Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

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

December

• A Russian Foreign Policy: Chronology October - December 1997 Dr M A Smith Conflict Studies Research Centre, Sandhurst UK (J14) January 1998
• RUSSIA / RUBLE VOA 30 December 1997 RUBLE NOTES WHICH GO INTO CIRCULATION AFTER THE FIRST OF JANUARY WILL HAVE THREE FEWER ZEROS.
• RUSSIA FOREIGN POLICY '97 VOA 22 December 1997 - RUSSIA MADE GREAT STRIDES IN DIPLOMACY DURING THE PAST YEAR.
• Topols' Three Secrets, Pavel Anokhin , Rossiyskiye Vesti, 12/18/1997 -- Intervie" with Major General Vitaliy Denisyuk, chief of the Strategic Missile Forces Central Command Post
• Strategic Missile Troops Increase Combat Capability , ITAR-TASS, 12/16/1997 -- Following the merger of the Space Military Troops and the Space Missile Defense Forces, the Strategic Missile Troops have been able to fulfil up to 50 percent of all the tasks facing the Strategic Nuclear Forces as far as a retaliatory strike is concerned, and up to 90 per cent as far as a retaliatory counterstrike is concerned.
• TEXT: U.S.-RUSSIA DEFENSE COOPERATION PLAN US Information Agency 05 December 1997 (Cohen, Sergeyev sign plan of cooperation in Brussels)
• RUSSIA SINCE USSR DISSOLUTION VOA 03 December 1997 - SIX-YEARS AGO THE SOVIET UNION WAS EFFECTIVELY DISSOLVED.
• EDITORIAL: COLLINS ON U.S.-RUSSIAN RELATIONS VOA 03 December 1997 - JAMES COLLINS, THE NEW U.S. AMBASSADOR TO RUSSIA, SAID "THE FUNDAMENTALS OF THE UNITED STATES-RUSSIA RELATIONSHIP ARE VERY SOUND."
• RUSSIA / MILITARY VOA 03 December 1997 - YELTSIN SAYS HIS COUNTRY IS READY TO CUT GROUND AND NAVAL FORCES BY 40 PERCENT.
• YELTLSIN-PENTAGON-NUKE VOA 02 December 1997 - PENTAGON OFFICIALS YELTSIN'S REPORTED OFFER TO CUT THE NUMBER OF NUCLEAR WARHEADS MOSCOW HOLDS.

  November

• TRANSCRIPT: BRIEFING BY GEN. HABIGER, HEAD OF STRATEGIC COMMAND US Information Agency 28 November 1997 (Discusses visit to Russian nuclear weapons storage site)
• TRENDS--RUSSIA: BACK AS BIG PLAYER, BUT WITH A DIFFERENCE? US Information Agency - Foreign Media Reaction Report 24 November 1997
• Russia's Dangerous Missile Game in Iran Ariel Cohen, James Phillips Heritage Foundation Executive Memorandum No. 503 November 13, 1997 -- By providing advanced missile technology to the radical Islamic regime in Tehran, Russia is threatening vital U.S. interests and violating an international arms control agreement.
• TEXT: CONGRESSMEN VISIT MISSILE SITES IN RUSSIA, UKRAINE USIA 07 November 1997
• General Eugene Habiger, Commander-in-Chief of the Strategic Command News Briefing - 04 November 1997 - "I have confidence in the safety and security of their nuclear weapons stockpile. They are deadly serious about this."
• U-S / RUSSIA / NUCLEAR VOA 04 November 1997 - THE UNITED STATES HAS DROPPED ITS CLAIM THAT RUSSIA MAY HAVE DETONATED A NUCLEAR DEVICE IN THE ARCTIC CIRCLE LAST AUGUST.
• Russian SLBM Explodes During Test CDISS News and Views - November 1997

  October

• Preventing Threat of Nuclear Terrorism: The Case of Russia Vladimir Orlov Disarmament Diplomacy October 1997
• RUSSIA / CHEMICAL WEAPONS VOA 31 October 1997 - THE DUMA HAS RATIFIED A GLOBAL BAN ON CHEMICAL WEAPONS.
• U-S / RUSSIA COMPUTERS VOA 27 October 1997 - THE UNITED STATES IS INVESTIGATING WHETHER RUSSIA ACQUIRED 16 AMERICAN COMPUTERS FOR ITS NUCLEAR WEAPONS WORK.
• TEXT: GEN. HABIGER TO VISIT RUSSIAN STRATEGIC ROCKET FORCES USIA 21 October 1997
• U.S. STRATEGIC COMMAND CINC VISITS RUSSIA - October 21, 1997
• [EXCERPT] U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing -- 20 October 1997 -- RUSSIA Status of Final Conclusion re August 16 Seismic Event
• Air Defense: 30 Years of Confrontation. Victory in a Nuclear War Is Impossible, But Winning a Missile Confrontation Is Perfectly Possible, Ilya Kedrov , Nezavisimoye Voyennoye Obozreniye, 10/17/1997 -- The Missile-Space Defense Forces are to be integrated with the Strategic Missile Forces [SMF], while air defense will become part of the Air Force structure.
• RUSSIA: ARMS CONTROL, GORE-CHERNOMYRDIN TALKS, REFORMS US Information Agency - Foreign Media Reaction Report 09 October 1997
• TEXT: PRESS STATEMENT ON RUSSIA, U.S., IAEA TRILATERAL INITIATIVE 08 October 1997 (U.S., Russia exchange visits of experts to nuclear sites)
• [EXCERPT] TRANSCRIPT: STATE DEPARTMENT NOON BRIEFING, OCTOBER 3, 1997 - RUSSIA/NUCLEAR ARMS -- Asked about the testimony of former Russian National Security Council member Alexei Yablokov on the existence of suitcase-sized nuclear devices, Rubin stated that "there is no evidence other than hearsay to support such claims; therefore, we give such claims little credibility."
• CONGRESS / RUSSIA NUKES VOA 02 October 1997 - THE SOVIET GOVERNMENT SECRETLY BUILT AND MAINTAINED AN ARSENAL OF TERRORIST NUCLEAR WEAPONS. THE FATE OF THESE SUITCASE-SIZED BOMBS IS THE SUBJECT OF GROWING CONCERN.
• [EXCERPT] U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing -- 01 October 1997 -- RUSSIA Update on US view of Lebed's report; Assurances of nuclear safety CSIS/Webster report; Russian mafia cartel-drug connection

  September

• U-S / RUSSIAN SCIENTISTS VOA 28 September 1997 - A NEW INITIATIVE TO CONNECT AMERICAN BUSINESSES WITH SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH CENTERS IN RUSSIA AND UKRAINE AIMS TO PREVENT WEAPONS PROLIFERATION.
• U-S - RUSSIA / ARMS AGREEMENTS VOA 26 September 1997 - AMONG THE ISSUES COVERED IN THE AGREEMENTS ARE THE IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE FOR THE START-TWO STRATEGIC ARMS REDUCTION TREATY AND A SERIES OF CLARIFICATIONS FOR THE 1972 ANTI-BALLISTIC MISSILE TREATY.
• GCC9 TEXT: FACT SHEET ON PLUTONIUM PRODUCTION REACTOR AGREEMENT USIA 25 September 1997
• TRANSCRIPT: GORE, CHERNOMYRDIN PRESS CONFERENCE SEPTEMBER 23 USIA 24 September 1997
• GCC9 TEXT: HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT AND SCIENCE COOPERATION USIA 24 September 1997
• GCCP TEXT: REGULATORY OVERSIGHT OF CORE CONVERSION ACTIVITIES USIA 24 September 1997
• GCC9 TEXT: JOINT STATEMENT ON AERONAUTICS AND SPACE COOPERATION USIA 24 September 1997
• GCC9 TEXT: DEFENSE CONVERSION COMMITTEE USIA 23 September 1997
• GCC9 TEXT: SPACE COMMITTEE USIA 23 September 1997
• GCC9 TEXT: U.S.-RUSSIA SIGN PLUTONIUM PRODUCTION REACTOR PACT USIA 23 September 1997
• GCC9: DOD-RUSSIA MINISTRY AGREEMENT: PLUTONIUM PRODUCTION REACTORS USIA 23 September 1997
• GCC9 TEXT: U.S.-RUSSIA AGREEMENT ON PLUTONIUM PRODUCTION REACTORS USIA 23 September 1997
• GORE, U.S. MEDIA PANEL AT GORE-CHERNOMYRDIN MEETING USIA 22 September 1997
• STROBE TALBOTT SPEAKS AT STANFORD ON THE NEW RUSSIA USIA 22 September 1997
• NASA INSPECTOR GENERAL DISCUSSES MIR SPACE STATION USIA 18 September 1997
• ANALYST REVIEWS OPTIONS OF CONTINUING MIR-SHUTTLE PROGRAM USIA 17 September 1997
• RUSSIAN SPACE AGENCY REFUTES CLAIMS OF AMERICAN PRESS Embassy of Russia News Release #22 September 16, 1997 -- The Russian Space Agency, named by the U.S. press as the main Russian organization allegedly helping Iran to create ballistic missiles, has strongly rejected such claims.
• PRIMAKOV DENIES RUSSIA'S ASSISTING IRANIAN ARMS PROJECTS. Embassy of Russia News Release #21 September 16, 1997 - Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov strongly denied Western media reports alleging that Russia assists Iran in developing nuclear weapons and long-range missiles.
• PROVISION OF RUSSIAN MISSILE TECHNOLOGIES TO IRAN DENIED Embassy of Russia News Release #20 September 16, 1997 - Russian designers of ballistic missiles have categorically denied American and Israeli press reports on the transfer of missile technologies to Iran.
• [EXCERPT] U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing 05 September 1997 - The government of Russia has assured us that it retains adequate command and control of its nuclear arsenal and that appropriate physical security arrangements exist for these weapons and facilities.
• MEMORANDUM FOR CORRESPONDENTS September 3, 1997 - The Department believes a low-level nuclear test would be a breach of the Russian moratorium that has been in place for at least five years, but not a violation of the CTBT since it has not yet entered into force.

  August

• [EXTRACT] State Department Daily Briefing - 29 August 1997 - RUSSIA Seismic Event in Vicinity of Novaya Zemlya on August 16
• [EXTRACT] Defense Department News Briefing - 28 August 1997 - A seismic event with explosive characteristics occurred in the vicinity of the Russian nuclear test range at Novaya Zemlya on the 16th of August.

  July

• Russia-Belarus: Intercept Point: ABM Defense as a Political Argument, Sergey Aleksandrovich Goryainov , Nezavisimoye Voyennoye Obozreniye, 7/12/1997 -- Both right and left are keeping mum about the true reason for the stubborn attraction of "democratic" Russia and "totalitarian" Belarus - the presence of the Russian Missile Attack Warning System (SPRN), which went on the air in early 1995.

  June

  SITES IN 5 COUNTRIES IDENTIFIED WITH WEAPONS PROLIFERATION 06/30/97 - The U.S. Department of Commerce has listed research facilities in Russia, China, India, Pakistan and Israel as engaging in weapons proliferation and has required U.S. companies to inquire about whether to submit license applications for all exports to these destinations.
• From Nuclear Deterrence to Mutual Safety As Russia's Arsenal Crumbles, It's Time to Act By Sam Nunn and Bruce Blair The Washington Post Sunday, June 22, 1997; Page C01
• Embassy of Russia Press Release #18 July 11, 1997 A CIA Report to the US Congress on non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and advanced conventional weapons has been made public in Washington. It accuses Russia of alleged assistance in programs for creating weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems conducted by some countries. Russia has been strictly fulfilling its international commitments for nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their missile delivery systems.

  May

• Russian Command And Control Problems CDISS News and Views - May 1997
• In democratic Russia, nuclear safety is still done the Soviet way BELLONA USA email: tj8332a@american.edu http://www.grida.no/ngo/bellona/ Russia still persecutes people who blow the whistle on environmental hazards as traitors, particularly when these activists detect problems in the realm of the armed forces. The best known case is Alexander Nikitin's, who has been under investigation since February of 1996 for co-authoring a report on the Soviet nuclear legacy in the Arctic -- The Russian Northern Fleet - Sources of Radiocative Contamination, published by the Norwegian NGO Bellona.
• NEWS AND VIEWS Summaries of and links to online news reports and commentaries, including: RUSSIA WILL NEVER BE FIRST TO USE NUKES-- UNLESS IT HAS TO, Boris Yeltsin's Nuclear Monologue, On visit to U.S., Russia's defense minister supports Start II, Russia considers military use of international space station, Rocky road in space for U.S., Russia, Air and Space Museum Announces `Space Race' Exhibition, Nations Agree to Pact Granting Nuclear Inspectors, More Access, Information. May 15, 1997
• [EXCERPTS] DEPARTMENT OF STATE DAILY BRIEFING QUESTION: " ... how can the Secretary tell the Russian defense minister, then, when START II is ratified, the two sides can move ahead with START III, when we've been told by the Vice President and other senior U.S. officials that talks, at least on guidelines for START III, needn't wait and aren't waiting for ratification of START II?" BRIEFER: NICHOLAS BURNS WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 1997
• COHEN / RODIONOV (L) RUSSIA'S DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS NEWS REPORTS THAT RUSSIA'S NUCLEAR FORCES ARE IN DISARRAY AND AT TIMES HAVE ACCIDENTALLY MOVED CLOSER TO LAUNCHING ARE WRONG AND IRRESPONSIBLE. MINISTER IGOR RODIONOV'S COMMENTS CAME DURING A NEWS CONFERENCE WITH (U-S) DEFENSE SECRETARY WILLIAM COHEN AT THE PENTAGON. Voice of America 5/13/97
• NEWS AND VIEWS Summaries of and links to online news reports and commentaries, including: A lot riding on Atlantis' trip to Mir, Little Apocalypses Media Rant. May 13, 1997.
• [EXCERPTS] DoD News Briefing This joint press conference follows the signing of a statement of military cooperation in areas of mutual interest between Secretary Cohen and Minister Rodionov in the Pentagon Briefing Studio. Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen Tuesday, May 13, 1997 - 11:50 a.m.
• Rybkin Reasserts Moscow's Right To Use Nuclear Weapons, Radiostantsiya Ekho Moskvy, 5/13/1997
• [EXCERPT] U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing RUSSIA Stability/Control of Nuclear Forces QUESTION: Is there an investigation underway of the reports about the Russian missile system malfunctioning with their nuclear weapons pointed in this direction? Can you comment on that?Briefer: Nicholas Burns Monday, May 12, 1997
• [EXCERPTS] Visit Of Russian Defense Minister Rodionov Background Briefing Q: You mentioned Russia's declining military. Can you provide any context for us at all on this CIA report that was published in today's Washington Times, which cites a deteriorating command-and- control system of Russian nuclear weapons, and whether or not it presents any danger or concern of any sort of unauthorized strike? May 12, 1997 - 10:30 a.m.
• Mishaps put Russian missiles in 'combat mode' Recent malfunctions of equipment controlling Russia's vast nuclear arsenal have spontaneously switched nuclear missiles to "combat mode" on several occasions, increasing the risk of unauthorized attack on the United States, according to a classified CIA report "Rodionov's Concerns about Nuclear Command and Control." Bill Gertz WASHINGTON TIMES Page A1 - 12 May 1997
• Russia: Berezovskiy: Russia Has Right to First Use of Nuke Weapons, Informatsionnoye Agentstvo Ekho Moskvy, 5/9/1997
• The SMF's Special Mission, Colonel-General Vladimir Nikolayevich Yakovlev, chief of the Strategic Missile Forces Main Staff , Armeyskiy Sbornik, May 1997 -- A discussion of the history and role of the Strategic Missile Forces.

  April

• Secrets 'Metro'-Style, Moscow Kuranty, 4/30/1997 -- The item published by The Washington Times to the effect that Russia is continuing to implement Cold War programs -- envisioning, in particular, the building of underground bunkers, tunnels, and so forth -- is, to all appearances, only partially correct.
• New Strategic Role of "Smart Weapons" and Proliferation Concerns Yaderny Kontrol Digest No.7. Spring 1997.
• Mir Space Station Status Update Thu, 24 Apr 1997 16:57:11 -0400 Chris Faranetta, Energia LTD. (703) 836-1999 The following update provides a brief summary on the present health of the crew and status of the major systems aboard the Mir Space Station.
• VISIT OF RUSSIAN GENERAL IGOR SERGEYEV Washington -- The U.S. Defense Department announced that General of the Army Igor Sergeyev, commander in chief, Russian Strategic Rocket Forces, will visit the United States April 28-May 6 as part of the continuing military-to-military contact program sponsored under the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program.
• ADDITIONAL FUNDS ADDED TO COOPERATIVE THREAT REDUCTION PROGRAM IN RUSSIA U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE April 23, 1997. The Defense Department announced that an additional $214.3 million is being applied to the Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) agreements with Russia.
• Russian-Chinese Joint Declaration on a Multipolar World and the Establishment of a New International Order, adopted in Moscow on 23 April 1997
• THE STATE OF THE RUSSIAN FORCES Draft General Report North Atlantic Assembly International Secretariat 21 APRIL 1997 - AP 90 DSC (97) 2
• On the Brink of Collapse, Yuriy Nikolayev, Sovetskaya Rossiya, 4/19/1997 -- Interview with Kurchatov Institute Director Aleksandr Rumyantsev
• NEW NUCLEAR DANGERS ALTHOUGH THE COLLAPSE OF THE SOVIET UNION ENDED THE FEAR OF A GLOBAL NUCLEAR WAR, THERE ARE NEW CONCERNS THAT NUCLEAR WEAPONS MAY BE USED, EITHER ON PURPOSE OR BY INADVERTENCE. ONE PERSON WHO TAKES THIS VIEW IS BRUCE BLAIR, A SENIOR FELLOW AT THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION. Voice of America 4/16/97
• DEPARTMENT OF STATE DAILY PRESS BRIEFING RUSSIA/IRAN Briefer: Nicholas Burns, Wednesday, April 16, 1997
• U.S. SUPERCOMPUTER SALE TO RUSSIA RAISES ALARM IN CONGRESS 04/15/97 -- An alleged U.S. sale of supercomputers to Russian nuclear weapons facilities has raised alarm in the U.S. Congress, where some members want to reverse the Clinton administration's relaxing of export controls.
• I still believe that Russia will remain a space power Moscow "Pravda Pyat" 12 April 97 pp 1-2 [interview with professor Vladimir Kovalenok, pilot-cosmonaut of the USSR and head of the Zhukovskiy air force academy, by Ivan Boltovskiy]
• MIR/LINENGER NEWS CONF (L) THE CREW ON BOARD RUSSIA'S ORBITING MIR SPACE STATION IS STILL WORKING TO REPAIR OXYGEN-GENERATING AND COOLING EQUIPMENT THAT MALFUNCTIONED IN RECENT WEEKS. ABOARD MIR IS AMERICAN ASTRONAUT JERRY LINENGER WHO TOLD REPORTERS THROUGH AN AUDIO HOOK-UP FRIDAY MUCH WORK REMAINS TO BE DONE UNDER WHAT CAN BE DIFFICULT CONDITIONS. Voice of America 4/11/97
• Sleep of Nuclear Giants, Vladimir Gubarev , ROSSIYSKAYA GAZETA, 4/8/1997 -- Development of Plutonium-Producing Reactors Detailed
• Voice of America 4/4/97 MIR AIR-SCRUBBING PROBLEM "AN AIR-SCRUBBING SYSTEM ABOARD THE RUSSIAN SPACE STATION MIR HAS MALFUNCTIONED, FORCING THE RUSSIAN AND AMERICAN CREW MEMBERS TO RELY ON BACKUP SYSTEMS TO KEEP BREATHING."
• CIA Digs Tunnel From Kremlin to Yeltsin's Dacha, Andrey Kabannikov , Komsomolskaya Pravda, 4/3/1997 -- Washington Times 'Leak' on Moscow Tunnels Seen as 'Timely'
• U-S/RUSSIA BUNKERS U-S DEFENSE OFFICIALS SAY RUSSIA IS CONTINUING TO WORK ON NETWORK OF UNDERGROUND BUNKERS AND TUNNELS -- APPARENTLY DESIGNED TO HELP RUSSIAN LEADERS FLEE MOSCOW AND SURVIVE A NUCLEAR ATTACK. HOWEVER, THEY DO NOT SEE THE ACTIVITY AS THREATENING OR IN VIOLATION OF ARMS ACCORDS. Voice of America 4/1/97
• Moscow builds bunkers against nuclear attack By Bill Gertz THE WASHINGTON TIMES 01 April 1997 pg 1
• Nuclear Waste Storage Facility on Novaya Zemlya, Katarina Koivisto , Hufvudstadsbladet, 4/1/1997 -- Russian plans for a terminal storage facility for various kinds of radioactive waste on Novaya Zemlya in the Arctic Sea are beginning to take shape.

  March

• TV Shows Secret Missile Defense Unit, NTV, 3/30/1997 -- Report on the Zhitomir Military Radioelectronics College.
• Status of Mayak Nuclear Waste Disposal Facility, Katarina Koivisto , Hufvudstadsbladet, 3/28/1997 -- Mayak, the Russian facility for nuclear waste disposal in the northwestern Urals, has been forced to close one line for lack of funds.
• COHEN / ARMS ACCORDS Voice of America 3/27/97 - DEFENSE SECRETARY WILLIAM COHEN SAYS THE ARMS AGREEMENTS CONCLUDED AT LAST WEEK'S HELSINKI SUMMIT REPRESENT A "MAJOR SUCCESS" FOR THE UNITED STATES.
• U-S / RUSSIA MISSILES THE UNITED STATES AND RUSSIA HAVE UNVEILED A WIDE-RANGING SERIES OF ARMS CONTROL AGREEMENTS, WHICH COULD MEAN NEW CUTBACKS IN THE TWO NATIONS' MASSIVE COLD-WAR NUCLEAR STOCKPILES. LIKE ALL SUCH ACCORDS, THESE ARE FACING POLITICAL ROADBLOCKS AND AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE. Voice of America 3/27/97
• [EXCERPTS] AFTER THE SUMMIT: THE U.S. AND RUSSIA ON THE LINE -- A DISCUSSION OF UNITED STATES POLICIES AND CONTEMPORARY ISSUES. JOINING ME TODAY TO DISCUSS THE UNITED STATES AND RUSSIA IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE HELSINKI SUMMIT IS JOHN HERBST, DEPUTY COORDINATOR OF THE NEW INDEPENDENT STATES AT THE U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT. Voice of America MARCH 29, 1997
• COHEN / RUSSIA MISSILES "IN A TALK WITH REPORTERS, MR. COHEN ASKED WHY AN ACCORD SUPPOSEDLY DISADVANTAGEOUS TO THE UNITED STATES HAS BEEN ATTACKED IN THE RUSSIAN PARLIAMENT AS A CRUSHING DEFEAT FOR MOSCOW" Voice of America 3/25/97
• [EXCERPTS] CLINTON CALLS HELSINKI SUMMIT RESULTS 'DRAMATIC' (Yeltsin: Talks open new stage in relations) By Wendy S. Ross USIA White House Correspondent - 21 Mar 97
• FACT SHEET: JOINT STATEMENT CONCERNING THE ABM TREATY (Reaffirms Presidents' commitment to ABM Treaty) Following is the White House text of the fact sheet concerning the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty released at U.S.-Russia Summit in Helsinki March 21, 1997.
• JOINT STATEMENT CONCERNING THE ANTI-BALLISTIC MISSILE TREATY President Clinton and President Yeltsin, expressing their commitment to strengthening strategic stability and international security, emphasizing the importance of further reductions in strategic offensive arms, and recognizing the fundamental significance of the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty for these objectives as well as the necessity for effective theater missile defense (TMD) systems, consider it their common task to preserve the ABM Treaty, prevent circumvention of it, and enhance its viability.
• JOINT STATEMENT ON PARAMETERS ON FUTURE REDUCTIONS IN NUCLEAR FORCES In an historic step, President Clinton and President Yeltsin today issued a Joint Statement on Parameters on Future Reductions in Nuclear Forces, reaffirming their shared commitment to further reduce the nuclear danger and strengthen strategic stability and nuclear security.
• Expert says terrorists may acquire self-made nuclear explosives Moscow, INTERFAX 03-20-97 10:22 AET
• CLINTON/YELTSIN MEETINGS USIA WHITE HOUSE REPORT, THURSDAY, MARCH 20, 1997
• U.S.-RUSSIAN JOINT STATEMENT ON CHEMICAL WEAPONS President Clinton and President Yeltsin discussed issues relating to the entry into force of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction. They stressed the commitment of the United States and Russia to full and effective accomplishment of the tasks and objectives of the convention. 21 March. 1997
• Clinton, Yeltsin pledge to minimize NATO problems Date: Fri, 21 Mar 1997 11:31:54 PST (Reuters)
• A NUCLEAR LAUNCH MAY HAPPEN ACCIDENTALLY (Komsomolskaya Pravda, March 15. Abridged.) A professional missile specialist confirms the catastrophic forecasts of the defence minister which have been described by the president as "lamentations".
• [EXCERPTED from Johnson's Russia List] Subject: Pipes commentary From: Celeste Wallander "... the question of explaining the collapse of the Soviet Union is the topic of a research and seminar series here at the Davis Center for Russian Studies at Harvard, conceived and run by Mark Kramer. My assignment was to address the question of the western role in the Soviet collapse, and I presented my paper in late February." " ..... since my paper is a draft, it is not currently available for circulation, though it will be by the summer." Sat, 15 Mar 1997 08:34:42 -0500 (EST)
• Who Doesn't Like the Topol Missile System and Why? The Arguments of Enemies of the Most Important Component of Russia's Strategic Nuclear Forces Sin with Nonprofessionalism, Igor Pavlov , Nezavisimoye Voyennoye Obozreniye, 3/15/1997 -- Discussion of opposition in the Russian military to the Topol missile system.
• We Could Launch an Accidental Nuclear Strike at the Enemy!, Colonel Robert Bykov, Komsomolskaya Pravda, 3/15/1997 -- Professional Missile Specialist Confirms Defense Minister's Prediction of Catastrophe That President Described as the Words of a `Jeremiah'"
• RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER PRIMAKOV TO VISIT THE U.S. At the invitation of Secretary of State Albright, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Primakov will pay an official visit to Washington March 15-17, 1997.
• RUSSIA / SUMMIT PETER HEINLEIN RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER YEVGENY PRIMAKOV GOES TO WASHINGTON THIS WEEKEND FOR A TOUGH BARGAINING SESSION AHEAD OF THE U-S / RUSSIA SUMMIT IN HELSINKI. Voice of America 3/13/97
• CONGRESS-RUSSIA MEMBERS OF THE U-S CONGRESS HAVE SOME ITEMS THEY WANT ON THE AGENDA FOR NEXT WEEK'S CLINTON- YELTSIN SUMMIT IN HELSINKI. THEY LISTED THEIR CONCERNS DURING A HOUSE HEARING ON THE ADMINISTRATION'S RUSSIA POLICY. Voice of America 3/12/97
• A Superpower's Final Attribute: New-Generation Missiles Will Go on Alert Status Before Year's End, Vitaliy Dzhibuti , Interfaks-AiF, 3/10/1997 -- Interview with General of the Army Igor Sergeyev, CINC Strategic Missile Troops
• Abandoned Moscow University Bunkers Shown , NTV, 3/10/1997
• More on New Cosmodrome's Opening , NTV, 3/9/1997 -- Video report from Svobodnyy Cosmodrome
• U.S. Proposes Deeper Cuts in Nuclear Arms With Russia By MICHAEL R. GORDON, The New York Times March 9, 1997
• RUSSIA * NUCLEAR POWER INDUSTRY * SPECIAL SERVICES PLUTONIUM ARRESTED IN AUGUST 1994 IN MUNICH AIRPORT PROVES TO BE OF NON-RUSSIAN ORIGIN /Report by RIA Novosti's correspondent Gennady Abalov/ -- The analysis of the weapon-grade plutonium handed over by the German authorities to the Russian Nuclear Power Ministry for the purpose of identification of its manufacturer has proven its non-Russian origin. MOSCOW, MARCH 5.
• Russia Must Fully Fund Two Missile Warning Stations , Interfax, 3/3/1997 -- Russia will have to finance two missile attack warning stations in Ukraine near Mukachevo, Transcarpathia, and near Sevastopol, Crimea, in full.
• Protest Held Against Launch of Start-1 Rocket , Oleg Yemelyanov , ITAR-TASS, 3/3/1997 -- A demonstration of protest against environmental effects of the planned launching of Start-1 booster-rocket from Svobodniy cosmodrome, the Amur region, was held in Yakutsk today.
• Who Will Repair the 'Nuclear Suitcase'?, Vladimir Umnov, Ogonek, 3/1/1997 -- Discussion of the Russian nuclear command and control system
• Nuclear Striptease. What Threat Is Posed By `Leakage' of National Defense Secrets?, V. Kotlov of the International Environmental Academy and V. Yerastov, chief of the Nuclear Materials Safety Department at an Atomic Energy Ministry department , Sovetskaya Rossiya, 3/1/1997 -- The accumulated knowledge and ideas on the use of nuclear energy should be stored and protected, just like weapons.

  February

• RUSSIA * PARLIAMENT * START-2 * DUMA TO SPEED UP RATIFICATION OF START-2 RIA NOVOSTI'S YULIA PANYUSHKINA - MOSCOW, FEBRUARY 26.
• Chernomyrdin Praises Missile Troops at News Conference , Interfax, 2/21/1997 -- The Russian Strategic Rocket Forces is capable of effectively carrying out its assignments, Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin told the press after visiting the force headquarters.
• Russia: Analysis From Washington--Playing The Nuclear Card By Paul Goble (RFE/RL) 10 February 1997
• RUSSIA NUCLEAR Voice of America CORRESPONDENT REPORT NUMBER=2-209952, MOSCOW, ELIZABETH ARROTT, 2/11/97
• RUSSIA, AMERICA TO COPE WITH ORBITAL STATION PROBLEMS AL GORE RIA Novosti, CHICAGO, ILL., FEBRUARY 9
• Committee Chairman Says Duma Ready To Ratify START-2 Treaty ITAR-TASS in English, February 8, 1997
• NASA BUDGET REQUEST HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT FISCAL YEAR 1998 ESTIMATES BUDGET SUMMARY OFFICE OF SPACE FLIGHT U.S./RUSSIAN COOPERATIVE PROGRAM
• "U.S., Russia agree on checklist for space station" (Reuter / Deborah Zabarenko) Sat, 8 Feb 1997
• RUSSIA / NUCLEAR Voice of America CORRESPONDENT REPORT NUMBER=2-209813, MOSCOW, ELIZABETH ARROTT, 2/7/97
• GCC8 TEXT: COOPERATION IN SCIENTIFIC COMPUTING (Text: 07 February 1997 ) The following Memorandum of Understanding was released February 7, 1997, by the White House Office of the Vice President following the eighth meeting of the U.S.-Russian Joint Commission on Economic and Technical Cooperation, also known as the Gore-Chernomyrdin Commission.
• GCC8 PROTECTION OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS (Text: 07 February 1997 ) The following joint statement was released February 7, 1997, by the White House Office of the Vice President following the eighth meeting of the U.S.-Russian Joint Commission on Economic and Technical Cooperation, also known as the Gore-Chernomyrdin Commission.
• GCC8 TEXT: PRESS STATEMENT ON SPACE COMMITTEE The following press statement was released February 7, 1997, by the White House Office of the Vice President following the eighth meeting of the U.S.-Russian Joint Commission on Economic and Technical Cooperation, also known as the Gore-Chernomyrdin Commission.
• GCC8 TEXT: PRESS STATEMENT ON DEFENSE CONVERSION COMMITTEE (Text: White House release) (press statement released February 7, 1997)
• GCC8 TEXT: PRESS STATEMENT ON GORE-CHERNOMYRDIN COMMISSION (Text: White House release) (press statement released February 7, 1997)
• JOINT STATEMENT ON HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT AND SCIENCE COOPERATION - U.S.-Russian Joint Commission on Economic and Technological Cooperation- 07 February 1997 The following joint statement was released February 7, 1997, by the White House Office of the Vice President following the eighth meeting of the U.S.-Russian Joint Commission on Economic and Technical Cooperation, also known as the Gore-Chernomyrdin Commission.
• Rodionov--New ICBM to be Deployed This Year , 2/7/1997 -- Russian Defense Minister Igor Rodionov hopes that the Russian strategic rocket force will deploy the Topol-M intercontinental ballistic missile in 1997.
• NASA to Lend Russian Space Effort $20 Million By RALPH VARTABEDIAN, NORMAN KEMPSTER Los Angeles Times Friday, February 7, 1997
• Russia: Were Intelligence Officers Involved In Plutonium Smuggling? By Roland Eggleston, Munich, 6 February 1997 (RFE/RL)
• THE USA RECEIVED RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT'S ASSURANCES THAT THE RUSSIAN PART OF THE WORK TO BUILD AN INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION WILL BE FINANCED IN FULL, A HIGH-PLACED OFFICIAL OF THE ADMINISTRATION SAYS WASHINGTON, RIA NOVOSTI, FEBRUARY 5.
• Degradation of Russia's Nuclear Forces: This Alarming Process Must Be Kept in Mind Constantly in Discussing the Fate of the START II Treaty, Yuriy Dmitriyevich Maslyukov, chairman, State Duma Committee on Economic Policy , Nezavisimoye Voyennoye Obozreniye, 2/5/1997
• ANNOUNCEMENTS Gore-Chernomyrdin Mtgs. 2/5-2/7 U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing February 5, 1997
• RUSSIA Gore-Chernomyrdin Mtgs. in Washington NORTH KOREA Future Mtgs. w/US, U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing February 4, 1997
• [Ralpha Excerpt] NATO, CLINTON-YELTSIN MEETING TOP GORE/CHERNOMYRDIN AGENDA By Rick Marshall USIA Staff Writer, 04 February 1997
• RUSSIA: YELTSIN'S HEALTH AND 'THE BEST OUTCOME' IN (Foreign Media Reaction Daily Digest) CHECHNYA. President Yeltsin's precarious health and the election of rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov as president of Chechnya Jan. 27 have kept Russia high on the list of foreign analysts' concerns in the past few weeks.
• FUTURE OF THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION TO BE DISCUSSED AT THE UPCOMING WASHINGTON MEETING OF THE GORE-CHERNOMYRDIN COMMISSION, RIA NOVOSTI, WASHINGTON, FEBRUARY 4.
• CHERNOMYRDIN EXPECTS YELTSIN-CLINTON MEETING TO TAKE PLACE AS SCHEDULED IN MARCH, BUT SUGGESTS IT BE TRANSFERRED TO EUROPE, RIA NOVOSTI, WASHINGTON, FEBRUARY 4.
• Russia dodges chemical arms ban By Bill Gertz, THE WASHINGTON TIMES, Tuesday 04 Feb 97, page 1
• S-300 ANTIAIRCRAFT MISSILES AT SHOOTING PRACTICE HIT ALL THE TARGETS RIA NOVOSTI, KHABAROVSK, FEBRUARY 4.

  January

• Russia Is Fumbling Its Role in International Space Station By WILLIAM J. BROAD, The New York Times, January 27, 1997
• Status of Russian participation in International Space Station MOSCOW NEZAVISIMAYA GAZETA, 22 JAN 97 P 1
• MANNED FLIGHT PROGRAM JEOPARDIZED BY LACK OF FUNDS MOSCOW NEZAVISIMAYA GAZETA 22 JAN 97 P 1
• "U.S. Studies Further Cuts in Nuclear Warheads - Possible START III Treaty Could Be Leverage to Get Russia to Ratify 1993 Arms Reduction Pact" By R. Jeffrey Smith - Washington Post - Thursday, January 23 1997; Page A04
• ELECTRONIC END RUN The unvarnished, and undiplomatic, source on Russia BY VICTORIA POPE, U.S. News and World Report, January 27, 1997
• Agreement Reached To Launch Satellites From Canada , Interfax, 1/24/1997 -- Russia plans to start launching commercial satellites from the Spaceport Canada site, northern Canada, in 1998.
• [START/CWC/ABM Excerpts] COHEN URGES FURTHER REDUCTIONS IN U.S., RUSSIAN NUCLEAR ARMS (Says weapons of mass destruction pose grave threat) By Jacquelyn S. Porth, USIA Security Affairs Writer, 22 Jan 97
• IGOR RODIONOV IN SEARCH OF AN ENEMY A. Golts (Itogi Nos. 1-2. Abridged.) January 1997
• Northern Fleet HQ Confirms ICBM Successful Firing , Vladimir Novikov, ITAR-TASS, 1/17/1997 -- The headquarters of Russia's Northern Fleet on Friday confirmed a successful firing of an inter-continental ballistic missile during Wednesday's one-day exercise for naval commanders.
• SHUTTLE/MIR THURSDAY Voice of America , DAVID MCALARY, 1/16/97
• RUSSIA / START III / NATO Briefer: Nicholas Burns, January 16, 1997
• A WORLD OF EQUALSVsevolod OVCHINNIKOV (Rossiiskaya Gazeta, January 15. Abridged.)
• Arctic Submarine Successfully Tests Ballistic Missile , Interfax, 1/15/1997 -- Russian nuclear submarine Wednesday successfully fired an RCM-50 ballistic missile from the Barents Sea to a test site on the Pacific Kamchatka Peninsula.
• BACKGROUND REPORT: SHUTTLE / MIR OVERVIEW (UPDATE) WASHINGTON, DAVID MCALARY, Voice of America, 1/13/97
• BACKGROUND REPORT SHUTTLE / MIR OVERVIEW DAVID MCALARY, VOA 1/10/97
• [EXCERPT] YEVGENI PRIMAKOV TALKS ABOUT RUSSIA'S FOREIGN POLICY (Rossiiskaya Gazeta, January 10.)
• RUSSIA: YELTSIN RETURNS; MOSCOW WOOS CHINA AND IRAN (Foreign Media Reaction Daily Digest - 07 January 1997)
• MOVING TOWARD A MULTI-POLAR WORLD Vadim MARKUSHIN (Krasnaya Zvezda, January 6. In full.)
• Russia Thwarting U.S. Bid to Secure a Nuclear Cache By MICHAEL R. GORDON (New York Times) January 5
• Chill Settles on Friendship of Former Cold War Foes New tensions between U.S., Russia complicate upcoming summit for Clinton and Yeltsin. By VANORA BENNETT, NORMAN KEMPSTER (Los Angeles Times) January 2