Komsomolskaya Pravda, January 31, 2001, p. 6

Recently a German newspaper published a "Confidential Letter" allegedly sent by President Vladimir Putin to President George W. Bush. The Kremlin denied that Putin had sent this letter. It transpired in the end that the letter had been written by Grigory Yavlinsky, leader of Yabloko.

A letter to President Bush - FROM Yavlinsky, NOT Putin

St Peterburg Times, N 640, Tuesday, January 30, 2001

While the U.S. State Department warned Americans about traveling to the World Economic Forum in dangerous Davos, intrepid opinion-mongers trekked into the Alps to learn how Chinese and Russian leaders react to Bush administration plans for missile defense.

Moscow, January 21, 2001

Normal open public policies are today easily replaced by PR, lies, libel and mudslinging. Today they don’t enter into discussions with their opponents. There is no political discussion any more. Today, if they are seriously concerned about an opponent, they arrange for his political burial in the press, the television or three hours before the X-hour when he is removed from the elections. Today, this is enough to show who is right.

The Moscow Times, January 30, 2001

People see that we have sham independence of the judicial system, which continues to heed the commands of its superiors. This system can be used as a truncheon whenever it is needed. It is always ready to open a criminal case and start to hound someone.

CIS online, Agence France Presse, January 22, 2001

Gregori Yavlinsky, head of the liberal opposition bloc Yabloko, warned against the return of a system based on an "all-powerful bureaucracy" under President Vladimir Putin on Sunday, at the end of a human rights conference.

Izvestia, January 22, 2001, p. 3

Analysis of the Emergency Congress of human rights activists which took place last weekend. Russian human rights activists concerned about the situation in Russia

The Moscow Times, Monday, Jan. 22, 2001, Page 5

Prominent politicians and former dissidents joined more than 1,000 activists in Moscow this weekend to declare a national emergency for human rights and urge a consolidated fight to protect the Constitution. Human rights campaigners from 65 regions representing more than 300 organizations attended the two-day Emergency Congress in Defense of Human Rights. Yabloko leader Grigory Yavlinsky and Human Rights Commissioner Oleg Mironov were among the speakers.

Financial Times, January 15, 2001

A bill to change radically the landscape of Russian party politics awaits the Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, when it returns on Monday for its spring session.

The bill was sent to the parliament by President Vladimir Putin during the Christmas recess. It proposes allowing only parties with at least 10,000 members to register legally and to compete in national and regional elections.

CIS online, January 13, 2001

The first deputy head of Yabloko's faction in the State Duma, Sergei Ivanenko, has submitted a formal request to Justice Minister Yurii Chaika, asking him to give his expert evaluation of the new constitution of Bashkortostan, Interfax reported on 12 December.