Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)


2000 Russia Special Weapons News



Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

    December

    November

  • Sergei Ivanov Ranks Security Threats, RFE/RL Security Watch, Vol. 1, No. 17, 13 November 2000 -- Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Ivanov ranked the threats to Russia as being "the expansion of NATO eastwards, international terrorism and the concept of humanitarian interventions, which, he said, "derives from a world view which ignores the opinions of others."
  • State Dept. Noon Briefing - Russian NMD Policy, U.S. Department of State, Office of the Spokesman, 13 November 2000 -- Q: I wondered if you had any response to the comments out of Moscow by General Yakovlev suggesting a new flexibility on NMD.
  • Russia / Kursk Letter, Voice of America, 10 November 2000 -- The mission to recover the remains of crewmen who died aboard the sunken nuclear submarine "Kursk" has uncovered a log book and two notes written by Russian submariners - notes that have helped revive public criticism over the military's slow response to the August 12th disaster.
  • Klebanov Says Divers Found Sub's Log Book, RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 4, No. 219, Part I, 10 November 2000 -- Deputy Prime Minister Ilya Klebanov, who heads the government commission investigating the causes of the sinking of the "Kursk" nuclear submarine, said officials are studying the vessel's log book that divers found in the fourth compartment while seeking to recover bodies of the crew
  • Klebanov Says New Evidence Supports 'Kursk' Collision Theory...As Second Note Found On Submariner's Body, RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 4, No. 218, Part I, 9 November 2000 -- Deputy Prime Minister Ilya Klebanov, who heads the government commission investigating the causes of the sinking of the "Kursk" nuclear submarine, told journalists on 8 November that pictures taken of the vessel during the recent recovery operation support the theory that the "Kursk" collided with another vessel.
  • Space Station update, Voice of America, 09 November 2000 -- U-S space agency officials say the U-S and Russian international space station crew has set up most life support systems in their first week in orbit, making the outpost more livable.
  • Russia / Military, Voice of America, 09 November 2000 -- Russia's influential Security Council is proposing to end years of military reform debate by slashing 600-thousand positions from the country's three-million-member armed forces during the next five years.
  • Russia / U-S Elections, Voice of America, 08 November 2000 -- Russians, along with the rest of the world, are waiting to hear who will be the next United States president.
  • Russia / Kursk, Voice of America, 07 November 2000 -- The Russian Navy has halted recovery operations on the sunken nuclear submarine, the Kursk.
  • Divers Enter Sunken Sub's Fourth Compartment...As Navy Commander Sticks To Foreign Sub Theory, RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 4, No. 215, Part I, 6 November 2000 -- Vladimir Kuroedov told Interfax on 3 November he is "certain" that the "Kursk" disaster was caused by a collision with a foreign submarine.
  • Russia Increase Share of World Arms Trade, RFE/RL Security Watch, Vol. 1, No. 16, 6 November 2000 -- Russia increased its share of the world arms trade from 4.4 percent in 1998 to 6.6 percent in 1999, "Nezavisimoe voennoe obozrenie" reported on 27 October, but it still is in fourth place behind the U.S., the U.K., and France.
  • Russia Aid Assessment, Voice of America, 06 November 2000 -- A U-S government agency, the General Accounting Office, has issued (November 3) an extensive and generally critical review of ten years of multi-lateral assistance to help Russia build a market economy.
  • Chinese, Russian PMs Sign Joint Communique, People's Daily, 03 November 2000 -- Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov signed a joint communique at the fifth regular meeting between the prime ministers of both countries in Beijing Friday.
  • Divers Begin Work On Entering Sub's Fourth Compartment, RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 4, No. 214, Part I, 3 November 2000 -- Russian Navy Commander Vladimir Kuroedov on 2 November halted work on the third compartment of the sunken "Kursk" nuclear submarine, deeming it too dangerous for divers to enter, Interfax reported.
  • Space Station, Voice of America, 03 November 2000 -- The new crew of the international space station faces a light work day Saturday after two busy days beginning to set up the outpost for permanent occupation.
  • Divers Complete Cutting Hole Into 'Kursk' Third Compartment, RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 4, No. 213, Part I, 2 November 2000 -- Russian and Norwegian divers have finished cutting a hole into the third compartment of the "Kursk" nuclear submarine, which sank during maneuvers in the Barents Sea in August, a Northern Fleet spokesman told Russian Television on 2 November.
  • Station Docking Alt., Voice of America, 02 November 2000 -- The first residents of the international space station have arrived at their new home.

    October

  • International Space Station, Voice of America, 31 October 2000 -- A joint Russian-American crew lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and is on its way to a rendezvous with the International Space Station.
  • NASA Reports on Launch of Crew to New Space Station, National Aeronautic And Space Administration, 31 October 2000 -- At 1:53 a.m. CST (7:53 GMT), the International Space Station's first resident crew launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan to begin its two-day journey to the station.
  • Pentagon Spokesman's Regular Briefing - Russian Technology Transfer, U.S. Department of Defense, 31 October 2000 -- Q: Speaking of classified information, it was reported in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer that low-observable radar stealth technology has been transferred to the Russians. Is the Pentagon aware of that? Any kind of investigation going on that they have a hand in?
  • Space Station Occupation, Voice of America, 30 October 2000 -- A Russian Soyuz rocket [is about to lift off] [has lifted off] from Baikonur, Kazakhstan on a historic mission. It [will carry] [is carrying] the first crew to occupy the new international space station - a U-S astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts.
  • Russia Sub, Voice of America, 30 October 2000 -- 12 bodies have been removed from the wreck so far.
  • Space station quest goes back to '80s, Reuters, 30 October 2000 -- The beginning of full-time operations aboard the International Space Station marks a milestone in a journey that began 19 years ago on Capitol Hill.
  • State Nonproliferation Official on Russian Arms Talks, U.S. Department of State, Office of the Spokesman, 30 October 2000 -- A State Department nonproliferation official told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee October 25 that sensitive national security matters are being compromised by political campaigns that drag "legitimately classified material into the newspapers as photo insets."
  • Russia - Sub, Voice of America, 27 October 2000 -- In Russia, details are beginning to emerge about what the final moments were like for sailors aboard the nuclear submarine Kursk, which sank in the Barents Sea two months ago. The Russian navy says fire swept through the vessel, and at least some of the (118) victims died of burns and other injuries.
  • Russia sub, Voice of America, 28 October 2000 -- Russian and Norwegian divers resumed work Saturday at the wreck of the sunken nuclear submarine Kursk after more than a day's delay due to bad weather.
  • Divers Recover Four Bodies From 'Kursk' Wreck...As Note Reported Found On One Crew Member, RFE/RL Newsline, Vol. 4, No. 208, Part I, 26 October 2000 -- Following the cutting of a hole in the hull of the "Kursk" nuclear submarine (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 25 October 2000), Russian divers recovered four bodies from the vessel before worsening weather conditions forced them to suspend the recovery operation on the morning of 26 October.
  • Russia Sub, Voice of America, 26 October 2000 -- A note found on one of four bodies recovered from the sunken nuclear submarine Kursk confirms that some crew members survived the blast that sent the vessel to the bottom of the Barents Sea last August.
  • Divers Complete Entry Hole In 'Kursk' Submarine, RFE/RL Newsline Vol. 4, No. 207, Part I, 25 October 2000 -- Russian and Norwegian divers have completed a hole in the hull of the sunken "Kursk" nuclear submarine that will allow Russian divers to enter the vessel in search of bodies of the 118 crew members.
  • Russia / Sub, Voice of America, 25 October 2000 -- Three bodies have been recovered from the wreck of the sunken nuclear submarine Kursk. A Russian diver entered the vessel after a laborious process of cutting through the double hull.
  • 'Mir' To Be Dumped Next February? , RFE/RL Newsline Vol. 4, No. 206, Part I, 24 October 2000 -- Deputy Prime Minister Ilya Klebanov told journalists in Moscow on 23 October that Moscow will "most likely" bring down the "Mir" space station into the Pacific Ocean in late February 2001, ITAR-TASS reported.
  • 'Kursk' Recovery Operation Resumes Following Storm , RFE/RL Newsline Vol. 4, No. 206, Part I, 24 October 2000 -- The operation to recover at least some of the bodies of the sunken "Kursk" nuclear submarine was halted in the evening of 23 October as weather conditions at the disaster site worsened.
  • Three New Military Satellites In Orbit , RFE/RL Security Watch Vol. 1, No. 14, 23 October 2000 -- The Russian Defense Ministry has put three new Hurricane military satellites into orbit, boosting the military's telecommunication system GLONASS
  • Russia's Ivanov In Tehran Amidst Nuclear Deal Uproar , RFE/RL Iran Report, Vol. 3, No. 40, 23 October 2000 -- Russian Federation Security Council Secretary Sergei Ivanov arrived in Tehran on 17 October to participate in discussions regarding Central Asian security and terrorism emanating from Afghanistan.
  • Divers Begin Work To Retrieve 'Kursk' Crew Bodies , RFE/RL Newsline Vol. 4, No. 205, Part I, 23 October 2000 -- Russian and Norwegian divers, working in shifts over the past weekend, have cut through the outer hull of the sunken "Kursk" nuclear submarine and removed an industrial rubber coating between the outer and inner hulls.
  • Russia/Mir, Voice of America, 22 October 2000 -- For several years, Russia has been considering what to do with its aging MIR space station. Now, a panel of experts has drawn up a plan that could bring the station to a fiery end within several months.
  • Russia - Sub, Voice of America, 21 October 2000 -- Divers have descended to the wreck of the Russian nuclear submarine Kursk, which sank in the Barents Sea in August. They are preparing the way for a larger operation to recover the bodies of crewmen who died.
  • Navy Commander Warns 'Kursk' Recovery Operation May Be Called Off...As Captain's Widow Resigns From Commission Helping Victims' Families, RFE/RL Newsline Vol. 4, No. 204, Part I, 20 October 2000 -- Following contradictory comments by Russian officials over the prospects for recovering at least some of the bodies of the 118-strong crew of the sunken "Kursk" nuclear submarine (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 October 2000), the Navy commander has suggested that the recovery operation may not take place.
  • Shuttle, Voice of America, 19 October 2000 -- The U-S shuttle Discovery undocks from the international space station Friday after a week of construction.
  • U.S.-FUNDED NUCLEAR WASTE FACILITY OPENS , RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 4, No. 203, Part I, 19 October 2000 -- Russian and U.S. officials have opened a facility in Severodvinsk, Arkhangelsk Oblast, aimed at helping reduce the risk of pollution from Russia's decommissioned nuclear submarines.
  • IS GOVERNMENT STALLING OVER 'KURSK' RESCUE OPERATION? , RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 4, No. 203, Part I, 19 October 2000 -- Colonel General Valerii Manilov, first deputy chief of the Russian General Staff, was quoted by Interfax on 18 October as suggesting the government may reverse its decision to recover the bodies of at least some of the 118 crew members of the "Kursk" nuclear submarine, which sank in the Barents Sea in August during maneuvers.
  • Shuttle Wednesday wrap, Voice of America, 18 October 2000 -- Two spacewalking U-S astronauts from the shuttle Discovery have completed the latest series of construction jobs on the international space station.
  • Shuttle, Voice of America, 16 October 2000 -- Spacewalks continue outside the U-S shuttle Discovery Tuesday following two successful outings by astronauts to outfit the international space station for permanent occupancy.
  • SHUTTLE SUNDAY, Voice of America, 15 October 2000 -- Two U-S space shuttle astronauts are on a spacewalk to continue outfitting the international space station, to which the shuttle is docked.
  • SHUTTLE, Voice of America, 14 October 2000 -- U-S space shuttle Discovery astronauts installed a major structure to the outside of the international space station Saturday, despite an electrical failure that made the effort tougher.
  • SHUTTLE-SPACE STATION DOCKING, Voice of America, 13 October 2000 -- The U-S space shuttle Discovery has docked with the international space station to begin a complicated construction mission.
  • SHUTTLE - SPACE STATION, Voice of America, 12 October 2000 -- The U-S space shuttle Discovery is closing in on the international space station for a rendezvous later today [Friday, 1:45 p.m. EDT]. But Discovery will probably have to locate the station without radar, because a shuttle antenna has stopped working.
  • SHUTTLE LAUNCH, Voice of America, 11 October 2000 -- After three delays due to technical problems and high winds, the U-S space shuttle Discovery is finally on its way to a rendezvous with the international space station.
  • SENATE / IRAN MISSILES, Voice of America, 05 October 2000 -- The Clinton administration says Russian technology is still flowing to Iran's missile program, despite the threat of U-S sanctions.
  • INDIA/RUSSIA, Voice of America, 05 October 2000 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has concluded a three-day official visit to India with a call for boosting business ties, and a commitment to expand nuclear energy cooperation.
  • U.S., Russia Continue to Protect Nuclear Material in Russian Navy, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC, 05 October 2000 -- The Department of Energy has announced the completion of security system enhancements on Russian Navy Ship PM-12, the second of three Russian Federation Navy submarine service ships scheduled for security upgrades through the department's Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation.
  • Shuttle Discovery Poised for Journey to Space Station, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 02 October 2000 -- NASA managers set Oct. 5 as the launch date for Discovery on a mission that will initiate the heart of construction for the International Space Station (ISS), as the shuttle carries aloft a nine-ton exterior framework and a three-ton docking port to be attached to the complex.

    September

  • RUSSIA'S ROAD TO CORRUPTION How the Clinton Administration Exported Government Instead of Free Enterprise and Failed the Russian People Speaker's Advisory Group on Russia United States House of Representatives 106th Congress, Hon. Christopher Cox, Chairman 19 September 2000 -- The manifold failures of both Russian and U.S. government policy are surveyed: the early corruption of the non-market "privatization" to insiders; the spread of organized crime; the eventual complete collapse of the Russian economy in 1998; the rise of weapons proliferation as a means of generating hard currency; and the increasing estrangement of Russia from the United States, essentially reversing the trends that existed in 1992.
  • SHUTTLE UNDOCKING, Voice of America, 18 September 2000 -- The U-S space shuttle "Atlantis" and its seven astronauts and cosmonauts departed the International Space Station early Monday after six days of making it a home for future long-duration crews.
  • SHUTTLE-SUNDAY, Voice of America, 17 September 2000 -- The U-S and Russian crew of the space shuttle Atlantis sealed up the International Space Station after outfitting it for permanent residence later this year.
  • SHUTTLE-SATURDAY, Voice of America, 16 September 2000 -- The crew of the U-S space shuttle Atlantis made the International Space Station a little more like home today for future crews who will live and work aboard the outpost.
  • RUSSIA / PARLIAMENT / KURSK, Voice of America, 15 September 2000 -- The Russian official in charge of the investigation into the sinking of the nuclear submarine Kursk faced a barrage of criticism Friday as he addressed Russia's lower house of parliament, the Duma.
  • SHUTTLE-FRIDAY, Voice of America, 15 September 2000 -- U-S Astronauts and Russian cosmonauts continued setting up the International Space Station for permanent occupancy Friday after the U-S House of Representatives voted to keep funding the outpost.
  • INSIDE PUTIN'S RUSSIA, Voice of America, 15 September 2000 -- A conversation with Jonas Bernstein, senior Russia analyst with the Jamestown Foundation about the recent troubles in Russia, including the fire in Moscow's main T-V transmission tower.
  • SHUTTLE-THURSDAY, Voice of America, 14 September 2000 -- U-S space shuttle astronauts and cosmonauts took on electrician's and plumber's duties Thursday as they hauled more supplies into the International Space Station.
  • RUSSIA / FBI, Voice of America, 14 September 2000 -- The F-B-I is assisting Russia with an investigation into an early August bomb blast in Moscow, which killed 13-people and injured 100.
  • SHUTTLE-WEDNESDAY, Voice of America, 13 September 2000 -- The U-S and Russian crew of the space shuttle "Atlantis" performed maintenance on the International Space Station Wednesday, to get it ready for the first long-duration crew, later this year.
  • SPACE STATION ENTRY WRAP, Voice of America, 12 September 2000 -- U-S space shuttle astronauts and cosmonauts floated into the International Space Station Tuesday to begin outfitting it for full-time habitation, later this year.
  • RUSSIA / NUCLEAR, Voice of America, 12 September 2000 -- The Russian government says that next month deep sea divers will begin recovering the bodies of the 118-crewmen who died aboard the sunken nuclear submarine Kursk.
  • SHUTTLE-SPACEWALK WRAP, Voice of America, 11 September 2000 -- Two U-S space shuttle crewmembers have made a record 33-meter excursion outside the orbiter to continue assembly of the International Space Station.
  • SHUTTLE-DOCKING WRAP, Voice of America, 10 September 2000 -- The U-S space shuttle Atlantis has docked with the International Space Station on a mission to make the outpost livable for permanent habitation.
  • PUTIN/KURSK, Voice of America, 09 September 2000 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledges he made a mistake last month by failing to rush back to the Kremlin from his southern vacation to deal with the "Kursk" nuclear submarine disaster.
  • SHUTTLE LAUNCH, Voice of America, 08 September 2000 -- The mission aims to prepare the station for its first full time crew later this year.
  • RUSSIA SUB, Voice of America, 08 September 2000 -- A German newspaper is reporting that a missile fired by a Russian warship hit and sank the Russian submarine Kursk last month.
  • Russia Stays Close To NATO Sub Exercise, Stars and Stripes, 07 September 2000 -- The largest submarine rescue exercise in NATO history is under way in Mediterranean waters off Mersin, Turkey — and though Russia is not participating, the alliance’s former enemy is keeping a watchful eye on the proceedings.
  • SHUTTLE-OVERVIEW, Voice of America, 07 September 2000 -- The U-S space shuttle Atlantis has lifted off from Florida on a mission to the International Space Station.
  • DoD News Briefing, U.S. Department of Defense, 07 September 2000 -- Questions on the sinking of the Kursk and Russian military downsizing.
  • RUSSIA / GRENADE, Voice of America, 07 September 2000 -- At least sixteen people were injured early Thursday in Moscow when a man threw a grenade in a section of the city frequented by prostitutes.
  • CLINTON-PUTIN, Voice of America, 07 September 2000 -- President Clinton met Russian President Vladimir Putin Wednesday on the sidelines of the United Nations Millennium Summit in New York, but the two powers appear no closer to resolving their dispute over U-S missile-defense efforts.
  • Strategic Stability Cooperation Initiative, The White House, Office of the Press Secretary, 07 September 2000 -- Strategic Stability Cooperation Initiative between the United States of America and Russian Federation - Text of the Joint Statement and Implementation Plan
  • Briefing By Deputy Secretary Of State Strobe Talbott, U.S. Department of State Office of the Spokesman, 07 September 2000 -- Transcript of a briefing conducted for members of the Russian media.
  • U.S., Russian Navy Expand Cooperation to Secure Nuclear Materials, U.S. Department of Energy, 06 September 2000 -- The United States and the Russian Federation are continuing cooperative efforts to secure nuclear materials used by the Russian navy and have signed an agreement to expand their cooperation in the future.
  • CLINTON-PUTIN TALKS, THE WHITE HOUSE, Office of the Press Secretary, 06 September 2000 -- Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott and Jim Timbie, Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary for International Security and Arms Control outline developments in the talks between Presidents Clinton and Putin.
  • CLINTON - RUSSIA, Voice of America, 05 September 2000 -- President Clinton meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin Wednesday on the sidelines of the United Nations Millenium Summit in New York.
  • RUSSIA/US MISSILE REACTION, Voice of Americaoice of America, 02 September 2000 -- Russian political and military leaders are describing President Bill Clinton's decision to put plans for a missile defense shield on hold as a "constructive" decision that will help reinforce world stability.
  • Naval Spent Fuel Storage Facility - Sites 32 And 34, U.S. Department of Energy, 01 September 2000 -- SECRETARY OF ENERGY BILL RICHARDSON remarks at the commissioning of the completed Material Protection Control and Accountancy improvements for the Nuclear Fuel Storage Facilities at Sites 32 and 34 in Vladivostok, Russia.

    • August

  • RUSSIA / AUGUST EVENTS, Voice of America, 31 August 2000 -- Russian newspapers are dubbing this past month "Black August" - because of three major disasters, which are seen as signs that Russia's infrastructure, society, and economy are in a dire state almost 10-years after the fall of the Soviet Union.
  • RUSSIA / SUB, Voice of America, 30 August 2000 -- Russian officials say efforts to recover the remains of 118-seamen who died aboard the nuclear submarine Kursk will begin by the end of September.
  • RUSSIA SUB Voice of America 24 August 2000 -- Russia's top prosecutor says he is opening a criminal investigation into the sinking of the Kursk submarine
  • RUSSIA SUB / MEDIA ROLE Voice of America 24 August 2000 -- The Kursk nuclear submarine disaster has widened the gap between the government's reliance on secrecy and society's push for openness.
  • RUSSIA SUB Voice of America 23 August 2000 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has promised compensation to relatives of the 118 sailors who died aboard the Kursk nuclear submarine more than a week ago.
  • RUSSIA SUB / PUTIN Voice of America 23 August 2000 -- President Vladimir Putin says his defense minister and two senior naval officials are offering to step down to atone for the loss of the submarine.
  • RUSSIA SUB Voice of America 22 August 2000 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin is visiting the home base of the navy's Northern Fleet to pay tribute to 118 sailors who died aboard the nuclear submarine Kursk.
  • RUSSIA SUB / IMPACT Voice of America 22 August 2000 -- Only a few weeks ago, President Putin hailed the nuclear fleet as the symbol of Russia's power. Navy officials want to blame the Kursk accident on a collision, but independent experts suspect an explosion in the submarine's torpedo compartment.
  • SECRETARY-GENERAL FOLLOWING WITH SORROW TRAGIC DEVELOPMENTS IN BARENTS SEA AFTER SINKING OF SUBMARINE KURSK , UN Press Release, 21 August 2000 -- The Secretary-General has been following with sorrow the tragic developments in the Barents Sea following the sinking of the submarine Kursk...
  • Russia's Handling of Sub Accident, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE DAILY PRESS BRIEFING, 21 August 2000 -- ...has the State Department got any reflections on how the Russian government handled the matter and will it have any effect on US-Russian relations?
  • RUSSIA SUB Voice of America 21 August 2000 -- Russia's attempts to rescue sailors aboard a cripple submarine are over. Norwegian divers say there are no survivors on the sunken Kursk nuclear submarine.
  • RUSSIA SUB Voice of America 21 August 2000 -- Norwegian divers have forced open the outside hatch and found the escape compartment inside flooded, with no signs of life. The next step is to pry open the inner hatch to let rescuers get inside the main part of the submarine.
  • RUSSIA SUB Voice of America 20 August 2000 -- A spokesman for the Norwegian military denied Russian reports that a man had been found inside the air lock below the hatch.
  • RUSSIAN SUB Voice of America 20 August 2000 -- Russian T-V reported Sunday that divers suspect a crew member of the damaged Russian submarine Kursk may be trapped in the air lock inside the rear escape hatch.
  • RUSSIAN SUB UPDATE Voice of America 20 August 2000 -- Norwegian reconnaissance team confirms earlier reports that the rear cargo hatch is badly damaged and so is much of the rest of the submarine.
  • RUSSIAN SUBMARINE Voice of America 20 August 2000 -- British and Norwegian teams have joined Russian rescue operations around a damaged submarine. Surveillance cameras were lowered to the wrecked submarine first.
  • RUSSIAN SUB Voice of America 20 August 2000 -- British and Norwegian teams have joined Russian rescue operations around a damaged submarine. Surveillance cameras were lowered to the wrecked submarine first.
  • RUSSIAN SUB Voice of America 19 August 2000 -- Russia's navy now says there is little hope of finding any survivors on the nuclear submarine Kursk. The absence of any more S-O-S tappings since Monday probably means they had crossed the critical survival threshold.
  • RUSSIAN SUB Voice of America 19 August 2000 -- British and Norwegian rescue teams are racing toward the accident site in the Barents Sea.
  • Defense Secretary Cohen's comments on the Kursk accident, DoD News Briefing, 18 August 2000
  • Kursk Submarine Disaster: Russian Elite Scored, Democracy Tested, U.S. Department of State Foreign Media Reaction Reports, 18 August 2000 -- Commentary from around the world on the Russian submarine accident.
  • Giant blast may have killed half of doomed sub's crew Ian Thomas DAILY MAIL (London) August 18, 2000 - The biggest threat to them would have been carbon dioxide poisoning or exposure. 'Any survivors will not run out of oxygen, they will suffocate due to a build up of excessive levels of carbon dioxide,' said John Pike, of the Federation of American Scientists.
  • Submarine rescue offer extended, says SACLANT, Navy Wire Service, 18 August 2000 -- Officials from NATO have extended an offer of assistance to the Russian government regarding the submarine rescue operation ongoing in the Barents Sea.
  • DSRVs and SRCs spell "rescue" for stranded submariners, Navy Wire Service, 18 August 2000 -- Report on the US Navy's submarine rescue equipment.
  • The Russian submarine situation: A statement by Vice Adm. Grossenbacher, Navy Wire Service, 18 August 2000 -- A statement by the commander of the US Navy's Submarine Force Atlantic
  • Two or More Explosions By David Ruppe ABCNews.Com 18 August 2000 -- The first, smaller reading “certainly would be consistent with what you might expect from either a torpedo or cruise missile warhead exploding,” says John Pike, of the Federation of American Scientists, adding, “it would not exclude bumping in to an old WWII sea mine.”
  • RUSSIAN SUB Voice of America 18 August 2000 -- Russian officials now say it was a collision that sank the ship in the northern Barents Sea. Russian officials at first said the oxygen supply aboard the Kursk would run out by now (Friday). Then they estimated it could last another five days.
  • U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE DAILY PRESS BRIEFING, Philip T. Reeker, Deputy Spokesman, 17 August 2000 -- QUESTION: Do you have any requests from the Russians regarding the sub yet? Where do things stand?
  • DoD News Briefing, 17 August 2000 -- United States, heard no form of communication. Our source of information on that has come from Russian officials and Russian press reporting that have discussed and alluded to the tapping over the past couple of days.
  • RUSSIA SUB - SURVIVORS TALK Voice of America 17 August 2000 -- John Pike, a defense analyst at the Federation of American Scientists, thinks all this talk about surviving cold temperatures and little oxygen may be beside the point.
  • RUSSIA / SUB Voice of America 17 August 2000 -- A Navy spokesman says film taken of the wrecked submarine shows extensive damage from the top to the back fin. The periscope was also still up, indicating the ship sank so fast the crew did not have time to react.
  • RUSSIA / SUB Voice of America 17 August 2000 -- Overnight attempts to save the crew and submarine failed because of strong currents and poor visibility. British equipment and Norwegian deep-sea divers are not expected to reach the accident site before late Friday or Saturday.
  • Sub's reactors not viewed as threat to environment By DALE EISMAN The Virginian-Pilot August 17, 2000 - Assuming that the reactor containment mechanisms of the Kursk remain intact, the possibility of radioactive release ``is a long-term object for study rather than a near-term object of fear,'' said John Pike of the Federation of American Scientists.
  • RUSSIAN / SUB Voice of America 16 August 2000 -- Russian officials say there has been no sign of life on board the submarine for several hours, but that did not mean there were no survivors.
  • RUSSIAN SUB / MILITARY Voice of America 16 August 2000 -- Less than one-month ago, President Vladimir Putin proclaimed Russia's navy as the symbol of a strong Russian state and a pillar of its defense capabilities. The untimely Kursk disaster has seriously tarnished that image.
  • JANES / RUSSIAN SUB Voice of America 16 August 2000 -- Military expert Paul Beaver of "Jane's Defense Weekly" believes the chances of saving the lives of the sailors on board the crippled Russian submarine at the bottom of the Barents Sea are slim at best.
  • Rescue Attempts Fail as Russia Calls for Aid By Daniel Williams Washington Post Wednesday, August 16, 2000 - At least three attempts by mini-submarines to dock with a rear escape hatch failed overnight and today. A fourth reportedly was underway.
  • Plight of Russian vessel Kursk brings memories of horror to the surface for long-retired sailors By Bill Nichols and Andrea Stone USA TODAY 16 August 2000 - ''It's kind of like the Apollo 13 of submarines. Spaceships and subs have one thing in common: Either everything's working OK, or everyone's dead, and there's not that much in between,'' says John Pike, a defense analyst at the Federation of American Scientists.
  • Time running out for 116 men By STEVEN MUFSON Syndey Morning Herald 16/08/2000 - Mr John Pike, of the Federation of American Scientists, said: "Obviously something seriously is wrong, because this is a big, robust sub that was designed to be hard to sink."
  • RUSSIAN SUBMARINE: BRITISH RESCUE TEAM LEAVE UK FOR NORWAY 16 August 2000 - The Rescue Vehicle, LR5 and a Remote Operated Vehicle - Scorpio, together with crews and support staff numbering over 20 personnel, have been loaded onto a chartered Antonov transport aircraft,
  • CLINTON-PUTIN, Voice of America, 16 August 2000 -- President Clinton - in a 25-minute telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin - has reiterated the United States' readiness to help in the rescue of crewmen aboard the sunken Russian submarine in the Barents Sea.
  • CLINTON AGAIN OFFERS U.S. HELP IN RUSSIAN SUBMARINE RESCUE EFFORT, USIA Washington File, 16 August 2000 -- President Clinton has again offered U.S. assistance to help Russia rescue its sailors trapped in a submarine in the Barents Sea northeast of Finland.
  • Pentagon Says U.S. Not Asked For Help By Ward Sanderson, European Stars and Stripes August 16, 2000 -- The Pentagon on Tuesday said Russians have not asked for help in rescuing the more than 100 crew members stranded inside their sunken submarine, the Kursk.
  • Russia: U.S. Offers Help To Rescue Submarine By Frank T. Csongos (RFE/RL) 16 August 2000 - U.S. experts said whatever sank the submarine Kursk, which was designed to withstand a torpedo attack with its double-layer hall, had to be massive. John Pike of the Federation of American Scientists said the 13,900-ton submarine was designed to be hard to sink.
  • DoD News Briefing Tuesday, August 15, 2000 - 1:35 p.m. EDT Presenter: Rear Adm. Craig Quigley, DASD PA Q: And one other sort of operating question. If the submarine is in fact at a 60-degree angle off level, which the Russians say it is, is that not beyond the operating parameters of this recovery vehicle? Quigley: It is beyond the design parameters of the United States deep submergence rescue vehicles. I have seen reports that say that the submarine is sitting upright or 45 degrees or 60 degrees. I don't know if any of them are accurate. I have personally seen water depths involved here from about 330 feet all the way to about 510 feet. So again, I have no confidence that we here have a good understanding of the depth involved. The Russians may not yet be in a position to know with certainty what the cause of the accident was.
  • Russian Sub Stranded on Sea Bottom By Daniel Williams Washington Post August 15, 2000 - The submarine Kursk sank about 100 miles from the Russian port of Murmansk during a naval exercise that involved about 30 vessels. Two U.S. Navy submarines were operating in the area at the time of the accident, and one reported hearing an explosion at the site Saturday. The Kursk reportedly shut down its two nuclear reactors after it was crippled. Crewmen appeared to be alive and were communicating through rhythmic tapping on the hull. Small rescue submarines circling the Kursk found it damaged but sitting straight on the seabed.
  • Aboard Kursk, 'Submariner's Worst Nightmare'; by Steven Mufson and Kathy Sawyer, Washington Post August 15, 2000 - "Obviously something seriously is wrong, because this is a big, robust sub that was designed to be hard to sink," said John Pike of the Federation of American Scientists. "They didn't just stub their toe."
  • 116 Russians trapped in submarine By Marcus Warren in Moscow, Ben Fenton in Los Angeles and Michael Smith, Defence Correspondent, [London] Telegraph Tuesday 15 August 2000 -- John Pike, of the Federation of American Scientists, an independent group, said: "It sounds as if it suffered a combination of human error and mechanical failure. Russian subs are poorly maintained and rarely go to sea. Most of their units have spent most of the past decade in port."
  • RUSSIA / SUB Voice of America 15 August 2000 -- Russia's Itar-Tass news agency says a first attempt to lower a diving bell to the submarine failed. A second attempt was launched soon after.
  • RUSSIA / SUB Voice of America 15 August 2000 -- A special British rescue team is getting ready to aid in efforts to save the crew of a stricken Russian submarine.
  • RUSSIA / SUB Voice of America 15 August 2000 -- Bad weather is hindering efforts to rescue 116 Russian sailors trapped aboard a crippled nuclear submarine in the Russian Arctic.
  • U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE DAILY PRESS BRIEFING, 15 August 2000 -- Q: Is there any US angle to the saga about the stranded Russian submarine?
  • Secretary Cohen Offers DOD Help in Submarine Crew Rescue Attempt , USIS Washington File, 15 August 2000 -- U.S. military and White House officials have been quick to offer assistance to Russia in the effort to rescue more than 100 sailors trapped on the submarine Kursk.
  • SUBMARINE RESCUE, JIM RANDLE, Voice of America, 8/14/2000 -- Pentagon Officials say they have special underwater rescue vehicles but have not been asked to help the stricken Russian submarine missing in the Barents Sea.
  • U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE DAILY PRESS BRIEFING, Philip Reeker, Department of State, 8/14/2000 -- Sunken Russian Submarine
  • RUSSIA / SUB Voice of America 14 August 2000 -- Officials at the Pentagon say there is no information to suggest that a U-S submarine or surface vessel had been involved in a collision with the Russian submarine.
  • RUSSIA / SUB Voice of America 14 August 2000 -- A Russian nuclear submarine is lying crippled on the sea bottom in Arctic waters. Officials say the submarine's engine failed and it sank during a routine exercise.
  • U.S-RUSSIAN SUB Voice of America 14 August 2000 -- President Clinton has been briefed on the plight of the sunken Russian submarine, and the United States is offering help in the recovery effort.
  • RUSSIA SUB Voice of America 14 August 2000 -- Russia's senior navy commander says he is not optimistic about the prospects for a rescue.
  • RUSSIA UNDER PUTIN, Voice of America, 11 August 2000 -- A discussion about Russia under President Putin with Anders Aslund, senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Paul Goble, director of Communications and Technology at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and a former State Department specialist on the Soviet Union, and Ariel Cohen, a senior policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation and author of Russian Imperialism: Development and Crisis.
  • RUSSIA/NIKITIN, Voice of America, 01 August 2000 -- Russian environmental activist Alexander Nikitin has accused judicial prosecutors of harassment, for trying to reopen a treason case against him after a judge dismissed a similar charge.

    • July

  • RUSSIA / MOGULS, Voice of America, 28 July 2000 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to meet with more than 20 of the country's top businessmen for talks aimed at easing tensions between the new Kremlin leader and Russia's politically-connected moguls.
  • RUSSIA - GUSINSKY, Voice of America, 27 July 2000 -- Russian police have reportedly dropped fraud charges against Vladimir Gusinsky, head of the country's largest privately-owned media empire.
  • RUSSIA / POLITICS, Voice of America, 26 July 2000 -- Russia's upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, has approved a bill that gives President Vladimir Putin greater control over the country's far-flung regions.
  • RUSSIA MILITARY, Voice of America, 25 July 2000 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has told a group of senior military officers that rebuilding the country's defenses will be among his top priorities.
  • Missile Defense: Putin's 'Crusade Against NMD;' Defying U.S. 'Hegemony', Foreign Media Reaction Reports, 21 July 2000 - Foreign meda commentary on Russian President Putin's taking his "crusade against the U.S. NMD project" to Beijing and Pyongyang.
  • Statement By Official Spokesman of The Foreign Affairs Ministry Of The Russian Federation, Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation, 21 July 2000 -- According To Press Reports, The Norwegian Chief of Defense Sigurd Frisvold Has Spoken In Favor Of Studying The Question Of Norway's Participation In The American Plans To Create A National Abm System
  • US-Russia Joint Statement - Cooperation On Strategic Stability, The White House, Office of the Secretary, 21 July 2000 -- The United States and Russia underscore that continued strengthening of global stability and international security is one of the most important tasks today.
  • Press Release, Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation, 20 July 2000 -- The US House of Representatives July 19 Approved A Bill Prohibiting The President From Adopting Decisions To Restructure Or Write Off Russian Debts To The Us And Requiring The Administration To Vote Against Such Steps In The Paris Club As Long As The Russian Radioelectronic Center (REC) Operates In Cuba. A Similar Bill Is Now Being Considered By The Senate
  • RUSSIA / BUSINESS CRACKDOWN, Voice of America, 15 July 2000 -- This past week in Russia has been marked by a series of crackdowns against some of Russia's leading businessmen, part of what many see as an orchestrated campaign by President Vladimir Putin to restore order to the Russian economy.
  • RUSSIA/PUTIN ARMY, Voice of America, 15 July 2000 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin met with the country's top military brass [EDS: high ranking officers] on Saturday and urged them to work together toward reforming Russia's army.
  • RUSSIA MILITARY, Voice of America, 13 July 2000 -- A bureaucratic battle has broken out within Russia's military leadership over the future of the country's nuclear-missile forces.
  • RUSSIAN MAFIA, Voice of America, 13 July 2000 -- The Russian mafia stretches ominously across the globe, according to journalist Robert Friedman, who has braved death threats to write a book on the subject: "Red Mafia" (Little, Brown).
  • RUSSIA / PUTIN, Voice of America, 12 July 2000 -- President Vladimir Putin has told foreign and Russian reporters that he supports democratic reforms, but that his first priority is to strengthen the power of the state.
  • Troubled Russian space program stakes reputation on new module, Associated Press, 11 July 2000 -- With Wednesday's planned launch of a key module of the International Space Station, Russia intends to prove that it's back in space in a big way.
  • Space station is about to gain service module, Philadelphia Inquirer, 11 July 2000 -- After delays that have cost the United States billions of dollars, Russia will launch the space station's service module at 12:56 a.m. Philadelphia time tomorrow from remote Kazakstan. The 43-foot-long Zvezda - Russian for star - is the heart of the station.
  • Billboard Blast-Off, ABCNEWS.com, 11 July 2000 -- NASA and Russia Differ on Rules When it Comes to Ads in Space - Russians are eager to bring commercialism to space while Nasa isn't so sure about the idea.
  • RUSSIA / FOREIGN POLICY, Voice of America, 10 July 2000 -- Russia's Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov has unveiled a new diplomatic strategy, saying it places emphasis on building a stronger state and a more prosperous domestic economy.
  • Foreign Policy Concept of The Russian Federation, Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation, 10 July 2000
  • Press Release, Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation, 10 July 2000 -- Forty Nine Outstanding American Scientists, Nobel Prize Winners of Various Years In The Field of Physics, Chemistry, Medicine And Economics, Sent An Open Letter To President Clinton On July 6 Urging The Us Administration Not To Adopt The Decision On The Deployment Of A National Anti-Missile Defense System, Which Is Prohibited By The 1972 ABM Treaty
  • Millionaire has his ticket to ride, Kansas City Star, 09 July 2000 -- A California businessman has put up millions of dollars of his own money for a nine- or 10-day visit to the Russian Mir space station as a "citizen explorer." He would become the first paying tourist for MirCorp, a private company formed to help keep the aging Russian station aloft and operating.
  • RUSSIA - POLITICS Voice of America 08 July 2000 -- In his first state-of-the-nation address Russian President Vladimir Putin laid out his plans for a strong, centralized Russia that supports democracy and market reforms but also prioritizes national interests.
  • Vladimir Putin's State of The Nation Address To The Federal Assembly "The State Of Russia: A Way To An Effective State", Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation, 07 July 2000 - The full text of Putin's address.
  • Press Release, Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation, 07 July 2000 -- On June 28 The Lower House of Parliament (Majilis) of The Republic Of Kazakhstan Approved Draft Laws On The Ratification Of The Treaties And Agreements Signed Between The Russian Federation And The Republic Of Kazakhstan On The Terms Of The Use And Rent Of The Test Ranges Located On The Territory Of Kazakhstan
  • PUTIN'S SLOW-STARTING REFORMS Voice of America 06 July 2000 -- With the Russian economy now growing swiftly for the first time since communism collapsed a decade ago, the much-touted reforms read well on paper but have been slow to be implemented.
  • The Zvezda Service Module: Russia's Critical Mission, SPACE.com, 03 July 2000 -- Half a world away on the arid steppes of central Asia, the near-term future of human destiny in space is at stake. Come July 12, a long-stalled bid to build a "city in space" is scheduled to resume in Kazakstan with the pivotal launch of the central command post for the vacant International Space Station.
  • Press Release, Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation, 01 July 2000 -- Pursuant To The Decision of The Presidents of Russia And The US Adopted At The Moscow Summit In June, Consultations Of Russian And American Experts Were Held In Geneva On June 28-30 To Discuss Further Reductions Of The Strategic Forces Of Russia And The Us Under The Future Start-3 Treaty As Well As The Issues Of ABM In Accordance With The Statements Of The Russian And American Presidents In Moscow In 1998 And In Cologne In 1999

    June

  • Putin's Regime: Administered Democracy Dr M Smith Conflict Studies Research Centre, Sandhurst UK (E108) June 2000 -- The Russian political system under Yel'tsin and so far under Putin remains a curious hybrid, combining elements of authoritarianism with elements of representative democracy, along with arbitrariness and kleptocracy.
  • RUSSIA POLITICS Voice of America 30 June 2000 -- The lower house of Russia's parliament, the Duma, has voted overwhelmingly (399 to nine) in favor of a bill giving President Vladimir Putin the right to dismiss elected regional governors and local legislatures.
  • Armed Services Committee Calls for Clear Accountability on Nuclear Weapons Security, House Armed Services Committee, 28 June 2000 -- "This resolution calls for the individuals charged with responsibility for policy and management of security matters at the Department of Energy, the NNSA and Los Alamos to be held accountable for this deplorable performance. "
  • Text: Commerce Reaches Agreement with Laboratories on Exports , USIS Washington File, 26 June 2000 -- F. Amanda DeBusk, assistant secretary of commerce for export enforcement announced June 26 that agreements have been reached with two laboratories concerning alleged shipments of items to Russia without proper Department of Commerce authorizations, according to a Bureau of Export Administration (BXA) press release.
  • Text: Third Component of Space Station Set for July Launch 26 June 2000 -- A module to serve as the living quarters for scientists aboard the International Space Station (ISS) is scheduled for a July 12 launch, according to announcements by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Russian Aviation and Space Agency.
  • RUSSIA POLITICS Voice of America 23 June 2000 -- Russia's lower house of parliament, the Duma, has approved President Vladimir Putin's plan to strengthen the Kremlin's control over Russia's regions.
  • RUSSIA / MEDIA Voice of America 22 June 2000 -- Russian authorities are continuing their investigation of Radio Liberty reporter Andrei Babitsky, who was best known for his reports about the conflict in Chechnya.
  • First Space Tourist Practices for Lift-Off, Associated Press, 21 June 2000 -- If Dennis Tito fulfills his dream of becoming the world's first space tourist, it will not be the first time that he has raised eyebrows back home in California.
  • RUSSIA / MEDIA TYCOON Voice of America 20 June 2000 -- A Moscow court has refused to consider a request by lawyers for media tycoon Vladimir Gusinksy to have his jailing last week declared illegal.
  • IS KREMLIN MUZZLING RUSSIA'S PRESS? Voice of America 16 June 2000 -- There is renewed worry in the United States newspaper editorials that Russia's new president, former K-G-B officer Vladimir Putin, has decided to clamp down on his country's press.
  • RUSSIA / TYCOON ARREST Voice of America 16 June 2000 -- Russian authorities have released jailed media magnate Vladimir Gusinsky, whose arrest earlier this week has provoked a storm of criticism.
  • RUSSIA / ARREST Voice of America 14 June 2000 -- The Russian government has been spending much of the day/Wednesday denying that the arrest of a high-profile media tycoon was politically motivated.
  • CLINTON-PUTIN Voice of America 09 June 2000 -- President Clinton is sending Defense Secretary William Cohen to Moscow early next week for more talks on arms control, including missile defenses.
  • U.S.-Russia Summit: 'Papering Over The Cracks In Moscow' Foreign Media Reaction June 8, 2000 -- Last weekend's U.S.-Russia summit was closely monitored by overseas media, despite the fact that in the view of many it lacked the import of the Cold War meetings and the "warmth" of those held during the Yeltsin-Clinton years. "Never have visits of U.S. presidents to Moscow been so dull and routine," observed Moscow's reformist Izvestiya, which, nevertheless, shared a general sense of relief--found in much of the Russian and European press--that U.S.-Russian relations in the post-Yeltsin years would be "more businesslike" and less based on "interpersonal" relations.
  • RUSSIA REFORMS Voice of America 07 June 2000 -- Russia's President Vladimir Putin is encountering opposition in parliament to several key legislative initiatives.
  • SUMMIT MEDIA REACT Voice of America 06 June 2000 -- Russians are looking at President Clinton's whirlwind three-day visit to Moscow as "a gray summit" that helped to ease bilateral tensions, but was short on results.
  • CLINTON / DUMA / REACT Voice of America 05 June 2000 -- President Clinton's address to Russia's parliament was met with a less than enthusiastic response from lawmakers.
  • RUSSIA/SUMMIT MEDIA Voice of America 04 June 2000 -- President Clinton and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright have visited radio stations in Moscow to show their support for Russia's independent media.
  • RUSSIA - CLINTON Voice of America 04 June 2000 -- U.S. President Bill Clinton and Russian President Vladimir Putin are holding a day of talks in Moscow on issues ranging from arms control to the Russian economy and western criticism of the war in Chechnya.
  • RUSSIA / U-S / ISSUES Voice of America 02 June 2000 -- When President Clinton's visit to Moscow was in the planning stage earlier this year, there was talk of a grand arms-control compromise.
  • RUSSIA / U-S RELATIONS Voice of America 01 June 2000 -- On the eve of the Clinton/Putin summit, the consensus of expert opinion in Moscow is that the U-S/Russia relationship is at its lowest point since the end of the Cold War.

    May

  • CLINTON - RUSSIA Voice of America 31 May 2000 -- President Clinton is playing down expectations for his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow beginning Saturday.
  • RUSSIA / MEDIA Voice of America 30 May 2000 -- An independent Russian television station has temporarily removed a puppet depicting President Vladimir Putin from a political satire program.
  • PRESS BRIEFING BY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR SAMUEL BERGER May 25, 2000 - Clearly as central control of the Russian economy has broken up, there have been technology from Russia that has been obtained by Iran as part of their missile program and as part of their nuclear program. There are some things that we have agreed with the Russians that we would do to help plug up the leaks of technology for Iran's missile program.
  • Text: Helms Statement on Relations Between Russia and Serbia 26 May 2000 -- As a consequence of Russia's support for the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Jesse Helms, says he will introduce legislation to cut U.S. aid to the Russian Federation.
  • RUSSIA / PUTIN Voice of America 25 May 2000 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin is making moves to further tighten his grip on Russia's regions. Putin says he will boost the powers of his seven new regional envoys by bringing them into Russia's top security body.
  • RUSSIA AND CENTRAL ASIA Voice of America 24 May 2000 -- Reasserting Moscow's authority, President Vladimir Putin has begun a drive to restore Russian influence in Central Asia. That is generally welcomed by the autocratic, ex-Communist leaders of the region.
  • SHUTTLE-SPACE STATION Voice of America 24 May 2000 -- The International Space Station is in a higher orbit, thanks to a push by the U-S space shuttle "Atlantis."
  • SHUTTLE-SPACE STATION Voice of America 23 May 2000 -- U-S astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut from the space shuttle "Atlantis" have opened the hatches to the International Space Station -- the first people to visit the outpost in one year.
  • Proud Russia Keeps Mir Aloft WARREN E. LEARY The New York Times May 23, 2000 -- Charles P. Vick, a space analyst with the Federation of American Scientists in Washington, said he did not believe there was enough private interest and money available to finance expansive Mir plans.
  • Russia: 'Putin Era' Begins Amid High Expectations, Lingering Doubts Foreign Media Reaction 19 May 2000 -- While quick to emphasize the daunting challenges--from an ailing economy to pervasive corruption--facing Mr. Putin, most commentators struck a cautiously optimistic note about the new Kremlin occupant.
  • RUSSIA MINISTERS Voice of America 18 May 2000 -- President Vladimir Putin has reappointed Russia's foreign and defense ministers, signaling his intention to continue current government policies.
  • RUSSIA MEDIA Voice of America 18 May 2000 -- More than one-thousand demonstrators have rallied on a square in central Moscow to denounce what they call a plot by Russia's new government to clamp down on press freedom.
  • SHUTTLE OVERVIEW Voice of America 18 May 2000 -- The Service Module is now expected to take off from Kazakhstan in mid-July on a Proton rocket with an improved engine.
  • RUSSIA REFORM Voice of America 17 May 2000 -- There is basic agreement that Russia has made significant progress in overcoming its financial crisis of two years ago.
  • RUSSIA POLITICS Voice of America 16 May 2000 -- Russia's lower house of parliament, the Duma, votes Wednesday on the nomination of Mikhail Kasyanov as prime minister.
  • RUSSIA MEDIA Voice of America 16 May 2000 -- A senior Russian media ministry official has accused a U-S government-funded radio station of hostility to the state, and suggested changing the law to limit anti-Russian broadcasts.
  • PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN Voice of America 12 May 2000 -- Russia got a new president this week, as acting president Vladimir Putin was sworn into the job he has held for the past several months.
  • RUSSIA / POLITICS Voice of America 10 May 2000 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has formally nominated a liberal economist, Mikhail Kasyanov, to become the country's new Prime Minister.
  • FULL TEXT OF THE INAUGURATION SPEECH OF PRESIDENT OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION VLADIMIR V. PUTIN May 7, 2000 -- We must learn its lessons and always remember those who built the State of Russia, who upheld its dignity and who made it great, strong and powerful.
  • RUSSIAN MEDIA Voice of America 05 May 2000 -- Two young American journalists who put out an irreverent English language weekly newspaper in Moscow are worried about press freedom in Vladimir Putin's Russia.
  • RUSSIA / PUTIN Voice of America 05 May 2000 -- The only questions were whether the former K-G-B agent would win in a first round, and secondly, what he would do with his power once elected.
  • GAO Report: CTR Biological Weapon Proliferation Prevention Program "Poses New Risks" to the United States , House Armed Services Committee, 02 May 2000 -- A General Accounting Office (GAO) report released today by House Armed Services Committee chairman Floyd Spence concludes that collaborative programs with Russian scientists in the field of biological research may "exacerbate or create risks" to the United States.
  • Given cost overruns, Boeing might pass on space station today By JAMES WALLACE SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER Tuesday, May 2, 2000 -- John Pike, director of space policy for the Federation of American Scientists in Washington, D.C., said problems should be expected on such a massive and complex effort, one much more difficult than the Apollo moon landing.

    April

  • SPACEHAB Business Update CNNFN - ENTREPRENEURS ONLY April 28, 2000 - JOHN PIKE, FEDERATION OF AMERICAN SCIENTISTS: I think the notion that we could put market incentives in place to try to capitalize on all the money we're spending on the space station to bring some exciting television into the homes of all the taxpayers who are paying for it is a really good idea.
  • TV from Space CNNfn DIGITAL JAM April 25, 2000 - JOHN PIKE, FEDERATION OF AMERICAN SCIENTISTS: I think the notion that we could put market incentives in place to try to capitalize on all the money we're spending on the space station to bring some exciting television into the homes of all the taxpayers who are paying for it is a really good idea.
  • Text: State Department Spokesman on Russia-Iran Missile Issues 24 April 2000 -- State Department Spokesman James Rubin said April 24 that the Russian government's decision to take action against an individual believed to have been involved in the transfer of sensitive missile technology to Iran "demonstrates Russia's commitment" to halting such transfers and "underscores the importance of continued U.S.-Russia cooperation."
  • Statement of Chairman Spence on the Release of the Commission on National Security/21st Century Phase II Report, House Armed Services Committee, 19 April 2000 -- "The Commission identifies a number of concepts that I have long believed are critical to the future security of this country, including the importance a national missile defense, the recognition of the potential threat posed by an emerging China, and the necessity of a security strategy based on our national interests. "
  • Russian Space Chief Outlines Funding Needs Moscow Interfax 12 April 2000 -- The 2000 budget earmarks 3.4 billion rubles to the space program. In addition, 1.5 billion in additional budget revenues are to be allocated for the continuation of the operations of Russia's orbiting Mir space station.
  • RUSSIA WILL FURTHER PARTICIPATE IN INTERNATIONAL SPACE PROGRAMS - PUTIN Interfax Presidential Bulletin 12 April 2000 - "The rocket and space industry is not only a prestigious industrial branch which is making Russia a great power, but is also an industry which deals with the most daring and reasonable economic projects," Putin said.
  • RUSSIA / SPACE Voice of America 12 April 2000 -- President-elect Vladimir Putin has cast doubt on Russia's commitment to the international space station, suggesting that the country's priority space project should be the MIR orbiter.
  • RUSSIA: ROBINSON TOUR, PACE VOTE PUT SPOTLIGHT BACK ON CHECHNYA, HUMAN RIGHTS Issue Focus - Foreign Media Reaction 11 April 2000 -- UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson's recent visit to the North Caucasus, and last week's vote by the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly (PACE)--Europe's human rights watchdog group--to recommend suspension of member state Russia, barring swift progress toward ending the Chechen war.
  • RUSSIA/MIR Voice of America 06 April 2000 -- Russian space officials had been preparing to abandon MIR, but foreign investment has given the 14-year old station another chance.
  • PUTIN'S PROSPECTS Voice of America 04 April 2000 -- Russia's new president-elect, Vladimir Putin, is not saying what he intends to do, other than strengthen the state and continue free-market policies.
  • RUSSIA / MIR Voice of America 03 April 2000 -- Russia's president-elect Vladimir Putin has argued that Russian authorities should find a way to keep the aging station in orbit.
  • RUSSIA ELECT / MEDIA Voice of America 03 April 2000 -- The conduct of Russia's media during the recent presidential election campaign has raised questions about just how free the country's press is.
  • Russia Returns to Mir: Why? By Paul Hoversten space.com 03 April 2000 -- "It's a matter of national pride for Russia to keep it going" said Charles Vick, Federation of American Scientists.
  • Russians will try to revive ailing Mir space station By SETH BORENSTEIN Knight Ridder Newspapers 04/02/00 -- "I don't think they have any idea how big a job it is going to be until they start," said John Pike, space policy director for the Federation of American Scientists, a Washington think tank. "Just like any home renovation or work on a jalopy, it generally turns out to be a bigger job than you hope."
  • THE RUSSIAN ELECTION Voice of America 01 April 2000 -- Putin repeatedly says, we have to have a level playing field here in Russia for business. We have to have rule of law or that peculiar term he uses, a dictatorship of law, so that this is a safe place to invest.

    March

  • PRESIDENT PUTIN'S CHALLENGES Voice of America 30 March 2000 -- Vladimir Putin is obviously younger and healthier than his predecessor, Boris Yeltsin. Newspapers around the globe are saying he will need more than this to run his country.
  • RUSSIA: MEDIA RIFE WITH SPECULATION ON 'BLACK BOX' PUTIN IN WAKE OF ELECTION WIN Issue Focus - Foreign Media Reaction 29 March 2000 -- With Vladimir Putin's victory in Russia's presidential race, overseas commentators were left to speculate--in the absence of a well-articulated campaign platform by Mr. Putin--on whether he is up to the "tall order" of righting the troubled Russian state without resorting to "authoritarian methods," and on what his reign signals for Russian-West relations.
  • RUSSIA / POLITICS Voice of America 29 March 2000 -- Russian lawmakers have rejected a Communist Party move to strip former President Boris Yeltsin of his immunity from prosecution.
  • Russia After the Elections Thomas R. Pickering, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Address at Meridian House/Smithsonian Seminar "Russia: Sleeping Superpower?" Washington, DC, March 28, 2000 -- Sunday's presidential elections mark Russia's first democratic transfer of power in its 1,000-year history. One of the most overlooked facts about this election is that democratic elections are becoming unchallenged in Russia as the way to select leaders. Russia is still very much a work in progress. No one is under the illusion that Russia's path to democracy and a full market economy is getting any easier. And we realize that Russian transformation is not a matter of months or years but something that probably will take decades and generations.
  • RUSSIA REACT Voice of America 28 March 2000 -- Russia's newspapers have pronounced the country's political opposition dead in the wake of Vladimir Putin's resounding first round presidential election victory.
  • THE RUSSIAN ELECTION Voice of America 28 March 2000 -- Vladimir Putin, the 47-year-old former K-G-B intelligence agent, rode a high voter turnout to an absolute majority in this week's Russian election.
  • RUSSIA / RESULTS Voice of America 27 March 2000 -- Newly-elected President Vladimir Putin will officially take over as Russia's second post-Soviet leader in early May.
  • RUSSIA/ELECTIONS Voice of America 26 March 2000 -- The question is whether Acting President Putin will win in a first round victory, or if he'll face Communist challenger Gennady Zyuganov in a run-off.
  • RUSSIA / PUTIN Voice of America 24 March 2000 -- Mr. Putin has a wide edge over his opponents, though a low voter turnout could hurt his chances for a first round victory.
  • RUSSIA / ELECTIONS Voice of America 24 March 2000 -- Acting President Vladimir Putin, who took over the Kremlin when President Boris Yeltsin resigned on New Years Eve, is widely expected to win.
  • RUSSIA: WHAT KIND OF ECONOMY? Voice of America 23 March 2000 -- Judging from growth, unemployment, inflation, and poverty data, Russia's economy is in worse shape today than it was before the reforms began.
  • RUSSIA ELECT / PUTIN Voice of America 23 March 2000 -- As Russia's presidential campaign draws to a close, the question is not who will win, but whether Acting President Vladimir Putin will get the majority he needs to win in Sunday's first round of voting.
  • RUSSIA / ELECTION / LIFE IN SIBERIA Voice of America 22 March 2000 -- Miners are afraid to strike because they will simply lose their jobs. Any illusions they once had that the Kremlin will come to their aid have long since disappeared.
  • Text: Panel to Review Energy Dept.'s Nonproliferation Programs in Russia 21 March 2000 -- U.S. Energy Secretary Bill Richardson has appointed a panel to review and assess the Department of Energy's (DOE) nonproliferation programs in Russia and to recommend how those programs could be enhanced.
  • RUSSIA ELECTION / CANDIDATES Voice of America 20 March 2000 -- Twelve candidates will face voters in Russia's presidential election next Sunday. But only one, Acting President Vladimir Putin, is given any chance of winning.
  • KIRIENKO - RUSSIA Voice of America 20 March 2000 -- Former Russian Prime Minister and noted advocate of reform, Sergei Kirienko, predicts there will not be any sweeping reforms after Sunday's presidential election.
  • RUSSIA / SIBERIA / ELECTION Voice of America 20 March 2000 -- In southern Siberia, many voters say they are not impressed by what they see as the Kremlim's choice for a new leader.
  • PUTIN'S ECONOMY (PART 2) Voice of America 17 March 2000 -- Oil exporting Russia is benefiting from the tripling of oil prices over the past year and foreign investors are confident that Vladimir Putin will capitalize on improved government finances to launch a new round of economic reform.
  • RUSSIA / MEDIA Voice of America 16 March 2000 -- A Moscow newspaper specializing in hard-hitting investigative reporting has been victimized by computer hackers who destroyed the latest issue.
  • PUTIN'S ECONOMY Voice of America 16 March 2000 -- Largely because of the tripling of oil prices, Russian exports in recent months have been up over 20-percent. Foreign exchange reserves are up and have risen by over one-billion-dollars so far this year. The Russian budget has moved into surplus, and the stock market for the past four months has greatly out-performed Eastern Europe.
  • Speaker Names Policy Chairman Cox to Lead Russia Policy Review Team 15 March 2000 -— House Speaker Dennis Hastert named House Policy Chairman Christopher Cox (R-Calif.) today to chair a task force to review U.S. policy toward Russia, and make recommendations to improve it. "Despite the continuing importance of Russia and U.S.-Russian relations, the situation in Russia continues to deteriorate even as Russia's proliferation efforts increase, particularly to Iran, and its bloody war in Chechnya continues,” Speaker Hastert stated.
  • RUSSIA ELECT / MEDIA Voice of America 15 March 2000 -- Russia's presidential race is shaping up as an almost certain victory for Acting President Vladimir Putin.
  • CONGRESS-RUSSIA Voice of America 15 March 2000 -- The Speaker of the U-S House of Representatives is setting up a special panel of Republican congressmen to examine United States policy towards Russia. Speaker Hastert says the benefits of America's Cold War victory over the Soviet Union have been squandered by the Clinton administration.
  • Putin Orders Faster Space Program Guidelines Development ITAR-TASS 02 Mar 2000 - The acting president also voiced his support for the prolongation of the service life of the Russian orbiting station Mir and called the arguments of its advocates "compelling". "We will work on it," he said.

    February

  • RUSSIA ELECTION PREVIEW Voice of America 25 February 2000 -- Russia's presidential election is just one month away, and there is hardly any sign of a contest. In sharp contrast to the 1996 election, won by Boris Yeltsin after a hard-fought campaign, this time the outcome is a foregone conclusion.
  • RUSSIA COULD LOSE MONEY FOR SPACE By Tamara Lytle THE ORLANDO SENTINEL February 24, 2000 -- "The Clinton administration's policy has been predicated on the assumption Russians are more interested in selling stuff to rich people than poor people, and that they know which side their bread is buttered on, and that the one hand keeps track of what the other hand is doing," said John Pike, space science director of the American Federation of Scientists.
  • RUSSIA / NATO Voice of America 17 February 2000 -- NATO Secretary-General George Robertson is praising the outcome of his one-day visit to Moscow (Wednesday), in which he and Russia's leaders agreed to resume normal relations.
  • RUSSIA DEADLINE Voice of America 13 February 2000 -- Zyuganov is the only real challenger to Mr. Putin, whose popularity stems largely from his tough stand in the bloody war against Chechen rebels.
  • U-S-RUSSIA-SPACE STATION Voice of America 11 February 2000 -- The U-S and Russian space agencies have announced that Russia will launch a long-delayed module for the International Space Station in July.
  • U-S-RUSSIA-SPACE STATION Voice of America 04 February 2000 -- The U-S space agency NASA says it cannot wait much longer for Russia to provide a long-delayed key component of the International Space Station.
  • RUSSIA POL Voice of America 04 February 2000 -- Former Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov, once considered a leading contender for the presidency, has decided not to run in next month's presidential election.
  • The Intercept Point Cannot Be Changed: The Moscow ABM System Is Equipped With Unique Tracking Equipment, Boris Talov , Moscow Rossiyskaya Gazeta, 2/4/2000
  • Tenet Says Russian Safeguarding of Nuclear Materials Is a Concern By Susan Ellis USIA 3 February 2000 -- Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director George Tenet says the United States will be concerned about the security of Russian nuclear weapons and associated materials, regardless of the political path Russia chooses.
  • Text: Secretary of State's Speech at Russian Diplomatic Academy USIA 2 February 2000 -- Russia and the United States have common interests and the basis for true cooperation on three key sets of issues -- nonproliferation, arms control and regional stability, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said February 2.
  • RUSSIA - PUTIN POLITICS Voice of America 01 February 2000 -- American experts on Russia say his 17 years in the K-G-B -- the Soviet secret police - his work as a municipal leader in Saint Petersburg in the early `90s and his various positions in the Kremlin bureaucracy over the past few years, make him an ideal candidate for President.
  • RUSSIA SPACE Voice of America 01 February 2000 -- Russia has launched a cargo craft to its Mir space station in preparation for an expected manned mission to the orbiter next month.

    January

  • Can Vladimir Putin Save Russia? Henry Plater-Zyberk Conflict Studies Research Centre, Sandhurst UK (O.B.73) January 2000 -- The industrialised democracies and especially the USA and Europe will have to accept that after 15 years of Gorbachev and Yel'tsin’s generally friendly pro-Western foreign policy, things may become much colder on the international arena.
  • WHO IS PUTIN? Voice of America 28 January 2000 -- Despite his meteoric rise to power, many Russians - and western analysts - still ask the question: who is Mr. Putin and what does he really stand for?
  • RUSSIA: DUMA PACT, 'NUCLEAR DOCTRINE' PROMPT NEW QUESTIONS ON 'ENIGMATIC PUTIN' Foreign Media Reaction 27 January 2000 -- Media efforts to decipher "Moscow's new strongman" took on new urgency as a result of two recent developments: Russia's unveiling of a "revamped national security concept" that inveighs against an expansionist West and lowers the threshold for nuclear weapons use, and the "curious alliance" struck by "the Communists and the Kremlin" to control the new Duma. Taken together, they provoked anxiety in several quarters, as writers worried that Vladimir Putin's stress on "the need to create a strong, centralized state which...stands up for its national interests against the West" may lead to a Russia unwilling to divest itself of its communist past, more "aggressively nationalistic," and increasingly intent on "closing its door to the West."
  • RUSSIA / WEAPONS Voice of America 27 January 2000 -- Russia will boost weapons spending by 50-percent this year in an attempt to restore its battered military might. Putin says the main objective of the military expenditures is to rebuild Russia into a world-class military power.
  • ALBRIGHT / RUSSIA Voice of America 27 January 2000 -- Secretary of State Madeleine Albright travels to Moscow Sunday for a visit that will include her first meeting with acting President Vladimir Putin.
  • RUSSIA - SECURITY Voice of America 26 January 2000 -- Russia's new security doctrine is the fruit of months of debate among Russia's military and political elite and provides the first indication of acting President Vladimir Putin's strategic thinking.
  • RUSSIA / POLITICS Voice of America 25 January 2000 -- Russia's Acting President Vladimir Putin has hosted his first summit of leaders from the Commonwealth of Independent States (C-I-S).
  • RUSSIA / SPACE Voice of America 20 January 2000 -- Russian space officials have announced that the aging space station MIR will continue operating through August and several flights are already planned.
  • U-S / RUSSIA Voice of America 19 January 2000 -- U-S officials say Russia's new national security doctrine does not make the use of nuclear weapons more likely. Analysts had said the new policy unveiled last week is more aggressive than the previous security doctrine issued in 1997.
  • RUSSIA / POLITICS Voice of America 18 January 2000 -- Russia's newly elected parliament opened for its first session Tuesday. Acting President Vladimir Putin urged lawmakers to cooperate and to end years of confrontation with the Kremlin.
  • JOHN GLAD ON RUSSIA'S FUTURE Voice of America 18 January 2000 -- The crux of Mr. Glad's argument is that the weakened Russian government will probably be unable to maintain the unity of the Russian state. Mr. Glad believes secessionist pressures could soon extend beyond the Caucasus to regions like resource-rich Yakutia which derives few economic benefits from Moscow.
  • RUSSIA / PUTIN Voice of America 17 January 2000 -- Russian opinion polls released Monday show that a majority of Russians overwhelmingly support Acting President Vladimir Putin in the coming presidential elections March 26th.
  • RUSSIA: PUTIN WAGES WAR ON TWO FRONTS--WAR AND CORRUPTION Foreign Media Reaction Report January 14, 2000 -- News from Russia over the past week--notably Acting President Putin's "government reshuffle," and reports of mounting Russian casualties on the Chechen battlefront after last weekend's "spectacular" rebel counteroffensive--elicited comment from Russia-watchers from around the globe. Many underscored that a Putin presidential victory depends on his winning two wars: in Chechnya and against domestic corruption.
  • RUSSIAN-SECURITY-US Voice of America 14 January 2000 -- An expert in strategic issues says Russia's decision to make it easier to use nuclear weapons is a sign of weakness, rather than strength.
  • RUSSIA / SECURITY Voice of America 14 January 2000 -- Russia has published a new national security doctrine that was signed into law by Acting President Vladimir Putin on Monday.
  • RUSSIA POLITICS Voice of America 13 January 2000 -- Russia's acting president, Vladimir Putin, has formally accepted his nomination to run for the job full-time in a special election scheduled for March.
  • THE END OF THE YELTSIN ERA Voice of America 07 January 2000 -- After eight years in power, Russian President Boris Yeltsin shocked Russians by announcing his resignation on New Year's Eve. Prime Minister Valdimir Putin immediately became acting president. Presidential elections are scheduled for March, leaving Mr. Putin a strong favorite. Mr. Yeltsin's bold stroke was typical of his tumultuous presidency. He defied a Communist coup attempt in 1991, and sent tanks to attack a rebellious Russian parliament in 1993. In 1996, he won a second term as president against great odds. His legacy includes the dismantlement of Communism, but Russia's transition to democracy has been plagued by massive corruption and a failure to follow through on needed reforms.
  • BORIS YELTSIN RESIGNS - PUTIN TAKES OVER Voice of America 06 January 2000 -- The biggest foreign affairs news of the past week was Boris 's unexpected resignation on New Year's Eve as President of Russia.
  • RUSSIA: CHRONICLING YELTSIN'S LEGACY; EARLY SPECULATION ON PUTIN'S RULE USIA Foreign Media Reaction Report January 5, 2000 -- Boris Yeltsin's "surprise" New Year's Eve resignation as president of Russia and Vladimir Putin's appointment as acting president garnered extensive editorial coverage from all corners of the globe. Most agreed that Mr. Yeltsin's final move as president was a "masterstroke"--ensuring that his popular, hand-picked successor would have the advantage of incumbency in the lead-up to the March presidential elections, and that he himself would be exempt from future prosecution.
  • CLINTON-PUTIN Voice of America 05 January 2000 -- Last week's resignation of Russian President Boris Yeltsin and his hand-over of power to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin took the Clinton administration by surprise.
  • RUSSIA / POLITICS Voice of America 05 January 2000 -- Russia's upper house of parliament has determined that early presidential elections will be held March 26th.
  • BORIS YELTSIN RESIGNS Voice of America 05 January 2000 -- In what some U-S papers are describing as a political master stroke, the ailing, 68-year-old Russian leader stepped down in such a way as to give his hand-picked successor, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, a big advantage in the next election.
  • BORIS YELTSIN RESIGNS Voice of America 04 January 2000 -- The biggest news story of New Year's Day, aside from the changing of years, centuries and, some say, the millennium, was the resignation of Russian President Boris Yeltsin.
  • RUSSIA POL Voice of America 03 January 2000 -- Acting President Putin's first administrative move was to fire former President Yeltsin's daughter, Tatyana Dyachenko, from her post as presidential image-maker.
  • RUSSIA'S ECONOMY Voice of America 03 January 2000 -- Western economists are cautiously optimistic that Russia's acting president, Vladimir Putin, could bring a renewed commitment to market-based reform in Russia.
  • U-S-RUSSIA Voice of America 02 January 2000 -- Top Clinton Administration officials say the United States wants a good relationship with Russia's acting President Vladimir Putin.