UNITED24 - Make a charitable donation in support of Ukraine!

Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)


June 2003 Russia Special Weapons News



  • RUSSIA / IRAN VOA 30 Jun 2003 -- The head of Iran's nuclear program is in Russia for talks expected to focus on the two countries' cooperation on atomic energy. The visit comes amid ongoing international concerns about whether Iran is secretly trying to develop nuclear weapons.
  • Iran's Nuclear Chief in Moscow for Talks VOA News 30 Jun 2003 -- The head of Iran's nuclear program is in Moscow for talks with senior Russian officials, amid continuing international concern that Tehran is secretly trying to develop atomic weapons.
  • Russian, Polish Presidents Meet Near Kaliningrad RFE/L 28 Jun 2003 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Polish counterpart Aleksander Kwasniewski today opened talks on bilateral relations while monitoring naval exercises in the Baltic Sea.
  • Russia: Putin Heading Home After Rare Russian State Visit To Britain RFE/L 27 Jun 2003 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin is flying home today after a trip to Britain, the first such high-level visit since the 19th century.
  • RUSSIA / T-V-S VOA 26 Jun 2003 -- Russia's last private national television channel, T-V-S, was forced to shut down earlier this week, and was immediately replaced by the new state-controlled channel Sport. Analysts say the way the closure came about is raising questions about whether the government is moving to stifle independent media ahead of upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections.
  • Russia: Yet Again, Media Freedom Appears Under Threat RFE/L 25 Jun 2003 -- Russia's Press Ministry has shut down the country's last remaining independent national television channel while legislators have approved a bill that would let the authorities temporarily close news organizations found to be "biased" in their coverage of electoral campaigns. Is press freedom under threat once again in Russia?
  • Russia: Upper House Approves Restrictive Law On Campaign Coverage RFE/L 25 Jun 2003 -- Russia's Federation Council, the upper house of parliament, today approved a law making it easier for authorities to shut down media outlets accused of biased political-campaign coverage.
  • BRITAIN / RUSSIA VOA 25 Jun 2003 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin is continuing his state visit to Britain Wednesday, with a day of sightseeing. Mr. Putin is the first Russian leader to visit Britain as a guest of the British Royal Family since 1874.
  • BRITAIN / RUSSIA VOA 24 Jun 2003 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has received a royal welcome in London, becoming the first Russian leader to make a state visit to Britain since 1874. The mainly ceremonial four-day visit will also include talks between Mr. Putin and Prime Minister Tony Blair, whose relationship has been thawing since their split over the war in Iraq. The visit began with politics set aside, to make way for pomp and ceremony.
  • Russia: Putin Arrives In London RFE/L 24 Jun 2003 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in London for the first state visit by a Russian leader to Britain in about 130 years.
  • Russia: Putin In Britain For First State Visit By Russian Leader In 130 Years RFE/L 24 Jun 2003 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin begins a trip to Britain today. It's the first state visit by a Russian leader in nearly 130 years. That means Putin and his wife will be treated to a lot of pomp and splendor. They'll stay at Buckingham Palace, take a ride in a royal carriage, and be toasted at a state banquet. But what is the real significance of the visit?
  • Putin Begins Visit to Britain VOA News 24 Jun 2003 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in London at the start of a four-day state visit - the first to Britain by a Russian leader in 129 years.
  • U-S-RUSSIA MEDIA VOA 23 Jun 2003 -- The United States Monday lamented the Russian government's closure of T-V-S, that country's last independent television channel. The State Department says the closure, for what Moscow says were financial reasons, does not serve the interest of a free press and had the appearance of being politically-motivated.
  • PUTIN BRITAIN PREVIEW VOA 23 Jun 2003 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin travels to London Tuesday on the first state visit of a Russian leader to Britain in 129 years. Amid the royal splendor of the visit, Mr. Putin will meet with Prime Minister Tony Blair. Key topics are expected to include Russia's economic interests in the rebuilding of Iraq and Mr. Putin's stance on continued nuclear cooperation with Iran.
  • Putin Defends Russian Commercial Interests in Iran VOA 22 Jun 2003 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin says he will not allow international concerns over Iran's nuclear program to undermine Russia's commercial interests in the country.
  • Russia: Moscow Says IAEA Statement Clears Way For Nuclear Cooperation With Iran RFE/L 21 Jun 2003 -- Russia's Foreign Ministry said today that the failure of the UN's nuclear agency, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), to condemn Iran has cleared the way for Russia to help Iran build a nuclear-power plant.
  • Russia/Belarus: Officials Agree On Currency Union, But Will It Hold? RFE/L 20 Jun 2003 -- Officials from Belarus and Russia have announced a timetable agreement on plans to unify their currencies by the beginning of 2005.
  • Russia: Duma Declaration Puts Heat On Turkmen Government RFE/L 20 Jun 2003 -- Russia's State Duma, the lower house of parliament, today adopted a declaration that expresses "deep concern" over recent events in Turkmenistan.
  • PUTIN/NUKES VOA 20 Jun 2003 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin says Iran's president has assured him personally that Tehran is prepared to adhere to tight conditions overseeing its nuclear program, which officials in Washington have long feared could be used to develop nuclear weapons. President Putin also urged the West to provide security guarantees to convince North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons program.
  • Russia: Iran Cooperating with IAEA VOA News 20 Jun 2003 -- Russia says it will deliver nuclear fuel to Iran only after Tehran signs an additional protocol allowing closer inspections of its nuclear program.
  • Iran is Prepared to Allow Full IAEA Monitoring, Says Putin VOA News 20 Jun 2003 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin says Iran's leader has personally assured him that Tehran has no plans to develop nuclear weapons, and will drop its objections to inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
  • RUSSIA/CHECNHYA VOA 20 Jun 2003 -- A truck filled with explosives blew up outside a government building in the Chechen capital, Grozny, and officials say at least five people are wounded. Investigators are focusing on the possibility the attack was carried out by suicide bombers opposed to Moscow's peace plan for Chechnya.
  • 2 Killed in Grozny Suicide Truck Bombing VOA News 20 Jun 2003 -- Chechen officials say a truck filled with explosives has blown up near a government compound in an apparent flawed suicide attack.
  • Chechen Blast Kills 1 VOA News 20 Jun 2003 -- Russian officials say a vehicle filled with explosives has blown up near a government building in the capital of Chechnya. Early reports say the apparent truck bomb has killed at least one person and wounded several others. Russia's NTV television says five people are missing.
  • Vershbow "Cautiously Optimistic" about Russian Energy Policy Washington File 18 Jun 2003 -- In the energy sector "there is a real commonality of interests" between the United States and Russia, Ambassador Alexander Vershbow told participants in the U.S.-Russia Energy Summit Executive Seminar in Moscow June 17.
  • Georgia: Rights Groups Say Chechnya Not Ready For Refugees' Safe Return RFE/L 19 Jun 2003 -- An estimated 300,000 civilians have fled Chechnya since Moscow ordered the first of two military crackdowns on the breakaway republic nine years ago. Most have migrated to neighboring Ingushetia, where they live in makeshift camps, often in appalling conditions. Others have found shelter in Georgia, which has granted them international refugee status. But now Russia wants to see them back in Chechnya. Activists say it's Moscow's way of hiding its protracted and still-violent conflict from international critics.
  • TURKMENISTAN/RUSSIA VOA 19 Jun 2003 -- Russians holding dual-citizenship in Turkmenistan must choose a single citizenship or passport by Sunday, according to a decree by Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov. The deadline is causing growing concern among Russians in Turkmenistan.
  • RUSSIA / DUMA VOA 18 Jun 2003 -- The Russian government has survived a vote of no-confidence in the lower house of parliament, or Duma. Initiated by an unusual alliance of Communists and liberal opposition deputies, the vote was widely seen as pre-election posturing ahead of parliamentary elections later this year.
  • Russian Government Survives No-Confidence Vote VOA News 18 Jun 2003 -- The Russian government has survived a vote of no-confidence in the lower house of parliament, or Duma. Initiated by an unusual alliance of Communists and liberal opposition deputies, the vote was widely seen as pre-election posturing ahead of parliamentary elections later this year.
  • Russia: EU Officials Say Moscow 'Not Living Up To' International Obligations In Chechnya RFE/L 18 Jun 2003 -- The European Commission yesterday approved another 16.5 million euros in humanitarian aid to support victims of the ongoing war in Chechnya. A Commission background document notes the new allocation brings the total since the beginning of the conflict in late 1999 to above 100 million euros -- but with very little effect. The humanitarian situation in and around Chechnya continues to deteriorate and EU officials say Russia is failing in several respects to "live up" to its obligations under international law.
  • RUSSIA/DUMA VOA 18 Jun 2003 -- The Russian government faces a no-confidence vote in the Duma, or lower house of parliament (late Wednesday). An unusual alliance grouping communist deputies and their colleagues from the pro-market reform Yabloko party put forth the parliamentary motion, accusing the government of failing to follow through on economic reform.
  • INDIA/RUSSIA VOA 16 Jun 2003 -- The Russian foreign minister has held talks with Indian leaders on bilateral cooperation and the fight against terrorism. The Russian official gave a similar anti-terrorism message to Pakistan.
  • Russia: Hundreds in Moscow Demonstrate Against Chechen War RFE/L 16 Jun 2003 -- About 500 people gathered in the center of Moscow today to demonstrate against the war in Chechnya.
  • Bush Extends Emergency Regarding Russian Fissile Material Washington File 10 Jun 2003 -- President Bush has extended the 1994 national emergency with respect to the accumulation of a large volume of weapons-usable fissile material in the territory of the Russian Federation. Without this action, the emergency would automatically be terminated on its anniversary date, June 21, 2003.
  • Russia: More Than 100 Suspected Islamic Militants Arrested In Moscow RFE/L 10 Jun 2003 -- Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) today said 121 suspected members of the banned Islamic organization Hizb ut-Tahrir were arrested during a security crackdown conducted in Moscow on Friday.
  • Russia: Security Forces Dismantle Alleged Moscow-Based Cell Of Hizb Ut-Tahrir RFE/L 10 Jun 2003 -- Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami, one of the most secretive fundamentalist Islamic organizations, has been active in Central Asia since the breakup of the Soviet Union. Although the group has never been involved in any violent actions, it is being fiercely repressed by regional governments, which consider its radical ideology a major threat. Hizb ut-Tahrir suffered a major blow last week when Russian authorities arrested dozens of its members in Moscow.
  • TERRORISM IN CHECHNYA VOA 06 Jun 2003 -- At a religious festival in northern Chechnya last month, a woman named Shakida Baimuradova got within six feet of Akhmad Kadyrov, the head of the Moscow-appointed Chechen administration, and blew herself up. Fourteen people were killed and dozens wounded. Kadyrov was unhurt. Two days earlier, suicide bombers rammed a truck loaded with explosives into a Russian government compound in Znamenskoye. The attack killed fifty-nine people and wounded more than one hundred. Shamil Basayev, a Chechen separatist leader, claimed responsibility for both attacks. Aslan Maskhadov, another Chechen separatist leader, denounced them. Is there hope for an end to the killing in Chechnya?
  • RUSSIA / CHECHNYA VOA 06 Jun 2003 -- Russia's lower house of parliament, the Duma, has approved a partial amnesty for Chechen separatists who disarm and for Russian servicemen accused of committing crimes in Chechnya. President Putin has said the amnesty will help restore peace in the break-away region, but critics are not so sure.
  • Chechnya: At Least 11 Killed In Explosion In Grozny RFE/L 06 Jun 2003 -- Officials say at least 11 people were killed in an explosion at an apartment building in the Chechen capital Grozny today.
  • STATEMENT BY ALEXANDER YAKOVENKO, THE OFFICIAL SPOKESMAN OF RUSSIA'S MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS Regarding Decisions by Houses of US Congress on Assistance to Russia in Elimination of Weapons Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs 06 Jun 2003 -- Moscow has received with satisfaction news of the approval by both Houses of the US Congress of the full amount of funds - 450 million dollars - asked by the US administration for rendering assistance to Russia and the CIS under Pentagon auspices (the Nunn-Lugar program) in the financial year 2004.
  • US-RUSSIAN RELATIONS AFTER IRAQ VOA 05 Jun 2003 -- Relations between the United States and Russia were badly shaken by Moscow's opposition to the war in Iraq and by allegations of Russian military and intelligence cooperation with the regime of Saddam Hussein. Do such differences represent a return to cold war animosity, or a temporary setback on the road to a US-Russian strategic partnership?
  • Russia: Suicide Bombing Kills 15 On Russian Military Bus RFE/L 05 Jun 2003 -- Russian officials say a female suicide bomber set off an explosion beside a bus carrying air force personnel near Chechnya, killing 15 people.
  • RUSSIA / BLAST VOA 05 Jun 2003 -- In Russia, a female suicide bomber has blown up a bus carrying Russian Air Force pilots and some civilians near the break-away republic of Chechnya. Russian officials say at least 16 people are dead.
  • Russia's nuclear cooperation with Iran under close international supervision - Ivanov IRNA 04 June 2003 -- Russia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Igor Ivanov said here on Wednesday that his country's nuclear cooperation with Iran is under the strict supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
  • Russia Calls For Tougher Inspections Of Iranian Nuclear Facilities RFE/L 04 Jun 2003 -- Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov (pictured) today called on Iran to agree to tougher inspections of its nuclear installations to soothe concerns over its alleged nuclear program.
  • RUSSIA / IRAN VOA 04 Jun 2003 -- Russian officials are taking a tougher stand on Iran's nuclear program. They are expressing concerns about its true intent and urging Iran to sign an additional protocol to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. The United States has called for Iran to allow international inspections, fearing it is using Russian technology and expertise to develop a secret nuclear weapons program - a charge Iran and Russia have denied.
  • Chechnya: Ten Russian Servicemen Reported Killed RFE/L 03 Jun 2003 -- In the latest fighting in Chechnya, rebel attacks have killed 10 Russian servicemen, and the Russian military has struck at rebel positions with artillery and aerial bombing.
  • PUTIN'S RUSSIA VOA 02 Jun 2003 -- Though he objected to the U-S war in Iraq, Russian President Vladimir Putin had mainly conciliatory words for U-S President George Bush at their meeting over the weekend in St. Petersburg. He stressed the need for cooperation between the two countries. He cited the danger of nuclear proliferation and included Iran in his warning, a point important to President Bush. This summit thus sets the stage for closer post-Iraq relations, which analysts welcome, while acknowledging some risks. President Putin's Russia is an uncertain mixture of both hopeful and troubling trends
  • G-8 Partnership Makes Progress in Effort to Prevent Spread of WMD Washington File 02 Jun 2003 -- The Group of Eight (G-8) leading industrial democracies announced that it has made significant progress in its effort -- begun last year -- to prevent weapons of mass destruction from falling into the hands of terrorists and state sponsors of terrorism.
  • Russia/U.S.: Bush, Putin Formalize Nuclear Reduction Treaty, Say Ties Remain Strong RFE/L 02 Jun 2003 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President George W. Bush exchanged ratification documents yesterday on a treaty that calls for a two-thirds reduction of active nuclear weapons in their countries by the year 2012.
  • Bush, Putin Complete Ratification of Strategic Arms Treaty Washington File 01 Jun 2003 -- President Bush and Russia's President Vladimir Putin, at a joint press briefing in St. Petersburg June 1 following a 45 minute meeting, said they had just exchanged instruments for the ratification for the Treaty of Moscow. The two had signed the treaty, to reduce deployable nuclear warheads on both sides by about two-thirds by 2012, in May 2002. The U.S. Senate approved the treaty earlier this year, and the Russian Parliament ratified it in May.
  • Weapons Proliferation Concerns All, U.S. Official Says Washington File 01 Jun 2003 -- The possibility of North Korean acquisition of nuclear weapons is of global, not just bilateral, concern, according to a senior Bush administration official speaking on background June 1.
  • U.S., Russia Declare New Strategic Partnership Washington File 01 Jun 2003 -- President Bush and President Putin have committed to building a new strategic partnership between the United States and Russia to "meet together the challenges of the 21st century."
  • U.S., Russia Renew Commitment to International Space Station Washington File 01 Jun 2003 -- The United States and Russia have reaffirmed their commitment to the International Space Station program.
  • Chechnya: Maskhadov Announces Summer Campaign Against Russian Troops RFE/L 01 Jun 2003 -- Chechnya's fugitive separatist leader today announced that his guerrilla forces will launch a summer campaign against Russian troops in Chechnya.
  • BUSH PUTIN VOA 01 Jun 2003 -- President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin are vowing increased cooperation despite their recent and very public differences on Iraq. They say they are looking forward, and insist the U-S Russian relationship is stronger than ever.
  • RUSSIA/IRAN VOA 01 Jun 2003 -- President Vladimir Putin says Russia will work with all nations, including the United States, to halt the spread of weapons of mass destruction.
  • U.S./Russia: Bush, Putin Agree To Reduce Arms RFE/L 01 Jun 2003 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President George W. Bush held an informal summit in the Russian city of St. Petersburg today, during which they signed and exchanged ratification documents putting into effect a strategic nuclear weapons reduction treaty.



NEWSLETTER
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list