Latest Developments
THE PARTY. The national Supreme Soviet legislature banned all activity by the Communist Party, until last year the only legal political force in the land. The vote seems certain to mark the end of an era that began with the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution.
THE REPUBLICS. Russia and the Ukraine, the two richest and most populous Soviet republics, announced formation of a temporary military and economic alliance that appears to leave the Kremlin out in the cold. The two republics invited others to join their alliance.
THE SPEAKER. The Supreme Soviet stripped ousted Speaker Anatoly I. Lukyanov of parliamentary immunity, allowing him to be charged with treason.
WORLD REACTION. President Bush and British Prime Minister John Major announced plans for stepped-up food aid to the Soviets. The new scheme calls for the West to dispatch some experts directly to breakaway republics to assess the scope of human needs there.
THE BALTICS. Lithuanian President Vytautus Landsbergis said Soviet troops should start withdrawing this year. Latvia’s president said that pullout discussions with Moscow have begun. Czechoslovakia and Finland joined the list of nations that have recognized the independence of the Baltics.
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