The European Union is concerned that Russia is moving away from democratic standards. This, according to Reuters, said the press secretary of the European Commission Francois Le Bail. "We have always mentioned in our contacts with President Putin and the Russian authorities our concerns about Chechnya and human rights, our commitment to democracy and freedom of the press," she said.

If the issue of the withdrawal of Russian military bases from the territory of Georgia is not resolved in the coming months, the parliamentarians of the republic promise to "raise the issue of the so-called" renaissance ", that is, the blocking of these bases," Givi Targamadze, chairman of the parliamentary committee on defense and security, told RIA Novosti. . "The Russian leadership should give a real date for the withdrawal of their bases from Georgia," Targamadze said.

Renoving Pennsoners. Photo from the site http://rusradio.chita.ru Mass shares on the occasion of the defender of the Fatherland were held on Wednesday in the center of Moscow. The organizers promised that up to 40 thousand people would take part in the shares. However, according to the Central Internal Affairs Directorate, which RIA Novosti refers, about 10 thousand gathered.

Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Nino Burjanadze stated that all disputable issues in relations between Georgia and Russia can be resolved as soon as possible if both sides have the desire and will. This was reported on Wednesday by the Novosti-Georgia agency. However, speaking about the results of the Russian Foreign Minister's visit to Tbilisi, Burdzhanadze noted that not much time has passed so far for concrete results to follow.

Vladimir Putin and George Bush. Photo from the site Putin.ru In the dialogue of Russia and the United States there is no place for the faint of heart, which are trying to put forward objectively existing contradictions. This was announced to reporters by the assistant to the President of the Russian Federation Sergey Prikhodko on the eve of the summit in Bratislava, who is scheduled for February 24, RIA Novosti reports.

In the near future, charges will be brought against two residents of Chechnya, suspected of involvement in the murder of well-known journalist Paul Khlebnikov. This was reported to RIA Novosti by the information and public relations department of the Prosecutor General's Office. The night before, Muslim Ibragimov and Vagid Agayev, residents of Chechnya, who were suspected of involvement in the murder, were extradited from Belarus to Russia.

The Prosecutor General's Office of Russia has charged one of the residents of Chechnya in the case of the murder of Paul Khlebnikov, editor-in-chief of the Russian version of Forbes magazine. It is reported by Gazeta.Ru with reference to Interfax. "One of the two residents of Chechnya extradited from Belarus to Russia, Muslim Ibragimov (aka Kazbek Dukuzov), was charged under article 105 part 2 point "g" of the Russian Criminal Code (a murder committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy).

Elena Bonner. Photo from the site www.novayagazeta.ru The famous human rights activist Elena Bonnar accuses the human rights organization "International Amnesty" of that she moved away from her principles for the struggle for the rights of political prisoners. On this occasion, she made an open letter, the text of which entered the editorial office of the Grani.ru.

The Houston court considering the Yukos bankruptcy case has asked the lawyer Timothy Davidson, representing the interests of Deutsche Bank, to return the documents he has taken away to the court, AP reports. The box that Davidson took away contained evidence from last week's hearing. The lawyer himself claims that he did it unintentionally. According to Judge Letitia Clark, who is leading this case, other lawyers involved in the process should familiarize themselves with the evidence.

Residents of Blagoveshchensk, who are on a hunger strike on Pushkin Square in Moscow to protest against the arbitrariness of their law enforcement agencies, will interrupt their action for one day on February 23, Gazeta.Ru reports citing Interfax. "Initially, the prefecture of the Central Administrative District forbade us to hold a rally on this day, and therefore we decided to use the 'day off' to go to the bathhouse," Marat Khairulin, one of the organizers of the picket, said.

Aslan Maskhadov. Photo from the website Chechnya.genstab.ru On Wednesday, the order on the ceasefire, published by the leader of the Chechen separatists Aslan Maskhadov, ends. The order on the suspension of unilaterally military operations throughout Chechnya and beyond was signed in mid -January. The order of the order lasted until February 22. Shamil Basayev issued a similar order. February 23 marks 61 years since the deportation of Chechens by order of Joseph Stalin.

Shamil Basayev, whose death was once again reported by the special services in early January, got married last week. This was reported by the Internet edition "Kavkaz-Center" with reference to one of Basayev's associates. According to the source, the wedding took place in one of the cities of the Krasnodar Territory, where Basayev was treated in a sanatorium for more than a month. The new wife of the field commander - the third in a row - is a hereditary Kuban Cossack.

Anti-globalists unfurled several banners in different parts of Bratislava on the eve of the summit of Russian and US Presidents Vladimir Putin and George W. Bush, which will be held on Thursday. It is reported by RIA Novosti. Near Bratislava Castle, where talks and a press conference between the two leaders will take place, a black banner appeared on Wednesday, on which "Where are the weapons of mass destruction?" was written in white letters in English.

Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei has postponed a parliamentary vote on the government's approval, Haaretz reported. This decision is due to the fact that already before the vote it became clear that the proposed cabinet would not find support from the required number of deputies. Qurei's list of candidates is opposed by members of the Fatah movement, who hold about half of the 85 seats in parliament. In addition, about 20 other deputies from other parties oppose the Kurei cabinet.

Two Indian citizens were attacked in the southern district of Moscow on Tuesday evening, a law enforcement source told Interfax, Gazeta.ru reports. "At about 22.00 at the address Proletarsky Prospekt, 21 building 2, unknown persons in the amount of eight people attacked two men - citizens of India - and stabbed them," the source said. Indians lived in this house and worked in a tailoring shop.