St Petersburg - Public outrage at the murder of a prominent democratic reformer helped liberals do well in local elections in St Petersburg, Russia's second city.
Preliminary results yesterday showed a group headed by liberal Mr Yuri Boldyrev led the poll, winning 15 of the 50 city council seats in a second round of voting held a month to the day after Galina Starovoitova was gunned down outside her home.
The Russian Defence Minister, Mr Igor Sergeyev, appealed yesterday for increased military co-operation among the former Soviet states in the face of "the unpredictable politics of the United States".