"We operate a policy of openess at the Defense Ministry", a media service spokesman said by telephone. "We would prefer to issue our information direct to the public rather than have it distorted."
As the full-color home page appears on the screen, visitors see the ministry's coat of arms, including the impressive Russian double-headed eagle, on a mottled brown background. The page title reads The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
So far the site http://rian.ru/mo/mo.htm is only Russian but work is under way to build new pages in other languages. The first should be ready later in the year.
Feb 26, 1998.
