Just a couple of weeks of press clippings on the political scene in Russia: Gennady Tuganov, chief coordinator of the St. Petersburg branch of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), was killed in a contract killing. Yeltsin is threatened with impeachment votes on a regular basis for everything from illegally dissolving the Soviet Union to launching the war in Chechnya.
Aslan Maskhadov, the leader of Chechnya escaped an assassination plot on April 10, 1999 when a bomb went off along the route Maskhadov was set to travel on to a rally. The U.S. Embassy was the target of mass demonstrations and running protest actions. Police and gunmen exchanged shots in front of the embassy on March 28 after attackers tried to fire a grenade at the building.
Andrey Galushko, first deputy governor of Omsk Oblast survived an assassination attempt on March 22, 1999, when gunmen sprayed his car with automatic-weapons fire. Galushko was wounded in the attack and his driver was killed. The attack on the deputy governor was thanks to Galushko's efforts to crack down on the mafyia. Yuri Shutov, a deputy in the St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly, was arrested on suspicion of heading a criminal gang, the Tambov-the leading gang in St. Petersburg. Moscow police arrested 19 members of the radical right-wing Russian National Unity movement, under Alexander Barkashov. The members of the neo-Nazi-type group like to dress in black uniforms and were handing out pamphlets near subway stations when they were taken into custody. Communist State Duma Deputy Viktor Ilyukhin recently said that Jews were responsible for the "genocide" of the Russian people. His remarks followed an earlier statement by Deputy Albert Makashov demanding that Jews be rounded up and jailed. Tune in next week for As The Russians Crumble . . .
Some More Helpful Hints from the Locals
Last year the locals told you how not to get robbed. The folks at the L A Times Moscow bureau have compiled a helpful guide to help you sort out all those confusing demands for bribes or vzyatki:
Stopping a major criminal investigation $100,000
Cancelling a contract killing $50,000
Getting an arrest warrant withdrawn $10,000
Avoiding the military draft $5,000
Clearing an imported car through customs $3,500
Getting permission to install a flashing police light on private car $1,500
Access to an important official $1,000
Getting a phone installed quicker $600
Getting your driver's license without a test $400
Passing a university exam $150
Avoiding arrest for DUI $100
Minor traffic stop $12
Avoiding speeding ticket $2
Source: http://www.latimes.com
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