The pre -election television devices that have passed yesterday did not make a significant change in the alignment of forces before the additional round of the presidential election, which will be held on December 26. No less they had a number of features that distinguished them from the previous ones, which passed before the second round. Unlike previous debates, this time Viktor Yanukovych and Viktor Yushchenko were set closer to each other, at a distance of two meters.

Yesterday, presidential candidates were actually the last chance to change the alignment of forces before the election on December 26. The live broadcast of Ukrainian television was the debates of Viktor Yushchenko and Viktor Yanukovych - the second after November 15. If during the first debates it was proposed to discuss four thematic blocks - social, economic, intra- and foreign policy - now the broadcast was simply divided into three parts: an introductory word, discussion and the final word.

The Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Fradkov on Tuesday will make a working one-day trip to Minsk, during which he will take part in the meeting of the Council of Ministers of Russia and Belarus, and also meet with the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko and the prime minister of the country Sergey Sidorsky, RIA Novosti reports. At the Council of People's Commissars, the consideration of 17 issues is expected.

Ensuring the national security of Belarus cannot only be built on the participation of the Republic in the organization of the Collective Security Treaty (CSTO)-with such words, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, Alexander Sychev, anticipated the next meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Union State of Russia and Belarusian. It is planned to discuss the military-technical programs and financial and bugans of the Union State. As the Izvestia newspaper writes.

December 21 marked the 125th anniversary of the birth of Joseph Stalin. The Yuri Levada Analytical Center conducted a survey of Russians about their attitude towards Stalin and his role in the history of the country. A third of Russians believe that Stalin was a cruel tyrant, a third - that his main merit was the victory of our people in the Great Patriotic War.

In Moscow, its Hermitage will appear, RIA Novosti reports. The mayor of the capital, Yuri Luzhkov, plans to create it in the palace and park ensemble "Tsaritsyno" in the building of the unfinished estate of Empress Ekaterina II. According to Luzhkov on Tuesday on the air of the TVC TV channel, during the reconstruction of Tsaritsyno, it is planned to complete the estate and place the gallery in it by the type of Hermitage.

In the Altai Territory, customs officers seized 52 kilograms of 882 grams of raw opium and 2 kilograms of 665 grams of hash, RIA Novosti reports with reference to the press service of the Siberian Customs Administration. Drugs were discovered at the automobile checkpoint "Slavgorod" during the inspection of the KamAZ car with a load of apples and onions that arrived from Kazakhstan, the representative of the press service said. According to him, drugs were packed in matchboxes and paper bundles.

The Iraqi Extremist group, calling itself the Islamic Army of Iraq, said that she released two French journalists stolen in August, RIA Novosti reports with reference to the Catar television channel Al-Jazira. According to the channel, the French were transferred to the French Embassy in Baghdad. French reporters, 37-year-old six and 41-year-old Malbryuno, were stolen on August 20, 2004, when they were heading to the Iraqi city of En-Vadzhaf.

Representatives of the mysterious Tver company "Baikalfinance group", which bought the main oil -producing asset of Yukos, work in Surgutneftegaz. According to media reports, these are the head of the Office of the organizational structures of Surgutneftegaz Igor Minibaev and the first deputy chief of the financial department of Surgutneftegaz Valentina Komarov. After the trading was completed, they hastily flew off to rest abroad.

In St. Petersburg, a violin of 1734 years of work by Yakov Steiner was stolen from a private collection, RIA Novosti reports. In addition to the antique violin from the apartment on Kskrovsky Prospekt on December 19, the icons of “Alexander Nevsky”, “the phenomenon of the Mother of God clergy Cyril”, as well as lists from the icons “Archangel Michael”, “Nikolai Wonderworker”, “Christ the Savior” and “Vladimir Mother of God” were stolen.

US President George Bush stated at a press conference in Washington about his intention to maintain close and friendly relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, despite existing disagreements on the fight against terrorism and elections in Ukraine. “I would call the relationship with Russia good,” George Bush emphasized at a press conference, adding that he had already discussed with the President of Russia the issue of its accession to the World Trade Organization. It is reported by CNN.

Today at about 13:00 the headquarters of the National Bolshevik Party, located in Moscow at ul. Maria Ulyanova, d.17 building. 1, was captured by the fighters of riot police and the FSB. For some time there remained an unknown fate of 35 people who were at the headquarters. Then there was information that several people were taken away by ambulances to the hospital, now the headquarters was searched.

At the castle of Gottorf, a plenary meeting of the seventh Russian-German interstate consultations at the highest level began , RIA Novosti reports. Putin and Schroeder examined the agenda of interstate consultations, dwelled on some international issues.

Unlike previous debates, this time Viktor Yanukovych and Viktor Yushchenko were set closer to each other, at a distance of two meters. Presidential candidates stood behind the stands, there was a table between them. Yushchenko spoke in Ukrainian, Yanukovych -in Russian and in Ukrainian. Introductory word of candidate Yushchenko Dear citizens, dear Ukrainian people! First of all, I would like to congratulate on the beginning of the New Year holidays.

Passenger aircraft captured by terrorists to attack strategic objects can be shot down by air defense forces, RIA Novosti reports. This norm was first spelled out in the bill "On countering terrorism, today Vladimir Vasiliev noted the head of the State Duma Committee on Security. He specified that such a decision should make an official endowed with the necessary powers.