17:27
PRESIDENT OF KABARDINO-BALKARIA VALERY KOKOV CENSURES DOUBLE STANDARDS IN GEORGIAN LEADERSHIP'S POLICY
Valery Kokov, President of Kabardino-Balkaria (a North Caucasian Republic of Russia), vice-chairman of the Federation Council, censures double standards in the Georgian leadership's policy More details...

15:53
RUSSIA BLAMES ABKHAZIAN CONFLICT ON GEORGIA
Addressing the lower house of the Russian parliament, Russia's deputy Foreign Minister Valery Loshchinin blamed the situation in the self-proclaimed republic of Abkhazia and the deaths resulting from terrorist activity entirely on Georgia. More details...

15:30
KONSTANTIN ZATULIN: SHEVARDNADZE WANTS TO BRING RUSSIA AND USA TOGETHER
Reports are arriving from Georgia about a possible withdrawal from CIS are “a natural result of Georgian authorities’ policy." This opinion has been expressed by Konstantin Zatulin, CIS Institute director, in his interview for RIA ‘Novosti’. More details...

15:25
CPRF LEADER GENNADY ZYUGANOV CRITICIZES GEORGIAN PRESIDENT
Gennady Zyuganov, the leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, has harshly criticized Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze for "losing elementary control over his country." "He is dragging Georgia into unconsciousness," he said. More details...

15:23
TBILISI DISCUSSES WITHDRAWAL FROM CIS
Kakha Imnadze, the press secretary to Georgian president Edward Shevardnadze, has admitted that Tbilisi is "discussing" the possibility of backing out of the Commonwealth of Independent States. More details...

15:14
RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY HAILS PARLIAMENTARY RESOLUTION ON STATE OF RUSSIAN-GEORGIAN RELATIONS
The Russian foreign ministry has supported the resolution "On the state of Russian-Georgian relations", adopted by the State Duma on Thursday. More details...

14:30
PETR YERMILIN: SHEVARDNADZE GOES INTO HYSTERIC. IT COULD HAVE A BENEFICIAL INFLUENCE UPON THE CONSOLIDATION OF THE RUSSIAN POSITION IN CIS
At least for the second time while being Georgian president, Eduard Shevardnadze has started to threaten Russia with Georgia's withdrawal from the CIS. It must be remembered the first time this threat was made by the eccentric leader of Georgia was in March of 1999 while giving an interview to a Japanese newspaper. More details...

13:20
ANDREI LUBENSKI: UKRAINIAN SOCIAL-DEMOCRATS PROPOSE TO CREATE A NEW YALTA CONFERENCE TO SETTLE THE GLOBAL CONFLICT
The head of Ukrainian Social-Democratic Party, vice-speaker of Ukrainian parliament Viktor Medvedchuk has made a sensational statement in connexion with launching by the US and their allies the anti-terrorist operation. More details...

13:12
ABKHAZ SIDE DOES NOT RULE OUT POSSIBILITY OF NEW GUNMEN PENETRATING FROM GEORGIA
According to operative information of the Abkhaz military, a large group of gunmen may penetrate from the territory controlled by the Georgian side to Abkhazia to help the bandit formations blocked in the Kodor Gorge area. This was stated Thursday by Tatyana Guliya, press-secretary of the Abkhaz mission to Moscow, with reference to the Defence Ministry of that self-proclaimed republic. More details...

12:08
NORTHERN ALLIANCE AND TALIBAN CLASHES NEAR TAJIK BORDER
Clashes between the Northern Alliance and Taliban forces are taking place in direct proximity to the Tajik-Afghan border. More details...

11:03
RUSSIA SEEN IN THE INTERNATIONAL PRESS
The stories this week are old favourites Chechnya and NATO, spiced with new life: accusations against Russia by Georgia and the possibility that Russia will become an important supplier of crude. More details...

10:32
CIS ENERGY COUNCIL TO MEET IN KIEV TODAY
A meeting of the CIS Electricity and Energy Council will be held in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, today. More details...

17:50
BELARUSSIAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES APPOINTMENT OF GENNADI NOVITSKI AS PRIME MINISTER
The parliament of Belarus has approved appointment of Gennadi Novitski, 52, as prime minister More details...

15:49
RUSSIA'S FEDERAL FRONTIER SERVICE DIRECTOR REPORTS TO PRESIDENT ON TAJIK-AFGHAN BORDER DEVELOPMENTS
Konstantin Totsky, Director of the Russian Federal Frontier Service (FPS), reported Wednesday to President Vladimir Putin on the situation on the Tajik-Afghan border. More details...

15:44
RUSSIA TAKES EMERGENCY MEASURES TO CONSOLIDATE RUSSIAN-GEORGIAN BORDER
Russia has taken emergency measures along the entire Russian-Georgian border, particularly on its Abkhaz sector, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov said in the Federation Council, or the upper house of parliament. More details...

15:25
UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT ABOUT FINDINGS OF PROBE INTO CAUSES OF TU-154 CRASH
Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma has said that he will agree with the findings of a probe into the causes of the crash of a Russian Tu-154 into the Black Sea, no matter what they may be. More details...

15:16
GROUP OF RUSSIAN GENERALS HEADING FOR TASHKENT
A group of Russian Defence Ministry generals has left for Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan, for "coordinating actions by law enforcers of Russia and its partners within the anti-terror coalition, primarily Uzbekistan and Tajikistan," Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov said at a session of the Federation Council, the upper house of Russia's parliament. More details...

15:11
RUSSIA, UZBEKISTAN PRESIDENTS DISCUSS AFGHAN DEVELOPMENTS
On Wednesday, the Presidents of Russia and Uzbekistan discussed the Afghan developments. The Russian presidential press service told RIA Novosti that "in the course of a detailed conversation which lasted half an hour Vladimir Putin and Islam Karimov exchanged opinions on and assessments of the Afghan developments in the wake of the current anti-terror operation." More details...

14:18
LUKASHENKO: RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA REMAIN PRIORITY IN INTERNATIONAL POLICY OF BELARUS
Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko said relations with Russia were "a priority in international policy of Belarus". Lukashenko said this while submitting the candidacy of a new prime minister to the parliament. More details...

12:25
ABKHAZ PARLIAMENT ASKS RUSSIA TO RAISE QUESTION OF GEORGIA'S STANCE ON GLOBAL CRACKDOWN ON TERRORISM, IN UN SC
On Wednesday morning, the Parliament of Abkhazia (self-proclaimed republic on Georgia's territory) sent an appeal to the Russian State Duma (Lower House of Parliament) requesting Russia to initiate in the UN Security Council the examination of the issue of Georgia's position in the struggle against international terrorism. RIA Novosti learned this from Tatyana Guliya, press-secretary of the Abkhaz representation in Moscow. More details...

12:01
UZBEK OFFICIALS DENY THAT SITUATION AGGRAVATED ON BORDER WITH AFGHANISTAN
Uzbek officials refute information that the situation on the border with Afghanistan has aggravated. More details...

11:52
AFGHAN PRESIDENT RABBANI TO MEET TAJIK PRESIDENT EMOMALI RAKHMONOV
Afghan President Burnahuddin Rabbani, who suddenly arrived in Tajikistan Wednesday, is to discuss with his Tajik counterpart the situation in Afghanistan and ways of peaceful settlement of the Afghan crisis. More details...

11:21
KIRGHIZ PRESIDENT DISCUSSES ANTI-TERRORIST EFFORTS WITH RUSSIAN AND UKRAINIAN SECURITY COUNCIL HEADS
At Wednesday's meeting in Bishkek (the Kirghiz capital), Russian Security Council Secretary Vladimir Rushailo and Kirghiz President Askar Akayev discussed practical coordination of anti-terrorist efforts, and command and staff exercises of the Commonwealth rapid deployment forces this week. More details...

10:20
AFGHAN PRESIDENT BURHANUDDIN RABBANI SUDDENLY ARRIVES IN TAJIKISTAN
Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani suddenly arrived in Tajikistan Wednesday. He left the airport and headed for the residence of Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov, RIA Novosti correspondent reports. The meeting of the two leaders is being held there now. More details...

10:16
RUSSIAN SECURITY COUNCIL SECRETARY CONCERNED WITH GEORGIAN-ABKHAZIAN CONFLICT
The latest developments in Abkhazia (a self-proclaimed republic on the territory of Georgia) is riveting close attention of the Russian power structures, since among the militants there are people who fought in Chechnya as members of the illegal armed formations. More details...

15:54
TAJIK FOREIGN MINISTRY DENIES REPORTS ABOUT POSSIBLE US OPERATION AGAINST AFGHANISTAN FROM BASES IN TAJIKISTAN
The director of the Information Department of Tajikistan's Foreign Ministry, Igor Sattarov, has denied a CNN report which on Tuesday cited sources in the Pentagon as saying that the United States may begin a ground operation against Afghanistan from Tajik bases. Sattarov said such reports were absolutely groundless. More details...

14:28
TBILISI TRYING TO CONCEAL AIR RAID IN ABKHAZIA
Georgia has confirmed the fact that airstrikes were performed on the Kodor gorge, the zone of the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict. However, it was done in a peculiar manner - Tbilisi denies the fact that the aircraft belonged to Georgia. According to Georgian officials, the raid was performed by "undetected helicopters", and following that the "aircraft" directed towards the Klukhor pass. Several bombs fell 2 km away from the Omarishara village. Georgian officials are not confused by the fact that first they dealt with helicopters and later with aircraft. More details...

13:53
UN BELIEVES GEORGIAN-CHECHEN REBELS DOWNED UN MILITARY OBSERVERS HELICOPTER
UN Secretariat held an extraordinary meeting with Major-General Ford, Military Adviser to the UN Secretary-General reporting on the possible causes of the Monday crash of the helicopter flying UN observers in the Kondor gorge, Moscow military and diplomatic sources said Tuesday. More details...

13:36
RUSSIA'S SECURITY COUNCIL SECRETARY TO VISIT CIS ANTI-TERRORIST CENTRE IN BISHKEK
During his working trip to the Central Asian region, Security Council Secretary of Russia Vladimir Rushailo is expected to visit the CIS Anti-Terrorist Centre in Bishkek. More details...

13:05
TWO US OFFICERS ARRIVE IN TAJIKISTAN
Two US officers have arrived in Tajikistan, Alexander Rubtsov, Deputy Commander of the 201st mechanized division, told journalists Tuesday. According to him, the two Americans are experts in rescue works. But the site of their works remains unknown. More details...