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Jeremy Bransten

Also by Jeremy Bransten

September 07, 2004
Russia: Putin Rejects Open Inquiry Into Beslan Tragedy As Critical Voices Mount

Vladimir Putin (file photo) Vladimir Putin, in an interview yesterday with foreign journalists, said he has refused to order a public inquiry into the Beslan hostage-taking crisis and its deadly aftermath. The Russian president said a private investigation will suffice. But as RFE/RL reports, a growing number of voices in Russia are criticizing the authorities' actions during the Beslan crisis.
September 06, 2004
Russia: Troubling Questions Remain About Bloody Beslan Siege

President Putin in a Beslan hospital Russia has begun two days of mourning for the hundreds of victims of the North Ossetia school massacre. But three days after the siege was broken, many fundamental questions remain about the tragedy and the authorities' handling of the incident. The exact number of victims, the number of hostage takers, and many other details have still not been revealed.
September 01, 2004
Russia: At Least Two Dead In North Ossetian School Standoff

A scene from near the school where attackers took hostages this morning Prague, 1 September 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Russian authorities faced more Caucasus-related violence today, as a group of armed attackers stormed a school in the southern republic of North Ossetia, taking hundreds of children and adults hostage. At least two people have been killed in the incident and 11 injured.
August 24, 2004
Russia: Moscow Raises Spending For Defense, Police, Secret Services

The Russian cabinet approved yesterday a draft 2005 budget that increases defense spending by 28 percent, while also boosting outlays for law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Is the Kremlin on a war footing? RFE/RL spoke to a leading Moscow-based defense analyst about the reasons for the jump in military spending and what it is meant to achieve.
August 19, 2004
Russia: Kremlin Candidate For Chechen President Outlines Vision For Republic's Future

Chechen leader Akhmed-hadji Kadyrov was assassinated earlier this year The Kremlin's favored candidate in Chechnya's presidential election, Alu Alkhanov, yesterday met with members of the Chechen diaspora and held a news conference to outline his plans for the war-torn republic. Alkhanov is widely expected to win this month's poll to become Chechnya's next leader.
August 18, 2004
World: Non-Aligned Nations Meet In South Africa --- But Does The World Care?

Foreign ministers of the Non-Aligned Movement are meeting in South Africa this week for their annual conference. Founded by some of the world's leading statesmen, including India's Jawaharlal Nehru and Yugoslavia's Josip Tito, the Non-Aligned Movement was a high-profile organization during the Cold War. But few follow its proceedings these days. Does the Non-Aligned Movement still have a mission? Who are its leaders today and what are they discussing?
August 11, 2004
Georgia: Moscow Sees No Easy Solutions For South Ossetia, Abkhazia Conflicts

The Russian and Georgian defense ministers continued their talks in Moscow on 11 August, aimed at lowering tensions that have flared between the two countries over South Ossetia in recent days. Both sides say they are ready to defend their national interests and the rhetoric -- especially from Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili -- has at times been inflammatory. But everyone seems to agree that neither side wants an all-out conflict. The problem is that prospects for resolving the issues of Abkhazia and South Ossetia -- which have dogged relations between Russia and Georgia for a decade -- seem as intractable as ever. Saakashvili says bringing the two republics back under Tbilisi's control is his top priority, and he accuses Russia of deliberately thwarting him. But for the Kremlin, there are no easy choices, as it finds itself with no attractive options.
August 09, 2004
Russia: Many Can't See The Benefit In Controversial Social-Reform Bill

Russia's upper house of parliament on 8 August followed the State Duma's lead and gave final approval to a controversial bill that will replace traditional, Soviet-era benefits for the elderly, veterans, invalids, and millions of others with cash payments. The bill passed despite opposition from many who fear the loss of special privileges in public transportation, health care, and other areas will not be sufficiently compensated by the government's money offer.
July 26, 2004
Russia: Alkhanov Clear Kremlin Favorite In Chechen Presidential Elections

Chechnya's election commission has registered seven candidates for the republic's upcoming presidential election. They include a businessman, a teacher and an employee of the Federal Security Service (FSB). But Chechnya's current interior minister, Alu Alkhanov, is seen as the favorite to win the 29 August poll.
July 22, 2004
Russia: Young Russians Say Cash Is King As Rock Stars, Oligarchs Top Survey Of Heroes

A new Russian public-opinion poll that asked young people to name their heroes has yielded some surprising results. Contrary to expectations, Russian President Vladimir Putin placed a distant fifth. Instead, in first and second place for Russia's 18-to-24-year-olds are rock stars and oligarchs. Most older Russians might hold them in low esteem, but 42 percent of young people surveyed say they admire businessmen who know how to get rich quick.
July 21, 2004
Belarus: President Says 'People Will Decide' If He Can Seek Third Term

Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, ending months of speculation, said on 20 July he is prepared to see the constitution changed so that he can run for a third term. Belarus's current laws limit the head of state to two electoral terms, but Lukashenka said a popular referendum could change that.
July 20, 2004
Russia: Putin Dismisses Head of General Staff In Military Shake-Up

Vladimir Putin (file photo) Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday fired the head of the General Staff, General Anatolii Kvashnin, along with three other top military commanders. The move appears to be part of the Kremlin's long-term effort to reorganize Russia's military into an effective 21st-century force. But RFE/RL reports that experts are questioning whether it will have much effect.
July 14, 2004
CIS: Putin Appoints New Envoy On Regional Affairs

Russian President Vladimir Putin this week named Industry and Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko as his envoy on integration affairs for the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the 12-member grouping of former Soviet republics.
July 13, 2004
Turkmenistan: Last Freely Available Outlet To Outside News Shuts Down

Turkmenistan on 11 July halted broadcasts of Russia's Mayak radio station -- the last Russian news outlet to reach the Central Asian country. For all practical purposes, Turkmenistan's President Saparmurat Niyazov has now cut off his citizens from the outside world. Turkmen without access to a satellite dish or shortwave radio are now living in a total information vacuum. Officially, Ashgabat says the Mayak shutdown was prompted by technical reasons, but Russia seems unconvinced and has demanded an official explanation.
July 12, 2004
North Caucasus: Is A Chechnya-Style Conflict Brewing In Ingushetia?

June violence in Ingushetia (file photo) A group calling itself the Supreme State Council of Ingushetia (Majlis Al-Shura) has issued a statement on the Internet declaring a "jihad" against the Russian government in the republic of Ingushetia. Who speaks for the self-styled Supreme State Council is unclear. But the message has sent a chill through the republic, which neighbors Chechnya and has been subject to growing instability in recent months.
July 01, 2004
Middle East: Qatari Court Finds Russian Agents Guilty Of Yandarbiev Assassination

A Qatari court yesterday found two Russian intelligence officers guilty of assassinating former Chechen rebel leader Zelimkhan Yandarbiev. Yandarbiev, who served as Chechnya’s president from 1996 to 1997, died in a car-bomb attack in Qatar in February as he was returning from Friday prayers at a local mosque. His 13-year-old son survived the blast with injuries. Yandarbiev had lived in the Gulf state with his family for the past three years and was believed to be a key fundraiser for the Chechen armed resistance. Both Russian agents were sentenced to 25 years in jail.
June 29, 2004
Mongolia: Ruling Ex-Communists Show Major Losses In Parliamentary Vote

Mongolia's ruling former communists suffered big losses in 27 June parliamentary elections, once again proving the health of the country's new democracy. In a region better known for authoritarian regimes and rigged elections, Mongolia stands out as a unique case. It is a country with a young but vigorous political culture where voters regularly throw out the ruling party and replace it with the opposition in the ultimate exercise of democracy.
June 25, 2004
U.S./North Korea: Is Washington Softening Its Rhetoric With Pyongyang?

After months of deadlock, potential signs of progress emerged from talks aimed at halting North Korea's nuclear efforts today in Beijing.
June 25, 2004
Russia: A Terrorist In Life Is A Terrorist In Death

No mercy in life and no mercy in death. That is the policy of the Russian authorities regarding those deemed to be terrorists. According to a recent amendment approved by the Russian legislature, the bodies of terrorists or alleged terrorists captured by Russian forces are not to be returned to their families for burial. Relatives say this represents cruel and unjust punishment for those uninvolved in the conflict. Human rights advocates agree but note that unfortunately, international treaties only protect the rights of the living, not of the dead.
June 22, 2004
North Korea: New Round Of Six-Party Talks To Start In Beijing

A third round of six-party talks aimed at ending the standoff over North Korea's nuclear-weapons programs is due to start in Beijing tomorrow. South Korean officials say they will push for the adoption of a three-step plan whose initial stage would see Pyongyang promise to freeze its programs in return for security and aid guarantees. But indications are the United States and North Korea may still be too far apart to strike a deal.

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