The latest: Russian Liberal Leader Kasparov Fears for Safety After Politkovskaya’s Murder

12.10.2006
Russian Liberal Leader Kasparov Fears for Safety After Politkovskaya’s Murder
Former chess champion Garry Kasparov, an outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said on Thursday he fears for his safety in the wake of the weekend murder of a critical Russian investigative journalist.

12.10.2006
Russian Environmentalists Protest German Nuclear Waste Imports
Environmentalists staged a brief protest in front of Germany’s embassy in Moscow against long-standing shipments of German nuclear waste to Russia.

12.10.2006
Fire at Mazeikiu Refinery Hits Output — Spokesman
A fierce fire on Thursday hit production at Lithuania’s Mazeikiu Nafta , the Baltic region’s only oil refining complex, which is being bought by Polish company PKN Orlen in a $2.6 billion deal.

12.10.2006
Russia to Send Youth Team to Georgia Despite Tensions
Russia’s soccer officials have agreed to send their national youth team to Georgia for a Euro 2007 championship qualifier despite high tensions between the two nations.

12.10.2006
Pro-Kremlin Chechen PM Denies Killing Russian Reporter
Chechnya’s Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov has said he did not order the murder of Anna Politkovskaya, the Russian journalist who wrote articles alleging he was behind brutal rights abuses.

12.10.2006
Strasbourg Rules Against Russia Over Chechen Deaths, Orders $285,000 Damages Compensation
The European Court of Human Rights today ruled that the Russian state was responsible for the unlawful killings of five Chechens during a security operation by Russian military forces in the province’s capital Grozny six years ago, and ordered Moscow to pay the victims’ relatives more than a total of $285,000 in damages.

12.10.2006
Russian Diaspora Abroad Hits 30 mln — Foreign Ministry
Russians living abroad have formed one of the world’s largest foreign diasporas, numbering 30 million people, a Russian Foreign Ministry official said Thursday.

12.10.2006
Fire Breaks Out at Major Baltics Refinery Mazeikiu Nafta
A fire broke outat Lithuania’s Mazeikiu Nafta refinery , which is being bought by Polish oil firm PKN Orlen.

12.10.2006
Mother of Vanished Chechen Journalist, Widow of Chechen Warlord Basayev, Abducted
The mother of a Chechen journalist Elina Ersenoyeva, who was reportedly coerced into a marriage with radical Chechen field commander Shamil Basayev last year, was abducted earlier this month near Grozny, a news website reported.

12.10.2006
Russian Human Rights Activist Criticizes Deployment of Pro-Kremlin Chechen Troops to Lebanon
A human rights campaigner said on Wednesday it was “absurd” that Russia had sent troops accused of human rights abuses in their native Chechnya to join multinational forces in Lebanon.

12.10.2006
Moldova’s Breakaway Province Seeks International Recognition
Moldova’s separatist Transdniestria region appealed to former Soviet states on Wednesday to recognize its independence after a referendum, but such moves were unlikely to be forthcoming.

12.10.2006
Plane Catches Fire in Moscow Airport — Agency
A plane caught fire on a runway at Moscow’s Domodedovo airport Thursday, the RIA-Novosti news agency reported.

12.10.2006
Israel’s Olmert to Urge Russia Boost Peace-Making in the Middle East
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he will urge Russia to increase its activities as a peace broker in the Middle East during a trip to Moscow next week.

12.10.2006
Students Protest North Korea’s Nuclear Tests in Russian Far East
Hundreds of students in the Pacific coast city of Vladivostok protested Thursday over the nuclear test neighboring North Korea claimed it conducted earlier this week, expressing concern about radiation risks.

12.10.2006
Politkovskaya’s Last Article Published by Russian Paper
The Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta has published an unfinished article that the journalist Anna Politkovskaya was working on before she was killed.

12.10.2006
EU Envoy Says Russia-Georgia Spy Row Casts Doubts on Moscow’s Neutrality
Russia’s actions in the Georgia spy row have damaged its credibility as a neutral peacekeeper in the EU’s Black Sea neighborhood, EU South Caucasus envoy Peter Semneby told EUobserver — but the bloc is not willing to become a formal player in conflict resolution in the region.

12.10.2006
Georgia Prepares to Sue Russia Over Recent Sanctions
Georgia is preparing to sue Russia at an international court and at the European Court of Human Rights for the economic damage done to the country, Georgia’s Justice Minister has said.

12.10.2006
Russian Nationalists Put 63 Journalists, HR Activists on Death List
Internet postings are calling on Russian nationalists to kill government critics — death lists that underscore the dangers journalists and rights activists face in Russia.

12.10.2006
NATO Opens Information Centre in Armenia’s Capital
A NATO information centre had started to operate in Yerevan.

12.10.2006
Maria Sharapova Advances at Kremlin Cup in Moscow
Maria Sharapova, playing her first match since winning the U.S. Open, has beaten fellow Russian Ekaterina Bychkova 6-4, 7-5 to reach the quarterfinals at the Kremlin Cup.

12.10.2006
U.S. Not Competing With Russia for Influence in Central Asia — Official
A senior U.S. official has rejected the idea that Washington is vying with Moscow for influence in ex-Soviet Central Asia, saying that the U.S. goal was to enhance regional cooperation.

12.10.2006
Russia Defeat Estonia 2-0 in Euro 2008 Qualifier
Two late goals gave Russia a 2-0 victory over Estonia to kick start their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign on Wednesday, Reuters reports.