MOSCOW, June 21 (RIA Novosti) - Russian...

MOSCOW, June 21 (RIA Novosti) - Russian producers of perfumes and cosmetics that contain alcohol are expecting a rise in prices in view of a new alcohol law coming into effect July 1, the head of a Russian perfumes association said Thursday. The new law introduces automated alcohol meters (EGAIS) and has been declared as a measure to curb dangerous alcohol consumption. "Certainly, there will be a price hike after July 1," which could be as much as 20% by the end of 2007, Tatiana Puchkova said. "In addition, there is an apprehension that leading market players... will leave the market altogether." A senior official from the perfumes association, Sergei Bolshakov, said only about 650 of 3,500 producers on the Russian perfumes market, which has annual sales of $7 billion, had obtained the necessary licenses. Puchkova said small and medium producers could start selling products of dubious quality over lack of funds to obtain the licenses or equipment. However, the producers hope the government will exclude them from the law and thereby prevent a crisis similar to last year"s. The perfumes association said the crisis in July-August 2006 saw annual sales plummet 75% from 85 billion rubles ($3.3 billion) in 2005 to 54 billion rubles last year.

SUKHUMI, August 12 (RIA Novosti) - Moscow...

SUKHUMI, August 12 (RIA Novosti) - Moscow has no plans to redeploy its Black Sea Fleet warships from Ukraine to Abkhazia, the Russian defense minister said on Wednesday. Russia"s Black Sea Fleet uses a range of naval facilities in Ukraine"s Crimea, including the main base in Sevastopol, as part of a 1997 agreement under which Ukraine agreed to lease the bases to Russia until 2017. Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko announced last summer that Ukraine would not extend the lease of the Sevastopol base beyond 2017, and urged the Russian fleet to start preparations for a withdrawal. "We will stay put in Sevastopol," Anatoly Serdyukov said in reply to a question from a reporter. He also said Moscow would not increase the number of troops either in Abkhazia or South Ossetia, which Russia recognized as independent last August after a five-day war with Georgia over the latter. Asked whether Russia was planning to increase its military presence in the two former Georgian republics, Serdyukov said, "No. Why? It is sufficient." Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who made a one-day visit to Abkhazia on Wednesday, said earlier in the week that Russia would allocate 15-16 billion rubles (over $465 million) in 2010 to strengthen Abkhazian borders, frontier troops and bases.

Russia is ready to render various assistance...

Russia is ready to render various assistance in overcoming the current political turmoil in Kyrgyzstan, a Russian deputy foreign minister told the head of the Kyrgyz interim government on Monday.