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1999 Russia Special Weapons
Nuclear, Biological, Chemical and Missile
Proliferation News

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December

• PRESS RELEASE OF THE PRESS SERVICE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION 1999-12-31 - I have made a decision. I have brooded over it long and painfully. Today, on the last day of the outgoing century, I am resigning.
• CLINTON - RUSSIA Voice of America 31 December 1999 -- President Clinton has paid tribute to Boris Yeltsin for his tenure as Russia's first democratically elected leader.
• PUTIN PROFILE Voice of America 31 December 1999 -- Vladimir Putin went from being an unknown to Russia's most popular politician in little more than four months.
• RUSSIA / YELTSIN Voice of America 31 December 1999 -- Russian President Boris Yeltsin has announced he is stepping down and handing over powers to Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
• US - RUSSIA WRAP Voice of America 31 December 1999 -- President Clinton says he looks forward to working with Russia's Acting President Vladimir Putin, who assumed the position upon Russian President Boris Yeltsin's surprise resignation Friday.
• YELTSIN RESIGNATION Voice of America 31 December 1999 -- Boris Yeltsin presided over monumental events during his nearly nine years as president of Russia.
• RUSSIA / WEST RELATIONS Voice of America 23 December 1999 -- During the past year, Russia's warm relations with the West soured; with disputes about the Kosovo war, expanded NATO membership, financial scandals, nuclear arms treaties, diplomatic spying, and Russia's war in Chechnya.
• RUSSIA'S PARLIAMENTARY ELCTION Voice of America 23 December 1999 -- One of the major political events of the past week was Sunday's Russian election in which the Communist party lost support, especially among its allies. The center parties did better, as voters appeared to reject the extremes of the political spectrum.
• RUSSIA AFTER THE ELECTIONS Voice of America 22 December 1999 -- Russians went to the polls last week to elect representatives to the Duma, or parliament. The results seem to have loosened the grip of the Communist Party, though the Communists retained the single largest share of seats. Unity, a centrist alliance backing Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, came in a close second. In fact, for the first time, it appears that a centrist coalition could exercise a plurality or even a majority in the Duma.
• RUSSIAN ELECTION Voice of America 21 December 1999 -- American daily papers are filled with comment about Russia's parliamentary elections (12/19), but are divided over what the results mean.
• EXIM RUSSIA Voice of America 21 December 1999 -- The United States has blocked a 500-million-dollar government loan program for Russia's oil industry.
• Text: Ex-Im Bank Will Not Approve Two Loan Guarantees for Russia USIA 21 December 1999 -- The Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) has supported a determination by Secretary of State Madeleine Albright not to give final approval to two loan guarantees for the Russian Federation.
• Text: OSCE Observers' Preliminary Statement on Russian Duma Election USIA 20 December 1999 -- The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) International Election Observation Mission said that the election "marked significant progress for the consolidation of democracy in the Russian Federation," describing it as "competitive and pluralistic." It said that Russia's amended election law has improved with each succeeding campaign.
• U-S-RUSSIA POL Voice of America 20 December 1999 -- U-S officials say Sunday's parliamentary elections in Russia are an indication that democracy is taking hold in that country a decade after Communist rule ended.
• YEARENDER: U-S RUSSIA Voice of America 20 December 1999 -- Disagreements over NATO's bombing campaign in Yugoslavia -- and Russia's military offensive in Chechnya -- chilled relations between Washington and Moscow in 1999 to the lowest levels since the Cold War. Despite the disagreements, U-S policy toward Russia has not changed.
• RUSSIA POLITICS Voice of America 20 December 1999 -- The Kremlin has hailed Russia's parliamentary elections as a peaceful revolution, after two nominally pro-government factions made strong showings.
• DUMA ELECTIONS Voice of America 19 December 1999 -- Millions of voters in Russia are casting ballots today to elect a new 450-seat parliament, or Duma.
• RUSSSIA/ELECTIONS Voice of America 18 December 1999 -- Many of the parties, whether they are communist or democratic, say they approve of market reforms, but that Russia needs strong leaders to keep the nation powerful.
• IMF / RUSSIA Voice of America 17 December 1999 -- The International Monetary Fund says Russia is unlikely to receive its delayed loan installment from the I-M-F until January at the earliest.
• RUSSIA ELECTIONS, INTELLIGENSIA Voice of America 16 December 1999 -- Russia's Communists and nationalists have been saying a stronger hand is needed to rule the country. Now some members of Russia's intelligentsia are saying the same thing.
• RUSSIA ELECTION OVERVIEW Voice of America 15 December 1999 -- More than 100-million Russians are eligible to vote in Sunday's election for a new parliament. Officials are now predicting a turnout as low as 50-percent.
• TOXIC WEAPONS THREAT Voice of America 14 December 1999 -- Nuclear weapons remain the greatest threat to the world, but chemical and biological agents also pose a danger, especially those produced in the Soviet Union that may not be under adequate control today.
• RUSSIA / ELECTIONS Voice of America 14 December 1999 -- Russia's parliamentary candidates are touching on similar themes -- the need for strong leadership, a cooling of relations with the west, and an easing of painful economic reforms.
• CHINA-RUSSIA Voice of America 10 December 1999 -- Yeltsin on Thursday warned President Clinton not to forget that Russia is a nuclear power and that other countries have no right to tell Moscow what it can or cannot do in Chechnya.
• CHINA-RUSSIA Voice of America 09 December 1999 -- Beijing and Moscow also share a deep suspicion and frustration over what they see as Washington's preponderant role in world affairs.
• RUSSIA I-M-F Voice of America 03 December 1999 -- I-M-F spokesman Tom Dawson says no date has yet been set for when Russia will receive the 640 million dollar loan installment that has been delayed since September.
• WHO LOST RUSSIA? Voice of America 02 December 1999 -- There is a growing debate among certain American academics, politicians and experts centered around the question of "Who lost Russia?"
• RUSSIA / SHOCK THERAPY Voice of America 02 December 1999 -- The "Who lost Russia" debate currently under way in the United States centers around whether or not the West used appropriate policy measures in the early 1990's to foster economic reforms in that country.
• RUSSIA / I M F Voice of America 02 December 1999 -- Since the fall of communist rule in Russia eight years ago, the I-M-F has pumped billions of dollars into that country, ostensibly to promote economic reforms. But critics say those reforms have not materialized.
• RUSSIA / CORRUPTION Voice of America 02 December 1999 -- Investigators in the United States and Europe are continuing their probes into allegations of money- laundering schemes involving billions of dollars diverted from Russia.
• RUSSIA - NATO Voice of America 02 December 1999 -- Relations between Russia and the West cannot be described as "warm." Many analysts say they have deteriorated in the past few years.
• RUSSIA / YELTSIN / WEST Voice of America 02 December 1999 -- Many experts and analysts here in the United States are reassessing the West's policies toward Russia in the light of continuing economic problems there.
• RUSSIA / YELTSIN LEGACY Voice of America 02 December 1999 -- Boris Yeltsin's place in history is secure: he will best be remembered as the man who helped bring down the Soviet Union.
• RUSSIA / WHAT NEXT? Voice of America 02 December 1999 -- As one turns to the year 2000, American experts on Russia are asking whether the West should continue to help Russia - and if so, in what form?
• RUSSIAN ELECTIONS Voice of America 01 December 1999 -- On December 19th, Russians will vote for members of the Duma, the lower house of parliament. The election is important because the legislature is expected to assume more power in the years ahead.

  November

• RUSSIA / THE PUTIN PHENOMENON Voice of America 30 November 1999 -- Mr. Putin has shot to the top of the list of presidential contenders. If the latest polls are right, he is the choice of more than 40 percent of potential voters, and unheard of rating in Russia.
• RUSSIA AND THE WEST Voice of America 22 November 1999 -- Russia's defiant rejection of foreign criticism of its military offensive in Chechnya has sent East-West relations plummeting to their lowest levels since the Cold War.
• Commander: US Missile Defense System No Guarantee People's Daily November 18, 1999 -- A top Russian military officer said on November 17 that the national missile defense system planned by the United States "will not guarantee an effective protection even from limited nuclear attacks."
• RUSSIA MISSILE TEST Voice of America 17 November 1999 -- A Russian navy statement says the missiles were launched from a Typhoon-class nuclear submarine in the Barents Sea. Both warheads hit their targets on Russia's far eastern Kamchatka peninsula.
• PRESS BRIEFING BY SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL ON CASPIAN SEA DIPLOMACY AND THE BAKU-CEYHAN PIPELINE November 17, 1999 -- Q No matter how you might try to soft-pedal it, isn't the real significance of this is that this is a long-term strategic triumph over Russia's historic aspirations and interests in Central Asia? And how will that strategic defeat for Russia, do you think, affect U.S.-Russian relations? SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: The answer to that is, I don't actually still beat my wife.
• RUSSIA POLITICS Voice of America 12 November 1999 -- Russia's prime minister, Vladimir Putin, has confirmed he plans to run in next year's presidential elections.

  October

• KGB FILES Voice of America 27 October 1999 -- Caches of arms were concealed in various places in the United States and other western countries in preparation for a possible war.
• PRESS RELEASE October 26, 1999 - Russian-Iranian cooperation in all fields is fully transparent and is being carried out in strict conformity with Russia's international obligations.
• SHUTDOWN OF THE SKRUNDE RADAR STATION 21 October 1999 -- The topical task for Russia now is to put into operation a new radar station near the city of Baranovichi (the Republic of Belarus).
• Moscow Can Respond to US ABM Withdrawal By Vitaliy Denisov Moscow Interfax 1130 GMT - 20 Oct 99 -- "With the production process underway, 20 Topol-M intercontinental ballistic systems will be made next year. Output can be brought up to 30 missiles a year," Yakovlev said. At the end of 1999 Russian rocketry will have 20 Topol-M missiles deployed.
• Text: U.S. Team Issues Assessment of Russian Food Needs USIA 18 October 1999 -- On October 18, a team of commodity specialists and other experts from several U.S. government agencies issued an assessment of food and feed needs in the Russian Federation for the coming year.
• CONCEPT OF THE WORLD IN THE 21ST CENTURY SUMMARY October 12th, 1999 -- The following is a summary of the Russian Federation proposal circulated at the 54th UNGA Session as a follow-up to the President Yeltsin’s G-8 Cologne summit initiative.
• Draft Russian Military Doctrine 09 October 1999 -- The draft military doctrine document updates the 1993 doctrine. It outlines the role of the country's authorities in ensuring defence and, if necessary, preparing for and waging war. It states support for a multipolar world, in preference to a unipolar world dominated by a single superpower that is quick to resort to military force and bypasses the UN and other international security bodies when it feels like it.
• PRESS RELEASE 08 October 1999 -- The Azeri side has officially notified us that a sub-strategic 8K14 [SCUD] ground-to-ground missile allegedly fired from the Russian territory blew up near the village of Gymyr.
• RUSSIA CORRUPTION Voice of America 06 October 1999 -- A leading U-S scholar on corruption says the financial scandal involving the Bank of New York and deposits from Russian criminal interests is merely the tip of an iceberg. Researcher Louise Shelley believes the scandal will implicate leading politicians in Russia.
• RUSSIA / U-S ARMS Voice of America 05 October 1999 -- Russia has accused the United States of violating the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty by testing a missile designed to shoot down long range strategic weapons. Russian officials are threatening to withdraw from all disarmament treaties if the United States goes ahead with development of the new missile defense system.
• Text: U.S., Russia Dedicate Nuclear Situation Crisis CenterUSIA 05 October 1999 -- U.S. Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson and Russian Minister ofAtomic Energy Yevgeniy Adamov dedicated a new Situation Crisis Centerin Moscow October 2, according to a press release issued by theDepartment of Energy (DOE).

  September

• Guidelines for Russia's Foreign Policy at the Present Stage ADDRESS BY STATE SECRETARY AND DEPUTY MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF RUSSIA, V. D. SREDIN, TO THE ACADEMY OF PUBLIC SERVICE OF THE PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA (Moscow, September 28, 1999) The situation around the 1972 ABM Treaty merits close attention. The United States, contrary to the spirit and letter of the Treaty, has in fact begun practical preparation for the deployment of a national system of anti-missile defense of the country's territory.
• Text: U.S. Energy Secretary to Visit Formerly Closed Russian Cities USIA 27 September 1999 -- U.S. Energy Secretary Bill Richardson will visit Russia September 28to October 2 to review various nuclear nonproliferation programs underway in several cities formerly closed to outsiders.
• Transcript: Albright, Ivanov Joint Press Availability Sept. 20USIA 21 September 1999 -- In a joint press availability September 20 in New York prior to their talks on the opening day of the United Nations General Assembly, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov pledged to work together on issues ranging from terrorism and arms control to international financial crime and corruption.
• Text: Treasury Secretary Summers at Hearing on RussiaUSIA 21 September 1999 -- Secretary of Treasury Lawrence Summers says the United States has repeatedly encouraged Russian leaders to take steps that would make it easier to combat corruption and money laundering.
• STATEMENT by H.E. Mr. Igor S. IVANOV Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, at the 54-th Session of the United Nations General Assembly September 21, 1999 -- The issue of strengthening the authority of the United Nations after it has been seriously and painfully tested by the Balkan and Iraq crises. We have managed through joint efforts to bring the settlement of the Kosovo problem back within the legal and political framework of the United Nations.
• WORLD BANK RUSSIA Voice of America 21 September 1999 -- World Bank President James Wolfensohn says there is no evidence that World Bank money lent to Russia has been misused, despite allegations to the contrary. Mr. Wolfensohn spoke at a news conference ahead of the annual World Bank - International Monetary Fund meeting in Washington.
• CONGRESS-RUSSIA Voice of America 21 September 1999 -- The Clinton Administration's new Treasury Secretary says the United States will continue to help Russia, despite allegations of corruption and misuse of U-S funds. Americans must not turn away.
• US/RUSSIA CORRUPTION Voice of America 20 September 1999 -- Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov says his government wants what he calls an unbiased investigation into allegations of government corruption. He says Moscow shares U-S concerns that billions of dollars from Russia may have been laundered through foreign banks.
• CONGRESS-RUSSIA Voice of America 20 September 1999 -- The U-S Congress is opening hearings (Tuesday) on alleged corruption and money-laundering in Russia. Lawmakers want to know if American or international aid money was involved.
• RUSSIA / SCANDAL Voice of America 20 September 1999 -- Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin says investigators sent to Washington last week saw no evidence that Russian criminals laundered billions of dollars through United States banks.
• Text: Energy Department, Russia Join on Shipboard Nuclear Security USIA 20 September 1999 -- The Department of Energy announced in a September 16 press release that it had joined with the Russian Federation to install a security system designed to secure nuclear fuel on board a Russian navy ship.
• RUSSIA / U-S Voice of America 18 September 1999 -- Two Russian Air Force bombers approached the Alaska coastline this week but were turned back by U-S fighter jets.
• CLINTON / PUTIN Voice of America 12 September 1999 -- President Clinton -- in a meeting with Russia's new prime minister, Vladimir Putin -- urged Moscow to forcefully combat the problem of corruption.
• RUSSIA: MOSCOW'S 'MISHANDLING' OF FINANCES AND WESTERN 'COMPLICITY'; DAGESTAN ACT II USIA Foreign Media Reaction Report 09 September 1999 -- Overseas media continued to chart developments in Russia, with the majority of commentary focused on the financial "scandals" and investigations into alleged government corruption. Several editorials discussed the West's responsibility for that country's economic "crisis," with some holding the U.S. chiefly to blame for its "one-sided, Yeltsin-only policy" and for "forcing the IMF to throw dollars into an empty barrel." A lesser number depicted the West's decision to "maintain the Yeltsin system" as "expensive...but politically defensible." Dagestan also generated a high level of media interest and critical comment, particularly from Moscow.
• CLINTON - YELTSIN Voice of America 08 September 1999 -- Russian President Boris Yeltsin telephoned President Clinton Wednesday to deny allegations that he and his family are involved in an international money-laundering scandal.
• Getting the New Russia on Its Feet USIA 07 September 1999 -- Not for the first time, people are pointing to trouble in Moscow -- to evidence of corruption, malfeasance and capital flight -- to question whether we have been right to engage with Russia and whether we engaged in the right way.
• RUSSIA POL/PRIMAKOV Voice of America 06 September 1999 -- One of Russia's most popular political figures, former prime minister Yevgeny Primakov, says he is seriously considering a run for the presidency next year. Mr. Primakov is preparing to re-enter public life after an absence of several months.
• WHAT NEXT IN RUSSIA Voice of America 04 September 1999 -- Russian President Boris Yeltsin recently fired his fourth prime minister in less than a year and a half. The political disarray has been accompanied by revelations of massive corruption among Russia's political and economic elites.
• THE RUSSIAN MONEY HEMMORAGE Voice of America 02 September 1999 -- "The New York Times" reported that as much as four-point-two-billion U-S dollars has been illegally siphoned out of Russia during the past few years, much of it passing through the Bank of New York.
• RUSSIA CORRUPTION Voice of America 01 September 1999 -- Several members of Russia's political elite are charging that the recent barrage of allegations in the Western press concerning money laundering are part of a well-coordinated effort to undermine Russia's role in world affairs.

  August

• RUSSIA: 'CORRUPTION' CHARGES SURFACE; SHOULD WEST HAVE 'SMELLED ROT LONG AGO'? USIA Foreign Media Reaction Daily Digest 31 August 1999 -- Russia-watchers added the emerging money-laundering scheme allegedly involving Russian government officials and organized crime--dubbed "Russiagate"--to their list of concerns about that country's "pitiful" political and economic situation. Editorial writers throughout Europe judged recent "revelations" to be more evidence that "Russian officialdom is thoroughly corrupt," and further speculated that electoral politics in Russia and the U.S. may be adversely affected by fallout from the scandal. A recurring theme in several papers was what responsibility the West bore in perpetuating the "illusion" that Russia was "creating a law-based, market-friendly liberal democracy."
• KREMLIN SCANDAL Voice of America 31 August 1999 -- The Kremlin is attempting to battle back against two separate sets of corruption allegations making headlines in the Western press.
• RUSSIA / MIR Voice of America 30 August 1999 -- Russian cosmonauts say it is a mistake to close down the Mir and contend there is more important research which should be conducted aboard the aging station.
• MIR CREW RETURNS Voice of America 28 August 1999 -- Two Russians and a French cosmonaut have closed the "Mir" space station and returned to earth -- possibly ending the orbiter's 13-year adventure that once made it the pride of the Soviet Union.
• RUSSIA SCANDAL Voice of America 26 August 1999 -- Russia's top prosecutor is accusing President Boris Yeltsin of blocking a probe into allegations of high-level Kremlin corruption. Moscow correspondent Peter Heinlein reports the first shots (initial round) in what promises to be a nasty war of compromising materials (Russian: kompromat) involving many of Russia's top political figures.
• RUSSIA MONEY LAUNDERING Voice of America 24 August 1999 -- The U-S Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Russian state prosecutor, British and Swiss authorities, and the International Monetary Fund are investigating alleged fraud involving the deposit of up to ten billion dollars of criminally obtained Russian funds in a New York bank. The money laundering investigation is likely to have far-reaching consequences.
• RUSSIA POL Voice of America 21 August 1999 -- In Russia, Pro-Kremlin political forces have given up attempts to form an alliance to challenge a powerful opposition bloc led by two of the country's most popular politicians. The opposition bloc is fast gaining strength as the Kremlin struggles to find a strategy for upcoming elections.
• Russia Boasts Most Sophisticated Anti-Aircraft System , Yevgeniy Nikitin , ITAR-TASS, 8/20/1999 -- The most sophisticated Triumf anti-aircraft system has been designed and is about to finish undergoing field tests in Russia.
• RUSSIA: ELECTION POLITICS HEAT UP; DAGESTAN 'WAR' PERSISTS; ARMS CONTROL DISCUSSED USIA Foreign Media Reaction Daily Digest 18 August 1999 -- Events in Russia continued to garner extensive media coverage as overseas analysts mulled over the political scene in Russia, with the run-up to December's parliamentary elections and the 2000 presidential elections foremost in the minds of most observers.
• RUSSIA POL Voice of America 17 August 1999 -- Russian President Boris Yeltsin has cautioned his new prime minister not to make any major changes in government policy without his approval. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's first cabinet appointments indicate his government will be a lot like its predecessors..
• RUSSIA ECON Voice of America 17 August 1999 -- Last August 17th, the government devalued the ruble and defaulted on billions of dollars in debt, touching off what economists predicted would be the worst economic downturn of the post-Soviet era. But one-year later, signs of crisis are fast disappearing.
• RUSSIA / PRIMAKOV Voice of America 17 August 1999 -- Former Russian Prime Minister Evgeny Primakov has agreed to join a powerful new political alliance. the move significantly alters the country's political landscape in advance of Russia's parliamentary and presidential elections.
• RUSSIA / DUMA Voice of America 16 August 1999 -- Russia's lower house of parliament has approved President Boris Yeltsin's nomination of former K-G-B spy Vladimir Putin as prime minister. Putin promised a crackdown on crime and a continuation of harsh austerity measures.
• RUSSIA: YELTSIN'S LATEST 'SACKING SPREE' CRITICIZED USIA Foreign Media Reaction Daily Digest 11 August 1999 -- The vast majority of commentators in Europe, Asia and Latin America--including those in Russia--reacted with profound dismay to Russian President Yeltsin's "abrupt" dismissal Monday of his entire cabinet. This fourth political reshuffling in 17 months by Mr. Yeltsin was viewed by many opinionmakers as an "unexpected"--but not necessarily "surprising"--move, taken by a Kremlin leader who is increasingly "unpredictable," "irresponsible" and "sick."
• PUTIN PROFILE Voice of America 09 August 1999 -- Who is Vladimir Putin, the newly named Russian prime minister? Profile of an unlikely politician.
• RUSSIA POL (L UPDAT) Voice of America 09 August 1999 -- Russian President Boris Yeltsin has fired his prime minister and replaced him with the head of the country's main intelligence service. The newly-named prime minister is also being touted as Mr. Yeltsin's choice to be the next president.
• RUSSIA POLITICS Voice of America 04 August 1999 -- Two of Russia's most promising political movements have formed an alliance for parliamentary elections in December. The coalition links one of Russia's rising political stars and some of its most powerful regional leaders.

  July

• Director Gerbert Yefremov Explains How the Scientific-Production Association of Machine-Building [NPOmash] is Surviving the Systemic Crisis, Valeriy Aleksin, Nezavisimoye Voyennoye Obozreniye, 7/30/1999
• U.S. - RUSSIA Voice of America 27 July 1999 -- President Clinton and Russian President Yeltsin agreed at a meeting in Cologne, Germany last month to work toward repairing bilateral ties, and Mr. Stepashin's visit is seen as an important step in that direction.
• RUSSIA - US Voice of America 27 July 1999 -- This is Sergei Stepashin's first visit to Washington since he was confirmed as Russia's Prime minister two months ago, replacing Yevgeni Primakov.
• U.S.-Russian Relations Growing Stronger, Gore Says USIA By Wendy S. Ross 27 July 1999 -- Relations between Russia and the United States are now moving forward following differences of opinion over how to resolve the conflict in Kosovo, Vice President Al Gore and Russian Prime Minister Sergei Stepashin told reporters at a news conference late July 27.
• Text: White House Release on Gore-Stepashin Meetings USIA 27 July 1999 -- Strong U.S.-Russia ties "will be an essential component of American national security and global stability" in the new millenium, says U.S. Vice President Al Gore.
• Fact Sheet: The U.S.-Russia Joint Commission (July 27: White House Fact Sheet) The following fact sheet on the U.S.-Russia Commission on Economic and Technological Cooperation was issued by the White House July 27, 1999 following a meeting between U.S. Vice President Al Gore and Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Sergey Stepashin, who are the co-chairs of the Commission.
• Transcript: Gore, Stepashin Joint Statement on U.S.-Russia Commission USIA 27 July 1999 -- The Vice President and the Chairman of the Government noted the recent agreement to increase the Russian quota for commercial space launches to geosynchronous orbit by 4 launches and the establishment of a general quota of 20 commercial launches through 2000.
• U-S - RUSSIA Voice of America 26 July 1999 -- Russian Foreign Minister Ivanov said Russia is a proponent of a partnership with the United States. He acknowledged that the crisis in the Balkans hurt relations, but he said both countries should now double or even triple their efforts to repair relations.
• RUSSIA/MIR Voice of America 24 July 1999 -- TWO COSMONAUTS ABOARD THE SPACE STATION MIR ARE CONDUCTING WHAT IS EXPECTED TO BE A SIX-HOUR SPACEWALK TO CHECK FOR LEAKS IN THE AGING SPACE STATION.
• Upcoming Meeting Between Vice President Gore and Russian Prime Minister Stepashin Leon Fuerth, National Security Adviser to Vice President Gore - July 23, 1999 -- The commission process has already produced a result in advance of the prime minister's arrival here, and that is a decision by the United States, after discussions with the commercial people involved and with the Russians, to expand the launch quota by four. At the same time, we will be having intensified discussions with the Russians about ballistic missile technology proliferation, and we are working hard with them on that subject.
• US Department of State Daily Press Briefing 21 July 1999 -- There apparently was a cut-off of electrical power to Russian military units in the Far East because the military is in arrears in its payment to the local utility company. Radar serving the air defense forces and air traffic control were shut down and many utility functions were inoperable during the blackout. We have no reason to believe that nuclear forces were affected by the blackout.
• RUSSIA SPACE Voice of America 15 July 1999 -- A RUSSIAN ROCKET IS SET TO BLAST OFF FROM KAZAKHSTAN CARRYING VITAL SUPPLIES TO THE CREW OF THE MIR SPACE STATION.
• RUSSIA-KAZAKHSTAN Voice of America 10 July 1999 -- RUSSIAN AND KAZAKH OFFICIALS ARE TRYING TO RESOLVE A DISPUTE FOLLOWING THE EXPLOSION OF A RUSSIAN ROCKET IN MIDAIR AT THE BAIKONUR COSMODROME EARLIER THIS WEEK.
• US Department of State Daily Press Briefing 01 July 1999 -- According to the Russian press, four strategic bombers conducted missions outside of Russia; two operated near the coast of Norway, and two flew out over the Atlantic in the vicinity of Iceland. According to the Russian press, cruise missiles were fired over Russian target ranges.

  June

• TEXT: WORLDNET - DOD'S WARNER ON U.S.-RUSSIA MILITARY COOPERATION USIA 28 June 1999 -- The United States and Russia should re-engage and regain the momentum on cooperative political, economic and defense initiatives that were put on hold during the conflict in Kosovo, according to Edward Warner, assistant secretary of defense for strategy and threat reduction.
• RUSSIA / U-S Voice of America 24 June 1999 -- MANY RUSSIAN ANALYSTS ARE SAYING VERY LITTLE WAS ACCOMPLISHED DURING LAST WEEK'S MEETING IN COLOGNE, GERMANY, BETWEEN PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON AND HIS RUSSIAN COUNTERPART, BORIS YELTSIN. EXPERTS SAY THE LACK OF ACCOMPLISHMENT WAS DUE IN LARGE PART TO THE FACT THAT BOTH LEADERS LEAVE OFFICE AFTER THEIR CURRENT TERMS.
• RUSSIA / G-8 Voice of America 22 June 1999 -- MANY RUSSIAN ANALYSTS SAY THE RECENTLY CONCLUDED COLOGNE SUMMIT WAS IMPORTANT POLITICALLY FOR MOSCOW -- BUT BROUGHT NO NEW FINANCIAL HELP FOR THE COUNTRY'S BELEAGUERED ECONOMY.
• TRANSCRIPT: STATE COORDINATOR OF NIS ASSISTANCE ON U.S. AID USIA 21 June 1999 -- International efforts to assist Russia and other New Independent States (NIS) is the topic of the following June 21 Worldnet transcript in which William Taylor, State Department Coordinator of Assistance for the NIS, responds to the questions of reporters in the region.
• G-8 SUMMIT IN COLOGNE: A 'RETURN TO NORMAL' FOR WEST'S RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA USIA Foreign Media Reaction Report 21 June 1999 -- The outcome of this weekend's Group of Eight (G-8) summit in Cologne dominated European editorial pages and triggered some comment from Asian and Middle Eastern media outlets. Reviews were generally favorable, with most papers doling out modest praise to Western leaders for their efforts to repair frayed relations with Moscow, and, to a lesser extent, for their agreement on a stability pact for the Balkans and on a debt remission plan for 33 Third World countries. The majority of editorial writers focused on Russia's role at the summit, with most arguing that "the thawing of relations" between Russia and the West--evidenced by the "warm" welcome that greeted Russian President Yeltsin, and the conciliatory words exchanged between the Russian leader and his Western counterparts--"augurs well for global stability and security."
• CONCEPT OF THE WORLD IN THE 21ST CENTURY by President Boris N. Yeltsin at the June 1999 G-8 Summit in Cologne
• CLINTON / YELTSIN Voice of America 20 June 1999 -- PRESIDENT CLINTON AND HIS RUSSIAN COUNTERPART BORIS YELTSIN HAVE PUT THEIR DIFFERENCES OVER KOSOVO BEHIND THEM AND HAVE AGREED TO RESUME WORK ON THEIR BILATERAL AGENDA.
• CLINTON / YELTSIN Voice of America 19 June 1999 -- PRESIDENT CLINTON MEETS LATER TODAY (SUNDAY) WITH HIS RUSSIAN COUNTERPART, BORIS YELTSIN ON THE SIDELINES OF AN ECONOMIC SUMMIT IN COLOGNE, GERMANY. U-S OFFICIALS SAY THEY HOPETHE MEETING WILL PUT BILATERAL RELATIONS BACK ON TRACK AFTER BEING STRAINED OVER KOSOVO.
• PRESS BRIEFING BY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR SANDY BERGER June 19, 1999 -- Several months ago Ambassador Gallucci and Minister Kopchev reached an agreement -- this was during the Primakov government -- which would provide for a much more elaborate Russian export control regime. Part of the problem there is that there are thousands of Russian enterprises, and unlike the United States, there is not an export control -- centralized export control system that really works. The President said he hoped that the Duma could deal with START II. The Prime Minister did not make any commitments in that regard, but clearly in their mind they would like to get into a negotiation on START III because the START II numbers right now don't work terribly well for the Russians -- it actually would cost them money to build -- to meet START II requirements. So I think they would like to move into START III. Obviously, we have to have some disposition of START II as part of that.
• PRESS BRIEFING BY JIM STEINBERG, DEPUTY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR June 19, 1999 -- In the afternoon, they returned to the planned agenda. The principal topics were the comprehensive threat reduction or extended threat reduction initiative that the President has been pushing. They talked particularly about the need to deal with plutonium disposition and to find productive employment for Russian scientists during the period of transition.
• SPACE STATION NEAR MISS Voice of America 18 June 1999 -- AN EFFORT BY U-S AND RUSSIAN GROUND CONTROLLERS TO MOVE THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION AWAY FROM A DANGEROUS PIECE OF SPACE DEBRIS LAST WEEK FAILED, ALTHOUGH NO COLLISION OCCURRED.
• U-S-RUSSIAN RELATIONS Voice of America 09 June 1999 -- THE EFFECT OF THE WAR IN KOSOVO ON U-S-RUSSIA RELATIONS WAS DISCUSSED RECENTLY AT A WASHINGTON MEETING. THE DEBATE CONCERNED THE AMOUNT OF DAMAGE TO TIES BETWEEN MOSCOW AND WASHINGTON. THE DEBATE CONCLUDED REBUILDING RELATIONS WILL BE A MAJOR TASK.
• AID TO RUSSIA Voice of America 09 June 1999 -- THE U-S HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS COMMITTEE WEDNESDAY HELD HEARINGS ON CONTINUED U-S ASSISTANCE TO PROMOTE ECONOMIC REFORM IN RUSSIA. MEMBERS ARE CONCERNED THAT AID MONEY IS BEING STOLEN AND THAT REFORM ISN'T TAKING HOLD.
• Negotiations may help Russia rebuild prestige By Deb Price Detroit News 09 June 1999 -- "Our nuclear forces continue to be postured as though we are enemies, as though we are really worried about a sneak nuclear attack from the other side," says John Pike, a defense analyst at the Federation of American Scientists. "That bears no resemblance to the real world that everyone is living in."
• Russian Mission to Extend Life of Mir Runs Into Tall Obstacle By MAURA REYNOLDS Los Angeles Times 06 June 1999 -- "With the loss of the Mir, the Russians are going to lose their last great space achievement, a home for humans in space," said Charles Vick, a senior space researcher with the Federation of American Scientists.
• RUSSIA/MIR Voice of America 01 June 1999 -- RUSSIAN SPACE AGENCY OFFICIALS HAVE ANNOUNCED THE AGING MIR SPACE STATION WILL BE ALLOWED TO DRIFT OUT OF ORBIT EARLY NEXT YEAR. VOA'S EVE CONANT IN MOSCOW REPORTS RUSSIAN SPACE AGENCIES WERE UNABLE TO RAISE ENOUGH MONEY TO KEEP THE 13-YEAR-OLD SPACE STATION RUNNING.
• SHUTTLE / SPACE STATION Voice of America 01 June 1999 -- THE CREW OF U-S SPACE SHUTTLE "DISCOVERY" HAS CONTINUED TO MAKE REPAIRS AND DELIVER SUPPLIES TO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION. THE ASTRONAUTS ARE REPORTING NO PROBLEMS IN THEIR WORK.
• Commercialization of Russian Technology in Cooperation with American Companies, by David Bernstein, Center for International Security and Cooperation, June 1999

  May

• RUSSIA: LATEST POLITICAL 'CRISIS OVER; MISERY CAN BEGIN ANEW' USIA Foreign Media Reaction Report - 25 May 1999 -- Coming on the heels of the Russian State Duma's aborted impeachment drive against President Yeltsin, the May 19 confirmation of Sergei Stepashin as prime minister was widely regarded as another "victory" for the Russian president. Nevertheless, many anticipated that relations between the Kremlin and parliament will continue to be rocky and that "Yeltsin and the Communists will soon come to blows again."
• RUSSIA'S FAILED ECONOMY Voice of America 22 May 1999 -- WASHINGTON'S SCHOOL OF ADVANCED INTERNATIONAL STUDIES (SAIS) THURSDAY HOSTED A PANEL DISCUSSION ON RUSSIA'S FAILED EXPERIMENT WITH FREE MARKET ECONOMIC REFORM.
• RUSSIA / YELTSIN Voice of America 21 May 1999 -- PRESIDENT BORIS YELTSIN LEFT MOSCOW FRIDAY FOR A WEEK-LONG VACATION IN SOUTHERN RUSSIA. V-O-A'S EVE CONANT IN MOSCOW REPORTS THE RUSSIAN PRESIDENT ALSO APPOINTED SOME KEY MEMBERS OF HIS CABINET BEFORE HE LEFT.
• YELTSIN / HEALTH Voice of America 20 May 1999 -- QUESTIONS HAVE ONCE AGAIN BEEN RAISED ABOUT THE HEALTH OF RUSSIAN PRESIDENT BORIS YELTSIN FOLLOWING HIS RECENT CANCELLATION OF A MOSCOW MEETING WITH THE SPANISH PRIME MINISTER.
• RUSSIA POLITICS Voice of America 19 May 1999 -- RUSSIA'S PARLIAMENT HAS CONFIRMED SERGEI STEPASHIN AS PRIME MINISTER. THE VOTE WAS 293 TO 55. VOA'S PETER HEINLEIN REPORTS FROM MOSCOW THE VOTE CAME DESPITE MR. STEPASHIN'S PLEDGE TO CARRY OUT UNPOPULAR ECONOMIC REFORMS.
• STEPASHIN PROFILE Voice of America 19 May 1999 -- RUSSIAN PRESIDENT BORIS YELTSIN'S CHOICE FOR PRIME MINISTER, SERGEI STEPASHIN, WAS OVERWHELMINGLY CONFIRMED TO THE POST WEDNESDAY.
• 'RUSSIA ONCE AGAIN APPROACHING POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CHAOS' USIA Foreign Media Reaction Daily Digest May 18, 1999 -- Events in Russia over the last week--namely President Boris Yeltsin's firing of Yevgeny Primakov, his third prime minister in 14 months, and the failure of the State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, to win the votes necessary to launch impeachment proceedings against the Russian president--captured the attention of the foreign media. Virtually all commentators lambasted Mr. Yeltsin for the firing, seeing it as further evidence of his "erratic and autocratic" behavior. Most mused about what Yeltsin's "latest swing of the wrecking ball" would portend for the country's political stability and economic health.
• RUSSIA / YELTSIN Voice of America 18 May 1999 -- THERE ARE NEW QUESTIONS ABOUT THE HEALTH OF RUSSIAN PRESIDENT BORIS YELTSIN AFTER HE APPARANTLY CANCELED A MEETING TUESDAY WITH THE VISITING PRIME MINISTER OF SPAIN.
• RUSSIA PRIME MINISTER VOTE Voice of America 18 May 1999 -- THE LOWER HOUSE OF RUSSIA'S PARLIAMENT IS PREPARING TO VOTE WEDNESDAY ON PRESIDENT BORIS YELTSIN'S APPOINTMENT OF A NEW PRIME MINISTER. MR. YELTSIN'S CANDIDATE -- SERGEI STEPASHIN -- WOULD REPLACE THE POPULAR YEVGENY PRIMAKOV WHO THE PRESIDENT DISMISSED LAST WEEK.
• RUSSIA / DUMA VOTES Voice of America 18 May 1999 -- RUSSIAN PRESIDENT BORIS YELTSIN FACES ANOTHER CHALLENGE FROM THE DUMA -- WHEN IT VOTES WEDNESDAY ON HIS NOMINEE FOR PRIME MINISTER -- SERGEI STEPASHIN.
• RUSSIA / YELTSIN Voice of America 18 May 1999 -- THERE ARE NEW QUESTIONS ABOUT THE HEALTH OF RUSSIAN PRESIDENT BORIS YELTSIN AFTER HE APPARENTLY CANCELED A MEETING TUESDAY WITH THE VISITING PRIME MINISTER OF SPAIN. SPANISH DIPLOMATS SAYS THE RUSSIAN PRESIDENT HAS BRONCHITIS.
• Russian S-400 Air Defense Missiles , Interfax, 5/17/1999 -- The testing of S-400 Triumf air defense systems is nearing completion in Kapustin Yar
• RUSSIA POL Voice of America 17 May 1999 -- THINGS ARE LOOKING UP (BETTER) FOR RUSSIAN PRESIDENT BORIS YELTSIN. THERE WAS A HUGE OUTCRY LAST WEEK WHEN MR. YELTSIN FIRED HIS POPULAR PRIME MINISTER, YEVGENY PRIMAKOV, ON THE EVE OF AN IMPEACHMENT VOTE IN PARLIAMENT.
• RUSSIA / POLITICS Voice of America 16 May 1999 -- RUSSIAN PRESIDENT BORIS YELTSIN HAS SURVIVED AN IMPEACHMENT ATTEMPT, BUT MORE CHALLENGES LIE AHEAD IN RUSSIA'S POLITICAL SCENE.
• RUSSIA/POLITICS Voice of America 15 May 1999 -- RUSSIAN PRESIDENT BORIS YELTSIN HAS ESCAPED THE THREAT OF IMPEACHMENT. THE COUNTRY'S COMMUNIST-DOMINATED PARLIAMENT FAILED TO MUSTER THE NECESSARY NUMBER OF VOTES TO BEGIN THE IMPEACHMENT PROCESS.
• YELTSIN / PRIMAKOV Voice of America 14 May 1999 -- RUSSIAN LEGISLATORS CONTINUE TO DISCUSS CHARGES AGAINST PRESIDENT BORIS YELTSIN WHICH COULD LEAD TO HIS IMPEACHMENT. AT THE SAME TIME, THE COUNTRY IS WITHOUT A LEGITIMATE GOVERNMENT, FOLLOWING THE FIRING OF PRIME MINISTER YEVGENY PRIMAKOV.
• RUSSIA / POLITICS Voice of America 14 May 1999 -- RUSSIA'S LOWER HOUSE OF PARLIAMENT HAS WRAPPED UP A SECOND DAY OF OFTEN BITTER DEBATE ON IMPEACHMENT CHARGES AGAINST PRESIDENT BORIS YELTSIN.
• RUSSIA IMPEACHMENT Voice of America 13 May 1999 -- RUSSIA'S LOWER HOUSE OF PARLIAMENT -- THE DUMA -- HAS BEGUN IMPEACHMENT HEARINGS AGAINST PRESIDENT BORIS YELTSIN.
• RUSSIA ECONOMY Voice of America 13 May 1999 -- WHILE THE WORLD BANK SAYS THAT THE CHANGE OF GOVERNMENT IN MOSCOW WILL DELAY ITS LENDING TO RUSSIA, MANY EXPERTS SAY THE MAIN IMPACT OF THE FIRING OF YEVGENY PRIMAKOV AS PRIME MINISTER WILL BE POLITICAL AND NOT ECONOMIC.
• RUSSIA / POLITICS Voice of America 13 May 1999 -- THE COMMUNIST-DOMINATED LOWER HOUSE OF RUSSIA'S PARLIAMENT HAS BEGUN THREE-DAYS OF DEBATE ON WHETHER TO IMPEACH PRESIDENT BORIS YELTSIN.
• RUSSIA / YELTSIN Voice of America 13 April 1999 -- RUSSIAN PRESIDENT BORIS YELTSIN HAS RIDICULED PARLIAMENT FOR POSTPONING A VOTE ON WHETHER TO IMPEACH HIM.
• RUSSIA IMPEACHMENT UPDATE Voice of America 12 April 1999 -- RUSSIA'S LOWER HOUSE OF PARLIAMENT HAS VOTED TO DELAY IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS AGAINST PRESIDENT BORIS YELTSIN.
• RUSSIA/POLITICS Voice of America 12 May 1999 -- RUSSIAN PRESIDENT BORIS YELTSIN HAS SPARKED FEARS OF A NEW POLITICAL CRISIS IN HIS COUNTRY AFTER FIRING THE POPULAR PRIME MINISTER, YEVGENY PRIMAKOV.
• TEXT: SESTANOVICH TESTIMONY MAY 12 ON U.S., RUSSIAN RELATIONS USIA 12 May 1999 -- Ongoing instability in Russia and the conflict in Kosovo must not undermine the post-Cold War pattern of cooperation between Russia and the United States, a senior State Department official said May 12 in testimony before the House International Relations Committee.
• Russian S-400 Missile Can Hit Radar, AWACS Aircraft , ITAR-TASS, 5/5/1999 -- The new Russian air defence S-400 Triumf system is capable of hitting radar reconnaissance and AWACS planes, which raises considerably its competitiveness on the world arms market.

  April

• TEXT: STATEMENT BY THE IMF MANAGING DIRECTOR ON RUSSIA, APRIL 28 USIA 29 April 1999 -- The Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Michel Camdessus, Maslyukov, First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, and afterwards said he was pleased they were able to reach agreement on an economic program for Russia.
• TEXT: REVISED STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT LOAN FOR RUSSIA USIA 29 April 1999 -- The World Bank said April 28 that it has completed negotiations with the Russian Government for the revision of the third Structural Adjustment loan
• Russian Missile Designers Laud Products , NTV, 4/10/1999
• Department of State Daily Press Briefing April 2, 1999 -- US Imposition of Sanctions on Three Russian Entities for Transfer of Lethal Military Equipment to Syria
• U-S / RUSSIA Voice of America 02 April 1999 -- THE UNITED STATES HAS IMPOSED SANCTIONS ON THREE RUSSIAN FIRMS FOR ALLEGEDLY SUPPLYING ANTI-TANK MISSILES TO SYRIA -- A COUNTRY WASHINGTON HAS DESIGNATED AS A SPONSOR OF TERRORISM.

  March

• RUSSIA/I-M-F Voice of America 29 March 1999 -- RUSSIA AND THE INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND HAVE AGREED, IN PRINCIPLE, ON A NEW, MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR LOAN PACKAGE.
• THREE RUSSIAN FIRMS BANNED FROM NORMAL TRADE WITH U.S. COMPANIES USIA 26 March 1999 -- Three more Russian firms have been banned from normal trade with American companies after having been found to be involved in proliferation activities.
• TEXT: AMB. VERSHBOW SPEECH ON U.S.-RUSSIAN RELATIONS USIA 25 March 1999 -- The United States is committed to achieving an effective partnership with Russia, and disagreement over policy in the Balkans should not cloud that vision of partnership, said Ambassador Alexander Vershbow, the U.S. Permanent Representative on the North Atlantic Council.
• THE PROBLEM OF CORRUPTION IN RUSSIA Voice of America 20 March 1999 -- PERHAPS THE GREATEST SINGLE THREAT TO A DEVELOPING DEMOCRACY IS INSTITUTIONALIZED CORRUPTION AND ORGANIZED CRIME. RUSSIA HAS BEEN PLAGUED BY BOTH.
• ISRAEL / RUSSIA Voice of America 19 March 1999 -- NETANYAHU WILL USE HIS STOP IN MOSCOW TO URGE HIS RUSSIAN COUNTERPART, YEVGENY PRIMAKOV, TO END HIS COUNTRY'S NUCLEAR AND MISSILE TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANCE TO IRAN.
• U-S / RUSSIA / IRAN Voice of America 18 March 1999 -- U-S OFFICIALS SAY THEY WANT TO SEE ACTION BEFORE LIFTING SANCTIONS AGAINST TWO RUSSIAN NUCLEAR RESEARCH CENTERS.
• The Upcoming Meeting of the Gore-Primakov Commission Leon Fuerth, National Security Adviser to Vice President Al Gore -- March 18, 1999 -- The U.S. position as is now pretty well known, is that we would not find it possible to expand the quota for commercial space launches to geosynchronous orbit until we have reason to feel that technology transfer to other countries is under firm control. And this has been a matter of very serious discussion for some time now.
• RUSSIA / U-S NUCLEAR Voice of America 17 March 1999 -- RUSSIA IS OFFERING TO CUT BACK NUCLEAR ASSISTANCE TO IRAN IF THE UNITED STATES ENDS CRIPPLING SANCTIONS AGAINST TWO OF RUSSIA'S LEADING NUCLEAR RESEARCH INSTITUTES.
• RUSSIA / U-S Voice of America 16 March 1999 -- A U-S CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION HAS RECEIVED A COLD RESPONSE FROM RUSSIAN LAWMAKERS TO A CONTROVERSIAL U-S PROPOSAL FOR A HUGE NEW ANTI-MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM. THE VISITING AMERICAN CONGRESSMEN SAY THEY MADE IT CLEAR THE UNITED STATES PLANS TO GO AHEAD WITH DEVELOPMENT OF THE MISSILE DEFENSE SHIELD REGARDLESS OF RUSSIAN OBJECTIONS.
• CONGRESS-RUSSIA Voice of America 12 March 1999 -- NINE U-S CONGRESSMEN ARE IN MOSCOW THIS WEEKEND TO DISCUSS SECURITY ISSUES WITH MEMBERS OF RUSSIA'S PARLIAMENT (THE DUMA). THEY WANT TO TALK ABOUT MISSILE DEFENSES.
• RUSSIA / FOOD Voice of America 11 March 1999 -- THE FIRST DELIVERY OF UNITED STATES FOOD AID TO RUSSIA IS SCHEDULED TO ARRIVE SOON AT THE PORT OF ST. PETERSBURG.

  February

• GLICKMAN SAYS RUSSIAN FOOD AID SHIPS THIS WEEK USIA 24 Feburary 1999 -- Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman says the first shipment of the $1,200 million U.S. food assistance package for Russia will leave in days through a Virginia port and arrive in St. Petersburg by March 10.
• RUSSIA / MIR Voice of America 22 Feburary 1999 -- A RUSSIAN SPACE CAPSULE HAS SUCCESSFULLY DELIVERED A NEW THREE-MAN CREW TO THE MIR ORBITER FOR WHAT COULD BE THE AGING CRAFT'S LAST MISSION.
• Mir's 13-Year Orbit Looks to Be Ending Los Angeles Times 21 February 1999-- Space Crew bound for Russian station is likely to be its last. Kremlin lacks funds to keep it aloft. "They can't afford to operate two stations at the same time," said John Pike, director of space policy at the Federation of American Scientists. "For the last five years, Mir has been a test bed for the new station. That's the only thing that has kept it in orbit this long."
• RUSSIA / MIR Voice of America 20 Feburary 1999 -- A RUSSIAN SOYUZ SPACECRAFT CARRYING A THREE MAN CREW IS ON ITS WAY TO A SCHEDULED MONDAY RENDEZVOUS WITH THE MIR SPACE STATION ON WHAT COULD BE THE ORBITER'S FINAL MANNED MISSION.
• There Will Be No 'Desert Storm' Over Russia: 'Triumf' System Will Be a Worthy Response to Foreign Aircraft Development, Sergey Sokut , Nezavisimoye Voyennoye Obozreniye, 2/19/1999 -- The new-generation Triumf SAM system is Russia's answer to military challenges of the 21st century in the conventional arms area.
• New Russian Missile Hits Air Targets at Long Range, Anatoli Yurkin , ITAR-TASS, 2/16/1999 -- The new weapon discriminates aircraft, manufactured under Stealth technology, and destroys airborne early warning and control systems at a distance of 400 kilometres.
• DoD News Briefing, February 11, 1999 -- I think that people in this building believe that an accidental launch is unlikely. However, we have been engaging, in the process of engaging the Russians in a program called Shared Early Warning, and that process continues.
• RUSSIA / SPACE Voice of America 11 Feburary 1999 -- THE CORPORATION THAT OWNS THE MIR SPACE STATION HAD HOPED TO WIN ENOUGH FOREIGN BACKING TO KEEP IT IN ORBIT ANOTHER THREE YEARS. NOW THE DIRECTOR OF RUSSIA'S SPACE AGENCY SAYS THOSE HOPES HAVE BEEN PRETTY MUCH DASHED.
• Department of State Daily Press Briefing , FEBRUARY 10, 1999 -- The Washington Post about the Russian missile defenses. How do you answer critics who say the Administration is moving too slowly on helping Russia compensate for its inadequacy in its early warning system?
• Russia's Missile Defenses Eroding David Hoffman The Washington Post, February 10, 1999; Page A01 -- Russia's early-warning defense against missile attack, a key aspect of the hair-trigger doctrine of nuclear deterrence, is deteriorating because Moscow cannot replenish the array of satellites it needs to monitor U.S. missile silos and submarines, according to Russian and Western security analysts.
• Soviet Officer Faced Nuclear Armageddon David Hoffman The Washington Post, February 10, 1999; Page A19 -- It was Sept. 26, 1983, and Petrov was playing a principal role in one of the most harrowing incidents of the nuclear age, a false alarm signaling a U.S. missile attack. Although virtually unknown to the West at the time, the false alarm at the closed military facility south of Moscow came during one of the most tense periods of the Cold War. And the episode resonates today because Russia's early-warning system has fewer than half the satellites it did back then, raising the specter of more such dangerous incidents.
• Almaz' Prepares 'Triumf': New Generation of Anti-Aircraft Missile System Created in Russia, Andrey Viktorovich Fomin, Nezavisimoye Voyennoye Obozreniye, 2/5/1999 -- The completion of comprehensive testing of a new generation of anti-aircraft missile system (ZRS) for air defense, named Triumf, should be an important event in the military sphere in 1999.
• TEXT: USDA ANNOUNCES U.S., RUSSIAN FOOD AGREEMENT 03 February 1999 -- U.S. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman says the United States and Russian governments have signed agreements adding 50,000 metric tons of U.S. poultry parts and 15,000 metric tons of planting seeds to a U.S. food assistance package agreement announced in December 1998.

  January

• U.S.-RUSSIAN RELATIONS: 'CLIMATE CHANGE' UNDERWAY? USIA Foreign Media Reaction Report January 29, 1999 -- Most pundits focused broadly on perceived "tensions" between Moscow and Washington, which many agreed were evidence of "a climate change," signaling a "frostiness" not seen since the end of the Cold War. Arguing that the "warmhearted ... era of Bill and Boris" was over, a number of editorialists sketched out the litany of irritants to the bilateral relationship--identifying Kosovo, Iraq, arms control and Russia's "economic collapse" as major challenges. The root of the discord, most maintained, was the growing power disparity between the two countries, which was exacerbated by US "arrogance" and Russia's "wounded pride." "Washington doesn't even bother to keep up the pretense of partnership."
• State Department Briefing -- 26 January 1999 -- QUESTION: How does the United States view recent Russian plans to delivery S-300 missiles, as well as offensive weapons such as MIG-29 fighter jets to Armenia?
• TRANSCRIPT: SECSTATE BRIEFING ON PLANE EN ROUTE MOSCOW USIA 25 January 1999 -- Secretary of State Albright calls "ridiculous" recent suggestions that the United States return to a containment policy toward Russia. "The whole point here is to engage Russia." She said the discussions during her current trip, which originally were to have focused on the Conventional Forces in Europe treaty (CFE), will now include other key issues such as non-proliferation, START II, Iraq and economic issues.
• RUSSIA / U-S FOOD Voice of America 24 January 1999 -- U-S AGRICULTURE SECRETARY DAN GLICKMAN IS IN MOSCOW FOR TALKS ON ENSURING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF U-S FOOD AID BEING SENT TO RUSSIA. THE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM IS ENCOUNTERING WIDESPREAD CRITICISM EVEN BEFORE IT BEGINS.
• RUSSIA/ALBRIGHT Voice of America 23 January 1999 -- A STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP IS DEAD, IF INDEED IT EVER EXISTED AT ALL. THE FORMER COLD WAR ADVERSARIES HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO FORGE A RELATIONSHIP WITH WHICH THEY CAN BE COMFORTABLE.
• RUSSIA FOREIGN AFFAIRS Voice of America 22 January 1999 -- WHILE RUSSIA WILL OPPOSE ANY PLANS BY THE UNITED STATES TO AMEND NUCLEAR TREATIES WITH RUSSIA, BILATERAL RELATIONS ARE NOT IN JEOPARDY.
• EDITORIAL: RUSSIAN INSTITUTES SANCTIONED Voice of America 22 January 1999 -- NIKIET AND MENDELEYEV UNIVERSITY WERE FOUND TO HAVE MADE MATERIAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO IRAN'S NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM. THE MOSCOW AVIATION INSTITUTE WAS FOUND TO HAVE MADE MATERIAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO IRAN'S MISSILE PROGRAM.
• U-S / RUSSIA Voice of America 22 January 1999 -- SOME RUSSIAN OFFICIALS HAVE EXPRESSED SUSPICION ABOUT U-S NEEDS TO ALTER THE ABM TREATY. RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINSTER IGOR IVANOV SAYS HIS COUNTRY IS NOT READY FOR ANY AMENDMENTS.
• NASA / MIR REACT Voice of America 22 January 1999 -- NASA SAYS RUSSIA HAS PROMISED THE UNITED STATES THAT THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION REMAINS A PRIORITY, EVEN THOUGH PRIME MINISTER YEVGENY PRIMAKOV HAS SIGNED A DECREE TO KEEP THE AGING MIR ALOFT.
• RUSSIA SPACE MIR Voice of America 22 January 1999 -- IN A MOVE LIKELY TO UPSET U-S SPACE OFFICIALS, RUSSIA HAS DECIDED TO KEEP THE AGING SPACE STATION MIR IN ORBIT FOR SEVERAL MORE YEARS.
• NASA / MIR REACT Voice of America 22 January 1999 -- THE U-S SPACE AGENCY, NASA, SAYS RUSSIA'S DECISION TO KEEP THE MIR SPACE STATION IN ORBIT THREE MORE YEARS MUST NOT COME AT THE EXPENSE OF MOSCOW'S COMMITMENT TO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.
• TRANSCRIPT: SECRETARY OF STATE ALBRIGHT ON RUSSIAN TV USIA 21 January 1999 -- Secretary of State Albright has told a Russian television audience the United States has "good evidence" that the Russian enterprises against which it imposed sanctions "were, in fact, carrying on a relationship that is counterproductive" to all countries concerned about the potential threat of weapons of mass destruction.
• U-S / RUSSIA / IRAN Voice of America 21 January 1999 -- THE "MOSCOW AVIATION INSTITUTE" HAS PROVIDED THE IRANIANS WITH TRAINING IN TWO CRITICAL TECHNOLOGIES: ROCKET PROPULSION AND ROCKET GUIDANCE. THE "SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND DESIGN INSTITUTE OF POWER TECHNOLOGY" DESIGNS NUCLEAR REACTORS. MOSCOW'S "MENDELEYEV UNIVERSITY OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY" DEVELOPS NUCLEAR REACTORS AND WORKS ON NUCLEAR FUEL.
• Y2K pushes U.S., Russia to work on warning center for nukes Federal Computer Week (1/14/99) The Pentagon plans to dispatch a team to Russia next week to work on a "shared early-warning center" designed to preclude ny accidental launch of missiles brought on by a Year 2000 bug in nuclear command and control systems
• State Department Briefing -- 14 January 1999 -- There are these three entities that are not entities that, to my knowledge, are launching satellites. They tend to be research institutes of some kind or another. In the case of missiles, we're only talking about one. They are technical and research entities. Then there is the Russian launch program, the booster program, the missile program. It is those programs that benefit from receiving hard currency from American companies by launching their satellites.
• State Department Briefing -- 13 January 1999 -- Over the last several years, we have been working very closely with Russia to try to deal with real concerns we have in the missile and nuclear area. During the initial phases, we saw a significant amount of success. Laws were passed - or rather, export control regulations were set forth, in particular a catch-all export control, and the Russian Government took active steps to stop problems and fix problems that we had identified. That movement in the right direction has stopped, and there has been a steady deterioration in this area. In this case, we have been urging the Russians to act in these three areas and they have not acted to our satisfaction. That is why we took the action we took.
• RUSSIA/U-S SANCTIONS Voice of America 13 January 1999 -- RUSSIA HAS ANGRILY DENOUNCED THE U-S DECISION TO IMPOSE SANCTIONS ON THREE SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTES ACCUSED OF HELPING IRAN'S NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM.
• U-S / RUSSIA / IRAN Voice of America 13 January 1999 -- U-S OFFICIALS SAY RUSSIA COULD JEOPARDIZE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN U-S SATELLITE LAUNCH CONTRACTS IF IT DOES NOT HALT THE FLOW OF NUCLEAR AND MISSILE TECHNOLOGY TO IRAN.
• U-S SANCTIONS / RUSSIA Voice of America 12 January 1999 -- THE UNITED STATES IS IMPOSING SANCTIONS ON THREE RUSSIAN, SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTIONS FOR HELPING IRAN'S NUCLEAR OR MISSILE, PROGRAMS.
• TEXT: U.S. IMPOSES PENALTIES ON THREE RUSSIAN ENTITIES USIA 12 January 1999 -- The United States is banning exports to and imports from three entities in Russia for materially contributing to Iran's nuclear weapons and missile programs, according to a statement released January 12 by the White House press secretary.
• TRANSCRIPT: USDA OFFICIAL ON FOOD AID FOR RUSSIA USIA 11 January 1999 -- A food aid package, negotiated between Russia and the United States, is set to be implemented in time to help the Russian people through this winter. The deliveries should start to leave the United States before the end of this month so the deliveries will be completed by the end of June.
• RUSSIA IN 'DIRE STRAITS,' 'SEARCHING FOR ROLE IN THE WORLD' USIS Foreign Media Reaction Report -- January 8, 1999 -- The "power vacuum" created by President Yeltsin's obvious "detachment" and "erratic" behavior remained a major worry for many. In recent weeks, editorials from Russia and elsewhere, while principally focused on the country's internal troubles, reflected a new concern: Russia's growing resentment of its diminished stature in the world, particularly vis-a-vis the US.

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