August 08, 2005
Did Sub Crew Rescue Embarass Russia's Military Establishment?
Steven Lee Myers and Christopher Drew of The New York Times have reported that, "While Russia celebrated the rescue of a small submarine and its seven crew members who had been trapped for three days more than 190 meters below the surface of the Pacific Ocean, the happy ending was tinged by embarrassment and recriminations over the state of the country's military." Read why.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 10:32 PM | Comments (0)
August 03, 2005
Russia Threatens to Punish ABC For Interviewing Shamil Basayev
On August 1, 2005, MosNews.Com reported that, "The Russian Foreign Ministry has said it does not intend to deprive the U.S. channel ABC of accreditation" for broadcasting an interview with Chechen resistance fighter Shamil Basayev.
On August 2, 2005, the publication reported that, the "Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday [August 2, 2005] it will not resume accreditation for employees of ABC television company after it expires. The ministry called the company undesirable for contacts with any Russian state organization or agency."
"On July 28," MosNews.Com noted, "ABC broadcast an interview with the Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev who called himself a terrorist and promised to commit more attacks against Russian civilians."
I would think the Russians would want to know what Mr. Basayev was thinking, although they would not necessarily know when he plans to strike or where.
Could it be that they are upset because ABC has been able to find Mr. Basayev and they haven't?
I recalled the same thing with Osama bin Laden. Journalists could always get to him but intelligence agents couldn't. I wonder why?
Posted by Munir Umrani at 02:03 AM | Comments (0)
July 30, 2005
Afghan Heroin Reportedly Taking Toll On Russia
Viktor Khvorostyan, head of the Moscow section of the Federal Narcotics Service, told the Moskovskiye Novosti weekly that, "In recent years the flow [of heroin] from Afghanistan has strengthened," the Reuters wire service reported July 29, 2005.
"I would call this narco-aggression," he said. "Almost all the heroin used in the capital comes from there. The flow is so great that you can talk about a threat to national security,"
Mr. Khvorostyan said, "This is catastrophic. In the last year in Russia around half a million drug addicts were registered. But in reality there are many more." Here's more.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:50 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Sedov: 'Quarter of Afghan Narcotics Goes to Russia'
Alexei Sedov, the Deputy Director of the Federal Anti-Drug Service in Russia, " announced at a news conference held in Nizhny Novgorod that a quarter of the narcotics produced in Afghanistan goes to Russia for distribution in the local market and transported to other countries," according to to a July 31, 2005 report at Zaman Daily Online.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:40 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 22, 2005
Russia To Write Off $16 Billion in African Debt
MosNews.Com, citing an Interfax dispatch, reported that Russia "has decided to write off over $16 billion in African countries debts, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko told Interfax on June 21, 2005.
"I must say right away that Russia is making a great contribution to programs to facilitate the development of African countries, including by easing their tax burden," Mr. Yakovenko said, according to Interfax. "Many must have forgotten about this. I'll cite just one figure. Over the past several years, Russia has written off or promised to write off African countries debts worth over $16 billion, which is far more than individual G8 members contribution to the solution of this problem."
See "Foreign Ministry Says Russia Will Write off $16 Billion ln in African Debts" for more.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 10:11 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 16, 2005
Why Tymoshenko Cancelled Her First Official Visit to Russia
Taras Kuzio, in a an April 15, 2005 post Eurasia Daily Monitor, tells why "Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko cancelled her first official visit to Russia this week. The Russian Prosecutor-General's office has continued to insist that she be brought in for questioning in connection with a long-forgotten case from the 1990s in which she is accused of bribing Russian Defense Ministry officials," the writer said, adding: "Ukrainian authorities under former president Leonid Kuchma unsuccessfully tried to smear her with these and other charges in 2001-2003. " Here's more.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:05 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 16, 2005
Russian Daily Casts Doubt on Moscow's Version of Maskhadov's Death
Daily Times of Pakistan reports that "Russia said on Tuesday [March 15, 2005] that it was able to locate and kill Chechnya’s moderate rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov last week [March 8, 2005] after people seeking a 10-million-dollar bounty on his head provided the authorities with necessary information."
The paper noted that "on Tuesday [March 15, 2005] the Moskovsky Komsomolets tabloid, one of Russia’s most popular dailies known as MK, said that its reporter had inspected the house [where Mr. Maskhadov was rfeportedly hiding] before its demolition and that Maskhadov could not have possibly hidden out there for months, in secret from even the wife of the owner of the house." Here's more Daily Times' report.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:41 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Kavkaz Center.Com: Moscow Telling Stories About Maskhadov
Kavkaz Center.Com reported March 16, 2005 that "Moscow has launched another version about the death of President [Aslan] Maskhadov. Almost a week after the murder Russian FSB (Federal Security Service, former KGB) reported that the Chechen President was allegedly betrayed and that the traitor allegedly received 10 million US dollars for the information provided," Kavkaz Center.Com said. "Besides, the story is still circulating, claiming that President Maskhadov was captured alive, interrogated and then shot dead." Here's more.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:27 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 20, 2005
MosNews.Com: Britain Offers to Help Russia in Chechnya
On February 17, 2005, MosNews.Com of Russia reported that "UK authorities have proposed that Russia make use of their experience in Northern Ireland as a solution to the Chechen problem, the British ambassador to Russia, Anthony Brenton, said on Thursday [February 17, 2005]."
“Our officials met their Russian counterparts ten days ago, and we have proposed to them that they use our experience in Chechnya,” Interfax news agency quoted the ambassador as saying," MosNews.Com noted. The Diplomatic Times Review learned of this proposal from the informative blog Chechnya.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:09 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 19, 2005
Why Georgian-Russian Relations Remain Strained
The Messenger, "Georgia's English language daily," said, "On coming to power the post Rose Revolution government [in Georgia] highlighted three initial directions in its foreign policy: to become a member of the European Union; to deepen its partnership with the United States; and to normalize relations with Russia.
"Unfortunately," the publication said in a February 17, 2005 analysis, "it seems impossible to achieve the third while at the same time pursuing the first two goals, as Russia is not prepared to have good relations with a neighboring country bent on EU membership and working closely with the United States." Here's more of The Messenger's analysis.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:49 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
