In the south of Chechnya there are fierce battles between Russian troops and Chechen units that are trying to break out of the Argun gorge. This morning, about 70 Chechen fighters went down from the mountains and penetrated to the outskirts of the village of Komsomolskoye Urus-Martan district of Chechnya. The battle with them is fought by OMON units. Chechen detachments are also trying to break through through Russian positions in the village of Selmentusen and Vedeno.

Vladimir Baburin: Today our guest is a deputy of the State Duma Sergey Kovalev. Sergey Adamovich, firstly, let me congratulate you: on March 2, you are seventy years old. There were many congratulations, but your anniversary did not notice the Kremlin. Have you experienced a sense of relief? Sergey Kovalev: The lack of attention of the Kremlin - psychologically facilitated. Vladimir Baburin: Would the reward be returned? Sergey Kovalev: Yes, I think I would refuse a reward.

The Macedonian authorities said they were completely closing the border with the Serbian region of Kosovo. The reason for such a decision was the murder in the border zone by the Albanian rebels of three Macedonian border guards. Says Andrey Shary: Andrey Sharry: There are dozens of such villages as Tanushevites in Serbia and Macedonia, if not hundreds.

Presenter Yakov Krotov About religiosity At the end of the 20s in Soviet Russia they confidently said that religion was dying out. In the 60s, the Soviet people were promised to soon “show the last priest on TV.” And in today's Russia there are, perhaps, more priests than there once were secretaries of the district committees of the most godless party that has ever existed. But in the West, religiosity is falling.

Historian and priest, leading Radio Freedom Radio "Between Vera and Belief" ykrotov@yahoo.com