Balkans

The history of Russian elections since the twilight days of the Soviet Union. 1991 June: Boris Yeltsin becomes the first popularly-elected president of the

Serb and Albanian leaders clashed over the future of Kosovo on Monday even before sitting down to negotiations and mediators said compromise between the sides seemed impossible.

Georgia’s President Mikheil Saakashvili held an emergency meeting of his security council Monday after the government charged that Russian helicopters had attacked a disputed gorge under Tbilisi’s control.

A Russian man held captive for 15 years in Georgia, where he was allegedly used as a slave, was handed over to Russia by Abkhazian security services. Vladimir Obidin, 68, was detained March 6 in a village after he crossed the border between Georgia and its breakaway republic of Abkhazia. …

Serbia begins final talks on Kosovo on Monday knowing it has failed to persuade a significant number of European Union member states to oppose independence for the breakaway province.

President Viktor Yushchenko ordered the firing of Ukraine’s top customs officials and the creation of a new counterintelligence department at the

Мазут, вылившийся 11 ноября в результате кораблекрушения в воды Керченского пролива, уже ринулся в Черное море, сообщает РИА «Новости» со ссылкой на данные Росгидромета.

Europe’s main elections watchdog, the OSCE, has given up its mission to observe Russia’s parliamentary polls next month, citing a lack of co-operation from the Kremlin.

Serbia is warning the West ahead of a new round of talks on its breakaway Kosovo province that a declaration of independence by the Albanian majority would lead to new secessionist moves in the Balkans.

Detaşat în câştigător, fostul lider paramilitar Hashim Thaci a vorbit deja despre o provincie suverană şi independentă după 10 decembrie. El ar putea deveni primul şef de guvern după secesiune.