Yesterday, on the air of "results," Evgeny Primakov said that he still did not exclude his participation in the presidential election to the upcoming summer. Primakov noted that "is not characteristic of the emotionality of feelings" (in the sense that he is not used to hastily making decisions), and many factors will influence his participation in the presidential election, of which, however, Primakov called only two - the results of parliamentary elections and the names of possible rivals.

Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze expressed the opinion that all participants in the Istanbul summit "unequivocally justified" the struggle of Russia with terrorism in Chechnya. Shevardnadze is convinced that Russia is able to localize the conflict, preventing its distribution to other regions. At the same time, the Georgian leader emphasized that Russia must do everything so that the civilian population does not suffer.

The ruble exchange rate to the US dollar based on the results of trading on the ETS decreased by 9.86 kopecks. and amounted to 26.48 rubles ./ $ 1.

The Yabloko faction, actively expressing its discontent by the President of Belarus Lukashenko and considers it illegitimate, is nevertheless ready to vote for the ratification of the Union Agreement, said the third issue of the Federal List of Yabloko, the chairman of the State Duma committee on international affairs Vladimir Lukin. Of course, the faction will do this if its requirements are taken into account.

Speaking in Kassel at the Congress of the Green Party, the German Foreign Minister Yoshka Fisher expressed his fear that Russia would be involved in the "colonial war" in Chechnya. According to Fisher, two global obstacles are on the way of universal disarmament - the war in Chechnya and the refusal of the US Senate to ratify the prohibition of nuclear tests.

The Ostankino inter -municipal court of Moscow satisfied the lawsuit of George Boos against Pavel Sheremet and ORT. Recall that the leading Saturday “Time” claimed that the chief of staff of the OVR in an interview with the “independent newspaper” directly threatened Boris Yeltsin. ORT is obliged to refute this information, pay BOOS as compensation for moral damage to 5 thousand rubles and pay a state fee in the amount of 8 rubles 39 kopecks.

Putin’s steadily growing popularity is obviously contributing to Russia's actions in Chechnya and the fact that, according to Russians, the situation with payments of salaries, pensions and benefits has improved significantly. According to VTsIOM, it thinks 50% of respondents. 42% of respondents are sure that the current government works better than the previous ones. However, in April, 43%expressed the same opinion about Primakov’s government.

According to ITAR-TASS, the Russian Conservative Party of Entrepreneurs is registered by the Central Election Commission to participate in the elections. We will remind, earlier the party was excluded due to the fact that the second list number - singer Yuri Antonov provided incorrect information about his property. The Supreme Court today decided that the exclusion of someone from the three is not a reason for stopping registration.

The headquarters of the United Group of Military News reported the existence of an ominous "plan of the defeat of the federal forces", which was prepared by militants in case of troops entered the Grozny. Many objects of the Chechen capital, enterprises and oil and gas infrastructure of the city were prepared for explosion.

The information results of the past week, the main plots of political life are a pre -election sprint: the “right” break out into the first echelon, OVR wants to be friends with Putin; Russia-West: Cold Chechen War, Western politicians send the Chechen conflict along the "Kosovo path"; Russia - IMF: the pre -election crisis, the economic content of negotiations retreats to politics; And also - all the publications of Polit.ru for a week: the pre -election activity of the “right”, serious changes

Alexander Veshnyakov today condemned the decision of the Bashkiria parliament on the prohibition of broadcasting in the Republic of Dorenko and Svanidze programs. According to Veshnyakov, "such methods to restore order is unacceptable, and any good desire to restore order illegally."

Russian troops continue to compress the blockade ring around Grozny. According to the Ministry of Defense, in the city there are now up to five thousand militants preparing for a circular defense. Up to 3.5 thousand people were transferred the other day to Urus-Martan , to which the Russian units approached almost closely.

After considering today for the second time, the Central Bank’s report for 1998, the budget committee, as forecasted by the head of the Committee, Alexander Zhukov, in an interview with Polit.ru , recommended that the State Duma accept a report for information, but recognize the activities of the Central Bank in January-August 1998 unsatisfactory.

According to ITAR-TASS, Anatoly Bykov, detained in early November in Hungary, turned to the local authorities with a request to provide him with political asylum. The reaction of the Hungarian authorities is still unknown.

It is practically obvious that this Friday the union agreement between Russia and Belarus will be signed - precisely when it was assumed, without delay: the Minister for CIS Affairs Drachevsky in September said that the document would most likely be signed at the end of November.