The return of refugees to Chechnya will now be handled by a special group in the government commission for the restoration of the republic. Minister for Chechnya Vladimir Elagin announced this yesterday in Grozny. “All refugees who left Chechnya during the anti-terrorist operation must be returned to the republic by the end of 2001,” he emphasized. The special group will work according to the plan approved at yesterday's off-site meeting of the government commission.

Russian military personnel in Georgia were obliged to pay in lari The Georgian parliament has decided that the only means of payment that can be used by military personnel of the four Russian military bases stationed in the country should be the Georgian currency lari.

An exhibition of achievements of film productions from the CIS and Baltic countries has begun The Forum of National Cinematographs of the CIS and Baltic Countries is being held for the fifth time. This is the first micro-anniversary. The second anniversary date is the tenth anniversary of the CIS. Therefore, this year, contrary to usual, the forum takes place before the Moscow Film Festival and is an independent event.

Yuri Petrov was fired from the President's Investment Corporation Vladimir Putin made a personnel decision that significantly changes the Russian business landscape. According to the Vremya Novostey newspaper, the head of state, by his decree, dismissed the chairman of the State Investment Corporation, a former member of the CPSU Central Committee, Yuri Petrov.

"Formula 1". "Grand Prix of Monaco". May 27. The seventh stage of the Formula 1 championship starts in Monaco, which differs from the previous ones in that the race is held on the streets of the principality, where ordinary cars drive on the remaining 362 days of the year. “This track does not forgive any mistakes,” says Ferrari leader Michael Schumacher, referring to the lack of gravel safety lanes and steel barriers that limit the track.

Rescuers have continued searching for crew members and flight recorders for three days in the area of ​​the crash of the An-12 military transport aircraft that crashed near the village of Myakotino, Tver Region. Yesterday they managed to find a parachute canopy and fragments of the body of one of the pilots; the finds were sent to the forensic laboratory for identification.

Israeli fighters yesterday shot down a light Lebanese Cessna aircraft that violated Israeli airspace. The body of the pilot, identified as Lebanese-Armenian Stefan Nikolyan, was found among the wreckage of the plane 50 km north of Tel Aviv. “The Israeli pilots gave him signals and even fired warning shots, but there was no reaction, so the decision was made to shoot him down,” an Israeli army spokesman said.

The CIS Collective Security Treaty in action The Yerevan residence of Vladimir Putin, who arrived in the capital of Armenia yesterday evening to participate in the meeting of heads of state - members of the CIS Collective Security Treaty (CST), became the Reception House of the Ministry of Security.

The government decides what to do with Rem Vyakhirev The government will decide tomorrow how state representatives on the Gazprom board of directors will vote next Wednesday on the issue of extending the powers of board chairman Rem Vyakhirev, whose contract expires on May 31. This was reported yesterday by AFP, citing a statement by a high-ranking Kremlin official to Western journalists.

In the Kurgan region, the search for Vladimir Kirsanov, a well-known journalist in the region, editor-in-chief of the regional newspaper “Kurganskie Vesti”, has been going on for the second week. He disappeared on May 17, leaving for work in the morning. An employee was waiting for Kirsanov at the editorial office, whom he had warned the day before that they would have to hold a series of business meetings.

Evgeniy Nazdratenko is a constant factor in the life of the Far East The heavenly life that was supposed to come to Primorye after the February resignation of Evgeniy Nazdratenko did not happen. Instead of the promised milk rivers with jelly banks, an election campaign came, which became the dirtiest in the entire history of Primorye. Sometimes they come back It’s no secret that Yevgeny Nazdratenko made the decision to resign at the convincing request of the Kremlin.

The quality of Sonnet (CDMA mobile communications) services deteriorated as a result of a failure on Tuesday evening. 12 base stations (out of more than 100 operating in the network) transmitting and receiving mobile phone signals have failed. With the help of the technical support service of Sonet's main partner - the American Lucent Technologies - the network was completely restored within 14 hours after the accident.

The Leningrad region was the first to surrender Gazprom's subsidiary, Petersburgregiongaz, became the owner of 50.2% of Lenoblgaz shares, buying up small blocks of shares belonging to various legal entities. The general director of Petersburgregiongaz, Valentin Kazachenkov, told a correspondent of the Vremya Novostey newspaper yesterday. His company shared Lenoblgaz with the Leningrad region (15%) and the Russian Federal Property Fund (about 32%).

Employees of the Department for Combating Crimes in the Sphere of High Technologies (Department “R”) of the Moscow City Internal Affairs Directorate managed to neutralize a group of professional hackers.

Jivan Gasparyan performed at the Tchaikovsky Hall The last time Jivan Gasparyan, the main folklore performer of Armenia who plays the duduk (an Armenian folk wind instrument), performed in Moscow 15 years ago. The time was, frankly speaking, not the most “folklore” - “the music of the peoples of the USSR” (the Soviet version of world music) was then considered by our music lovers to be a propaganda tool, and it was not only “third class”, but, as it were, art beyond any class at all .