31.  As Putin vowed to battle the rebels and to achieve the sort of victory that eluded the Russian military in Chechnya, Russian officials rushed to tout their gains.

32.  As late as mid-March, a week before his body was found, Russian military officials insisted he was still alive.

33.  As NATO raised the stakes against Milosevic, a senior Russian military official broached the possibility that Moscow would assist Serbia if it is hit by NATO air strikes.

34.  As Russian officials see it, Chernomyrdin has several important strengths, including a good working relationship with Vice President Al Gore.

35.  At first, Russian officials said the Indian reactor deal was under review.

36.  At the White House summit between President Clinton and President Boris Yeltsin last week, Russian officials pressed for selling their surplus military weaponry.

37.  At the time, Russian officials refused to rule out a second attack.

38.  At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last weekend, I had a chance to work over a dozen Russian officials and robber boyars.

39.  Before launching the assault, Russian officials stated that the rebels had murdered village elders and hanged six Russian soldiers.

40.  Baume said consular staffs, in particular, had shown greater compliance with parking laws, and he noted that Russian consular officials had recently rented garage space.