#3
ORT Review
www.ortv.ru
Compiled by Luba Schwartzman (luba7@bu.edu)
Research fellow at the Institute for the Study of Conflict, Ideology and Policy at Boston University

HEADLINES,
Monday, April 01, 2002

- Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov. Ivanov reported that there are three Russian citizens at the American Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. The General Prosecutor's office will look into the matter further.

- Viktor Yushenko's Our Ukraine block received about 22.5 percent of the votes in Ukraine's parliamentary elections; the communists are two percent behind, and the For a United Russia block, which supports Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, got 13 percent.

- Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin and his wife arrived in Mineralnye Vody for a two-week vacation.

- The head of the Chechen administration, Akhmad Kadyrov, was stopped at a block post near the Novogrozny settlement in Chechnya's Gudermes region. The soldiers began firing into the air and Kadyrov had to get out of the car and call them to order. After a little while and without an explanation, Kadyrov and his men were allowed to go on. The command of the joint forces has apologized to the head of the administration and initiated an investigation into the incident.

- The spring draft begins in Russia today: Over 160,000 young men will be called in to serve.

- Airports in the European Union will no longer allow planes that do not conform to the new noise regulations. An exception has been made for Russian aircraft, which will need to conclude one-on-one agreements with European nations and airports.

- In a referendum held in the Ukrainian city of Kharkov, 83% voted in favor making Russian an official language.

- U.S. poultry exports to Russia may resume as early as the middle of this month.

- Private Yunir Asmadiiadov was released from captivity in Chechnya. He was kidnapped by fighters two months ago.

- Special operatives prevented the kidnapping of Ren-TV journalists in Grozny. Regional operative headquarters representative Ilya Shabalkin said that the fighters were planning to demand a $1,000,000 ransom.

- President Putin appointed Deputy Foreign Minister [Valery] Loshchnin as his special envoy for the regulation of the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict.

- A bomb was planted in the car of Ozersky Region Mayor Vladimir Sashchikin. The mayor and his wife died in the explosion; his driver and the other passenger were hospitalized with injuries.

- Police officers in Daghestan detained two members of a rebel division that attacked a helicopter base on the outskirts of Kizlyar in January of 1996 and Gudermes resident who is accused of carrying out a number of terrorist acts along the Chechen railroad.

- Presidential aide Sergei Yastrzhembsky traveled to St. Petersburg to inspect preparations for the 300th anniversary of the city. This morning he also visited Radio House, where the international press center will begin work in advance of the visit by President Putin and US President George W. Bush.

- Russian Public Television [ORT] celebrates its 7th anniversary today. The channel received 12 out of the 26 trophies at the last Television Awards.

- The day of laughter, pranks and jokes is being celebrated throughout Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States with concerts and performances. In Odessa, the unofficial capital of humor, state workers received a day off as the city celebrated the 27th annual "Yumorina" holiday with a street carnival. Mikhail Zhvanetsky will be among the performers in Odessa tonight.