The latest: Russian Parliament Urges Ukrainian Lawmakers Against NATO Entry

07.06.2006
Russian Parliament Urges Ukrainian Lawmakers Against NATO Entry
The Russian lower house of parliament has approved an address to the Ukrainian Parliament — the Supreme Rada — stating that Ukraine’s joining NATO would contradict the spirit of the friendship treaty with Russia.

07.06.2006
Gorbachev Criticizes U.S. for Policies in Europe and CIS
Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev heavily criticized the U.S. for its policies in Europe and former Soviet republics, saying that cooperation, not confrontation, was the way forward.

07.06.2006
British Yacht Detained in Russian Waters
The yacht The Michigan, flying the British flag, was stopped for violating border-crossing rules.

07.06.2006
Russian FM Voices Concern Over US Military Plans
American plans to develop some of its strategic weapons could have a destabilizing effect and lower the threshold of military response, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in his address to the lower house of parliament on Wednesday.

07.06.2006
Gorbachev Buys Into Kremlin’s Most Vocal Critic
Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and State Duma Deputy Alexander Lebedev have purchased a 49% stake in Novaya Gazeta newspaper, a newspaper considered the most critical of the Kremlin.

07.06.2006
Six-Nation Proposal Foresees Halting Iran’s Nuclear Program — Russian FM
The six-power proposal on Iran’s nuclear program envisages Tehran suspending its uranium enrichment activities while the offer is being considered, Russia’s foreign minister said on Wednesday.

07.06.2006
Moscow Vexed at Ukraine’s Move to Bar Entry to Russian Lawmaker
The Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday angrily criticized Ukrainian authorities’ decision to deny entrance to a Russian lawmaker who had been involved in anti-NATO protests on the Crimean Peninsula.

07.06.2006
Over One-Third of Russians See U.S. as Enemy — 2006 Poll
On Tuesday the Yuri Levada polling center released the results of their yearly opinion poll, in which Russians were asked which countries they consider to be friends or enemies. 37% of Russians listed the U.S. as an enemy.

07.06.2006
Russian Space Agency Joins Anti-Drug Campaign in South Siberia
Russia’s federal space agency, Roskosmos, will join in the effort to detect and destroy wild narcotic hemp in the Republic of Tyva this year, officials in Russia’s south Siberian province have said. Roskosmos will produce satellite imagery of the republic’s territory and precisely map out the areas contaminated by “dope”.

07.06.2006
Middle-Aged Sambo Wrestler Kills 2 Officers
A middle-aged sambo wrestler attempted to escape through a window after killing two police officers while being detained for a prank call to the St. Petersburg police station.

07.06.2006
NASA Welcomes Russian Help in Future Space Missions
NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said he would welcome Russian participation in future space exploration missions that go beyond the International Space Station.

07.06.2006
Khodorkovsky to Report for Prison Paper
Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the jailed founder of the oil company Yukos, has been assigned to be a reporter for the prison newspaper. His lawyer, however, said he doubted that the prison authority will do Khodorkovsky any favors for contributing to the newspaper.

07.06.2006
Kremlin-Sponsored Festival of Symphony Orchestras Opens in Russian Capital
The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Zubin Mehta, opened a new Kremlin- sponsored festival of international symphony orchestras created to mark Russia’s independence day, marked on June 12.