Deputy Defense Minister Konstantin Kobets immediately said he interpreted the parliamentary statement as permission to launch a military offensive in the area following an attack against Russian troops two days ago.

Jul 13, 1993
AFGHAN REBELS KILL RUSSIAN SOLDIERS.
At least 25 Russian troops stationed at Tajikistan's border with Afghanistan were killed by some 200 Tajik and Afghan rebel fighters. The troops have been stationed at the border to protect the Tajik government from overthrow attempts by a joint Tajik-Afghan rebel force.

Jul 10, 1993
RUSSIA, BELARUS, UKRAINE TO ESTABLISH COMMON MARKET.
Officials from Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine announced that they are forming an economic union directed at increasing integration of the three countries' markets. The new group was formed with the objective of saving the countries from economic disarray. The three nations said other countries may join the planned common market if they share the goals of the body, but may not join if they already belong to a similar organization, such as the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO). (Iran, Turkey, and Pakistan formed the ECO and the central Asian republics of the former Soviet Union have joined that group.)

Jul 10, 1993
YELTSIN ATTACKS VOTE ON SEVASTAPOL.
Russian President Boris Yeltsin condemned the legislature's vote yesterday claiming control of Sevastopol, a military port in Ukraine, and said he is ashamed of it. His statement appeared to appease outraged Ukrainian leaders.

Jul 9, 1993
LEGISLATURE CLAIMS UKRAINE'S SEVASTOPOL.
The Russian legislature passed a resolution claiming control of the Ukrainian port city of Sevastopol. However, Ukraine was not expected to cede the city, which is in the Crimea, and experts say President Boris Yeltsin is unlikely to try to enforce the resolution. Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk condemned the action, which was passed on a vote of 160-0 with one abstention. (Sailors from the Black Sea Fleet of the former Soviet Navy have been rebelling against attempts to shift the fleet from Russian to Ukrainian control.)

Jul 4, 1993
FINAL RUSSIAN FORCES LEAVE CUBA.
The last of the Russian troops deployed to Cuba in the 1962 Cuban missile crisis left the island, along with their families. The troops were part of a motorized infantry brigade sent to Cuba to help train the nation's forces and defend the island against an anticipated (but never realized) U.S. invasion. The two nations plan to continue their military cooperation, but Cuban officials have also recently invited U.S. defense experts to visit and address methods for reducing tensions.

Jul 1, 1993
RUSSIA LENDS $380 MILLION TO CUBA.
Russia is extending $380 million in credit to Cuba so the island can work on projects, most of them linked to sugar production, in which Moscow has an interest.

Jun 29, 1993
RUSSIA TO RESUME GAS DELIVERIES TO ESTONIA.
Russia said it will resume gas deliveries to Estonia after reaching a payment accord in Tallinn.

Jun 28, 1993
ESTONIA BACKS OFF ON ANTI-RUSSIAN LAWS.
Estonian President Lennart Meri refused to ratify a law that Russia claims discriminates against ethnic Russians in the former Soviet republic, backing away from a confrontation with Moscow. He said he would consult the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Council of Europe for advice.

Jun 23, 1993
RUSSIA ATTACKS ESTONIAN LAW.
Russian officials said their government will retaliate against Estonia after it passed a new law that Moscow believes discriminates against ethnic Russians in Estonia. The new law requires non-Estonians to obtain a residence permit or apply for citizenship if they wish to remain in the country for more than two years, and also curtails the rights of former Soviet military officers and their families who have remained in Estonia since the Soviet Union was dismantled in 1991. Moscow officials said they plan a series of political and economic sanctions to reverse the law.

Jun 19, 1993
RUSSIAN OFFICERS SLAIN AT AFGHAN BORDER.
Border guards announced that two Russian officers were killed at a military base in Pyandzh, Tajikistan, where they had been deployed to monitor the former Soviet state's frontier with Afghanistan. Tajik rebels based in Afghanistan occasionally attack the Tajik border since they fled after losing their separatist war against the Dushanbe government last year.

Jun 15, 1993
RUSSIAN OFFICERS LEAVE CUBA.
Ceremonies in Cuba marked the departure of the last Russian military officers from the island. Troops from the former Soviet Union had been stationed on the island since 1962 after the Cuban missile crisis.

Jun 3, 1993
YELTSIN, AYLWIN REOPEN RELATIONS.
Russian President Boris Yeltsin and Chilean President Patricio Aylwin signed a formal declaration for future relations and a series of intergovernmental agreements. The meeting represents the formal end to 20 years of hostility between the nations in a recovery that began when former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet relinquished power in 1990. Aylwin is the first Chilean head of state to visit Moscow since 1972.

May 23, 1993
CUBA, RUSSIA TO RENEW TRADE.
Cuba and Russia have agreed to help their struggling economies by signing a memorandum describing joint trade and production and investment initiatives in oil, sugar, fertilizer, and machinery.

May 23, 1993
BOSNIA REJECTS PEACE PLAN.
Bosnian President Alija Izetbegovic rejected an international plan for limiting the civil war in his country, saying: "If we hear correctly, the aggressor will not have to withdraw from the occupied territories. Our people who have been expelled will not be allowed to return to their homes." At least 130,000 people have died since the fighting began about 13 months ago. (Russia and several other nations announced the plan yesterday.)

May 22, 1993
ALLIES REVEAL JOINT BOSNIAN STRATEGY.
Russia, the United States, Spain, France, and Britain agreed on a joint plan aimed at limiting the fighting in Bosnia & Herzegovina's civil war and protecting safe areas for Muslim civilians. The plan calls for the United States to use air power, but no troops, to protect United Nations peacekeeping forces protecting the Muslim enclaves. The United States had previously viewed the safe havens as tantamount to creating ghettos for the Muslims, but accepted the plan in an effort to reach agreement with the European governments seeking to develop a peace plan.

May 14, 1993
NINE FORMER REPUBLICS TO CREATE ECONOMIC UNION.
Nine former republics of the Soviet Union signed an agreement to create an economic union directed at restoring cohesion among themselves. The agreement constitutes only a declaration of intent. President Boris Yeltsin said the group will create a customs union, an interstate bank, integrated macroeconomic policies, and a currency union for nations that retain the ruble. Other states signing the declaration of intent included Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine.

May 6, 1993
YELTSIN CANCELS ANOTHER JAPAN TRIP.
President Boris Yeltsin suddenly canceled a scheduled visit to Tokyo, provoking an angry response from Japanese officials, who learned of the news on television rather than through diplomatic communique. The cancellation of the trip was Yeltsin's second in eight months, and Japanese officials said the reason is again the countries' continued inability to reach agreement on possession of four islands in the Kurile Island chain off Japan's Hokkaido Island.

May 1, 1993
GEORGIANS ACCUSE RUSSIANS OF SHOOTING DOWN PLANE.
Georgian officials claimed that a Russian jet shot down a Georgian fighter aircraft while it was carrying out a bombing mission over the embattled region of Abkhazia. Abkhazian rebels said they shot down the plane, a Sukhoi Su-25, near Eshera, which is north of Sukhumi, the capital of Abkhazia.

Apr 4, 1993
U.S.-RUSSIAN SUMMIT ENDS WITH POLITICAL COMMITMENT.
A summit between President Boris Yeltsin and U.S. President Bill Clinton concluded with Clinton making clear his commitment to the survival of Yeltsin's democratic mission. The weekend meeting ended with the United States offering Russia an aid package amounting to $1.6 billion, more than originally revealed. The additional funds will be used to provide low-cost credits for the purchase of U.S. grain and increased medical and food aid. Yeltsin noted that the summit was the first devoted to developing the basis for economic ties rather than demolishing the forms of old confrontations, but he also called on Clinton to end " discriminatory limitations on trade with Russia," such as the Jackson-Vanik Amendment, which connects trade privileges with Jewish emigration, which was restricted during the communist regime.

Apr 3, 1993
YELTSIN, CLINTON MEET IN CANADA.
President Boris Yeltsin and U.S. President Bill Clinton met in Vancouver, Canada for their first summit since Clinton became head of state in January. During their first meetings, Clinton presented Yeltsin with about $1 billion in aid programs aimed at supporting democratic and capitalist reforms. Clinton said the aid is directed at developing basic free-market skills among the Russian people.

Mar 22, 1993
RUSSIAN, U.S. SUBMARINES COLLIDE.
The Pentagon said a U.S. attack submarine collided with a Russian Delta class missile-carrying submarine on Mar 20. Neither submarine suffered significant damage in the collision, which occurred when both vessels were submerged in the Arctic Ocean north of Russia's Kola Peninsula. The U.S. Navy continues to monitor Russian submarines despite the ostensible end of the cold war and fall of communism. Russian officials expressed concern about "the latest incident of dangerous maneuvering by foreign submarines in military training zones." The U.S. vessel was a nuclear-powered Grayling class submarine.

Mar 19, 1993
GEORGIA SHOOTS DOWN RUSSIAN PLANE.
The Georgian government announced that its forces have shot down a Russian military aircraft over the separatist region of Abkhazia and said Russia is displaying "undisguised military aggression over the region," which is dominated by ethnic Russians.

Mar 2, 1993
RUSSIA TO JOIN IN BOSNIA RELIEF EFFORT.
The government announced that it will join a U.S. operation to airdrop relief supplies to the besieged former Yugoslav republic of Bosnia & Herzegovina, which began on Feb 28. However, the United States temporarily suspended the effort after learning that many of the supplies are being seized by Serbian rebels, who are carrying out an ethnic cleansing campaign against the Bosnians.

Jan 29, 1993
YELTSIN REASSURES INDIA ON ROCKET ENGINE SUPPLY, DEBT.
At the end of a diplomatic trip to India, President Boris Yeltsin reassured Indian Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao that Moscow will continue to supply New Delhi with powerful rocket engines to maintain its ambitious space program. The announcement came despite strong U.S. objections, and Yeltsin said the move is part of Russia's plan to "move away from a pro-Western emphasis" and focus more on its new self-proclaimed identity as a "Euro- Asian power." Washington's objections to the Russian statement stem from a two-year ban on the sale of sensitive space technology it imposed last year on the Russian Space Agency and the Indian Space Research Agency.

Jan 28, 1993
MAJOR POWERS TO CREATE REACTOR SAFETY FUND.
The Group of 7 (G-7), an alliance of the world's leading industrial nations, announced that it will create a multimillion-dollar fund to be used for improving safety at Soviet-designed nuclear reactors in Eastern Europe. The fund will be managed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, and Slovakia are among the countries that will benefit from the fund.

Jan 26, 1993
U.S. AMBASSADOR TO RUSSIA NAMED.
The White House announced that President Bill Clinton has appointed former Ambassador to the United Nations Thomas Pickering to be the U.S. ambassador to Russia. A career diplomat, Pickering served in Moscow during the Bush administration, but was reassigned to India after coming into conflict with members of that government, some of whom felt that Pickering was becoming "too famous."

Jan 22, 1993
THREE STATES REJECT CIS INTEGRATION PLAN.
Officials from Ukraine, Moldova, and Turkmenistan refused to sign a charter proposing increased integration for members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), which was created after the dismantling of the Soviet Union in December 1991. Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan signed the charter.

Jan 11, 1993
NEW ALLIANCE FORMED.
Representatives from Russia, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden met in Oslo and signed a declaration creating the Council of the Euro-Arctic Region. The objective of the council is to promote trade and cooperation among the regions of the signatory nations that are close to the Barents Sea. Officials at the meeting emphasized the need to control radiation and pollution problems in the area.

Jan 9, 1993
RUSSIA, KAZAKHSTAN SIGN ECONOMIC PACT.
Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin met with Kazakh Prime Minister Sergei Tereshenko in Omsk, Russia to sign a new agreement on technical and economic cooperation between their countries. The two leaders also signed pacts on cooperation between their railroad systems and interior ministries and another directed at easing bank transactions between them. Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev is pressing for increased cooperation among the former Soviet republics and the eventual creation of a common market similar to the European Community.

Jan 3, 1993
YELTSIN, BUSH SIGN START II.
Meeting in Moscow, President Boris Yeltsin and U.S. President George Bush signed the second Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START II), which requires both nations to drastically reduce their stockpiles of nuclear warheads before 2003. The pact represents the most significant reductions ever in the nuclear arsenals of the two nations. The two-stage treaty also requires cuts in submarine- and bomber-launched missiles, which are the core of the U.S. deterrent. (START II was negotiated in six months, while previous treaties of a similar nature took up to 10 years.) Following the signing, Yeltsin said: "It is not every century that history gives us an opportunity to witness and participate in an event that is so significant in scale and consequences."
 
 

U.S. President George Bush and Russian President Boris Yeltsin signing START II in the Kremlin [Reuters/Bettmann]

Dec 29, 1992
RUSSIA, UNITED STATES REACH NUCLEAR ARMS AGREEMENT.
U.S. Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger and Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev reached agreement on plans to drastically reduce their nations' nuclear arms. Russian President Boris Yeltsin and U.S. President George Bush may meet as soon as next week to sign a treaty on the subject. The treaty, to be known as the second Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START II), reduces by two-thirds the nuclear holdings of each nation, eradicating the warheads that would be used for first-strike attacks. However, the continued existence of multiple-warhead nuclear missiles in Belarus, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan poses an obstacle to complete nuclear disarmament. Those nations have not yet endorsed previous arms reduction treaties.

Dec 29, 1992
RUSSIAN TROOPS WITHDRAW FROM VILNIUS.
The Russian Army concluded its presence in Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital, handing over control of its base there and pulling out its remaining soldiers. About 15,000 Russian troops remain in Lithuania.

Dec 18, 1992
GEORGIA SUSPENDS TALKS.
The Georgian legislature voted to suspend the government's negotiations with Russia to determine conditions for the continued deployment of Russian troops in Georgian territory because the Russian troops were placed on a state of alert. The Russian forces are in Georgia because of separatist violence in Abkhazia, which is home to many ethnic Russians.

Dec 18, 1992
RUSSIA, CHINA SET MILITARY AGREEMENT.
On the second day of a three-day visit to China, President Boris Yeltsin joined with Chinese President Yang Shangkun in signing an accord committing their nations to cooperation on a number of technological and military projects. They also agreed to renounce the use of a nuclear first strike against each other and signed agreements on a number of other subjects, including food credits; trade, cultural, and scientific exchanges; and the reduction of troops along their mutual borders.

Dec 16, 1992
KOHL ANNOUNCES DEBT RELIEF FOR RUSSIA.
German Chancellor Helmut Kohl made his first visit to Russia since the Soviet Union was dismantled one year ago. During his visit, he said his nation will provide Russia with $11.2 billion in debt relief. Kohl joined with Russian President Boris Yeltsin in signing a number of agreements, including pacts that accelerate the removal of former Soviet troops from Germany, promise German funds to build housing for military officers and their familiies to live in when they return to Russia, and confirm German plans for an eight-year moratorium on the repayment of some of Russia's debt to Germany. Other agreements promise German reparations for victims of Nazism in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine and German assistance to Russia in the destruction of nuclear and chemical weapons.

Dec 8, 1992
RUSSIANS HELP DEFEND DUSHANBE.
Russian press sources said Russian troops are helping Muslim volunteers defend Dushanbe, the Tajik capital, from insurgent communist forces. No details on the fighting were available because communication lines were damaged. Russia has been forced into the fighting because it promised last October to protect the city's civilian population.

Nov 28, 1992
TAPE MISSING FROM FLIGHT BOX IN AIRLINER CASE.
A South Korean official said one of the tapes was not in flight recorder boxes (from the 1983 Korean Airlines incident) that were recently handed over to his nation by President Boris Yeltsin. Vice Transportation Minister Chang Sang Hyon said the boxes contained the cockpit flight recorder tape but not the data tape. (The airliner was shot down in 1983 by Soviet forces when the jet strayed over Sakhalin, in Soviet territory.)

Nov 23, 1992
IRAN ACQUIRES RUSSIAN SUBMARINE FOR NAVY.
Marked by a military ceremony at Bandar Abbas naval base, Russia delivered a diesel-electric submarine to Iran as part of a $750 million contract under which two additional submarines are expected in the near future despite strong U.S. objections. Teheran, having committed $7 billion toward acquiring MiG-29 interceptor aircraft, Sukhoi ground-attack aircraft, tanks, and missiles over the last two years, became the first gulf nation to possess underwater warfare capability. Naval commander Adm. Ali Shamkhani said the subs will be stored at the Chah Bahar naval base on the Oman coast 62 miles west of the Pakistani border.

Nov 23, 1992
RUSSIA, UKRAINE AGREE ON SOVIET DEBT PLAN.
Officials from Russia and Ukraine reached an agreement on the management of the debt of the former Soviet Union. Ukraine agreed to let Russia have the sole right to manage the debt a move that will make it easier for Moscow to reschedule its payments. Ukraine has been demanding a separate repayment schedule for its share of the debt, which is 16.37%, and has also been demanding a share of Soviet property abroad as well as Soviet wealth.

Nov 21, 1992
PEACE CORPS ARRIVES IN RUSSIA.
The first 100 U.S. Peace Corps volunteers arrived in Russia to help the nation's citizens develop small businesses. The volunteers, who will be sent to Saratov and Vladivostok, are experts in the area of small business and were selected from among 900 applicants. (The now-defunct Soviet Union viewed the Peace Corps, founded in the early 1960s by President John Kennedy, as a subversive anticommunist organization.)

Nov 19, 1992
YELTSIN STOPS MILITARY AID TO NORTH KOREA.
During a visit to South Korea, President Boris Yeltsin announced in Seoul that Moscow will stop supplying military aid to North Korea, the South's ideological and military archenemy, and that he will work toward reducing Russian forces in Asia as a gesture of good will.

Nov 19, 1992
YELTSIN VOWS TO STOP BUILDING ATOMIC SUBMARINES.
In an address to the South Korean National Assembly, President Boris Yeltsin said his nation will stop producing nuclear submarines within the next two or three years. Yeltsin made the announcement in an effort to allay Asian concerns about Russia's territorial ambitions. Also, Yeltsin presented his hosts with the flight recorders from the Korean Airlines aircraft shot down in 1983 by a Soviet fighter plane and conveyed his condolences about the incident. (All 269 people on board were killed.)

Nov 14, 1992
SEOUL TO RESTART RUSSIAN LOAN PROGRAM.
South Korean officials said the government is set to restart loans to Russia following Seoul's agreement to accept aluminum ingots as payment for some of Moscow's overdue installments on a past $1.5 billion loan. The Finance Ministry also reported that Russia had offered official documents pledging repayment of loans South Korea made to the Soviet Union.

Nov 11, 1992
YELSTIN HANDS OVER FILES ON HUNGARIAN UPRISING.
President Boris Yeltsin handed over to Hungarian officials KGB (Soviet secret police) documents concerning the 1956 Hungarian uprising known as the Prague Spring, which was suppressed by Soviet troops. Hungarian academics said they now have access for the first time to documents that can shed light on the true events of the time, as well as on the creation of the communist regime that lasted until the late 1980s. Also, Hungarian and Russian officials signed nine agreements on cultural and military cooperation and economic aid. Russian officials agreed to pay off half of their nation's $1.7 billion trade deficit to Budapest by providing the Hungarian Army with spare parts for Soviet-made equipment in its arsenal.

Nov 11, 1992
YELTSIN AIDE REVEALS POSTWAR DETENTIONS.
Dmitri Volkogonov, a military adviser to President Boris Yeltsin, revealed that when World War II ended in 1945 Russia detained thousands of U.S. prisoners of war who had been captured by Germany. Vologonov said some of the former prisoners are still living in Russia, although most were released and some died in Soviet prison camps. The Americans still in Russia were reportedly forced to renounce their U.S. citizenship and detained in prison camps. U.S. Sen. John Kerry, chairperson of the Senate Select Committee on Prisoner of War-Missing In Action Affairs, said the Americans will be contacted and asked if they want to return to the United States.

Nov 9, 1992
CONSTRUCTION TO BEGIN ON NICARAGUAN-RUSSIAN PLANT.
Nicaragua announced that construction of a 100,000-kilowatt geothermal plant is scheduled to begin this month. The Nicaraguan Energy Institute said the plant, which is a joint Nicaraguan-Russian venture, will be completed by 1994 and will be the largest geothermal plant in Central America.

Nov 8, 1992
RUSSIA, MOROCCO SET POWER PACT.
Moroccan media sources reported that Moscow has agreed to help build a dam and hydroelectric power plant in Morocco and supply equipment to that country. The agreement was signed in Moscow yesterday and is worth about $124 million.

Nov 4, 1992
RUSSIA RATIFIES NUCLEAR ARMS REDUCTION PACT.
The Russian legislature voted 157-1 to ratify the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), an agreement with the United States to reduce nuclear weapons. However, the government said it will not complete the formalities of the pact until reaching agreement with the other former Soviet states with nuclear weapons Belarus, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan. The treaty requires the United States and the former Soviet states to reduce their nuclear missile supplies to 1,600 and their nuclear warheads to 6,000 each within seven years. The United States has not yet ratified START.

Nov 3, 1992
MOSCOW, HAVANA REESTABLISH TRADE RELATIONS.
Russia and Cuba signed trade and shipping accords and confirmed their "reciprocal interest" in a former Soviet electronic intelligence-gathering station in Cuba. According to the Cuban news agency Prensa Latina, the agreements are the most important ones reached between the nations since the breakup of the Soviet Union in late 1991. The pacts, signed by Cuban Vice President Lionel Soto and Alexander Shokhin, Russia's deputy prime minister for foreign and economic affairs, have provisions for a deal involving the trade of Cuban sugar for Russian oil. The intelligence-gathering station, which is under control of the Russian government, will be the topic for further communications between the two countries.

Oct 29, 1992
YELTSIN DECREES SUSPENSION OF BALTIC WITHDRAWAL.
President Boris Yeltsin issued a decree suspending the former Soviet Army's pullout from the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania), saying he has "profound concern" over how ethnic Russians are being treated in the three states. He added that the removal will be resumed once Moscow has signed agreements with all three countries that include provisions protecting the troops and that address Yeltsin's concerns over violations of the ethnic Russians' rights.

Oct 28, 1992
RUSSIA TO CHECK ON NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION IN FORMER REPUBLICS.
Intelligence experts said Russia has created a new spy department responsible for challenging the proliferation of nuclear weapons in former Soviet republics and other neighboring countries. The head of the new Department for Weapons Control and Nonproliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, Gennady Yevstafiev, said the department's agents will operate both inside and outside the republics that formerly constituted the Soviet Union.

Oct 28, 1992
LAST RUSSIAN COMBAT TROOPS LEAVE POLAND.
The final Russian combat troops withdrew from Poland, ending a presence that dates back to World War II. In a statement commemorating the withdrawal, Polish President Lech Walesa said the move finally confirms Polish sovereignty. About 6,000 noncombat troops will remain in the country to help administer the evacuation of Russian troops from the former East Germany a program scheduled to be completed at the end of 1993.

Oct 23, 1992
FRENCH SPY RING BROKEN UP.
French authorities announced that they have destroyed a spy ring and charged one citizen with treason and two with spying for the former Soviet Union and Russia. Although the government did not reveal the identities of the three, Francis Temperville is the man charged with treason for selling secrets to the KGB (former Soviet secret police) regarding nuclear tests conducted in the South Pacific while he was working with the Atomic Energy Commission. The government also ordered that three Russian intelligence agents leave the country before Nov 1.

Oct 20, 1992
RUSSIA SUSPENDS BALTIC PULLOUT.
Russia announced that it has been forced to suspend its withdrawal of troops from the Baltic republics (Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia) because it has run out of housing for them at home. The move was consistent with Moscow's efforts to ensure the rights of ethnic Russians in the Baltic states. President Boris Yeltsin has already said his nation will sign no more accords on troop withdrawal until minority rights are guaranteed in the three former Soviet republics. (Latvia and Estonia have both introduced citizenship laws that effectively bar ethnic Russians from becoming citizens.)

Oct 19, 1992
YELTSIN EXTENDS NUCLEAR TEST FREEZE.
President Boris Yeltsin issued a decree to extend the nation's moratorium on nuclear testing until July 1993. He also called for a permanent international test ban. Defense Minister Pavel Grachev has said that his government will cancel all tests in 1993 if the United States does the same.

Oct 17, 1992
UNITED STATES CLAIMS RUSSIA SELLING WEAPONS TO CHINA.
U.S. officials said Russia, laboring under enormous financial difficulties, is selling rockets, missile-guidance systems, and other military items to China, Moscow's former archrival. Washington is concerned that Russia is contributing to the global spread of arms, since Beijing can sell the high- technology equipment to Third World countries for a profit if it chooses.

Oct 15, 1992
GOVERNMENT ENDS ALL TRAVEL LIMITS FOR FOREIGNERS.
The government announced that it is ending all the travel restrictions it imposed on foreign visitors during the cold war. Visitors will no longer be required to provide advance notice of their travel plans or show their visas when buying tickets or booking accommodations.

Oct 15, 1992
BLACK BOX TRANSCRIPT SHOWS NO NEW INFORMATION.
A translation of the transcript from the "black box" flight recorder gave no information regarding why South Korean Airlines Flight 007 flew off course into Soviet territory in 1983. The transcript did show that the pilots did not see any warning shots that Soviet officials claimed were fired and that the plane flew for about one-and-a-half minutes after being hit by the Soviet fire. The latter information may help relatives of the victims press their legal claims against Korean Airlines by showing that the victims suffered when the plane was hit.

Oct 14, 1992
YELTSIN RELEASES INFORMATION ON KAL 007 INCIDENT.
President Boris Yeltsin gave a file about the 1983 Soviet shooting down of Korean Airlines Flight 007 to the United States and Korean governments and relatives of the victims of the incident. (Two hundred and sixty-nine people were killed when Soviet forces shot down the South Korean passenger airliner near Sakhalin Island after it strayed into Soviet airspace on Sep 1, 1983.) The file includes copies of a report to then-Soviet leader Yuri Andropov and a transcript of the information on the flight recorder, but the material is still being translated from Russian.

Oct 14, 1992
RUSSIA REVEALS 1940 MASSACRE OF POLES.
Russia released previously secret documents proving that the Politburo of late Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin ordered in 1940 that 20,000 Poles be executed and buried in mass graves in Russia's Katyn Forest. The executions were ordered at a time when the Soviet Union was allied with Nazi Germany against Poland and most other European countries an alliance that fell apart when Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941. Those killed in the 1990 massacre included 5,000 officers, as well as former officers, landowners, police officers, and members of allegedly subversive groups. The documents were given to Polish President Lech Walesa by Russia's chief archivist. The papers came from the personal archives of former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. Gorbachev admitted his nation's guilt in the massacres in April 1990, but Russian officials said he concealed the involvement of Stalin and the Politburo.

Oct 9, 1992
CIS LEADERS AGREE ON RUBLE ZONE.
Six members of the Commonwealth of Independent States signed an agreement establishing a single monetary system, or ruble zone, for their nations, but did not form a centralized body with executive powers as some members had hoped. The six countries are Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. Ukraine refused to sign the accord and Moldova, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan said they must consult their parliaments first.

Sep 30, 1992
RUSSIAN TROOPS TAKE OVER DUSHANBE AIRPORT.
Russian troops deployed to Tajikistan to help put down an insurrection took over the Dushanbe airport. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Russian Defense Ministry said rebels in Tajikistan's embattled Kurgan-Tyube region have ended a three-day siege against a Russian rifle regiment.

Sep 29, 1992
RUSSIA DEPLOYS MORE TROOPS TO TAJIKISTAN.
Moscow sent 800 reinforcements to Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan, to try to end attacks on barracks there by rebels looking for arms. Tajik officials said hundreds of people have been killed in the Kurgan-Tyube region over the past few days as forces loyal to former Tajik President Rakhman Nabiyev fight to restore his power. Ethnic Russians were fleeing the country.

Sep 28, 1992
TOKYO GIVES RUSSIA LOAN.
The Japanese government signed an agreement granting a $100 million low-interest loan to Russia to help Moscow obtain food and medical imports. Tokyo had not offered any big loans to Russia recently because of the countries' dispute over the Kurile Island chain.

Sep 27, 1992
TAJIKS TAKE RUSSIAN TROOPS HOSTAGE.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Tajik forces hostile to former Tajik President Rakhman Nabiyev have taken several Russian soldiers hostage and are threatening to kill them unless Moscow reclaims or destroys military hardware that pro-Nabiyev forces recently seized from a former Soviet base in the country. (Thousands of Russian troops who are part of the forces of the Commonwealth of Independent States have been stranded in Tajikistan since ethnic unrest exploded there shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union in late 1991.)

Sep 25, 1992
RUSSIA COMPLETES WITHDRAWAL FROM MONGOLIA.
In an operation that began in 1989, Russia finished withdrawing the last of its troops from Mongolia, which served as an extension of the Soviet Union for decades while Moscow was ruled by communist hard-liners.

Sep 25, 1992
RUSSIA, UNITED STATES END TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS.
Russia and the United States said they are ending all limits on travel by businesspersons and journalists from each other's nation. Many of the Russian restrictions have been in place for over 50 years and the United States restricted access for Russians as a retaliatory measure. However, most of the closed regions in both countries were militarily or technologically sensitive areas.

Sep 23, 1992
RUSSIA DENIES SWEDISH INFRINGEMENT ALLEGATION.
The Russian Defense Ministry denied yesterday's Swedish allegations that its submarines infringed on Swedish maritime boundaries. Military spokesperson Nikolai Medvedev said, "Russian submarines accomplish training and combat missions outside the territories of foreign states."

Sep 22, 1992
SWEDEN CLAIMS RUSSIAN SUBMARINES INTRUDED ON TERRITORY.
Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt claimed that Russian submarines violated Swedish waters yesterday. The Swedish Navy fired depth charges at the vessels, which were sighted off Oxelsund, on the nation's southeast coast. Russian officials did not respond to the accusation, which is the strongest claim Sweden has made since 1981 when a Soviet submarine ran aground on its south coast.

Sep 16, 1992
RUSSIA TO WITHDRAW FROM CUBA BY 1993.
The Havana government announced that an estimated 3,000 Russian troops still stationed in Cuba will withdraw by July 1993. The withdrawal will end one of the last connections between the two countries since the collapse of the former Soviet Union. The original decision to recall the troops was made in early 1991 by former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev.

Sep 14, 1992
AGREEMENT SET ON MONITORING BIOLOGICAL WEAPON BAN.
Russian, U.S., and British officials announced that Moscow has agreed to allow access to its biological research facilities after coming under pressure to demonstrate that it has closed down its germ-warfare program. The agreement was made during secret talks in Moscow last week. (President Boris Yeltsin has admitted that the former Soviet Union violated a 1972 agreement banning biological warfare research and maintained a research program.) British and American scientists will make their first visits to Russian sites within the next three weeks and both Britain and the United States will permit reciprocal visits by Russian authorities.

Sep 13, 1992
UNITED STATES OFFERS RUSSIA LOAN FOR FOOD PURCHASES.
The U.S. Agriculture Department offered $1.2 billion in loan guarantees and other aid so that Russia can buy food and other forms of assistance, including grain and animal feed. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Edward Madigan said the guarantees "will assure that U.S. agricultural exports to one of our largest markets continue at a normal pace. . . ."

Sep 9, 1992
YELTSIN CANCELS JAPAN TRIP.
President Boris Yeltsin canceled a visit to Japan four days before it was due to begin in the wake of failed negotiations over the fate of the disputed Kurile Island chain, which is claimed by both countries. (The dispute over the islands began as World War II drew to a close, when the Soviet Union seized the islands in its interpretation of an agreement between the leaders of the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union.) The conflict over the fate of the islands has marred relations between Russia and Japan and, as a result, no formal World War II peace agreement has ever been signed. The cancellation of the trip ends Russia's chances of gaining increased investment or economic aid from Tokyo assistance Yeltsin had been counting on. The Russian statement about the cancellation gave no specific reasons for the action. The cancellation of the trip drew a guarded but critical response from Tokyo. Yeltsin also postponed plans to visit South Korea, which had been scheduled as part of his trip abroad.

Sep 8, 1992
RUSSIA, TAIWAN TO ESTABLISH INFORMAL TIES.
Taiwanese Vice Foreign Minister John Chang announced that Russia and Taiwan have agreed to establish high-profile but unofficial missions in a move likely to anger the government of communist China. (China and Taiwan both claim to be the legitimate government of the Chinese mainland.)

Sep 8, 1992
RUSSIANS, LITHUANIANS AGREE ON TROOP WITHDRAWAL.
Defense ministers from Russia and Lithuania signed an agreement committing Russia to withdraw all former Soviet troops from Lithuania by the end of next August. The signing came after Lithuanian President Vytautas Landsbergis held talks in Moscow with President Boris Yeltsin. The agreement advances the scheduled removal of ex-Soviet troops by more than a year. The deal also includes a Russian commitment to give Lithuania four naval vessels if Lithuania will help build housing for the withdrawing troops. The vessels are two antisubmarine vessels and two torpedo boats.

Aug 31, 1992
RUSSIA TO SELL URANIUM FROM SCRAPPED WEAPONS TO WASHINGTON.
Press sources confirmed that Russia plans to sell the United States tons of weapons-grade uranium, which the United States will dilute and sell as reactor fuel. The uranium is being culled from nuclear weapons that Russia is scrapping now that the cold war has ended and the Soviet Union has been dismantled. Russia will gain much-needed hard currency from the deal, some of which will be used to improve the safety of its nuclear reactors.

Aug 5, 1992
RUSSIA, JAPAN FINISH TALKS ON KURILE CHAIN.
Senior Russian and Japanese officials ended their talks in Tokyo on four long-disputed islands, located just north of Japan's Hokkaido Island, called the Kuriles. The territory has been a point of contention between the countries since the end of World War II, when Moscow seized the islands from Japan. Diplomats who witnessed the negotiations reported that both sides showed increased flexibility regarding the ultimate ownership of the territory.

Aug 4, 1992
GOVERNMENT TO RECOGNIZE MACEDONIA.
President Boris Yeltsin said his nation will recognize the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia even though Western nations have not yet done so. (The Western nations are currently deferring to Greek assertions that Macedonia should not be recognized until it changes its name, which is the same as one of Greece's provinces.)

Aug 3, 1992
RUSSIA, UKRAINE REACH AGREEMENT ON BLACK SEA FLEET.
President Boris Yeltsin and Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk reached an agreement on the future of the Black Sea Fleet, over which the two countries have been in dispute since the Soviet Union was dismantled in December 1991. Meeting in Yalta, Ukraine, the presidents agreed to place the fleet under their joint command until 1995, after which the permanent disposition of the fleet will be addressed. (The dispute began earlier this year when Ukrainian officials ordered fleet personnel to take loyalty oaths an order opposed by many Russian officers and sailors.)

Jul 29, 1992
HONECKER RETURNS HOME, WILL FACE TRIAL.
Former East German communist leader Erich Honecker returned from Moscow to Berlin more than a year after he was spirited out of Germany by Soviet agents. Honecker was immediately arrested on manslaughter and corruption charges. German authorities indicted Honecker for his role in the deaths of 49 East Germans who died while trying to escape to the West across the Berlin wall, and prosecutors are also trying to determine whether he ordered border guards to shoot anyone trying to escape across the wall. Honecker has taken refuge in the Chilean Embassy in Moscow for the past seven months, following the collapse of the Soviet regime. Germany brought constant pressure against the Russian government to deport him.

Jul 21, 1992
RUSSIA, MOLDOVA SIGN TRANS-DNIESTER AGREEMENT.
Mircea Snegur and Boris Yeltsin, the respective presidents of Moldova and Russia, signed an agreement to peacefully resolve the future of the separatist Trans-Dniester republic, which is part of Moldova but dominated by ethnic Russians. The agreement establishes principles for the peaceful settlement of the dispute and supports Moldova's territorial integrity, effectively giving Russia no territorial claim on the republic. The pact also guarantees human rights for Trans-Dniester residents, says the republic will be given a special status within Moldova, and guarantees Trans-Dniesterans the right to self-determination if Moldova decides to unite with Romania. (Six hundred people have been killed since March 1992 in battles over the future of the region.)

Jul 9, 1992
WORLD BANK MAKES FIRST LOAN TO MOSCOW.
Financial reports said the World Bank is planning to make a loan to the government for the first time. The $1.7 billion loan, which is designed to support the Russian balance of payments, comes only three months after the nation joined the World Bank. The loan will not be heavily contingent on economic reforms and disbursments will be spread over a six-month period.

Jul 8, 1992
G-7 GIVES NATION $1 BILLION IN AID.
The Group of 7 (G-7), the world's top industrial nations, concluded its Munich summit with an agreement to give Russia $1 billion in aid and to enter into a "comprehensive partnership" with Moscow. However, leaders from the United States, Britain, Italy, Germany, Canada, France, and Japan said they will provide no further aid until Russia and other former Eastern bloc nations restructure their economies.

Jun 25, 1992
BALKANS, EX-SOVIETS FORM ECONOMIC PACT.
Leaders from 11 Balkan and former Soviet republics created a regional economic cooperation group. The group, based on the Declaration of Black Sea Economic Cooperation Treaty signed today, comprises Russia, Albania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Georgia, Greece, Turkey, Moldova, Romania, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.

Jun 23, 1992
RUSSIA, UKRAINE SETTLE KEY DISPUTES.
Meeting in Dagomys on the Black Sea, Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk and his Russian counterpart, Boris Yeltsin, resolved some of the main issues that have soured relations between their countries since the breakup of the Soviet Union in late 1991. The agreements are in principle and the details have yet to be worked out. On a central issue, the leaders agreed to divide the ships of the contested former Soviet Black Sea Fleet and share and jointly finance the fleet's bases. The agreement gives Russia continued access to the fleet's main base at Sevastopol, Crimea. The two leaders also agreed to coordinate their economic policies while Ukraine prepares to introduce its own currency.

Jun 16, 1992
BUSH, YELTSIN SET MAJOR ARMS ACCORD.
Meeting in Washington, D.C., U.S. President George Bush and President Boris Yeltsin announced a major agreement to cut long-range nuclear warheads and eliminate land-based multiple warhead missiles. The land-based missiles constitute the heart of the former Soviet Union's nuclear arsenal. Under the accord, which is not yet in the form of a formal treaty, each nation will be required to cut its nuclear forces to 3,000-3,500 warheads by 2003 at the latest. The holdings of each nation are already being drastically reduced following the implementation of a 1991 treaty between Bush and former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. Making the announcement, Bush told reporters: "With this agreement, the nuclear nightmare recedes more and more for ourselves, for our children, and for our grandchildren."
 
 

Russian President Boris Yeltsin addressing the U.S. Congress on Jun 17, 1992 [Reuters/Bettmann]

Jun 15, 1992
LITHUANIANS SUPPORT REMOVAL OF EX-SOVIET ARMY.
The Lithuanian Supreme Council issued the results of a national referendum showing that 91% of those voting support the immediate removal of troops belonging to the army of the former Soviet Union. The vote was primarily symbolic because Russia, which commands virtually the entire former Soviet Army, has already agreed to pull the troops out, but said it may take up to five years because there is no housing available in Russia for them at present. Lithuanian officials described the troops as an occupying force and said they may destabilize the newly independent nation.

Jun 5, 1992
FORMER REPUBLICS SIGN CONVENTIONAL FORCES PACT.
Officials from the former republics of the Soviet Union signed the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty, which cuts nonnuclear weaponry such as tanks and artillery. The accord was signed in 1990 by the Soviet Union and five other Eastern bloc nations, but never took effect because of the breakup of the Soviet Union in late 1991. The treaty is subject to ratification by all the signatories, including members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Jun 2, 1992
DE KLERK VISITS RUSSIA.
South African President F.W. de Klerk arrived in Moscow for an official two-day visit, marking a huge step forward in the countries' notoriously poor relations. Only recently has the former Soviet Union openly supported South Africa's powerful antiapartheid African National Congress, while South Africa persistently sought Western financing for its fight against communism in the cold war struggle for influence on the African continent.

Jun 1, 1992
RUSSIA CLOSE TO JOINING IMF.
Press sources said Russia has completed the required paperwork for becoming a member of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), although the nation still has to implement a stringent economic reform plan before the organization grants it financial support.

May 28, 1992
LATVIA REJECTS RUSSIAN TROOP REMOVAL PLAN.
Janus Dinevichis, a spokesperson for the Latvian government, said it will not allow Russian troops to remain in the republic until 1999, as the Russian government has proposed. Moscow proposed the extension because it has no jobs or housing to offer the soldiers who are members of the former Soviet Red Army. Dinevichis said Latvia wants the troops out by September 1993 because they are destabilizing the newly independent nation.

May 26, 1992
NEW LIMITS SET ON CIS MILITARY COMMAND.
Defense ministers from most of the member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) agreed to restrict the organization's military command to strategic nuclear weapons a decision that moves the compact closer to its own demise. The conventional army will probably be divided among the member states, with most of it going to Russia. However, the fate of the powerful Black Sea fleet is still being disputed by Russian and Ukrainian leaders.

May 23, 1992
NUCLEAR STATES AGREE TO ACCORD.
The United States, Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine signed an agreement paving the way for the ratification of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START). Belarus, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan also agreed to turn over all warheads to Russia or destroy them. START must now be ratified by the legislatures of all five countries. The signing took place in Lisbon at the opening of a 62-country conference on aid to the former Soviet republics.

May 21, 1992
RUSSIA RULES GIVING CRIMEA TO UKRAINE WAS ILLEGAL.
On a 136-18 vote with 20 abstentions, the Russian legislature ruled that a 1954 grant passing control of Crimea to Ukraine was unconstitutional and must be voided. Lawmakers said the area's future should be resolved by negotiations. The vote was not held until the Ukrainian legislature had recessed for the day and is likely to create a storm of protest. Meanwhile, Crimean politicians suspended their independence efforts after facing pressure from Ukraine, although a referendum on the issue is scheduled for Aug 2. (Former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev gave Crimea to Ukraine as a gift marking the 300th anniversary of the union between Russia and Ukraine.)

May 19, 1992
NAZARBAYEV AGREES TO NUCLEAR ARMS REDUCTION.
Concluding a two-day visit to Washington, D.C., Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev agreed that his country will become a nonnuclear state by 2002. The agreement paves the way for the implementation of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) between the United States and the nuclear-armed republics of the former Soviet Union (Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine). START focuses on reducing long-range arms. Nazarbayev also agreed to sign the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty of 1978, which bars signatories from developing or selling nuclear arms or components. The latter agreement is subject to approval of the Kazakh legislature. The two agreements will encourage the consolidation of all the former Soviet Union's nuclear arms within Russia, although negotiations with Russia are progressing slowly.

May 15, 1992
SIX CIS MEMBERS JOIN SECURITY AGREEMENT.
Six members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) signed a collective security pact, agreeing to aid each other if attacked and granting Russia a dominant military role across most of the former Soviet Union. The signatories are Russia, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. President Boris Yeltsin said he expects the other former Soviet republics will soon initial the agreement, but were unable to do so today because their delegates were not heads of state but only heads of government and therefore lacked the authority to sign.

May 11, 1992
UNITED STATES BANS ROCKET SALES TO RUSSIAN, INDIAN ARMS AGENCIES.
The United States banned exports to Glavkosmos, the Russian arms agency, and the Indian Space Research Organization because of a clandestine agreement between the two to transfer rocket technology from Russia to India. The ban will last two years and was levied because the agreement violated the Missile Technology Control Regime, an international agreement directed at limiting military technology sales. U.S. law now penalizes such transfers. India had reportedly been hoping to foster a better relationship with the United States following the dismantling of the Soviet Union, previously New Delhi's closest ally, and claimed that the materials involved in the transfer were to be used for nonmilitary satellite communications. The United States reportedly feared that the technology would be used for delivering bombs and issued public warnings to India before the agreement was made.

May 7, 1992
UNITED STATES BACKS DOWN ON TECHNOLOGY ISSUE.
Richard Armitage, the U.S. State Department's coordinator of aid for the former Soviet republics, softened Washington's threat yesterday to cut off U.S. technology exports to India and Russia, saying that although the United States is "very concerned" about a proposed Indian-Russian transaction, a single sale of technology "will not cause a cessation of assistance at all."

May 6, 1992
RUSSIA TO KEEP TECHNOLOGY PROMISE TO INDIA.
Indian officials announced that Russia has promised to keep the former Soviet Union's promise to deliver high- technology rocket engine information to New Delhi despite threats from Washington to cut off U.S. technology exports to both. However, Moscow and New Delhi have both stated their willingness to permit a U.S. review of the technology program to show Washington that they are not involved in a weapons-oriented program. Meanwhile, India successfully tested what it calls an improved, short-range missile yesterday in an experiment likely to increase U.S. concern over India's military capabilities.

May 6, 1992
FINAL TACTICAL WEAPONS REMOVED FROM UKRAINE.
The Russian government said the final tactical nuclear missiles have been removed from Ukraine well ahead of schedule. Authorities had earlier feared that Kiev would not carry out its promise to remove the missiles by Jul 1.

May 5, 1992
RUSSIA, CHINA AGREE ON TRADE PLAN.
Russian and Chinese officials signed a pact in Beijing that provides for the trade of Moscow's aircraft, machinery, and factory equipment for Chinese food and other consumer items.

May 1, 1992
RUSSIA BEHIND SCHEDULE ON ARMS DESTRUCTION.
A U.S. State Department official reported that Russia is behind schedule on its obligations to destroy chemical weapons in compliance with an agreement with the United States. The spokesperson said the Russians do not even have plans drawn up for constructing an industrial-size destruction plant so far and do not appear to have the money to fund construction. In addition, the government is encountering opposition from citizens who do not want the plants built near their homes.

Apr 30, 1992
RUSSIA HOLDS UP ACCORD.
Russian Deputy Defense Minister Andre Kokoshin told Ukraine that only Russia can sign and observe nuclear treaties as the successor to the Soviet Union. The dispute is holding up the signing of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.

Apr 28, 1992
FORMER REPUBLICS AGREE ON WEAPONS REDUCTION.
The four former Soviet republics that have strategic nuclear weapons in their territories agreed on terms that will pave the way for the ratification of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with the United States. The former republics Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine will have equal status as signatories to a protocol that will reconfirm the treaty.

Apr 27, 1992
IMF, WORLD BANK INVITE EX-SOVIET REPUBLICS TO JOIN.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank invited Russia and several other former Soviet republics to join the organizations. The membership of the former republics would link them to the world economy, as well as provide them with vast amounts of aid as they begin to make the transition to market economies. The new nations must now negotiate membership agreements. Each country must make a payment to both groups before joining.

Apr 23, 1992
RUSSIA, GERMANY AGREE ON GERMAN HOMELAND.
Russian and German officials initialed an accord under which Russia agreed to recreate an autonomous homeland in the Volga region for ethnic Germans, whose homeland was taken from them by former Soviet leader Joseph Stalin during the 1940s.

Apr 16, 1992
UKRAINE TO RESUME ARMS TRANSFERS TO RUSSIA.
Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk told U.S. officials that his country has signed an agreement with Russia regarding tactical nuclear weapons and that his government is planning to resume shipping nuclear arms to Russia. Ukraine had suspended the shipments because of concerns that the weapons might not actually be destroyed, withdrawing its objections after receiving assurances on the issue. Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan are transferring their tactical nuclear weapons to Russia, where they will be destroyed along with weapons already in Russian territory. Long-range missiles will be shipped to Russia by 1994.

Apr 11, 1992
BELGIUM EXPELS ALLEGED RUSSIAN SPIES.
Belgian security forces broke up an alleged Russian spy ring and expelled four Russian officials. Five other people, all Belgians, have been arrested. The Belgian officials believed the ring was still active following the breakup of the Soviet Union last December, so the discovery may undermine Western aid efforts to Russia.

Apr 9, 1992
RUSSIA, UKRAINE AGREE TO STEP BACK IN BLACK SEA DEBATE.
Russia and Ukraine agreed to avoid a mounting confrontation over ownership of the former Soviet Black Sea Fleet, suspending decrees they each made claiming sole control of the fleet and establishing a commission to determine how the fleet will be distributed.

Apr 7, 1992
RUSSIA, UKRAINE FIGHT FOR BLACK SEA FLEET HEATS UP.
President Boris Yeltsin asserted his country's jurisdiction over the contested Black Sea Fleet, a strategic component of the former Soviet Union's military. The move came one day after Ukraine President Leonid Kravchuk asserted his country's authority over all military forces in its territory, including the area where the fleet is based in Sevastopol, Crimea. The control of the fleet has been at issue since the formation of the Commonwealth of Independent States in December 1991.

Apr 1, 1992
KOHL, BUSH REVEAL RUSSIAN AID PLAN.
U.S. President George Bush and German Chancellor Helmut Kohl revealed a program under which seven industrial democracies will provide Russia with $24 billion in aid for one year in an effort to bolster the former Soviet republic's struggling economy and forestall the rise of an authoritarian regime there.

Mar 27, 1992
UNITED STATES DROPS SOVIET TECHNOLOGY BAN.
The United States ended its ban on purchases of high- technology products from the constituent republics of the former Soviet Union. The change will enable a $14 million purchase from Russia of nuclear and space technology and will be an important source of foreign aid to that country. The technology includes a nuclear reactor that is used in space flight and plutonium-238, which is used in nuclear batteries that can be put in space probes. The United States is getting the technology at bargain prices because of Russia's economic troubles.

Mar 16, 1992
YELTSIN ACTS TO CREATE SEPARATE ARMY.
President Boris Yeltsin created a separate Defense Ministry and declared himself its head. The action constitutes the first step toward the formation of a separate army and comes in the wake of failed efforts to decide how to create a Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) armed force and continued Ukrainian challenges to the power of CIS Commander Marshal Yevgeny Shaposhnikov.

Mar 12, 1992
CHINA TO RECRUIT CIS SCIENTISTS.
The state-run China Daily reported that Beijing will soon start a campaign to recruit scientists from the new Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The newspaper said the Chinese government will also work to establish science and technology accords with members of the CIS, including Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. (In the 1950s, the Soviet Union sent thousands of its scientists to China to help modernize China's military and industrial sectors, but they were removed in 1960 during a battle to lead the world communist movement.)

Mar 12, 1992
UKRAINE TO STOP SENDING ATOMIC ARMS TO RUSSIA.
In a surprise announcement, Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk said he is halting the remaining 50% of his country's agreed transfer of nuclear weapons to Russia because he wants proof that the tactical weapons are being destroyed as promised.

Mar 11, 1992
UNITED STATES TO MAINTAIN LIMITS ON TECHNOLOGY SALES TO EX-SOVIETS.
Allan Bromley, scientific adviser to U.S. President George Bush, said the administration will retain its rules limiting exports of Western technology to former Soviet states. Bromley said about 80% of items on the restricted list were removed after the collapse of the Eastern bloc communist systems, but that the remaining items, including telecommunications equipment, will remain restricted.

Mar 10, 1992
RUSSIA TO EXPEL HONECKER.
The Justice Ministry announced that it has ordered that former East German communist leader Erich Honecker be expelled so he can be tried in Germany for corruption and human rights abuses.

Mar 5, 1992
UNITED STATES TO HIRE RUSSIAN SCIENTISTS.
The United States announced that it is hiring 116 Russian scientists on one-year contracts to participate in research on nuclear fusion for the United States. Russian scientists are leaders in fusion research. The research will be carried out in Russia and the scientists will be paid about seven times the average monthly wage for Russians. The project is sponsored by the U.S. Energy Department, which is paying about $90,000 for the one-year project.

Mar 3, 1992
CHILEANS CLAIM HONECKER DOES NOT HAVE CANCER.
Officials at Moscow's Chilean Embassy, where he has sought refuge from international demands for his extradition, said former East German leader Erich Honecker does not have cancer, as his wife has claimed. He had a kidney tumor removed in 1990 but the Chilean report said there is no indication that the cancer has returned. Honecker's lawyers were hoping they could use the former leader's illness to keep him from having to stand trial on corruption and human rights abuse charges in Germany.

Feb 28, 1992
RUSSIA, SOUTH AFRICA RESTORE RELATIONS.
Ending 36 years of hostility that began when Moscow cut ties with South Africa to protest its apartheid system, Russia restored its diplomatic relations with Johannesburg. South African Foreign Minister Roelof Botha proclaimed: "This just about concludes our establishing relations with all the important powers in the world. This is a momentous occasion for all of us in South Africa."

Feb 24, 1992
HONECKER LEAVES REFUGE TO ENTER HOSPITAL.
Former East German communist leader Erich Honecker, who has been using the Chilean Embassy in Moscow as a sanctuary to avoid extradition to Germany, left his refuge to enter a Moscow clinic for cancer tests. Russian officials said they will let Honecker return to the embassy after the tests and treatment are completed because they want Chile and Germany to resolve the question of Honecker's destiny. (Germany is seeking Honecker's extradition so he can face charges relating to the shooting deaths of people who tried to escape from East Germany when he was leader of that country.)

Feb 18, 1992
CIS LEADER CONFIRMS PILOTS DEFECTED TO RUSSIA.
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) military Commander Yevgeny Shaposhnikov confirmed reports that six pilots stationed in Ukraine defected to Russia last week, taking six fighter-bomber aircraft with them, but Shaposhnikov stressed that he has a good relationship with Ukraine's president and defense minister. According to reports, the six pilots will not be forced to return to Ukraine, but negotiations will be held regarding the future of their aircraft. The pilots had refused to take oaths of allegiance to Ukraine.

Feb 17, 1992
RUSSIA RECOGNIZES CROATIA.
The Tass news agency reported that Russia has recognized the Yugoslavian republic of Croatia as an independent state. The recognition was registered in a note delivered to Croatian President Franjo Tudjman by Russian Consul General Yury Girenko.

Feb 17, 1992
UNITED STATES, RUSSIA AGREE ON NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT PLAN.
Russia agreed to accept help from the United States in scrapping its nuclear arms. The agreement calls for Washington to fund an institute to employ former nuclear scientists as well as provide special railroad cars for transporting nuclear arms to storage sites around the country, where the arms will be dismantled. The agreement came as President Boris Yeltsin met in Moscow with U.S. Secretary of State James Baker III. The project should cost about $400 million, which has already been set aside by the U.S. Congress. During the meeting Yeltsin also asked for more loan guarantees so his country could buy more U.S. grain.

Feb 14, 1992
CIS MEMBERS DIFFER OVER FUTURE OF MILITARY.
Press reports said the 11 members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) are divided over the future structure of their defense organizations, with Russia leading the countries calling for a unified defense force and Ukraine and its allies leaning the opposite way, fearing the power a single defense force may amass. Ukraine's position is motivated largely by intense nationalism. However, the republic and its allies do support the continuation of a central command for nuclear weapons. Belarus and Armenia support the Ukrainian position.

Feb 11, 1992
GERMANY REFUSES RUSSIA MORE MONEY FOR TROOP PULLOUT.
The German government rejected Russian requests for more funds to pay for withdrawing former Soviet Red Army troops out of eastern Germany. A spokesperson for the German Finance Ministry said Russia is demanding unrealistic amounts of money for the Soviet bases and Economics Minister Juergen Moellemann said Russia should not strain his country's generosity by asking for more.

Feb 11, 1992
UKRAINE APPEALS FOR SUSPENSION OF RUSSIAN RIGHTS.
The Ukrainian government issued an appeal for the United Nations to suspend Russia's rights regarding overseas property that once belonged to the former Soviet Union. The government argued that millions of dollars that belong to Ukraine are currently frozen in Moscow banks.

Feb 10, 1992
NEW FOOD AIRLIFT TO FORMER SOVIET STATES BEGINS.
A U.S.-organized international airlift aimed at providing food and medical supplies to the former republics of the Soviet Union began. France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States are the main benefactors in the program. The bulk of the U.S. provisions come from supplies left over from last year's Persian Gulf War part of an effort by the U.S. government to avoid seeking more federal funds and minimize strain on the American people. However, the reports note that U.S. Secretary of State James Baker III is also laying the foundation for the creation of a ruble stabilization program.

Feb 7, 1992
UKRAINE REJECTS RETURN OF CRIMEA TO RUSSIA.
In an overwhelming vote, the Ukrainian legislature rejected a demand by Russia that the Crimean peninsula be returned to Russia. (Former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev gave Crimea to Russia as a gift in 1954 in an effort to increase unity between Ukrainians and Russians.) Ukraine attacked the Russian demand, which it said violates the agreement made at the December 1991 creation of the Commonwealth of Independent States that existing borders would not be challenged.

Feb 1, 1992
RUSSIA, CHINA SHIP BICYCLES TO CUBA.
Adding to the reported 700,000 bicycles already in use in Cuba, Russia and China sent a combined 500,000 additional bikes to help compensate for the fuel and spare part shortage initiated by the collapse of the Soviet Union in late December 1991. Cuba halted the operation of some 120 buses, leaving 80 in use, adding to a reported 900 buses already out of service.

Feb 1, 1992
BUSH MEETS WITH YELTSIN, LEADERS DECLARE COLD WAR OVER.
U.S. President George Bush met at Camp David, Maryland with President Boris Yeltsin and the two men signed a declaration formally ending the cold war and establishing basic principles for the relationship between the two countries. The leaders did not reach any agreements on arms control issues or the question of economic reform in Russia.

Jan 30, 1992
BEIJING CITES REQUIREMENTS FOR NUCLEAR CUTS.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Duan Jin announced that Beijing will be ready to discuss making cuts in its small nuclear arsenal when the United States and Russia have reduced their stockpiles to its level and stop testing, deployment, and production of the weapons.

Jan 29, 1992
POLISH INDUSTRY AT STANDSTILL DUE TO GAS CUTOFF.
Press reports said most of Poland's industrial enterprises are at a standstill because Russia stopped making shipments of natural gas last week, backing out of a trade deal signed in December. The gas agreement was crucial to the Polish economy, which is almost completely dependent on Russia for its gas supplies. Polish Foreign Trade Minister Adam Glapinski said Russia is supposed to restore the gas supply on Feb 3, but many Polish officials are skeptical that the restoration will occur.

Jan 26, 1992
UN REPORTS FURTHER FINANCIAL WOES.
United Nations (UN) officials reported that despite growing requests from the 15-nation Security Council to undertake new peacekeeping missions in various countries, UN members are continuing to neglect their annual payments to the body and are placing it in danger of bankruptcy. The officials said the UN has been asked to start eight peacekeeping operations since 1988, as opposed to 13 during its entire previous 43 years. Russia alone owes $127 million, having taken over the former Soviet Union's debt.

Jan 26, 1992
BELARUS SENDING NUCLEAR ARMS TO RUSSIA.
The Russian Information Telegraph Agency said Belarus has started sending to Russia the tactical nuclear weapons that were deployed in its territory by the former Soviet Union, and that Minsk is dedicated to creating a nuclear-free and neutral state. Byelorussian Nuclear Commission official Leonid Privalov said his country will be rid of all of its strategic weapons by 1996 or 1997 as per an agreement with Moscow and other former Soviet states.

Jan 26, 1992
RUSSIA TO END TARGETING OF U.S. CITIES.
President Boris Yeltsin said his government is planning to rewrite its military policy so that the United States is not perceived as an enemy and will also stop pointing its long-range missiles at U.S. cities.

Jan 21, 1992
VIETNAM ADMITS KGB INTERROGATED U.S. POW.
A spokesperson for the Vietnamese government confirmed that Hanoi permitted at least one American prisoner of war (POW) to be interrogated by the Soviet KGB (secret police) before the Vietnam War formally ended in 1975. However, political analysts say the statement is meant to counter testimony by former KGB chief Gen. Oleg Kalugin in front of a U.S. Senate Select Committee yesterday that not only did Vietnam allow the interrogation, but held several American POWs for the same purpose until between 1975 and 1978. Hanoi pledged in 1973, when it signed a peace accord with the United States, that all U.S. POWs had already been released.

Jan 20, 1992
RUSSIA, FINLAND SIGN NEW PACT.
Officials from Finland and Russia signed a pact that ends the process of Finlandization under which the Kremlin maintained the right to determine Helsinki's defense and foreign policies. The treaty also stated that the two countries are equals and negates the 1948 pact that gave the Soviet Union power over its neighbor and obliged Finland to help defend the communist state.

Jan 12, 1992
COMPROMISE PLAN DEVELOPED FOR BLACK SEA FLEET.
Russian and Ukrainian negotiators met in Kiev, Ukraine to seek a solution to their dispute over ownership of the Soviet Union's former Black Sea Fleet, which is based in Ukraine. The two sides have agreed that Ukraine will gain control over part of the fleet. Both agreed to avoid unilateral actions until all the details have been resolved.

Jan 9, 1992
YELTSIN CLAIMS RUSSIAN RIGHTS TO BLACK SEA FLEET.
President Boris Yeltsin claimed that Russia is responsible for the former Soviet Union's Black Sea Fleet, even though he said yesterday that it could not "belong to any one republic" and must "be subordinate to the joint command." Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk claimed the joint command agreement does not cover the fleet because its vessels do not carry strategic weapons.

Jan 8, 1992
UKRAINE TAKES OVER ARMY COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM.
Ukrainian military officials took control of communications systems for all former Soviet forces. The action is the latest in the new country's efforts to take over all forces of the former Soviet Union based in Ukraine, such as the Black Sea Fleet, further exacerbating growing tensions with Russia. However, many Soviet forces remain under central control, including the Black Sea Fleet.

Jan 4, 1992
UKRAINE ORDERS BLACK SEA FLEET TO SWEAR LOYALTY.
The Ukrainian government ordered members of the former Soviet Union's Black Sea Fleet and all ground forces based in the state to swear an oath of loyalty to Ukraine. The Black Sea command has refused to administer the oath so far and the order has raised tensions with Russia. Russian legislative Chairperson Ruslan Khasbulatov said the order is "absolutely unjustified." Control of the Black Sea Fleet and other military groups is one of the most contentious issues facing the new Commonwealth of Independent States, of which both Russia and Ukraine are members.

Dec 30, 1991
REPUBLICS AGREE ON MILITARY PLAN.
The 11 former Soviet republics, including Russia, agreed on a military plan that will allow each state to create its own army while retaining a single command for the control of strategic weapons. The agreement emerged from a tough bargaining session in Minsk, Belarus. Only Azerbaijan, Moldova, and Ukraine plan to form separate armies, while the remaining eight states will unite in a joint defense force. Also today, Belarus and Ukraine decided to carry out their own plans for price liberalization after Ukraine failed to persuade Russia to postpone price rises planned for Jan 2.

Dec 27, 1991
SOUTH KOREA GRANTS RECOGNITION TO NEW RUSSIAN STATE.
The South Korean government announced its formal diplomatic recognition of the new Russian state as the successor to the Soviet Union.

Dec 27, 1991
BEIJING RECOGNIZES RUSSIA.
The Chinese government announced its recognition of Russia as an independent state along with the 11 other former Soviet republics. Beijing officials also confirmed that Wang Jinqing, former Chinese ambassador to the Soviet Union, will shift his diplomatic duties to Russia.

Dec 26, 1991
SECURITY FORCES DESTROYING FILES OF SENIOR OFFICERS.
Sources close to the presidency said the new Security Ministry, which has taken over the resources and functions of the Soviet Interior Ministry and KGB (secret police), has been destroying information gathered on several corrupt police officials.

Dec 26, 1991
REPUBLICS EXPRESS CONCERN OVER DEFENSE.
Belarus and Ukraine officials said they will transfer all their states' nuclear missiles to Russian command, but Kazakhstan leaders still said they do not want to grant Russia so much power. President Boris Yeltsin has said he will control the nuclear arsenal but would not act without the agreement of leaders from the four states that house nuclear arms. The military dispute also extends to the armed forces, since Ukraine insists that it is now in control of all Soviet troops within its boundaries. Meanwhile, the Supreme Soviet voted to endorse the dismantling of the Soviet Union and agreed to end its own existence.

Dec 25, 1991
GORBACHEV RESIGNS.
Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev announced his resignation and said the Soviet Union no longer exists. The announcement came in a brief appearance on national television in which Gorbachev made clear his distress at being forced out of office by the creators of the Commonwealth of Independent States. His action prompted several Western states to recognize Russia and several other states that formerly belonged to the Soviet Union. Gorbachev handed over to President Boris Yeltsin the codes used for launching a nuclear attack.

Dec 24, 1991
RUSSIA TAKES FORMER SOVIET UN SEAT.
Russia formally took over the Soviet Union's seat on the United Nations (UN) Security Council. The declaration was made in a letter to UN Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar signed by President Boris Yeltsin.

Dec 21, 1991
ELEVEN REPUBLICS FORM NEW, MODIFIED COMMONWEALTH.
Eleven former republics met in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan and formed themselves into a new, modified Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The powers of the new grouping have not been clearly defined so far, especially with regard to the military, but the leaders of each state will serve on a council that constitutes the highest level of government, with committees of state ministers providing support in such areas as defense, economics, and foreign affairs. Georgia and the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia are not participating in the compact, which will reportedly begin full operation by Jan 15. Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev said he will resign after he receives official word of the meeting's proceedings.

Dec 18, 1991
NUCLEAR REPUBLICS AGREE TO CUTS.
U.S. officials announced that the four former Soviet republics with long-range nuclear weapons have agreed to follow Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev's guidelines, established in the historic Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with U.S. President George Bush, for the gradual reduction of the nation's nuclear stockpile. State representatives also said they will accept U.S. experts' advice on the warheads' destruction. Meanwhile, Ukraine agreed to begin dismantling its estimated 4,000 nuclear weapons immediately, and announced that when the new country is free of the arms, it will relinquish all control in such matters to whatever federal or commonwealth administration finally comes to power. Also today, Gorbachev declared that he will resign as soon as a peaceful transition of power occurs from the Kremlin to the new Commonwealth of Independent States. (The republics with nuclear weapons in their territory are Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan.)

Dec 17, 1991
KAZAKHSTAN OBJECTS TO YELTSIN PLAN.
Nursultan Nazarbayev, president of Kazakhstan, warned President Boris Yeltsin that he is not prepared to subordinate his power to the larger, more influential Russian federation, saying Kazakhstan will keep its nuclear weapons as long as Russia does. Nazarbayev, meeting with U.S. Secretary of State James Baker III, also objected to the idea of Russia acting as the sole Commonwealth of Independent States representative at the United Nations. In Moscow, Yeltsin declared that Dec 31 is the target date for the official demise of the Soviet Union.

Dec 16, 1991
MILITARY SHOWS SUPPORT FOR NEW COMPACT.
In a gesture that indicated the military's support of the new Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) over Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev's failing union, Soviet Defense Minister Yevgeny Shaposhnikov and Interior Minister Victor Barannikov accompanied President Boris Yeltsin to talks in Moscow with U.S. Secretary of State James Baker III. Yeltsin appealed to Baker to recognize Russia's independence and work toward the transfer of the Soviet United Nations (UN) Security Council seat to Russia. Yeltsin also mentioned the possibility of eventually making the new compact nuclear free, with the exception of Russia.

Dec 16, 1991
NORWAY RECOGNIZES RUSSIA.
The Norwegian government became the first nation outside the former Eastern bloc to recognize Russia as an independent state, although Foreign Minister Thorvals Stoltenberg said his administration will also retain ties with the Soviet Union.

Dec 15, 1991
GOVERNMENT REQUESTS U.S. RECOGNITION.
Russia asked Washington to recognize its independence and that of Ukraine and Belarus, forcing the United States to choose either to maintain diplomatic relations with Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev or establish relations with the new Slavic commonwealth headed by Boris Yeltsin. Faced with the choice, U.S. officials have begun to voice hopes that Gorbachev will either step aside or reach a compromise with the new commonwealth so they will not be forced to withdraw their support for him.

Dec 15, 1991
CHILE REJECTS EVICTION.
The Chilean government announced that "because of humanitarian reasons" it has no intention of evicting former East German communist leader Erich Honecker, who has been sheltering at the Chilean Embassy in Moscow to avoid extradition proceedings. Meanwhile, a small group of protesters gathered at the Kremlin in support of the former leader.

Dec 13, 1991
CENTRAL ASIAN REPUBLICS JOIN COMMONWEALTH.
In a fatal blow to the former Soviet Union, the five central Asian republics Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan agreed to enter the Commonwealth of Independent States. Their decision leaves only four of the former Soviet republics out of the accord, although each of those has expressed interest in joining. The five republics' action not only regroups the four republics that possess nuclear weapons (Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, and Kazakhstan) under a single weapons-control treaty, but also reduces the risk of a political split between the former federation's western Slavs and its eastern Islamic minority.

Dec 12, 1991
CIS PLAN GAINS SUPPORT.
As more republics say they will support the commonwealth plan, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev said he is prepared to resign, although he still opposes the new Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The statement followed the endorsement of the plan by the Russian legislature and indicates that a number of central Asian republics will join the compact. The Soviet Union is currently in dire straits, with growing food shortages and serious financial problems.

Dec 12, 1991
UKRAINE CLAIMS COMMAND OF TROOPS.
Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk signed a decree bringing all the 1.2 million Soviet troops in his state directly under his control. The move undermined the previously reported intention of the three Slavic states (Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus) to retain joint control of the military as the Soviet Union is dismantled, and undercut the position of President Mikhail Gorbachev, who is still nominally chief of staff.

Dec 12, 1991
HONECKER SAYS HE WILL FIGHT EXTRADITION.
Former East German communist leader Erich Honecker said he will fight German demands for his extradition and took up residence in the Chilean Embassy in Moscow. Honecker said his request for political asylum in Russia means that he cannot be extradited to stand trial on charges of human rights abuse and official corruption in Germany.

Dec 11, 1991
GOVERNMENT TELLS HONECKER TO LEAVE.
The newspaper Izvestia reported that Russian authorities have told former East German communist leader Erich Honecker that he must leave the country by Dec 13. Honecker has been fighting extradition proceedings for some time and the newspaper report said he will be deported to Germany unless he leaves voluntarily. (Honecker faces charges in Germany for his involvement in the shooting of East Germans trying to escape to the West during the period of Communist Party rule that ended in 1989.)

Dec 10, 1991
GORBACHEV MEETS WITH MILITARY LEADERS.
Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev met with military officials to assess the plan for a Commonwealth of Independent States. Domestic experts said the future of the Soviet Union may depend on who the military supports. Russian President Boris Yeltsin is scheduled to meet with regional commanders soon.

Dec 9, 1991
GORBACHEV CALLS CIS PLAN "ILLEGAL."
Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev said the annulment of the Soviet state by its constituent republics is "illegal and dangerous" and that the nation may only be broken up by constitutional processes "with the participation of all sovereign states and taking into account the will of their peoples." He added that the new Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), formed yesterday, should only be viewed as a proposal. Meanwhile, the United States said it will continue to recognize Gorbachev as head of state as long as he appears to wield any influence, the White House saying it might work with the new commonwealth but will not yet recognize it. According to press reports, Gorbachev still has some power with the military. Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev, considered to be the informal leader of the central Asian republic heads, expressed his support for Gorbachev and displayed clear irritation that Russian President Boris Yeltsin and the others had not consulted him on the commonwealth plan.

Dec 8, 1991
THREE REPUBLICS CREATE NEW COMMONWEALTH.
Leaders from Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine Boris Yeltsin, Stanislav Shushkevich, and Leonid Kravchuk, respectively met in Brest, Belarus and declared the creation of a new Commonwealth of Independent States. The leaders, who said "the USSR [ Soviet Union], as a subject of international law and geopolitical reality, is ceasing its existence," invited other republics to join the commonwealth, which they expect to include defense, economic, and foreign affairs coordinating bodies based in Minsk, Belarus. The leaders also said they are taking control of the nation's nuclear arsenal. The action of the Slavic republics may alienate the Caucasian and Muslim republics, which have not been consulted and will not be offered an opportunity to negotiate on the new compact, but only an option to join or not join. The commonwealth is likely to face resistance from both President Mikhail Gorbachev and officials within the Soviet military-industrial complex, which is being sidestepped by the compact and the move to Minsk. Gorbachev, who has not responded to the announcement so far, had earlier warned that breaking the nation up could make the current civil war in Yugoslavia "a simple joke by comparison."

Government Affairs

Nov 5, 1997
YELTSIN OUSTS MEDIA MAGNATE FROM GOVERNMENT.
President Boris Yeltsin removed Boris Berezovsky, a powerful Russian businessman, from his post as deputy secretary of the National Security Council. The government alleged that Berezovsky had used his position in the government to further his business interests. Berezovsky, who owns the car dealership Logovaz, and is a major shareholder of ORT, the country's largest television network, has denied the charge. Berezovsky has said the government is using the pretense of achieving a more open market economy to favor other prominent financiers. He has been critical of the deputy prime ministers Anatoly Chubais and Boris Nemtsov, who have pressed for a revival of market reforms during recent months. Berezovsky has used his editorial power at ORT to chastise the government about the Jul 25 privatization of telecommunications giant Svyazinvest, in which shares were awarded to Berezovsky's business rivals. The government's privatization program has been plagued by criticism from corporate interests alleging favoritism and unfair dealings. Berezovsky was appointed to the post at the National Security Council on Oct 29, 1996 as a reward for giving key financial support to Yeltsin's reelection campaign.

Oct 31, 1997
CHEMICAL WEAPONS TREATY WINS APPROVAL IN STATE DUMA.
The State Duma approved an international treaty to ban chemical weapons. The Duma voted 288-75 in favor of the treaty, which is aimed at stopping the development and possession of poison gases, of which Russia has the world's largest arsenal. Russia has estimated that it will cost $5 billion to destroy the arsenal, which is composed of 81% nerve gas and 19% mustard gas and blister agents. Questions remain over how the destruction will be paid for, although Western nations have committed to providing some financial aid for the project. The treaty, which went into effect in April, has been signed by 167 nations. It has been ratified by 102 of the 167 countries, including the United States, which has the second-largest poison gas arsenal. The treaty still needs approval by the upper house of Russia's parliament.

Aug 28, 1997
DEFENSE COUNCIL SECRETARY REPLACED.
Defense Council Secretary Yuri Baturin was relieved of his duties by President Boris Yeltsin. First Deputy Defense Minister Andrei Kokoshin was named as Baturin's replacement. Kokoshin will gain extra powers as head of the newly created State Military Inspectorate, which is intended to be a watchdog in the effort to streamline and improve the Soviet-era military as promised by Yeltsin in his 1996 election campaign.

Aug 13, 1997
BOIKO TO HEAD PRIVATIZATION COMMITTEE.
Maxim Boiko, the former director of government relations with regions, was named deputy prime minister and minister of privatization at the State Property Committee. He succeeds Alfred Kokh, who resigned yesterday after coming under fire for the way he handled a series of controversial selloffs. The 37-year-old Boiko is an economist experienced in selloffs and has a reputation as a tough executive.

Jul 27, 1997
PRO-KREMLIN CANDIDATE WINS SIBERIA ELECTION.
Initial election results confirmed that Boris Govorin, the mayor of Irkutsk and a pro-Moscow candidate, won the governorship of Siberia. He earned 40%-50% of the vote, while Sergei Levhenko, a Communist Party candidate, won only 25%-30%. Govorin's victory in what is a key vote represents a triumph for reformers and a blow to hard-liners.

Jul 26, 1997
GOVERNMENT TO DOWNSIZE BY 10%.
First Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov announced that the government will cut its payroll by 10% in an effort to slash its bloated bureaucracy. Much of the money saved by the layoffs will go toward paying members of the military, who are owed several months' back wages.

Jul 14, 1997
NIZHNY NOVGOROD ELECTION CHOICE PRAISED.
First Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov lauded the choice of Ivan Sklyarov as his successor as governor of Nizhny Novgorod, which has 4 million residents. (The city of Nizhny Novgorod was formerly known as Gorky.) Sklyarov, who like Nemtsov is considered a reformer, obtained 52% of the vote in the second round of elections that were held yesterday. The Communist candidate, Gennady Khodyrev, received 42%. Nemtsov resigned as the region's governor in March to take his present position.

Jul 2, 1997
JUSTICE MINISTER FIRED.
Justice Minister Valentin Kovalyov was dismissed by President Boris Yeltsin following publication of photographs allegedly showing the minister cavorting with women at a Moscow sauna. Kovalyov resigned on Jun 23, asking Yeltsin to merely suspend him while he cleared his name. Yeltsin initially complied with the request, but changed his mind in an attempt to put an end to the fiasco. Kovalyov's replacement is Sergei Stepashin, the former chief of the Federal Security Service, who lost that post following a failed June 1995 attempt to rescue Russians held in a hospital by Chechen separatists in the town of Budyonnovsk.

Jun 23, 1997
JUSTICE MINISTER STEPS DOWN.
Justice Minister Valentin Kovalyov resigned following revelations last week in the newspaper Top Secret that he had frolicked with naked women at a sauna patronized by organized crime figures. Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov had called on the justice minister to explain his behavior following publication of photographs reportedly taken in 1995 of Kovalyov with the women.

May 22, 1997
PRESIDENT SACKS TWO TOP-RANKING MILITARY ADVISERS.
President Boris Yeltsin sacked Defense Minister Igor Rodionov and Chief of General Staff Gen. Viktor Samsonov. Yeltsin said the two military advisers failed to implement budget cuts and restructure the military in a timely fashion.

May 20, 1997
GENERAL KOBETS FIRED FROM GOVERNMENT.
Deputy Defense Minister Gen. Konstantin Kobets was dismissed following his indictment on corruption charges as President Boris Yeltsin's campaign against graft gained pace at the expense of a key ally. Kobets had proven to be a loyal supporter of Yeltsin in the past, defending him in two overthrow attempts.

Apr 24, 1997
YELTSIN APPOINTS NEW ENERGY MINISTER.
The Kremlin announced that First Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov has been appointed the new fuel and energy minister. The popular Nemtsov, a young liberal, joined the Cabinet only last month. The appointment is part of a government reshuffle by President Boris Yeltsin's reshuffle that is aimed at inciting reform in the utilities and transportation sectors. "I am convinced we should more boldly promote more young people to responsible positions of leadership," Yeltsin said in a radio address.

Apr 16, 1997
NEW MINISTER APPOINTED.
President Boris Yeltsin announced the appointment of Mikhail Fradkov as foreign economic relations minister. Fradkov will succeed Oleg Davydov.

Apr 15, 1997
DEPUTY FINANCE MINISTER REPLACED.
Government officials announced that Deputy Finance Minister Andrei Vavilov has been dismissed from his post. Vavilov will be succeeded by Alexei Kudrin.

Apr 7, 1997
REBEL COMMANDER NAMED AS ACTING CHECHEN PREMIER.
Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov named rebel commander Shamil Basayev as the enclave's acting premier during Maskhadov's upcoming visit to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Maskhadov plans to embark on a Muslim pilgrimage to the holy city within a few days and will also meet with leaders of other Islamic countries to seek aid for Chechnya. Political analysts suggest that Basayev's appointment is likely to increase tensions with the Russian government.

Mar 19, 1997
CHECHEN LEADER NAMES CABINET.
Chechnya's new president, Aslan Maskhadov, named a Cabinet and created a national guard, according to Russian press reports. The leader of the breakaway Caucasian republic brought in several members of the rebel group headed by rival guerrilla leader Shamil Basayev, his opponent in January presidential elections.

Mar 17, 1997
YELTSIN APPOINTS REFORMERS IN CABINET.
A reinvigorated President Boris Yeltsin shook up his Cabinet, appointing economic reformers over more-conservative ministers in his government. The most significant appointment was that of Boris Nemtsov, a 37-year-old governor from Nizhny Novgorod, to the post of first deputy prime minister. The changes were recommended by Anatoly Chubais, the chief pro-market reformer in the Kremlin. Among other changes, Yeltsin did away with several ministries entirely, including the industry and defense industry ministries. In a television appearance with the telegenic and youthful Nemtsov, who in the past has been named a likely presidential contender, Yeltsin said, "Two young men, you and Anatoly Chubais, will set up a young team from scratch in the government. All appointments for ministerial positions will be cleared with you." Within and without Russia, the Far East region of Nizhny Novgorod has been called a model of economic reform.

Mar 7, 1997
CHUBAIS TAKES COMMAND OF ECONOMY.
President Boris Yeltsin promoted Anatoly Chubais, turning the chief of staff into a first deputy prime minister, just one rung in rank below Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin. The decision was welcomed by the Western business sector more than by ordinary Russians, who view him as a threat to their already poor social benefits. Most citizens despise the shrewd economics minister because of his association with a failed privatization effort he helped lead several years ago. Chubais' main job will be to more effectively manage Russia's faltering economy. "Yeltsin has clearly thrown in with the reformers for the moment. But if Chubais fails this time, he may not get another chance," opined one Western official quoted in a New York Times article.

Mar 6, 1997
YELTSIN PROMISES REFORM AND A NEW CABINET IN STATE OF RUSSIA ADDRESS.
President Boris Yeltsin said he was tired of "shouting" at his government to get it to work and said imminent Cabinet changes would give precedence to reformers who can fix Russia's crummy economy. Yeltsin looked slimmer and more vigorous in his state of the nation address after heart surgery some seven months ago. Pundits surmised that Anatoly Chubais, the Kremlin chief of staff, would soon assume a Cabinet post under Viktor Chernomyrdin with a mandate to reform the economy faster. Rumors had it that Yegor Gaidar, the architect of Russia's first free-market reforms in 1991, would join the Kremlin as well, if not as a Cabinet member than as an adviser to Chubais himself. "The government is growing fat. It is necessary to abolish individual privileges, the confused approvals procedure, [and] preferential treatment, without competition, of government orders," Yeltsin said.

Feb 10, 1997
KORZHAKOV WINS DUMA SEAT.
President Boris Yeltsin's ousted former bodyguard won a seat on the State Duma. Aleksandr Korzhakov had campaigned in the depressed Tula region, a burned-out industrial district two hours south of Moscow, for the parliamentary seat vacated by former national security chief Aleksandr Lebed, winning it with a paltry 26% of the vote. Korzhakov told Russian media that he would soon be releasing "kompromat," or compromising material, about his days in the Kremlin: "Many people have something to be afraid of," he warned. Kremlin pundits predicted a "sleaze war" and tit-for-tat recriminations once the vengeful former right-hand man to Yeltsin takes his seat. Korzhakov's competitors for the empty seat included Anatoly Karpov, the chess player, and Yelena Mavrodi, a former beauty queen married to the mastermind behind a pyramid scheme that drained the life savings of thousands of Russians.

Feb 4, 1997
YELTSIN PROMOTES KULIKOV.
President Boris Yeltsin boosted his hawkish interior minister, Anatoly Kulikov, to deputy prime minister, a post from which he is supposed to spearhead a drive to improve tax collection and battle economic crime. A critic of economic reform and a hard-line proponent of the war in Chechnya, Kulikov has called for the renationalization of privatized firms and oversaw major military blunders during the disastrous Chechen conflict. Liberal Moscow newspapers decried the promotion, speculating that it was a payout to the man who helped engineer the dismissal from the Kremlin of the popular former general Aleksandr Lebed last October.

Jan 28, 1997
CHECHEN COMMANDER WINS PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS.
A moderate Chechen rebel commander declared victory a day after presidential elections in Chechnya. Preliminary results indicated that Aslan Maskhadov solidly beat his closest opponent, Shamil Basayev, a more radical rebel leader who led a daring assault on the Russian town of Budyonnovsk in 1995. "The preliminary results of the voting give a serious chance for productive negotiations to continue between the Russian Federation and the Chechen republic," the Kremlin said in a prepared statement. Maskhadov followed his victory declaration with a vow to secure for the breakaway region a lasting independence from Russia. "All that remains is that our independence must be recognized by all states, including Russia," he said. Maskhadov won the unenviable job of putting back the pieces of the mostly Muslim republic after a withering 21 months of battle with Russian troops. Chechnya's economy is in shambles and hooliganism and crime are widespread in the Caucasian republic.

Jan 22, 1997
DUMA VOTES TO REMOVE YELTSIN BECAUSE OF ABSENCE.
Russia's restless State Duma voted 229-36 to remove President Boris Yeltsin from office because he has been ill and absent from the post for the past seven months. The nonbinding resolution has no real legal force because constitutional revisions have rendered the legislative body itself virtually toothless. But the vote highlighted the frustration in Moscow with Yeltsin's prolonged absence from the public eye as he recuperates from heart surgery and a case of double pneumonia.

Dec 23, 1996
YELTSIN RETURNS TO WORK.
President Boris Yeltsin went to work at the Kremlin some seven weeks after quintuple bypass heart surgery. The 65-year-old leader, whose age exceeds the average Russian male's life expectancy by several years, announced that he was "ready for battle." Yeltsin said he would work on wage and pension arrears as millions of state and private-sector workers have gone unpaid for months.
 
 
 
 

President Boris Yeltsin smiling as he arrives at the Kremlin on Dec 23, 1996 to resume his duties after a nearly seven-week absence [Reuters/Archive]

Oct 30, 1996
CHARGES OF CRONYISM GREET NEW HIRE TO SECURITY COUNCIL.
Russian politicians across the political spectrum cried foul after a media mogul and key sponsor of President Boris Yeltsin's reelection campaign was appointed deputy chief of the National Security Council yesterday. Boris Berezovsky is the owner of Logovaz, the country's largest car dealership, and is a primary shareholder of the formerly state-owned ORT television network. The council has been reorganized since the ouster of its former chief, Aleksandr Lebed, who shortly before he was sacked alleged that the business tycoon Berezovsky had a financial interest in the Chechen war. The Communist speaker of the State Duma, Gennadi Seleznyov, blamed Anatoly Chubais, the new chief of staff, for the decision to appoint Berezovsky and called for his dismissal. According to Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin, National Security Council chief Ivan Rybkin appointed Berezovsky to help seek a settlement in Chechnya. Meanwhile, the Kremlin announced that Yeltsin may undergo heart surgery sometime next week.

Oct 21, 1996
RUTSKOY WINS GOVERNORSHIP.
Press reports said former Russian Vice President Aleksandr Rutskoy was elected governor of his home region of Kursk, a western region bordering Ukraine, in elections held yesterday. A rival of Yeltsin who was imprisoned after leading a failed coup to stop Yeltsin's reforms in 1993, Rutskoy won some 79% of the vote, entitling him to a seat in the Federation Council, the upper parliamentary house. Rutskoy beat out the Kremlin-backed incumbent of Kursk overwhelmingly despite having had only two days to campaign there because of a registration dispute. Rutskoy will join a growing number of nationalists and communists being elected to the upper chamber. In other regional elections yesterday, an opposition candidate won in the Kirov region, while a Yeltsin appointee held on to his governorship of Sakhalin Island.

Oct 19, 1996
KREMLIN INSIDER GETS LEBED'S POST.
President Boris Yeltsin appointed Ivan Rybkin, the former speaker of the State Duma and a moderate, to some of the posts left vacant by Aleksandr Lebed, the national security chief ousted several days ago for insubordination. Rybkin assumed the posts of secretary of the National Security Council and presidential envoy to Chechnya but not the title of national security adviser, a position that will probably be left unfilled. Rybkin is a longtime Yeltsin loyalist, leading Western diplomats to conclude that he will assume a relatively low profile in the administration. After his appointment, Rybkin said he will not seek to alter the Chechen peace agreement worked out by his predecessor. "I think very difficult work has been done and it should be persistently continued by joint efforts," he said of the ongoing negotiations with separatist Chechen rebels. Fearing that hard-liners in the Russian State Duma may seek to renege on the Chechen peace pact, rebels there today announced that they are moving up the date of scheduled local elections.

Oct 17, 1996
YELTSIN SACKS LEBED.
After months of Kremlin intrigue, a visibly ailing Boris Yeltsin appeared on national television and sacked his brash and combative national security adviser, Aleksandr Lebed. Yeltsin angrily accused Lebed of trying to split apart his Cabinet. "The team should pull together, work like a fist. But now we have a situation where Lebed is splitting the team apart. That is totally unacceptable," Yeltsin said. After his firing, the popular Lebed told reporters, "I will begin streamlining a political structure and begin preparing for possible elections." (The next presidential elections are scheduled for 2000, but if Yeltin dies before then power would fall to the prime minister and elections for a new president would be held within three months.) Since his appointment four months ago, Lebed has openly vied for power against such Cabinet members as Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin and Anatoly Chubais, the president's chief of staff. His ouster came roughly a month before the president is scheduled to have heart surgery. Lebed said he was sacked because he had become "inconvenient" for Chubais, who is believed to have orchestrated Lebed's dismissal. The dismissal came a day after Interior Minister Anatoly Kulikov, the hawkish architect of the Chechen war and Lebed's archenemy, accused the blunt-spoken former general of planning a " mutiny." Lebed denied the allegations as nonsense even as Kulikov ordered a security alert in major Russian cities. Several days ago Lebed sought approval of a 3,000-man special brigade for each of Russia's regions, and he had long sought control of "power ministries," such as the interior forces under Kulikov's command. He had also recently formed a quasi-political allegiance with Aleksandr Korshakov, Yeltsin's shadowy former security chief. Analysts predicted that Lebed's firing would not bode well for the six-week-long cease-fire in Chechnya, where Lebed shepherded a controversial peace agreement with separatist fighters. "The dismissal of Lebed will have tragic consequences for Russia," warned Ruslan Chimayev, the Chechen foreign minister. "Lebed has become a sacrifice of the party of war that wants to see a resumption of fighting in Chechnya," he said.

Sep 28, 1996
LEBED CALLS FOR YELTSIN TO TRANSFER POWERS.
Complaining of a power vacuum in the Kremlin, Aleksandr Lebed called on President Boris Yeltsin to transfer his powers completely to a top official while he prepares and recovers from heart surgery. (Yeltsin is scheduled to undergo heart surgery within six weeks and to recuperate for several months afterwards.) While in the hospital preparing for surgery, Yeltsin has handed most of his duties to Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin, who consults with Yeltsin on decision-making. "There is a president and at the same time there is no president. A very dangerous precedent is taking place when the country is controlled on behalf of the president. This does not suit me at all," Lebed said in a Moscow newspaper interview. The brash and combative remarks were interpreted by Western diplomats as the latest manifestation of a power struggle in the Kremlin between Lebed, Yeltsin's security adviser; Chernomyrdin; and Anatoly Chubais, the president's chief of staff. According to a recent newspaper poll, Lebed enjoys a popularity rating twice that of Yeltsin and four times greater than Chernomyrdin. Lebed has lately issued dire warnings that Russia is on the brink of chaos and that its demoralized and underpaid army may soon mutiny.

Sep 10, 1996
YELTSIN DELEGATES AUTHORITY TO PREMIER.
While on vacation and preparing for heart surgery, President Boris Yeltsin temporarily turned over national security and law enforcement powers to his premier, Viktor Chernomyrdin. The ailing president, however, did not relinquish control of his nuclear command authority, his aides said. The shift was aimed at stalling a power struggle in the Kremlin that has been intensifying since the president announced last week that he will undergo surgery. Under the new setup, the heads of the defense, foreign affairs, intelligence, and interior will now report to Chernomyrdin instead of Yeltsin. It was unclear how long Yeltsin will be absent from power or even when his operation will take place. The surgery will be handled by a Moscow hospital. Yeltsin has not yet given his blessing to any of the many contenders for power in the Kremlin, which include Aleksandr Lebed, Chernomyrdin, chief of staff Anatoly Chubais, and even Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov. Western diplomats said the latest power shift seemed aimed at reining in the ambitions of Lebed. The Russian Constitution (1993) calls for the prime minister to fill in for three months if the president is incapacitated or dies before new elections are held, but there are no clear guidelines that define when a leader is incapacitated.

Aug 15, 1996
PREMIER NAMES NEW CABINET.
Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin announced the members of his new Cabinet, which remains largely unchanged except for the inclusion of a leading capitalist, Vladimir Potanin, as head of privatization. Potanin, who replaces Vladimir Kadannikov, is the 35-year-old president of Oneximbank, one of the most powerful private banks in Russia. Potanin helped bankroll President Boris Yeltsin's reelection campaign and was one of the main architects of a controversial 1995 " loans for shares" program whereby a few Kremlin banks offered cash to the state in return for shares in top state assets. Potanin joins two other first deputy prime ministers who report directly to Chernomyrdin Viktor Ilyushin, who was put in charge of social issues, and Aleksai Bolshakov, who will be responsible for industry, construction, transport, communications, and mineral resources. In view of the cronyism of the appointments, a liberal lawmaker in the State Duma characterized the new Cabinet as a "group of people who supported the president's reelection campaign."

Aug 9, 1996
YELTSIN SWORN IN.
Appearing stiff and weak, Boris Yeltsin was formally sworn in as Russia's first democratically elected president in a toned-down and abbreviated Kremlin ceremony. Yeltsin spoke for less than a minute to recite the oath of office during the solemn event, which was held inside the Kremlin Palace. Meanwhile, Russian troops were reported under siege in Grozny, the breakaway capital of Chechnya, routed by separatist rebels who have sought to humiliate Moscow during its inauguration festivities. Yeltsin is scheduled for a long vacation after his inauguration. Several aides have hinted that the ailing leader, who has a history of heart problems, may undergo a bypass operation during his leave of absence. After the ceremony, Yeltsin formally dissolved the government and sent a letter to the State Duma nominating Viktor Chernomyrdin to stay on as prime minister. The Duma is expected to approve the nomination tomorrow.

Aug 1, 1996
YELTSIN NAMES SECURITY COUNCIL.
President Boris Yeltsin named the 15 members of his Security Council, which will include as permanent members Yeltsin as chair, Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin, National Security Adviser Aleksandr Lebed as secretary, Federal Security Service (formerly the KGB) chief Nikolai Kovalyov, Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov, and new Defense Minister Igor Rodionov. Cabinet members and security officials round out the nonpermanent membership. The council features the same core members as the recently created 18-member Defense Council, a duplication expected to dilute the powers of ambitious former army general Lebed.

Jul 4, 1996
YELTSIN ACCEPTS VICTORY, OPENS DOOR FOR COMMUNISTS.
A day after his reelection victory, President Boris Yeltsin vowed to "resurrect Russia" and called for cooperation with the communist opposition. In a brief televised address from the Kremlin, Yeltsin also reappointed Viktor Chernomyrdin as prime minister. "The election was a very tense one. You have resolved this debate. Let us not divide the country into the victorious and the vanquished. Let us work," Yeltsin urged. Yeltsin posted a 13.3% lead over Communist Party candidate Gennady Zyuganov in Jul 3 runoff elections. In his concession speech, Zyuganov said that his party will not legally contest the vote but that "if the social and economic status of our citizens continues to deteriorate I do not rule out the possibility of mass riots." Zyuganov said the Communist Party will wait to see what kind of positions it is offered in a new cabinet. Kremlin observers said a power struggle between the brash new national security adviser, Aleksandr Lebed, and the prime minister appear to have been decided by the reappointment of Chernomyrdin, who conducted a confident news conference in which he scorned the likelihood of Lebed assuming a role as vice president or Yeltsin's heir-apparent. Chernomyrdin also ruled out the possibility of the economic reformer Grigory Yavlinsky assuming a position in a new government.

Jul 3, 1996
YELTSIN WINS REELECTION BY WIDE MARGIN.
President Boris Yeltsin defeated Communist Party opponent Gennady Zyuganov in the second round of Russia's first-ever democratic presidential elections, confirming the nation's turn away from its communist past and toward painful economic reforms. Official results of the runoff poll indicated that with 65% of the vote counted Yeltsin leads by a 55-39 margin and that 5% of voters voted against both candidates. In the first round of voting just two weeks ago, in which neither candidate was able to claim majority support, Yeltsin led Zyuganov by only a 3% margin. Yeltsin's victory appeared to be helped by his appointment of an early opponent, the nationalist Aleksandr Lebed, to the post of national security czar. Yeltsin also lifted his dismal popularity ratings by conducting a free-spending and vigorous anti-Communist election campaign. In the aftermath of the whirlwind campaign the 65-year-old head of state, who has a history of heart problems, has appeared infrequently in public, leading to speculation about the state of his health. Yeltsin appeared briefly today to cast his ballot at a polling station near his country home before he was whisked away by bodyguards. As Zyuganov cast his ballot, he told reporters: "Nobody will lose today and nobody will win. In the current conditions, Russia itself will lose if our course continues. But it cannot continue, even if everyone wanted it to." Zyuganov, who has lately jockeyed for an opposition role, said his party will likely participate in Yeltsin's second-term government, which will be led by Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin. Budget problems and legislative infighting are expected to head the new government's list of woes.

Jun 20, 1996
YELTSIN DISMISSES KREMLIN HARD-LINERS.
Amid coup rumors and an atmosphere of palace intrigue, President Boris Yeltsin sacked three of his most hawkish advisers to level the balance of power in the Kremlin before runoff presidential elections now set for Jul 3. Those ousted were Aleksandr Korzhakov, Yeltsin's longtime bodyguard; Gen. Mikhail Barsukov, the head of the agency that replaced the KGB; and Oleg Soskovets, a deputy prime minister who oversaw Russia's military-industrial complex. Putting rumors of a coup attempt to rest, Yeltsin told reporters at a news conference after the dismissals: "To make it short, the power structures had to be replaced; they began assuming too much authority, and producing too few results." Yeltsin's top campaign aide, Anatoly Chubais, said the hard-liners had sought through behind-the-scenes maneuvering to sabotage the elections and maintain their powers and privileges. The dismissal of the hard-line advisers was precipitated by press reports that two Yeltsin campaign aides were arrested, held, and intimidated for hours on the orders of Korzhakov. Chubais said the hard-line faction felt threatened by the recent dismissal of their ally, Defense Minister Pavel Grachev, and the introduction into the Kremlin of the anticorruption crusader Aleksandr Lebed as national security adviser. All three hard-liners had promoted the war in Chechnya, had persuaded Yeltsin to dismiss liberals like Chubais from his Cabinet, and were accused of urging the Russian leader to cancel presidential elections.

Jun 18, 1996
YELTSIN OUSTS DEFENSE CHIEF, NAMES OPPONENT TO SECURITY POST.
In a bid to strengthen his chances for reelection in runoff elections next month, President Boris Yeltsin dismissed his unpopular defense minister, Pavel Grachev, and appointed Aleksandr Lebed, who ran third in the first round of voting, as his top national security adviser. The alliance with Lebed gave Yeltsin a claim to some 11 million votes that the gruff law-and-order candidate, a former general turned politician, secured in the presidential balloting. At a news conference after his appointment, Lebed said he will work with Yeltsin to fight ballooning rates of crime and corruption since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union, saying: "Millions have shown faith in me, I intend to do everything to insure that there is no more bloodshed in Russia." Lebed will oversee Yeltsin's Security Council, a national security and foreign policy advisory committee, and is expected to play a decisive role in choosing a new defense chief and reforming the military. Lebed has criticized the Chechen war and has advocated turning the heavily mechanized Russian armed forces into a more mobile fighting force to respond better to instability in former Soviet republics and to border confl