No. 132, 14 July 1992

SUCCESSOR STATES TO THE USSR

CIS "PEACEMAKING" PLAN FOR MOLDOVA STILLBORN. . . The plan devised
by the CIS summit in Moscow on 6 July to deploy "peacemaking"
troops in Moldova has collapsed. It called for Russian, Ukrainian,
Belarusian, Romanian, and Bulgarian troops to be used as part
of the operation under CIS auspices. Belarus, Romania, and Bulgaria
have, however, declined to participate and have all called for
the use of CSCE mechanisms. Belarus has further pointed out that
it has no troops of its own but only Russian troops stationed
on its territory. Moreover, Moldova has rescinded its preliminary
consent to the plan and has appealed for the intercession of
the CSCE instead. At the CSCE summit in Helsinki, Russia's attempts
to obtain CSCE authorization for CIS "peacemaking" operations
in Moldova were blocked by several Western delegations, Moldovapres
reported on 11 July. The CIS plan would have provided a multilateral
framework for an operation which was likely to be Russian dominated.
(Vladimir Socor)

. . . BUT SHAPOSHNIKOV PERSISTS. Marshal Evgenii Shaposhnikov,
commander in chief of the CIS forces, told Russian TV on 11 July,
as cited by Moldovapres on 12 July, that CIS "peacemaking" forces
could be sent to Moldova in a week's time; that military experts
are at work planning the operation; and that the ministers of
foreign affairs and defense and the commanders of border troops
of the CIS member states would meet in Tashkent on 16 July to
discuss the operation. Shaposhnikov did not mention which states
of the CIS would participate in the planned operation and failed
to mention the absence of both Moldovan and international consent
for such an operation. (Vladimir Socor)

RUSSIA'S GENERAL STAFF PLANS FOR MOLDOVA. Addressing Russia's
Supreme Soviet, which on 8 July authorized the deployment of
"peacemaking" troops in Moldova, Col. Gen. M. Kolesnikov, deputy
chief of staff for Russia's armed forces, outlined the staff's
plan for the operation, Izvestiya reported on 10 July. The plan
calls for deploying Russian troops along most of the left bank
of the Dniester and around Bendery on the right bank. The troops
would "disarm the sides," and would create "normal conditions
for the functioning of local bodies of power." The "peacemaking"
forces would consist of Russia's 14th Army plus two paratroop
regiments from Ukraine and/or Belarus. There was no mention of
the lack of Moldovan consent for such an operation. (Vladimir
Socor)

GAIDAR ANTICIPATES DEPLOYMENT OF TROOPS IN MOLDOVA. Russian Acting
Prime Minister Egor Gaidar told ITAR-TASS on 13 July that his
government is "dealing with practical issues connected with the
deployment of military units that must perform a peacekeeping
role in the Dniester conflict." While referring to the deployment
of Russian troops, Gaidar claimed that the operation would be
"multilateral." (Vladimir Socor)

NEW BLACK SEA FLEET IMBROGLIO. Conflict continues to surround
the Black Sea Fleet. On 11 July, according to Reuters, the CIS
Black Sea Fleet commander, Igor Kasatonov, and the commander
of the Ukrainian Navy, Boris Kozhin, met in Sevastopol and signed
an accord pledging adherence to the terms of the Dagomys agreement,
signed by Boris Yeltsin and Leonid Kravchuk on 23 June. That
agreement said that neither side would take unilateral actions
with respect to the fleet. However, on the same day, 11 July,
a naval infantry unit from the Black Sea Fleet apparently seized
the military commandant's office of the Sevastopol garrison and
forcibly removed its Ukrainian commander, Lt. Col. Vladimir Zverev,
according to AFP on 11 July. Exactly what did happen remains
unclear, however, and each side has accused the other of having
violated the Dagomys agreement. Zverev and a second Ukrainian
officer, Col. Vladimir Indilo, have reportedly gone on a hunger
strike to protest the seizure of the building. (Stephen Foye)


CHERNAVIN: "SLOW DEATH OF THE FLEET." A report in Izvestiya on
11 July quoted CIS Naval Commander Vladimir Chernavin as claiming
that in 1992, for the first time since Peter I, Russia failed
to begin construction on a single warship. According to the report,
which was based on an RIA dispatch, Russia has also been forced
to suspend work on half of the approximately 130 warships whose
construction had been started earlier. (Stephen Foye)

RUSSIAN SECURITY COUNCIL SECRETARY'S NEW POWERS. The presidential
decree of 7 July on strengthening the role of the Security Council
and its secretary Yurii Skokov limits the power of the government
and the parliament. Kommersant (no. 28) compared the Security
Council with the old Politburo and commented that Skokov may
now overrule the government in practically all its decisions
and turn Acting Prime Minister Egor Gaidar into a figurehead.
The presidential decree calls upon the heads of all ministries
and local administrations to fulfill the instructions of the
Security Council and its secretary. The Security Council consists
of five permanent members--Boris Yeltsin, Aleksandr Rutskoi,
Sergei Filatov, Egor Gaidar, and Yurii Skokov. (Alexander Rahr)


HEARINGS ON THE CPSU CONTINUE. On 13 July, one of Yeltsin's lawyers,
Andrei Makarov, continued to offer evidence that the CPSU had
not reformed itself after March 1990. Makarov argued that the
Communist Party had destroyed some 25 million files last year,
which proved that the Party's professed repentance in recent
years about past wrongdoing was a lie, Russian and Western agencies
reported. Following this testimony, Valentin Kuptsov, former
chairman of the Russian Communist Party, argued that the Constitutional
Court can either heal Russian society or launch a witch-hunt
against millions of communists. He said that ruling the Communist
Party unconstitutional "would also rule communist and socialist
ideologies unconstitutional," and "create a legal basis for a
witch-hunt." (Carla Thorson)

WAFFENSCHMIDT ON PROSPECTS FOR VOLGA-GERMAN AUTONOMY. During
a visit to Saratov Oblast on 13 July, Horst Waffenschmidt, the
German official responsible for German resettlement, told Deutschlandfunk
radio that he was confident there would be a speedy restoration
of Volga-German autonomy, ITAR-TASS reported. Waffenschmidt rejected
the idea that most of the inhabitants of Saratov Oblast were
against the idea, saying that those questioned by German journalists
had said it would benefit the area. A report by ITAR-TASS from
Saratov on 13 July said that the visit by the German delegation
came after the Engels Raion Soviet had decided against the creation
of Germany autonomy in the raion on the grounds that Russian
authorities had not proposed a mechanism for implementing the
decree. The soviet was, however, preparing to reopen the question.
(Ann Sheehy)

INDUSTRIAL LOBBY ATTACKS REFORM. Aleksandr Vladislavlev, who,
together with Arkadii Volsky heads the "Industrial Lobby," attacked
the Gaidar government for not having altered its course to meet
the demands of production managers. He told Nezavisimaya gazeta
on 11 July that "a new reform strategy is needed" because the
Industrial Lobby cannot support the existing course. He noted
that Gaidar's reforms are leading the country down the road to
catastrophe. He said the government should concentrate on curtailing
the sharp decline in living standards and restoring industrial
output in order to prevent social tensions. (Alexander Rahr)


RUSSIAN OIL OUTPUT DOWN. The Russian Ministry of Energy announced
on 13 July that 200 million tons of oil was produced in the federation
during the first half of this year, ITAR-TASS reported. This
was down by 20 million tons on the amount produced during the
first half of 1991. A ministry spokesman said that oil output
would continue to fall because of underinvestment and equipment
shortages. He warned that fuel rationing might be introduced
if annual output dropped below 300 million tons. (Keith Bush)


RUBLE MATTERS. 5,000 ruble banknotes are to go into circulation
on 14 July, ITAR-TASS reported. Meanwhile, Acting Russian Prime
Minister Egor Gaidar told Russian TV on 13 July that economic
reform has not progressed far enough to make use of any ruble
stabilization fund. He hoped that the necessary progress will
be made by the fall. (Keith Bush)

QUICK PAY AVERTS NUCLEAR WORKERS STRIKE. On 13 July workers at
Krasnoyarsk-26 and Krasnoyarsk-45, closed Siberian nuclear research
cities, received 50 million rubles from the Russian government,
according to Western agency reports. It was one of a series of
payments, reportedly totaling 120 million rubles, rushed in this
month to placate workers angry over earlier nonpayment of wages.
In a cable sent to President Yeltsin, Interfax reported on 12
July, local officials, who said the workers had not been paid
in three months, warned that a strike could make the plants unstable.
One of the cities' reactors produces plutonium for nuclear weapons.
(Brenda Horrigan)

UNIONS WARN OF MILITARY INDUSTRY STRIKE. The Moscow Federation
of Trade Unions Information Center claims Moscow's military industry
(VKP) is about to strike, ITAR-TASS reported on 9 July. The Federation's
statement claims 90% of Moscow VPK plants are bankrupt. Work
hours are being cut and departments temporarily closed in some
plants. The unions blame government policy for the sector's "artificial
bankruptcy"; as a sign of protest, radio electronics industry
workers already are picketing government and parliament buildings
in Moscow. (Brenda Horrigan)

TURKISH ENERGY DEAL WITH KAZAKHSTAN. The Turkish firm Birlesmis
Muhendiler Buroso (BMB) signed protocols on 13 July agreeing
to provide energy services to the value of $11.7 billion to Kazakhstan,
Western agencies reported. The agreement calls for BMB to operate
4 oil fields, refurbish wells in another oil field, and explore
a sixth. BMB will also build a power plant in Aktyubinsk and
a gas pipeline to fuel it. The Kazakh energy minister told reporters
that Kazakhstan needs Turkey's help to attract foreign credits
for the deal: these will be repaid with Kazakh oil. He hoped
that the Aktyubinsk plant will turn Kazakhstan into a net exporter
of electricity. (Keith Bush)

COUNCIL OF EUROPE REPRESENTATIVES TO VISIT CENTRAL ASIA. Council
of Europe General Secretary Catherine Lalumiere and Turkish Foreign
Minister, now serving as Chairman of the organization's Committee
of Ministers, Hikmat Chetin will travel on 14 July to Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, as well as Ukraine and Georgia, ITAR-TASS
reported on 12 July. The delegation plans to assess the countries'
desire to join the Council, and to what degree they conform to
its membership requirements, mostly in terms of constitutional
and legal reform, and human rights. On 1 July, the Council's
parliamentary assembly discussed establishing an "associate membership"
status for the five Central Asian states, though it opposes "watering
down" the criteria for admittance. (Cassandra Cavanaugh)

MOLDOVAN REFUGEE PROBLEM GROWING. The number of refugees from
the left to the right bank of the Dniester has grown to 43,200,
Moldova's Interministerial Commission on Refugees announced on
10 July. Most are Moldovan peasants who fled from villages subject
to artillery fire by "Dniester" forces. (Vladimir Socor)

"DNIESTER REPUBLIC" RECOGNIZED BY SOUTH OSSETIA. Tiraspol leader
Aleksandr Karaman told Sovetskaya Rossiya of 4 July that South
Ossetia has "recognized" the "Dniester republic". The "Serbian
republic of Krajina" has also recognized the "Dniester republic"
recently. (Vladimir Socor)

AVERAGE WAGE IN RUSSIA. Quoting from the latest Russian State
Committee for Statistics report, Izvestiya of 27 June stated
that the average monthly wage in Russia in May was 3,650 rubles.
This was up by nearly 20% on the average wage of 3,052 rubles
in April. (Keith Bush)

NO WAGE FREEZE FOR RUSSIAN BUREAUCRATS. Russian Deputy Prime
Minister Boris Saltykov appeared on "Novosti" on 6 July to reassure
bureaucrats that the government has taken no decision nor made
plans to freeze their salaries. Acting Prime Minister Egor Gaidar
has repeatedly spoken out against wage (and price) freezes. Instead,
his program that was outlined in the memorandum published in
March, provides for a punitive tax on enterprises that grant
excessive wage hikes. (Keith Bush)

RUSSIANS INCREASINGLY INTERESTED IN WORKING ABROAD. Radio Rossii
of 5 July reported that, according to the Director of the Administration
on Working Emigrants (under the Ministry of Labor and Employment)
Vladimir Volokh, close to 1.5 million Russians would like to
work abroad and another 4-5 million are considering the possibility.
Volokh said that concrete agreements on Russians working abroad
already exist, (see Daily Report, 19 June). (Sarah Helmstadter)


ILLEGAL EXPORT OF ICONS FROM RUSSIA. Some 27 million icons have
been illegally exported from Russia since 1980, according to
Moscow News cited by Western agencies on 8 July. This represented
90% of all icons in the country at that time. The article referred
to long-established networks involving diplomats, transporters,
and customs officials. Most of the icons are said to have been
sold in Germany. (Keith Bush)

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

RUMORS SUGGEST MILOSEVIC MAY STEP DOWN. In its 13 July edition
the respected Belgrade daily Borba quoted "reliable" sources
saying that Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic is prepared
to step down once prime minister-designate Milan Panic takes
control of the Yugoslav government. The new Yugoslavia's parliament,
now consisting of delegates from only Serbia and Montenegro,
is scheduled to vote on Panic's nomination on 14 July. According
to Borba, Milosevic has been severely hurt by a string of political
setbacks, including the imposition of international sanctions
against the Belgrade regime and a week-long series of protests
against Milosevic in the Serbian capital. Many observers believe
that Milosevic's voluntary resignation is the only way to prevent
civil war in Serbia itself. (Gordon Bardos)

500 MORE PEACE-KEEPERS TO BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA. On 13 July the
Security Council voted unanimously to increase the total UN forces
in the republic to 1,600, the New York Times said the next day.
The paper also quoted an unnamed diplomat that the decision does
not, however, mean a "qualitative change" in the UN role in the
Yugoslav crisis. Western press reports on the G-7 and CSCE summits
the previous week, moreover, stress the lack of willingness on
the part of major Western nations to take concrete military action,
while at the same time seeing no easy political solution on the
horizon. Meanwhile, fighting took place around Sarajevo, and
the Serbian offensive against Gorazde and other Muslim towns
continued, international media report. (Patrick Moore)

HUNGARY, AUSTRIA PROD UN ON BOSNIA. Hungarian radio reported
that Hungary joined Austria in asking the United Nations to take
further steps to solve the Bosnia-Herzegovina crisis. Further,
Socialist Party leader Gyula Horn said that since international
efforts to stop the fighting seem unsuccessful, visa requirements
should be introduced for people entering Hungary from the war
zone in order to stem the flow of refugees. (Karoly Okolicsanyi)


HAVEL MAY END PARLIAMENT'S SPRING SESSION. On 13 July President
Vaclav Havel discussed with Michal Kovac, chairman of the Federal
Assembly, the possibility of ending the parliament's spring session
one month earlier than originally scheduled, CSTK reports. Havel
and Kovac agreed that the repeated presidential elections by
the parliament adversely affect Czechoslovakia's image abroad.
Moreover, the Czech and Slovak National Councils (republican
parliaments) are likely to adopt republican constitutions and
elect republican presidents by the end of the summer, steps in
which the federal parliament would play no role. Such actions
by the republics would result in their de facto sovereignty.
Under such circumstances, the post of federal president would
probably become redundant, unless the Federal Assembly adopts
a constitutional amendment which would establish a new type of
union between the two republics. (Jiri Pehe)

CZECH GOVERNMENT PRESENTS PROGRAM. Vaclav Klaus, prime minister
of the Czech Republic, presented his government's program to
the Czech National Council on 13 July, CSTK reports. Arguing
that the breakup of Czechoslovakia is likely, Klaus told the
Czech parliament that his government will take all necessary
measures for the republic to exist as an independent state, including
the adoption of a republican constitution and the creation of
the post of Czech president. Klaus also vowed to pursue radical
economic reforms based on rapid privatization and build a state
based on the rule of law. The prime minister further said he
was disturbed by the fact that some politicians in Germany support
claims for return of the property of more than two million Sudeten
Germans who were expelled from Czechoslovakia after World War
II. Klaus said his government will not bow to such pressure.
(Jiri Pehe)

ROMANIAN PRESIDENT BACK TO BUCHAREST. Ion Iliescu returned on
13 July, after attending the CSCE summit and visiting Estonia
and Belarus. In an interview with Radio Bucharest, he expressed
hopes that his contacts in Helsinki contributed to finding a
political solution to the conflict in the Dniester region. In
talks with Russian president Boris Yeltsin Iliescu insisted on
recognition of Moldovan state authority throughout Moldova's
territory and withdrawal of Russia's 14th army in accordance
with plans to be directly negotiated between Chisinau and Moscow.
Iliescu also expressed satisfaction with his visits to Tallinn
and Minsk. (Dan Ionescu)

ROMANIAN OFFICIAL ON TALKS AT UN HEADQUARTERS. Constantin Ene,
secretary of state at Romania's Ministry for Foreign Affairs,
provided details on his talks with UN officials in New York last
week. In an interview with Radio Bucharest on 13 July, Ene said
that the talks focused on Romania's observance of the UN sanctions
against Serbia and Montenegro and the situation in eastern Moldova.
Ene deplored the fact that, despite sympathy for Romania's sacrifices,
the Security Council remains rather noncommittal on possible
compensation for embargo-related losses. Ene said that developments
in Moldova are being closely watched by the Security Council.
(Dan Ionescu)

LANDSBERGIS VISIT TO BELARUS. On 14 July Lithuanian Supreme Council
Chairman Vytautas Landsbergis will begin a two-day visit to Belarus
to continue bilateral talks begun on 9 July at the CSCE in Helsinki,
Radio Lithuania reports. The talks with Belarus parliament chairman
Stanislau Shushkevich will be held at Gerveciai, a town with
a large ethnic Lithuanian population, and later near Lake Narutis.
The primary focus of the talks is the formal establishment of
diplomatic relations and the fixing of borders between the two
states, but attention will also be devoted to discussing the
situation of the national minorities in the two republics. (Saulius
Girnius)

LITHUANIAN-FRENCH VISITS. On 13 July a delegation from the general
staff of the French Defense Ministry held a meeting in Vilnius
with Landsbergis, Foreign Minister Algirdas Saudargas, and National
Defense Minister Audrius Butkevicius to discuss the creation
of closer ties between the military of the two states, Radio
Lithuania reports. A group of Lithuanian officers will study
at the French War Academy. Deputy Prime Minister Vytautas Pakalniskis
departed that day for Paris to participate in Bastille Day ceremonies
and lead the Lithuanian delegation at the seminar "The Modernization
of the Social Sector in a Market Economy" on 1517 July in Paris.
(Saulius Girnius)

DROUGHT THREATENS POLISH CROPS. Poland's agriculture ministry
reported on 13 July that drought conditions could reduce this
year's harvests by more than a dozen percent in comparison with
1991 results. Some 75% of the country is affected. (Louisa Vinton)


POLISH-GERMAN BORDER TEMPTS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS. Polish border
police report that 14,812 persons were caught trying to cross
the border into Germany illegally in the first half of 1992,
triple the number caught in the same period last year. Some12,450
of those caught were Romanians, 1,191 were Poles, and 598 were
Bulgarians, according to Western media reports. (Louisa Vinton)


THREE HUNGARIAN BANKS SUSPEND OPERATIONS. The state bank supervisory
committee has appointed commissioners to run three private banking
units because of undisclosed irregularities, MTI reports. The
banks were also given ten days to produce reorganization plans.
The operation of the Ybl Bank was suspended until the end of
the year, and half-million-forint penalties were given to two
bank chiefs. Ownership and credit relations were intertwined
at the three banks. One of the institutions involved, the General
Entrepreneurial Bank is 34.9% owned by the Westdeutsche Landesbank.
(Karoly Okolicsanyi)

MOUNTING UNION PRESSURE IN BULGARIA. The government is at odds
with the two leading trade and professional unions, Podkrepa
and Federation of Independent Trade Unions, over the problem
of low wages and poor working conditions. In the face of threatened
strikes by government and medical workers, on 14 July the government
authorized a 26% salary increase for all employees on the state
payroll. Meanwhile, Sofia transport workers have pledged to strike
at 4:00 a.m. on 15 July, bringing the capital's buses, trams,
and trolleys to a halt. Sofia's mayor has called upon private
bus owners to make their vehicles and drivers available.. In
a related incident, Bulgarian troops that constitute part of
the UN peacekeeping force in Cambodia have vowed to leave if
their salary arrears are not soon paid by their government. (Duncan
M. Perry)

POPE HOPES TO VISIT BALTIC STATES. On 10 July during the formal
presentation of credentials to the Vatican by Lithuania's ambassador
Kazimieras Lozoraitis, Pope John Paul II said that he gladly
accepts the invitation by Church and civilian authorities and
would visit the Baltic States in September 1993, Radio Vatican's
Lithuanian Service reports. Concerns about whether the pope's
health will allow him to make the visit were raised on 12 July
when he was admitted to a hospital in Rome to undergo tests for
an intestinal problem. Doctors will decide on 14 July on whether
to operate. (Saulius Girnius)

CLERGY IN SOFIA UNDER SIEGE. The Bulgarian Orthodox clergy is
divided into two factions, those who support the church hierarchy
of the communist years headed by Patriarch Maxim, accused of
collaboration with the communist authorities, and those who support
a rebel hierarchy led by MP and Bishop Hristofor Sabev, which
has attempted to usurp the leadership. The latter group, which
has occupied the Holy Synod building for six weeks, came under
siege on 12 July when a group of priests supporting Maxim attacked
the synod using a battering ram, bottles, and iron bars. Police
were called in to end the disturbance, which occurred on a day
when thousands of Bulgarians were lined up at the nearby Alexander
Nevski Cathedral to view a piece of wood, said to be part of
Christ's cross, on loan from Greece. (Duncan M. Perry)

FOREST FIRES IN LATVIA LOCALIZED. The spread of forest fires
has been halted in Latvia, Radio Riga reported on 13 July. The
situation is still dangerous because burning has not been stopped
entirely and smoldering embers could quickly start new fires.
Some 3,800 hectares of forests in the Slitere nature preserve
and about 1,200 hectares near Adazi were destroyed. Minister
of State Janis Dinevics said that it was too soon the assess
the damages throughout Latvia, but that in some areas the situation
was "tragic." He noted that some of the fires may have been caused
by arsonists. Finland, Sweden, France, Germany, Norway have sent
experts and equipment to help fight the fires. (Dzintra Bungs)


RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY: NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS IN THE BALTICS.
ITAR-TASS reported on 13 July that there are no nuclear weapons
on the territory of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, according
to a Russian Defense Ministry spokesman; he did not specify what
weapons or equipment are now located in the Baltics. The statement
was made in response to questions arising about public safety
in view of the fact that some of the forests on fire in Latvia
are near ex-USSR bases and ammunition storage areas, for example
Adazi and Garkalne. Latvian Defense Minister Talavs Jundzis,
in response to questions from the press on 11 July, said that
he did not know what kind of weapons are to be found in the ex-Soviet
bases in Latvia and could not, therefore, rule out the possibility
that some of them might be nuclear. (Dzintra Bungs)

MORE RUSSIAN ARMY SOLDIERS IN LATVIA WANT TO SERVE IN RUSSIA.
Radio Riga reported on 9 July that the number of recruits and
soldiers of the Russian-CIS forces in Latvia who have asked the
Latvian authorities to help them complete their military service
in their homeland has risen to 19; 16 men come from Russia, 3
from Turkmenistan. All were transferred to Latvia in June, despite
the fact that Russia had agreed already in February not to bring
new troops to Latvia. Fearing reprisals, the soldiers do not
want to be delivered to the army without some guarantees of their
safety from the Russian authorities. Latvia is trying to resolve
this matter diplomatically, but so far, except for the military,
Russian authorities have been reluctant to act on these matters.
(Dzintra Bungs)

RUSSIA CHARGES ESTONIANS FOR ENTRY. Estonian residents who wish
to visit Russia's Pskov Oblast by rail must pay $10 to cross
the border. Russian Embassy spokesman Artur Kuznetsov told BNS
on 13 July that exceptions would be made for pensioners, youth
under the age of 18, handicapped persons, and students. Kuznetsov,
a minister in Estonia's previous government and possible candidate
for Russian ambassador, said Pskov authorities had informed the
Russian Foreign Ministry of the plan. The Foreign Ministry has
not officially responded yet. (Riina Kionka)

ZHIRINOVSKY ROUSES NARVA. During a visit to the Estonian city
of Ivangorod on 13 July, Russian Liberal Democratic Party leader
Vladimir Zhirinovsky chided Estonia for having established state
borders unilaterally. According to BNS that day, Zhirinovsky
said that Russian Su-29 bombers would start retribution flights
over Narva in response to Estonia's "rabid nationalists." Zhirinovsky
told reporters that Estonia is a "criminal state" that "turns
the entire population into a nation of thieves." Thousands of
Russian-speakers rallied behind the LDP leader that evening,
BNS reports. (Riina Kionka)

[As of 1200 CET]