19:20
State Duma Proposes Holding Emergency Session of UN General Assembly
On Thursday, the State Duma took as the basis the draft statement which suggests that the UN General Assembly convene an emergency session to discuss the situation around Iraq. 266 parliamentarians voted for the decision and 101 were against it. No one abstained. More details...

18:57
Russian Politicians on US’s Aggression: Iraq War Consequences to be Scarier Than 9/11
Russian Federation Duma deputies expressed their opinions about the US-led war campaign in Iraq
No one has the right to dictate people what government they should have. Especially that, as far as we understand, the Iraqi people didn’t ask the USA for such “assistance”. As history reveals, people must elect or appoint a government themselves; authority appointed from the outside won’t be effective and will cause much harm to the country. Unfortunately, Russia wasn’t resolute enough with upholding its position concerning Iraq, the country that is Russia’s traditional ally. The position of France and Germany, for example, was even more radical than Russia’s More details...

17:21
Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations Warns of Environmental Consequences of Iraqi War
The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations has warned against possible grave environmental consequences of the Iraqi war. Military action may have an adverse impact on the region's environment, Deputy Russian Minister of Emergency Situations Yuri Brazhnikov told the press on Thursday. More details...

17:17
Vladimir Putin: Military Action against Iraq Can Not Be Justified
Nothing can justify military action against Iraq according to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who addressed the Russian population today. He said that such action against Iraq can not be justified 'either by accusing Iraq of supporting international terrorism or by the simple desire to change the regime, which should only be done on the basis of international law. More details...

17:07
Putin Says War in Iraq May Wreck International Security System
The war on Iraq might threaten the whole region with a wide-scale humanitarian and environmental disaster, Russian President Vladimir Putin believes. On Thursday, speaking at a Kremlin meeting, the Russian President noted that the "international security system might collapse as well, and it causes concerns." More details...

17:04
Russian Ministry of Emergencies Prepares Transport Aircraft with Humanitarian Aid for Iraqi Refugees
The Russian Ministry of Emergencies is preparing transport aircraft with humanitarian aid for Iraqi refugees. Deputy Minister Yuri Brazhnikov told journalists on Thursday that four Il-76 transport aircraft would soon deliver tents, beds and blankets to the Iranian town of Kermanshah to set up refugee camps on Iran's territory. More details...

16:57
PM Mikhail Kasyanov: Russia Is Ready to Help Iraqi People
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov has expressed his disappointment at the fact that 'the Iraq problem is being resolved by military means without the approval of the UN Security Council.' As the government press office reports, this announcement was made when opening a government meeting today. More details...

16:17
Putin Finds Iraqi War "A Political Blunder"
Russian President Vladimir Putin called the war on Iraq "a political blunder" adding that Russia "was seeking to stop military action as soon as possible." On Thursday speaking at a Kremlin meeting the Russian Head of State said that "Russia intends to follow the line of diplomacy on the Iraqi issue and sought to resolve the problem within the UN Security Council." More details...

13:50
Russian President's Aide Believes War in Iraq Will Not Tell on Referendum in Chechnya
Members of the Russian President's staff believe that two-thirds of the electorate will take part in the referendum to be held in Chechnya. This information was provided on Thursday by Russian President's aide Sergei Yastrzhembsky. More details...

20:23
Russian President Hopes to Speed up Switch to Professional Army
Russian President Vladimir Putin today held a meeting with top officials from the Defence Ministry to discuss progress on drawing up a federal targeted programme to switch part of the country's armed forces to a professional basis. The changes will affect military units that are on permanent battle readiness. More details...

19:32
Russia's New Customs Code is Almost Ready
On Wednesday Russian President Vladimir Putin met Chairman of the State Customs Committee Mikhail Vanin to discuss Russia's new customs code, which has been developed for eighteen months. According to Putin, the document must be adopted at a State Duma spring session. More details...

19:10
President Putin Approves Federal Programme on Manning Power Agencies with Contract Soldiers
Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved the basic provisions of the federal purpose programme for manning some units of the Russian armed forces with contract soldiers, said Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov on Wednesday after a meeting with the head of state. More details...

19:02
Putin Meets Defence Ministry's Leaders
On Wednesday, Vladimir Putin has met the leadership of the Russian Defence Ministry to finalise the federal target programme to man permanent readiness units primarily with contract servicemen. The conference was attended by Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Anatoly Kvashnin, Commander of Air Forces Georgy Shpak and Head of the Main Organisation and Mobilisation Directorate of the Defence Ministry Vasily Smirnov. More details...

18:28
Russian Parliament Ratifies Caspian Sea Treaty with Kazakhstan
The State Duma has ratified an agreement between Russia and Kazakhstan on dividing the northern part of the Caspian Sea in order to exert sovereign rights to exploit undersea reserves. The agreement was signed in Moscow on July 6, 1998. More details...

14:59
Russian TV Guru Vladimir Pozner Predicts Great Trouble for America
The whole world, except America, knows that Iraq cannot threaten the USA
According to the results of a recent opinion poll in the UK, 32% of respondents are afraid of Saddam Hussein, while 68% are afraid of George W. Bush. Americans do not have that information. Moreover, they do not understand how some people can stand against them. They perceive such a position as ingratitude on the part of the whole world. Americans have a very dangerous combination. This is the combination of the feeling of supremacy and ignorance. I would not like to make general statements, but the majority of Americans are certain that the USA is unique. They believe that it is so very supreme, which makes any kind of anti-American criticism absolutely out of the question. More details...

19:14
Moscow to Boost Russian Language in CIS and Baltic Countries
Moscow intends to boost Russian as an international language in former Soviet countries, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said at a session of the International and Economic Consultative Board that includes the Russian Federation constituent members under Russia's Foreign Ministry. More details...

19:06
Duma Postpones Ratification of Russian-US Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty
The State Duma has postponed the ratification of the Russian-American Strategic Offensive Reductions (SOR) Treaty. This decision was taken at a State Duma meeting on Tuesday, Chairman of the Duma Defence Committee Andrei Nikolayev told journalists on Tuesday. More details...

14:39
Killing of Serb Prime Minister Djindjic: Possible Versions
If the killing is a revenge for extradition of former Yugoslav president, it is more harm than good to Milosevic
Politicians and public figures in Serbia and all over the world are actively discussing possible versions of the assassination of Serbia Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic last Wednesday. At present, it seems to be the most believable version that the prime minister was assassinated by people dissatisfied with the struggle against organized crime started by Djindjic and who were scared that soonest arrests might follow. This is the version supported by Russian Federation Duma deputy, first deputy chairman of the OVR faction and deputy chairman of the Duma Committee for international affairs, Konstantin Kosachev. He gave an interview to PRAVDA.Ru correspondent - I am more inclined to believe the assassination was committed for economic reasons. Yes, Zoran Djindjic played a key role in extradition of Slobodan Milosevic to the Hague Tribunal More details...

13:00
Kremlin Considering Amnesty in Chechnya
The Kremlin is looking into a possibility of declaring amnesty in Chechnya, according to a high ranking Kremlin official. An amnesty must not be granted according to an ethnic or a republican criterion, noted the source. There are no arrangements whatsoever as to who, when and how is to be pardoned. The problem is yet to be thought over and legally grounded, according to a Kremlin spokesman. More details...

12:49
Where Are Presidents Trained?
It is not ruled out that prospective successor to Vladimir Putin may emerge right before elections rather unexpectedly
Elections to Russia’s State Duma will be the central political event of 2003; however, we should remember that soon after the parliamentary elections the country will have to participate in presidential elections. It is not ruled out that the problem of presidential elections is not paid special attention to because of the firm confidence of “Putin’s categorical imperative”. However, if we consider the situation from bottom to top, we’ll understand that the vertical of power constructed by the second Russian president doesn’t look completely monumental More details...

19:55
Work on Draft Agreement on Separation of Powers between Federal Centre and Chechnya Underway
The work on the draft agreement between the federal centre and Chechnya is already underway, RIA Novosti learned from Russian Federation Council member from the Chechen administration Akhmar Zavgayev on Monday. More details...

19:34
Putin Addresses the Chechen Nation in View of the Forthcoming Referendum
On Sunday, March 16, Chechen television broadcast the address of the President of the Russian Federation to the population of Chechnya. The press service of the head of the Russian state has issued the full text of this address More details...

18:31
Russian-Belarussian Commission to Examine Draft Act on Union on March 31
The Russian-Belarussian commission for drafting a Constitutional Act will examine the final version of the document at a meeting on March 31. This was announced today at a press conference by Vladimir Aksenov, the secretary of the parliamentary assembly of the Russian-Belarussian Union. More details...

18:16
Vladimir Putin's Representative is Against Returning Baldin Collection to Germany
Former Russian Vice-Premier Valentina Matviyenko who was recently appointed as President Vladimir Putin's plenipotentiary in the North-Western federal district spoke against returning the so called Baldin collection to Germany. The collection contains 364 items from the Bremen kunsthalle, brought to the USSR during World War II. More details...

18:13
Moscow Believes War in Iraq May Challenge UN Existence
On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed issues of the forthcoming referendum in Chechnya and the situation around Iraq with Chechen spiritual leaders. It was said that war in Iraq would not only lead to human casualties and destruction of one of the Islamic relics, Baghdad, a city with a 1000-year history, but would also challenge the existence of the UN More details...

18:09
State Duma Criticises Results of Azores Summit of USA, Great Britain and Spain
Deputy Chairman of the State Duma international committee Konstantin Kosachev believes the participants of the Azores summit of the USA, Great Britain and Spain did not discuss whether a war should be waged at all, but where this war would start and in what form it would be led. "The military operation is not aimed at helping the Iraqi people, but changing the unwanted regime," he added. More details...

16:30
President Putin: War in Iraq Would Be Mistake
'The Russian government continues to believe that a possible war in Iraq would be a mistake.' According to the RTR television station, this statement was made today by President Vladimir Putin during a meeting with Chechen spiritual leaders. 'We are in favour of resolving the problem exclusively by peaceful means. Any other development would be a mistake. More details...

16:20
Vladimir Putin: March 23 Referendum - a Landmark Event for Chechnya
Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the referendum on the Chechen constitution due next Sunday as a landmark event in the republic's life. Putin said as much at a routine meeting with the Cabinet. More details...

14:10
President Putin Entrusts European Integration to Key Aide in Security Reshuffle
'Vladimir Putin has entrusted Europe to Viktor Cherkesov,' said Sergei Markov, the director of the Political Research Institute, in an interview for the Vesti Nedeli programme on RTR television. According to Markov, the Russian President has set Cherkesov, who was recently appointed head of the country's new security agency, two strategic tasks: to fight organised crime and ensure that Russia integrates into Europe. More details...

13:41
Speaker of Russian Parliament: Referendum Participants will Support Russia-Belarus Constitutional Act
Speaker of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Russia-Belarus Union and speaker of the Russian State Duma Gennady Seleznyov confirmed "the high degree of preparedness of the Union State's draft Constitutional Act." Addressing the first congress of Russian and Belarussian peoples in Moscow, organised by communists of both countries More details...