Some in Russia skeptical about the G8 decision to help the Kremlin dispose of its deadly Soviet-era arsenal
By MARA D. BELLABY, Associated Press, June 28, 2002
MOSCOW - The decision by the world's wealthiest industrial nations to help Russia dispose of its arsenal of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons won support from some quarters here on Friday, but angered others as a sign of Russia capitulating to the West.

G8 Entry a Prize for Putin, but Doubts Remain

By Ivan Rodin, Reuters, June 28, 2002
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin won the prized trophy of Group of Eight membership at a summit in Canada, but some back home still wonder how a country so poor could be a true member of the rich nations' club.

Russian Duma Votes Through 'Anti-Skinhead' Bill
Reuters, June 23, 2002
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian lawmakers gave their final backing on Thursday to a Kremlin-sponsored bill aiming to clamp down on extremist activity, despite liberal concerns that the law lacked safeguards to prevent abuses.

Deputies Quietly Approve Farm Bill
By Yevgenia Borisova. The Moscow Times, June 24, 2002.
After six hours of half-hearted debate, the State Duma approved a bill in the crucial second reading allowing Russians to buy and sell farmland and restricting foreigners to 49-year leases. Liberals slammed the limitation on foreigners. The only protest from the Communists, who oppose the sale of farmland altogether, came from a crowd of about 200 people rallying outside the Duma building. Most lawmakers appeared to be more interested in following two World Cup soccer games that were being played, and the Duma hall was all but empty during the debate.

Mikhail Amosov, leader of St.Petersburg branch of YABLOKO: YABLOKO and the Union of Right-Wing Forces anticipate the President's ideas
Rosbalt, June 25, 2002
St. Petersburg. June 25, 2002. "It is difficult to talk about a lack of understanding of the President's ideas by the political elites, said Mikhail Amosov, Chairman of the St. Petersburg branch of YABLOKO to a Rosbalt correspondent.— This immediately leads to the following question "what is a political elite?"

Grigory Yavlinsky: the economic and political course of Russia should be changed
RosBusinessConsulting, June 15, 2002
The leader of the YABLOKO party Grigory Yavlinsky spoke in favour of changing Russia's political and economic course. "It should be changed," noted Yavlinsky in his speech at the meeting of the Federal Council of YABLOKO today...

Duma Passes the Law "On Combating Extrimism"
by Mikhail Vinogradov
The second reading of the law on extremism took up half of the State Duma deputies' plenary session on June 20. Opponents kept warning: the notion of extremism was not clearly defined and this vagueness untied the hands of the Prosecutor General's Office and the Justice Ministry in their search for internal enemies. However, the State Duma supported the draft law initiated by the president as usual. The voting went as follows: 272 deputies (against a required number of 226) supported the law, whereas 126 rejected it. Consideration of the draft law started haphazardly before discussion of the first item - the notion of extremism - was closed. However, the deputies cleared everything out within two hours.

Nemtsov Puts Everything at Stake and Yavlinsky Sets His Sights on Becoming a Minister
By Alexander Budverg. Moskovsky Komsomolets, June 20, 2002
On Friday morning, a mini-conference of the "most bourgeois" party - the Union of Right-Wing Forces (SPS) - will open at a luxury hotel in central Moscow. This will be a mini-conference because formally this party gathering is called the council of the party. Representatives of all the regions, all the members of the Duma faction, and all the leaders will be present. The SPS leader Boris Nemtsov is going to propose two major innovations, which are supposed to change not only the SPS, but the entire right-wing opposition.

Deputy of the State Duma Sergei Mitrokhin: the adoption of the draft law on combating extremism will make it possible to fight both certain individuals and corresponding organisational structures
Rosbalt. June 19, 2002
Five out of ten prefectures of Moscow administrative districts banned the YABLOKO party from organising pickets near metro stations on the occasion of the 16th anniversary of the disaster Chernobyl nuclear power station. However, according to the YABLOKO press service, on April 25 and April 26 the party will distribute leaflets to about 100 metro stations, Deputy of the State Duma Sergei Mitrokhin: the adoption of the draft law on combating extremism will make it possible to fight both certain individuals and corresponding organisational structures

Kremlin's Doubles
By Yelena Tregubova. Kommersant-Vlast, No. 23, June 2002.
The Speaker of the State Duma Gennay Seleznev announced last week that he intends to develop the Rossia movement into a real political party. If he succeeds, Rossia will essentially become a second communist party, a sort of carbon copy of the CPRF. Actually, this fits in with the logic of President Vladimir Putin's actions, who seems intent on running the country with the help of a system of duplicates.

The Yabloko faction of the State Duma: we do need to pass a law against extremism
RIA "Novosti". June 20, 2002
MOSCOW, June 20, 2002. /RIA Novosti correspondent Galina Filippova/-- The Yabloko faction in the State Duma believes it is necessary to pass a Law on Combating Extremism "in view of the outbreak of extremism and signs pointing to the formation of an extremist underground in Russia." Sergei Mitrokhin, a member of the Yabloko faction, told reporters before the beginning of the State Duma's plenary session on Thursday where the parliamentarians were planning to consider in the second reading the presidential draft Law against Extremism.

The Union of Right-Wing Forces to Determine Next President
By Anastasiya Matveeva and Andrei Reut. Gazeta, June 20, 2002
Boris Nemtsov, leader of the Union of Right-Wing Forces (SPS), proposes that all democratic forces agree to back one candidate for president after the parliamentary election in 2003. The formula is simple. Each party nominates its own candidate. The Duma election shows who has won. All democratic forces support the candidate whose party gathered the most votes, even if they actually dislike that particular candidate.

Yavlinsky announces that YABLOKO is preparing for the elections
Ntv.ru.com, June 15, 2002
The leader of the YABLOKO party Grigory Yavlinsky advocates a change in Russia's political course. "It should be changed," Yavlinsky said at the meeting of the Federal Council of YABLOKO on Saturday, which was broadcasted by the Ekho Moskvi radio station.

The Leader of YABLOKO advocates a change in Russia's political course
Lenta.ru, June 15, 2002
The leader of the YABLOKO party Grigory Yavlinsky advocates a change in Russia's political course. "It should be changed," Yavlinsky said at the meeting of the Federal Council of YABLOKO on Saturday, which was broadcasted by the Ekho Moskvi radio station.

Alternative Service Bill Approved
By Oksana Yablokova. The Moscow Times, June 20, 2002.
After four hours of heated debate, the State Duma approved the government-backed bill on alternative military service in a crucial second reading Wednesday, tweaking it only slightly despite a protest from liberal lawmakers that it remained draconian. About 300 amendments -- mostly from the liberals -- have been submitted to the Duma since the bill was passed in the first reading in April. However, the four pro-Kremlin centrist factions that form the Duma's majority blocked the passage of most of them.

YABLOKO launches election Campaign and augments upper echelons with defectors from the Union of Right-Wing Forces
By Anna Zakatnova, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, June 17, 2002
Representatives from 55 regional branches of the party attended the national congress. It took them three days to discuss Yabloko's official position with regard to the regime, personnel matters, and preparations for the forthcoming parliamentary elections....

Interview with Alexei Arbatov, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Defence Committee on the ABM treaty
Ekho Moskvi Radio Station, June 13, 2002

Few Guarantees in the Law on Elections.
 Elections in Russia will be free and fair one day - but not soon by Lyubov Tsukanova. Novoe Vremya, No. 23, June 2002
The Federation Council reluctantly passed a law "On the main guarantees of electoral rights and the right to participate in referendums for citizens of the Russian Federation". Most senators abstained.

Putin's Dead Souls
by Stanislaw Tarasov, Vek, June 7, 2002
The world respects the diplomacy of the Russian president more and more. Hundreds of articles are devoted to his confident and sometimes risky foreign policy moves...

Duma Abolishes Skinheads
by Mikhail Vinogradov, Izvestia, June 7, 2002
A controversial presidential bill on combating extremism was pushed through the State Duma by On June 6 the Duma resolutely voted in favour of a law to counter extremism in the first reading. The law was passed despite its clearly draft" nature and the views of some parties that this law could be used to put pressure on parties and social movements. The political situation in Russia was seen to demand it.

The Right Wing
Argumenty i Fakty, No. 23, June 2002
As it should be, two years before the next presidential election, the campaign teams of leading political forces are starting to plan their strategy and tactics in preparation for this key event...

Bush Pushes On in Post-ABM World
Reuters, June 14, 2002
WASHINGTON -- Thirty years after taking effect as a bulwark of Cold War deterrence, the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty expired Thursday, freeing the United States to pursue aggressively its goal of a multibillion-dollar defense system against enemy missiles.

Fallout From Riots Felt Across City
By Nabi Abdullaev, The Moscow Times, June 11, 2002
As Moscow cleaned up the mess left by rampaging soccer fans, the city police took the heat Monday for failing to foresee and avert the riot, and opposition political parties voiced fears that the Kremlin may use the street violence as a pretext for curbing civil liberties.

Don't expect any radical changes
Interview with Sergei Ivanenko by Viktor Khamrayev. Vremya Novostei, June 6, 2002
"Small business involves hard labour, rather than business." At least that is how Deputy Head of the Yabloko faction in the State Duma Sergei Ivanenko sees it.

What Future for Russo-Ukrainian Relations?
By Taras Kuzio, The Moscow Times, June 10, 2002
Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma arrived in St. Petersburg on Sunday for a summit meeting with President Vladimir Putin.

Deadly Riot Erupts After Cup Defeat
By Nabi Abdullaev and Natalia Yefimova, The Moscow Times, June 10, 2002
A controversial presidential bill on combating extremism was pushed through the State Duma by Deadly Riot Erupts After Cup Defeat By Nabi Abdullaev and Natalia Yefimova Drunken soccer fans rioted in downtown Moscow on Sunday, leaving at least one man dead and dozens injured, in the worst street violence the capital has seen since the bombing of the parliament building in 1993.

City Duma Sets Poll Date
By Vladimir Kovalyev, St Peterburg Times, May 31, 2002
Ending an almost two-year struggle to chose a date for elections to the St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly the Chamber Assembly on Wednesday passed an amendment to the City Charter setting out Dec. 14 as the date for the vote.

Duma Gives Nod to Bill on Extremism
By Nabi Abdullaev, The Moscow Times, June 7, 2002
A controversial presidential bill on combating extremism was pushed through the State Duma by pro-Kremlin factions Thursday, despite criticism from the Communists, liberal lawmakers and human rights advocates, who say the measure will give the government too much power to suppress public protest.

Head of the Duma Committee on Education and Science Alexander Shishlov: a single state examination should be introduced legally
ABN news agency, June 3, 2002
ABN. June 3, 2002. St. Petersburg. 20:02. Head of the State Duma Committee on Education and Science, deputy of the State Duma from the Yabloko faction Alexander Shishlov, advocates the introduction of a single state examination: he also thinks that a federal law should be adopted in connection with this.

Independent Prison Inspections Urged
By Nabi Abdullaev, The Moscow Times, June 6, 2002
Liberal politicians and human rights activists urged for the passage of a bill that would allow independent inspections of prisons and visits to inmates Wednesday, saying such visits would help root out prison abuses...Yabloko party leader Grigory Yavlinsky said Wednesday that one reason the bill has gotten bound up in red tape is because of the peculiarities of existing legislation, an eclectic mix of Soviet-era laws that put the state's interests over those of individuals and newer laws that try to respect human rights. "This is why [the government] says the bill contradicts so many laws," Yavlinsky said. "This bill, together with the bill on alternative military service and attempts to implement a ban on the death penalty, demonstrates that our legislation is developing in between these [Soviet and post-Soviet] principles."

Grigory Yavlinsky is very much like his electorate. This is his vice. But then, the same holds true about his electorate.
Lyudmila TELEN, Moskovskiye Novosti, May 28, 2002
President Putin's generation came to politics in the late 1980s. Grigory Yavlinsky, Yegor Gaidar, Anatoly Chubais, Nikolai Fyodorov, Boris Nemtsov, Irina Khakamada and Yuri Boldyrev are inordinate people filled with ideas to bursting point, who inspired the love one feels for pop stars. Despite their different ages and likes, they had many things in common. Aged 30 to 40, none of them had any experience of party or Soviet work. They have graduate and post-graduate degrees and significant expectations and ambitions.

A Forum Argues Over Russia's Place
By Gregory Feifer, The Moscow Times, May. 31, 2002
Experts gathering Thursday on the heels of three major international summits said the West's leading policymaking institutions must include Russia in a broad strategic framework if they want to successfully tackle the top global priority: terrorism. Despite that general consensus, there was stark disagreement on specifics at the two-day conference on Euro-Atlantic integration, organized by the Washington-based Euro-Atlantic Institute of International Integration Studies.