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CDI Library > Johnson's Russia List

Johnson's Russia List
 

 

July 22, 1997   

This Date's Issues:   1075  1076 1077  1078


Johnson's Russia List
#1077
23 July 1997
djohnson@cdi.org

[Note from David Johnson:
1. Executive and Legislative Newsletter: Georgy Satarov, NO SOCIAL 
EXPLOSION IN RUSSIA IN FALL.

2. NTV: Yeltsin Speaks Against Rokhlin; 10 Submarine Crewmen Desert.
3. NTV: Official Criticizes US Interference in Church Law.
4. Interfax: Duma Law on Religion Will Not Infringe on Foreigners 
Rights.

5. Excerpt on Russia from State Department report: United States 
Policies in Support of Religious Freedom: Focus on Christians.

6. RIA Novosti: STATE DUMA DEPUTIES ARE NOT INCLINED TO 
DRAMATISE THE RUSSIAN PRESIDENT'S DECISION TO TURN 
DOWN THE LAW ON FREEDOM OF CONSCIENCE.

7. Interfax: Yeltsin's Decision To Reject Law On Religion Arouses 
Controversy.

8.Sonia Winter(RFE/RL): Russia: U.S. Senators Concerned About Imperial 
Tendencies.

9. RIA Novosti: YELTSIN SAYS SITUATION WITH INCOMES DECLARATION 
IS UNFAVORABLE.

10. St. Petersburg Times: Charles Digges, Got Russia Under My 
Skin.

11. The Electric Telegraph (UK): Nanette van der Laan, Ukraine 
trains kamikaze dolphins to heal.

12. Reuters: Two million Russians taking drugs 300,000 addicts.
13. UPI: Yeltsin says heart 'works like clock.'
14. RIA Novosti: SURGEON AKCHURIN FINDS YELTSIN IN GOOD
CONDITION.

15. Stephanie Baker: Russia: Energy Secretary Completes Nuclear 
Security Talks.

16. UPI: Moscow officials issue cholera warning.]

*********

#1
>From RIA Novosti
Executive and Legislative Newsletter, No. 29
July 1997
NO SOCIAL EXPLOSION IN RUSSIA IN FALL
By Presidential adviser Georgy SATAROV

The Left opposition is unanimous in the opinion that
Russia is in for grave social disturbances this coming fall. To
prove the point, they say that although no strikes are usually
staged in summertime, this year's summer has witnessed several
protest actions. Hence the conclusion of a hot fall to come. 
Their logic seems faulty to me.
I think two aspects should be taken into consideration:
who is protesting and why. In our case, the actions are
connected with realistic problems, wage arrears in particular.
The situation this coming fall will depend on how
efficiently the government is implementing its plans. So far,
so good: the state has paid all back pensions thanks to a
tougher fiscal policy and the resultant tax increment.
The next task on the agenda is to pay back wages to
state-sector workers, something which is expected to be done
before the end of the year. 
This will be hard to do, for a tougher fiscal policy is
apt to produce appreciable initial results which will be hard
to maintain on the level later on. But even if the back wages
to the state-sector workers are not paid in full, the bulk of
the debt will certainly be paid back. There will be no reason
for massive protest actions. 
Back payments at non-state enterprises present a no less
complicated problem. What it takes is tougher control over the
observance of law at these enterprises, especially those where
the controlling interest belongs to the state. 
Earlier in the year, the state inspectorate has audited a
great many enterprises which have not been paying wages to
their staffs for months on end. Many have been found to be
hiding resources in secret accounts. We are thus talking of
better economic discipline and the observance of the Russian
legislation. 
The solution of the above problems will help remove the
main source of social tensions. The government has been acting
as instructed by the President. The matter with the State Duma
stands apart. The government intends to try and convince
Russian parliament's lower chamber that it should adopt a new
Tax Code, a law on budgetary expenditure reductions and a
package of social bills as soon as possible. 
This coming fall, the executive authority will undertake
to win the Duma to its side. It is now seeking compromise
solutions so that the MPs could come back after their summer
recess and start pondering the laws right away. The Duma should
be given a deadline to make it tackle urgent matters, rather
than adopt non-binding laws or pass minor decisions. 
It would be counter-productive to dissolve the Duma from
the viewpoint of tasks that President Yeltsin raised in his
message to the Federal Assembly, for if it is disbanded, there
will be nobody to make laws for three months. Such is the
President's pragmatic approach which he demonstrated in his
latest broadcast address to the nation, in which he said that
the executive authority should operate in tandem with the State
Duma.
As to the projected budgetary expense cuts, the main task
is to "promise what can be done and do what has been promised,"
to quote the President. Non-execution of promised budgetary
allocations generates arrears. To put it simply: the budget
contains certain money to be injected into the economy.
Enterprises are counting on these infusions while devising
their economic development programmes. When the expected
resources fail to come, enterprises stop paying their
contractors. Non-payments in turn trigger off a chain reaction
of wage arrears.
Today, we have to live according to our real budget.
Whether the Duma approves expense reductions or not, the
government can only count on the resources it realistically
has. 
The reshuffle in the Presidential Administration, now
underway, aims to clearly delineate the powers of the
President's structures and the Russian government. At present,
the Administration is increasingly focusing on strategic tasks,
leaving routine decisions to the Cabinet to make. In
particular, in late September the Presidential Administration
intends to make public a programme of state development.
Yeltsin's message to the Federal Assembly has stressed the need
of such a programme.
The Administration is corroborating with public
associations to finalise a report on the state of civil society
in Russia. It is based on the programme of aiding civilian
societal institutes: the local governments, free economic
enterprise, political parties, public associations and
independent media. 
This is a most important direction of the effort to ensure
stability and enhance democracy in Russia. The two above
programmes are examples of the Administration's new activities.

**********

#2 
Yeltsin Speaks Against Rokhlin; 10 Submarine Crewmen Desert 

NTV
July 21, 1997
[translation for personal use only]
>From the "Segodnya" newscast

While talking to journalists the President spoke ruthlessly about
General Rokhlin, who is opposed to the current option of Army reform. As
Yeltsin put it: we will smash the anticonstitutional actions of Rokhlins.
Meanwhile, our television company learned that this evening General
and Deputy Lev Rokhlin will go on a trip to visit the military-industrial
complex sites and military garrisons, and also to meet the population. 
Rokhlin is expected in St. Petersburg, Pskov, Tver, and Murmansk.
The last place is of a particular interest in view of the recent
events in the Northern fleet. We learned from military sources today that
on Friday [18 July] 10 men deserted from a submarine based in one of the
bays on the coast of the Kola peninsula. The submarine crew is now
refusing to leave for combat patrolling. Perhaps at this very moment, at
least today, a Defense Ministry commission is dealing with the problem.

********

#3
Official Criticizes US Interference in Church Law 

NTV 
July 20, 1997
[translation for personal use only]
>From the "Itogi" newscast

For the first time in many decades the Russian Church has drawn the
attention of politicians, including American ones. Attempts are made once
more to exploit the church. Freedom of conscience is now another field for
political intrigues.
[Begin recording] [Correspondent Yevgeniy Revenko] This week in Russia
miraculous events took place. The state began to actively interfere in
church affairs, while the United States has lost its selfless feelings and
tried to refuse Russia aid. After the Duma adopted an edited version of
the law on the freedom of conscience, it is time for the President either
to sign or decline the document. [passage omitted: Patriarch urged
President to sign it, while the Pope to decline it. Reasons for both moves
reported]
Washington added fuel to the fire. The Senators, defending the
forgotten Catholics, called on the President to decline the law. Otherwise
they would not give us the $200 million aid they promised. Communist Viktor
Ilyukhin intervened at this point. We will now see what the President will
do, whether he will get frightened or not, he said. Now Boris Yeltsin is
in a complex situation. In not signing it he would be obeying the
Americans, but in signing it, he would be giving the go-ahead to a bad law
infringing the Constitution.
[Vladimir Lukin, chairman of the Duma Committee for International
Affairs] Why is the US reaction extremely bad and unacceptable? Because the
Americans are interfering in our internal process. They are not just
interfering, but interfering in a very bad way. So, the question arises: 
am I saying all this because I am afraid of the Americans. I do not care
twopence about them. [end recording]
[Revenko] Both the Americans and the Duma have failed to mind their 
own business. They wished to fight harmful sects and to defend the
Catholics. But they have violated the rights of most believers. [passage
omitted] [end recording]

*********

#4
Duma Law on Religion Will Not Infringe on Foreigners Rights 

MOSCOW, July 21 (Interfax) -- The law on the freedom of conscience and
on religious associations approved by both houses of the Russian parliament
"does not envisage any limitations on the religious activity of foreign
citizens who observe Russian law," head of the Justice Ministry's
Department for Public and Religious Organizations Gennadiy Monakhov told
Interfax.
After Russian President Boris Yeltsin signs this law and it goes into
effect, the government intends to adopt a document regulating the work of
various religious missions operating in Russia. "Most probably
accreditation will be issued to such missions," he said.
Although the Vatican and the U.S. Congress have criticized the law,
Monakhov described it as "good and normal." He also commended the section
which gives controlling functions to the agencies which register religious
organizations.
"The state has the right to know who is doing what on its territory
and whether the laws and human rights are being observed," he said.
He explained that he meant a number of totalitarian sects which
violate laws and pose a threat to human health.
The Ministry of Justice has registered 390 centralized religious
organizations, and the Ministry's regional agencies have note of more than
13,000 local religious organizations representing more than 60 confessions
and religious trends, the Ministry's press service told Interfax.
The Russian Orthodox Church remains Russia's largest religious
confession and comprises over 8,000 religious associations. Next comes
Islam (about 3,000), and the Protestant Church and its trends, including
the largest movement, the Baptist Church.
In addition to these and other traditionally Russian confessions (old
believers, Buddhists, Catholics and Jews), new trends -- the Krishnaites,
the Mormons and the Bahais have been registered.
Some of the Russian churches which were previously persecuted now
operate openly, including the Jehovah's Witnesses, adventists- reformers,
the genuinely Orthodox Christians, and so on.
The religious organizations' charters are registered by the Ministry
of Justice and its agencies in the constituent territories, except
Tatarstan, Bashkortostan and Dagestan, which have passed their own laws on
religion.

********

#5
Excerpt from State Department report
United States Policies in Support of Religious Freedom: Focus on Christians
Report Consistent with the Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act, 
Fiscal Year 1997, House Report 3610 
Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Affairs, 
July 22, 1997. 

Russia 

Current situation: Russia's new constitution and a 1990 Soviet law on 
religion still in force provide for religious freedom and a strict 
separation of church and state. Since the breakup of the Soviet Union, 
the overall climate for religious freedom in Russia has improved 
dramatically, and made possible a large increase in the activities of 
foreign missionaries. This has troubled some sectors of Russian society, 
particularly nationalists and factions of the Russian Orthodox Church. 
During 1996 and 1997, the Russian Orthodox Church used its political 
influence to promote official actions that discriminate against 
religious groups and sects. 

Most notably, the Duma and Federation Council recently passed 
legislation which, if enacted, would replace the 1990 law and introduce 
significantly more government regulation over religious organizations. 
While the law is not directed against Russia's established major faiths 
(Orthodoxy, Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism), it would impose registration 
requirements on religious groups, provide significant official 
discretion in decisions on registration, and would restrict the 
activities of foreign missionaries, as well as confessions, sects or 
religions, that are relatively new to Russia or that have relatively 
small numbers of adherents. These groups would have to wait up to 15 
years before attaining full legal status, making it impossible for them 
to own property or have a bank account during this period. The draft 
legislation enjoys broad public support, but will not become law unless 
and until President Yeltsin signs it. (President Yeltsin previously 
rejected a similar proposal as unconstitutional.) 

Some regional officials also have sought at times to limit the 
activities of foreign missionaries, many of whom are Christians. About 
one-fourth of Russia's 89 regional governments have passed restrictive 
laws and decrees that violate the 1990 law on religion by limiting or 
restricting the activities of religious groups, or by requiring 
registration. Enforcement is uneven, but there are reports that local 
governments have prevented religious gatherings. As a result, 
denominations that do not have their own property were denied the 
opportunity to practice their faith in large groups or to hold prayer 
meetings. In 1996 the Constitutional Court refused to consider a 
challenge to the constitutionality of one such law on procedural 
grounds. 

There have been numerous instances in which local authorities have 
refused to register the passports (a requirement under Russia's visa 
laws) of foreign missionaries, effectively denying them the ability to 
function in some regions. Non-Orthodox faiths, including the Catholic 
Church, have also had difficulties recovering properties that were 
confiscated during the Soviet era, although some progress was made in 
1996. 

U.S. Government actions: The United States has acted consistently to 
encourage Russia to fulfill completely its constitution and pledges of 
religious tolerance. In June 1997, President Clinton expressed concern 
to President Boris Yeltsin about the restrictive law on religion then 
pending in the Duma. Assistant Secretary of State Shattuck also voiced 
concern about the draft law and local restrictions on religious freedom 
to his Russian counterpart during bilateral consultations on human 
rights in May. President Clinton expressed concern about Aleksandr 
Lebed's inflammatory statements on missionary activities of the Church 
of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints when he met with Prime Minister 
Viktor Chernomyrdin at the G-7 Summit in Lyon in June 1996. Vice 
President Gore reiterated those U.S. concerns the following month at a 
session of the Gore-Chernomyrdin Commission. 

The U.S. Embassy in Moscow and U.S. consulates have also been active in 
emphasizing the importance of freedom of conscience and religion. U.S. 
officials have voiced concern about initiatives by local and provincial 
governments to restrict the activities of missionary groups, and urged 
parliamentary deputies considering the new draft law on religion to 
uphold the principles of tolerance and separation of church and state 
embodied in the constitution and in the 1990 law. 

The Embassy has frequently objected to attempts by the Russian 
authorities to administer visa regulations in a manner that restricts 
the freedom of movement of U.S. citizens, including missionaries, inside 
Russia. 

********

#6
STATE DUMA DEPUTIES ARE NOT INCLINED TO DRAMATISE 
THE RUSSIAN PRESIDENT'S DECISION TO TURN DOWN THE 
LAW ON FREEDOM OF CONSCIENCE
MOSCOW, July 23 (from RIA Novosti correspondents Galina
Amelkina), Yulia Panyushkina) -- "One should not overdramatise
yesterday's decision of the Russian President to turn down the
law "On Freedom of Conscience and on Religious Associations),
since this decision will hardly seriously aggravate the
situation in Russian society", Valery Tarasov, a member of the
State Duma Committee on Culture (Communist faction) told RIA
today. According to him, most of the deputies were prepared to
such a reaction of the head of state, since they were aware that
the adopted law is imperfect. "Possibly, we were not right in
ignoring the activity of Catholic organisations in Russia. For
Catholicism is a religion, which on a par with the Orthodox
Church, is within the system of Christianity", noted the deputy.
Tarasov believes that the believers themselves should not feel
any discomfort in connection with this: "Let them give their
priests a possibility to reach mutual understanding through a
search for accord on this complicated issue".
In his turn, Chairman of the Duma Committee on
Nationalities' Affairs Vladimir Zorin (NDR faction) called this
document "the first serious attempt to establish new real
relations between the state and religion". However, regrettably,
noted Zorin, due to the fact for many years atheism was official
ideology in Russia, the attempt proved to be "not quite
successful". Nevertheless, he expressed hope that "by joint
efforts and in accordance with the President's remarks the law
will be finalised".
Independent deputy Galina Starovoitova of the Duma
Committee on the Affairs of Public Associations and Religious
Organisations backed the decision of the head of state. She
stressed that the law adopted by the Duma is at variance with
the Russian Constitution and "does not correspond to its initial
version". "The law is different in concept from the draft law
adopted in the first reading and the text of the draft prepared
last year by the working group including representatives of
religious organisations", stressed Starovoitova. 

*********

#7
Yeltsin's Decision To Reject Law On Religion Arouses Controversy
MOSCOW, July 23 (Interfax) - *Yeltsin's* decision to turn down the law on
the freedom of conscience and religious associations has aroused
controversy in Russian political circles. 
The Russian Duma's Vice-Chairman Alexander Shokhin of the Our Home
faction urged Yeltsin not to limit himself to vetoing the law and propose
his own version of the objected provisions. 
"Joint work on the law would be ideal, as it would demonstrate that
Yeltsin is really interested in opposing uncivilized religious
associations," he said in an interview with Interfax. 
In his opinion, Yeltsin would have turned down the law without the
interference of the American senators and congressmen. "But now the West's
lip service has given the opposition an additional chance to criticize the
president and blame him for yielding to external pressure," he said. 
Meanwhile, prominent Russian human rights activist, Chairperson of
Moscow's Helsinki Group Lyudmila Alexeyeva put an accent on the
anticonstitutional essence of the vetoed law. 
Making her point clear, she quoted the provision which says that in
order to be registered local religious organizations must provide proof
that they have been in existence in the given territory for at least 15
years. 
"In other words, the law gives preference to the Russian Orthodox Church
which has actually become Russia's official religion," she said. 
She said that the Human Rights Chamber of the presidential political
consultative council also opposes this law. 
Independent Duma Deputy Ella Pamfilova (the Russian Regions group) has
about the same opinion of the law. 
"Russia needs such a law. However, it must not infringe on human
rights," she told Interfax. She also said that "the freedom of choosing a
religion must not be doubted" and proposed that the law be improved and
adopted in a coordinated edition. 
Mikhail Men, son of well-known Russian priest Alexander Men, a member of
the Yabloko faction and the chairman of the All-Russia Christian Union
shares this position. 
He told Interfax that he welcomes Yeltsin's decision. 
"The law was adopted dishonestly. Chairman of the parliamentary
Committee for Public Associations and Religious Organizations Viktor
Zorkaltsev (Communist Party faction) deceived the deputies," Men said. "He
stated that Russia's four main religions - the Orthodox church, Islam,
Judaism and Buddhism, support this law in its current form. This is not
so," he said. 
"The communists, who made strenuous effort to push this law through
parliament should have in the first place urged their party to repent for
executing priests, destroying churches and persecuting believers," he said. 
Meanwhile, Zorkaltsev, in an interview with Interfax, expressed deep
regret about Yeltsin's decision. "Russia has been trampled underfoot," he
said pathetically. 
Even if the law has imperfect provisions, Yeltsin could have signed it
and subsequently make the necessary amendments," he said. 
Another Communist deputy of the Russian Duma, Chairman of the Security
Committee Viktor Ilyukhin was even more categorical. 
He told Interfax that Yeltsin's decision to turn down the law provides
further proof that Russia has long become a protectorate of the West." 
He is convinced that the free and uncontrolled activity of foreign
religious confessions in Russia poses a threat to the country's national
security. This is a way of zombieing the minds of the younger generation,"
he said. 
The law is called upon to limit Western pressure on the minds of the
Russian citizens," he said. He also noted that the Duma will most probably
try to override the presidential veto. 
This opinion is shared by another leader of the Duma's communist faction
Valentin Kuptsov, who told Interfax that the Duma will "easily override the
presidential veto." 
He described Yeltsin's decision as "the public humiliation of Russia." 
He also said that the American congressmen's decision to link economic
aid to Moscow to whether or not Yeltsin signs this law is "outrageous
interference in Russia's internal affairs." 
"One can only regret that the president has not heeded the voice of the
Russian Orthodox Church leaders who urged him to sign the law, and yielded
to the voices coming from abroad," he said. 

********

#8
Russia: U.S. Senators Concerned About Imperial Tendencies
By Sonia Winter

Washington, 24 July 1997 (RFE/RL) - Several U.S. senators have expressed
concern that Russia is trying to re-establish hegemony over the Caucasus
and Central Asia while the United States is not moving quickly or boldly
enough to help the newly-independent states strengthen their sovereignty
and independence. 
Questions about Russia's behavior dominated a hearing held Tuesday by
the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee on U.S. policy in that part of
the world. 
Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kansas), who presided over the enquiry,
criticized U.S. policymakers for regarding the eight states -- Armenia,
Azerbijan and Georgia, as well as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan,
Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan -- "more as dependencies of Russia than as
independent countries in a region in which Russian interests are far from
the only factor." 
He also urged a more assertive U.S. policy, saying "the United States
needs to move forward aggressively in this area but we seem to be afraid of
offending the Russians...we should act with more boldness." 
Brownbacker asked what kind of pressure the U.S. exerts on Russia to
remove its troops from the former Soviet republics that do not want them. 
Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Stuart Eizenstat,
testifying for the administration, said the issue comes up regularly in
U.S.-Russian conversations. 
He said the U.S. wants to make sure the region has the fullest
opportunity to develop independently and pursues a policy "to promote
sovereign, prosperous, resilient, democratic states." 
Eizenstat said the U.S. is hopeful that "recent trends in Russian
foreign policy reflect a more realistic attitude toward relations with its
southern neighbors." 
He cited improved cooperation on settling the Armenian-Azerbaijani
conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave and participation by Russian
companies in Caspian oil projects as examples of what he said is "the
altered Russian attitude." 
Another committee member asked about Russia's long-term intentions in
the region, Eizenstat said those are not yet clear. He said it is obvious
that many Russians are having a hard time adjusting to "a post-imperial
future" in which they have less influence than in the past, and that "many
would like to preserve that influence...and the presence of troops is one
way of doing it." 
Eizenstat noted that a total of more than 20,000 Russian troops remain
deployed on the territories of most of the former Soviet republics. 
He said one of the litmus tests for Russian behaviour in the future will
be the degree of respect they show for trade relations and the independence
of countries in the Caucasus and Central Asia. Right now, Eizenstat said
the picture is still grey and the U.S. must be on the alert to make sure
"Russia is a good neighbor and not just a big neighbor." 
Eizenstat spoke with greater concern and more sharply about Iran's
attempt to develop ties with the region, saying "the U.S. remains highly
suspicious of Iran's motives," and that "it is essential for the U.S. to
have a pro-active policy to assure that the Caucasus and Central Asia
remain free of Iranian influence." 
He said one of the ways to prevent Iran and Russia from having undue
influence over the region is to rapidly develop economic and commercial
systems enabling the eight nations to be more prosperous and independent. 
Eizenstat said another means of ensuring their independence will be the
choice of pipeline routes bringing oil from the Caspian Sea basin to
foreign markets. He reiterated that the U.S. supports construction of
multiple pipelines that will not go through Iranian or Russian territory. 
Eizenstat said multiple pipelines are necessary, among other things,
because the oil and gas reserves are so enormous there would be huge
bottlenecks if it was all channeled just through existing Russian-based
lines. 
An expert witness testifying before the Senate committee -- retired U.S.
General William Odom said Russian oil companies are trying to monopolize
all the export routes. But he said "pipelines through Russia are not a bad
thing if they are not the only ones," because if Russia felt shut out from
the project, it would only incite Moscow to make trouble. 
Odom, now with the Hudson Institute, a private policy research
organization, said that in addition to Russia and Iran, China, Turkey,
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are also competing for influence in the region,
"often in non-constructive ways." 
"Iran has been surprisingly correct in most of its diplomacy in Central
Asia and the Transcaucasus," said Odom. 
Odom said it is Saudi Arabia that has been the strongest backer of an
Islamic cultural and political resurgence, secretly giving vast sums of
money to Islamic community leaders in the region. 

*******

#9
YELTSIN SAYS SITUATION WITH INCOMES DECLARATION 
IS UNFAVORABLE
VOLZHSKY UTYOS SANATORIUM (THE SAMARA REGION), JULY 23
(FROM RIA NOVOSTI CORRESPONDENT ALEXANDER KRYLOVICH) -- Russian
President Boris Yeltsin described the situation with the
presentation of declaration on incomes by top-ranking officials
as unfavorable. In a conversation with journalists after his
meeting with a group of Russian officials he reported that he
was informed how his decree is being fulfilled. "I cannot say
that the situation is favorable. They are opposing," Yeltsin
said.
He attracted attention to the fact that Russian governors
do not fulfil this decree. According to Yeltsin, only 33 out of
58 governors have presented their declarations. Due to this
Yeltsin commissioned head of the presidential administration
Valentin Yumashev to remind heads of the regions of the need to
fulfil this decree. He deems it expedient to public lists of
governors who failed to present their declarations in the press.
In addition, personal telegrams will be send to these
governors.
As for Russia`s federal ministers, Yeltsin reported that
100 percent of them have filled in these declarations. Those who
were on vacation or were ill presented their declarations today
in the morning having learned that this information will be
presented to Yeltsin. According to Russia`s First Deputy Prime
Minister Boris Nemtsov, there is no information on this issue
from the State Duma. 

********

#10
St. Petersburg Times
JULY 21-27, 1997
Got Russia Under My Skin 
By Charles Digges

IT IS TAKEN as an article of faith that anyone who uproots their life in
their native land to come live in St. Petersburg for any long period of
time is somehow marked by the experience for life.
But even though I have been living here for two and a half years, it
wasn't until early this week that I decided to test just how bullheaded and
literal I was about that maxim - by getting a tattoo.
And we're not talking about some little
looks-like-it-was-drawn-on-during-math-class-with-a-ballpoint-pen kinda
thing, one that can be mistaken for a wacky mole or a birthmark.
Rather this is a big-ass tattoo, one like you see on bikers and sailors,
one that will definitely keep me out of the Rotary club, one I cannot hide
from my mother.
Tattoos in any country enjoy the reputation of being the mark of
deviance and rebellion - whether sported by granola chewing "rockers" at
some of the West's better universities or by the Hell's Angels as they tear
to pieces another northern California road house.
But in Russia, tattoos have roots in something beyond suburban myth.
They are a direct offshoot of Stalin's gulags and have continued to thrive
as the self-inflicted birthmark of the Russian prisoner.
By the estimates of some historians, 30 million of the 35 million people
in Russia's jails are tattooed, meaning that, taking into account only
prisoners, at least 20 percent of the Russian population is tattooed. 
Obviously, then, what could be a more authentic - and lifelong - souvenir?
So I set off to a studio I had heard of on Nevsky Prospect. Thinking in
terms of the add-water gumball machine tattoos of my childhood, I figured
the whole thing would be done in about 15 minutes. 
I was stopped in my tracks. 
"This shouldn't be some drunken sailor type of thing - you should think
about it for awhile," Andrei, one of the artists at the studio, told me.
Andrei had a ring not only through the bottom of his nose, but a post
through its bridge, in addition to rings on both eyebrows, and on his lower
lip.
He also had a dragon climbing his right arm, a one-breasted Amazon
archer woman on the other, and was in the month-long process of having an
artist's conception of hell inscribed on his back. Obviously, he was no
drunken sailor. 
He penciled me in for a week later and I came that day and met Vladimir,
the artist that would be doing my design - a chain of Escher-cum-Aztec
lizards encircling my left biceps.
When I arrived, the Krysha had come to pick up its monthly protection
donation. The money, however, was coming up a bit short and some sort of
agreement had to be made.
"You know, my cousin Vitya has been wanting one of those big flying
dragons on his shoulder - that would offset some of the differences," said
the chief bullneck to Andrei. 
"I mean, who knows why a big dragon like that - what is it with this
generation?" continued the bullneck. 
"Kids ... " Andrei smiled nervously and shrugged, wrinkling the
artillery in his face. A mobile phone call was made to Vitya and it was
decided he would be tattooed next week for free. 
Vladimir began with me by explaining that the whole process might be
"slightly painful," but he was right only in as much as having your arm
under what is essentially a hand-held sewing machine for five hours is
"slightly painful."
It hurt like hell. But I was determined to bear up, not flinch and give
no indication that the blood and ink he was mopping from my flesh between
needle bursts from his tattoo gun were distracting me in the slightest. 
For this purpose I positioned a magazine in my lap.
After three hours of silence and total concentration on his behalf,
Vladimir looked up and said that whatever was on the page I was reading
must be really interesting. 
"What makes you think that?" I asked. 
"You've been reading that same page for the last hour," he said. 
My cover was blown, but the job was done. We shook hands - mine shaking
slightly more than his - but as I left I paused to look once again at
several other designs on display. 
"Just a warning - after the first one, it's addictive," he said.
"And you've got several square meters of skin to go." 

*********

#11
The Electric Telegraph (UK)
23 July 1997
[for personal use only]
Ukraine trains kamikaze dolphins to heal
By Nanette van der Laan in Sevastopol 

DOLPHINS that were once trained to kill for the Soviet navy are now 
curing children of bedwetting.
At a naval base near the Black Sea port of Sevastopol, in Crimea, about 
20 dolphins, once supposedly trained to destroy enemy warships, are now 
helping Ukraine's sick who have turned to alternative ways of healing.
Trainers say dolphin therapy, a treatment originating in Florida, has 
already helped hundreds of patients with afflictions ranging from autism 
to stuttering and stress. Tucked away in a small harbour and closed off 
by a concrete wall, the former Soviet base was once so secret that even 
local people did not know about it.
Today, mystery still prevails. Whether the dolphins were really used by 
the Soviets for kamikaze missions is a subject military personnel at the 
base usually refuse to discuss. According to the Ukrainian navy's chief 
spopesman, however, the rumours are fact.
"The Soviet navy had an elite squadron of 70 dolphins trained to seek, 
find, and kill the enemy," said Capt Nikolai Savchenko, standing on a 
dilapidated wooden pier at the base. "The animals were also used for 
kamikaze purposes; explosives were strapped to their bodies and they 
were sent out to blow up submarines."
Capt Savchenko made other extraordinary assertions: there were also 
dolphin paratroopers. They would be dropped by parachute from 
helicopters at heights of "up to two miles" to rescue drowning sailors.
These days, he added, the dolphins kept near the pier by underwater 
netting carried out only defensive tasks. Owned by the Ukrainian navy, 
the grounds are an odd sight: uniformed navy officers march in step, 
while a few yards away a busload of children runs to the water to see 
the dolphins and pet sealions.
At the far end of a pier, marines wearing scuba diving gear can be seen 
fastening straps on to a dolphin's fin. A pointed cap attached to the 
animal's snout is used to track down sunken torpedoes and mines.
The trainers say the same dolphin treated a mute five-year-old "patient" 
last week. After four therapeutic swimming sessions, it is said, the boy 
spoke for the first time in his life.
So how do the dolphins perform these miracle cures? Svetlana Matyshovna, 
who has worked at the base for 29 years and now heads the 
dolphin-therapy programme, said: "The dolphin uses his sonar. He sends 
vibrating signals underwater which reach the patient. The animal scans 
the human body and realigns the energetic field. The time needed to 
correct the aura of the patient depends on the affliction and the 
willingness of the patient to accept the signals."
Before a swimming session with Diana, the military's favourite dolphin, 
Mrs Matyshovna insists on a reading of the "patient's natural aura".
As the staff at the base do not allow any "real" patients to be 
interviewed, she said I would have to volunteer so she could prove that 
the treatment worked. She declared that my chronic headaches could be 
cured only after at least 10 sessions. With a ruler and a small metal 
wire attached to a wooden handle, she demonstrated the procedure.
The doctor pointed the "bio-frame" at my chest. Some four inches away, 
it swung wildly to one side. "Heavens! Your aura is dangerously low," 
shrieked Mrs Matyshovna, who also studies UFOs, levitation and 
telekinesis (moving objects with one's mind). Before I could say 
anything, the scientist turned into a fast-talking business woman. "You 
need therapy. You must pay £10 for 15 minutes right away."
After inspecting the ruler, Ludmilla Lukina, the assistant doctor, 
agreed that it would be highly unwise and even hazardous for me to 
return to Moscow without swimming with Diana. There was no other choice 
but to change into my costume and plunge into the Black Sea.
Trained to swim with humans, Diana plays underwater tag, does elegant 
flips on command, pulls her patients along with her fin and allows 
herself to be petted endlessly. Although many rich Russians and 
Ukrainians have asked to swim with the dolphins, Dr Lukina says the base 
refuses all bookings.
"We do not want to expose our animals to any bad people, like New 
Russians," she said, referring to those who made instant fortunes after 
the break up of the Soviet Union. "We made an exception for a pop star a 
while ago, but on the whole we treat only sick children. We have treated 
1,500 of them successfully." 
As for me and my natural aura, Diana realigned and expanded it to a very 
respectable and safe 15 inches.

*********

#12
Two million Russians taking drugs 300,000 addicts
July 22, 1997
MOSCOW (Reuter) - About two million Russians are taking illegal drugs and
more than 300,000 of them addicts, Interior Ministry officials told Interfax
news agency Tuesday. 
Last year there were five times as many recorded drug-related crimes as in
1990, Interfax said, without giving figures. Russian police and customs
officials seized more than 50 tons of drugs, it added. 
The ministry also closed down 718 illegal drugs laboratories last year and
confiscated more than three tons of drugs manufactured by them, Interfax
said. 
One such laboratory, found in Moscow's Institute of Chemical Technologies,
had been producing up to seven pounds of synthetic drugs a month with a
street value of more than $240,000. 
Last month an Interior Ministry statement put the current value of Russia's
illegal drugs trade, largely in the hands of powerful organized criminal
groupings, at around $7 billion a year, 650 times greater than in 1991. 
The world's total illegal drugs trade is estimated at around $500 billion. 

*********

#13
Yeltsin says heart 'works like clock'
MOSCOW, July 23 (UPI) _ Russian President Boris Yeltsin says his heart
``works like a clock'' and his health is excellent. 
Russian television reports Yeltsin, who is taking a summer vacation on
the Volga river, was examined by his doctors who say he is in perfect health. 
The 66-year-old Yeltsin, who had a heart bypass operation last year, has
now been cleared by his doctors to play tennis. 
Officials say he is also looking forward to using a real Russian banya,
a type of sauna. 

********

#14
SURGEON AKCHURIN FINDS YELTSIN IN GOOD CONDITION
VOLZHSKY UTES HEALTH RESORT, SAMARA REGION, JULY 23 /FROM
RIA NOVOSTI CORRESPONDENT ALEXANDER KRYLOVICH/ -- The surgeon
Renat Akchurin who visited recently vacationing Boris Yeltsin
found him in a good condition. Newsmen have learnt this from
Boris Yeltsin himself who supplied the guest with the best
evidence of his good state of health--invited him to a sauna.
After several visits to a sweating-room, Akchurin measured the
president's pulse. It turned out that the pulse of the surgeon
who performed an operation on Yeltsin's heart last November was
more rapid than that of his former patient. 

*********

#15
Russia: Energy Secretary Completes Nuclear Security Talks
By Stephanie Baker

Moscow, 23 July 1997 (RFE/RL) - U.S. Energy Secretary Federico Pena
completed three days of talks in Moscow today focusing on non-proliferation
of weapons of mass destruction and nuclear security. 
Pena advanced plans to hold a summit of energy ministers of the Group of
Seven industrialized nations, tentatively scheduled for next spring. In
meetings with a range of top Russian officials, Pena also discussed ways to
strengthen bilateral programs designed to ensure the safety of nuclear
materials in Russia. 
The U.S. supports Russian efforts to control its nuclear arsenal and
weapons grade nuclear material as the cash-strapped government here tries
to cope with disarmament. 
The Russians are eager for financial help. They want to speed
implementation of several bilateral agreements which allow Russia to earn
desperately needed cash while dismantling its weapons of mass destruction. 
One of the most important swords-into-ploughshares agreements following
the end of the Cold War was a deal known as the Megatons to Megawatts
program. Signed in 1994, the 20-year agreement calls for Russia to remove
highly enriched uranium from dismantled nuclear warheads, mix it with
natural uranium and sell the diluted product to the U.S. for use as nuclear
reactor fuel. Russia is slated to earn $12 billion through the sale of the
reactor fuel and the sale of the natural uranium Russia uses under the
program. 
Russian Atomic Energy Minister Viktor Mikhailov pressed Pena to lift
U.S. restrictions on the sale of natural uranium from Russia under the
bilateral agreement. 
Russia, which processes the weapons grade uranium at a site in the
Urals, is supposed to be paid partly in cash and partly in natural,
unenriched, uranium which is taken from the nuclear reactor fuel. 
Previously the United States paid cash for the natural uranium, which
the Russian government pocketed. But under recently concluded terms of the
deal, the natural uranium is now Russian property, to be used as Moscow
sees fit. 
However, the natural uranium, which is removed from the fuel in the
United States cannot be exported directly back to Russia for use in
domestic nuclear power stations because of U.S. laws preventing the
transfer of nuclear materials to Russia. As one analyst put it: "Russian
officials don't understand why uranium of Russian origin cannot be returned
to Russia." 
At the same time, Russia is restricted from selling natural uranium in
the United States, mostly because of quota arrangements put in place
following charges that Russian producers were dumping uranium in the U.S.
market at unfairly low prices. 
In a bid to resolve the dispute over how to sell the natural uranium,
the Atomic Energy Ministry has been negotiating with three multinational
companies on a deal to store $4 billion worth of uranium in the United
States for sale at a later date. 
James Cornell, vice president of Nukem Inc., one of three companies that
is negotiating the deal with the Ministry, said they are close to agreement. 
Under the proposed terms of the deal, the Russian side would be able to
stockpile some of the natural uranium and sell specific quantities to the
three companies when it believes market prices, which have fallen recently,
are favorable. The consortium would then sell the uranium, mostly to
customers outside the United States. 
Russia's Atomic Energy Ministry, beset with financial problems and debts
t workers at aging nuclear power plants, is eager to take advantage of the
deal in full. During 1995-96, Russia earned about $450 million in cash from
the uranium deal. However, the restrictions on selling and exporting the
natural uranium component could cut into Russian earnings under the
agreement. 
The U.S. is concerned that it protects its own depressed uranium
industry. It also has been reluctant to lift restrictions on the export of
nuclear materials to Russia because of Moscow's recent deal to build a
nuclear power station in Iran, which Washington considers a rogue state. 

*********

#16
Moscow officials issue cholera warning
MOSCOW, July 23 (UPI) _ Moscow's chief sanitary inspector has issued a
warning to Muscovites not to swim in Moscow river after the cholera virus
was found in the water. 
Nikolai Filatov (``nee-kah-LAY fee-LAH-tawf'') says his department is
taking several measures to prevent a cholera outbreak in Moscow. 
Filatov says a ban is being imposed on the outdoor sale of perishable
foods, including fruit, vegetables, meat, and dairy products. 
He says popular beaches in Moscow's suburbs have already been closed and
an advisory issued on Moscow television and radio networks warning people
not to bathe in the river. 
Filatov also says there is an increased danger from travelers bringing
the virus into Russia. Special medical checks on passengers arriving from
Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Turkey are being introduced at Moscow's airports. 

*********




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