Moscow - Russia will halt some strategic weapons programmes if the United States drops plans for a missile defence shield in Eastern Europe, a top Russian general said Friday.

Nikolai Solovtsov, commander of Russia's strategic missile forces, was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying Washington could save Russia from the necessity of investing in retaliatory measures.

"And an array of programmes, expensive programmes, would simply become unnecessary for us," Solovtsov said.

Moscow - A proposed cartel of the world's three major gas exporting nations - Russia, Iran and Qatar - should not be compared to OPEC, the organization of oil exporting nations, Russian officials said on Thursday.

Deputy Energy Minister Anatoly Yanovsky was speaking to reporters ahead of a Tuesday meeting in Moscow of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, who are aiming to enhance their cooperation.

Earlier this year Russia proclaimed the formation of a so-called "gas troika," within the forum, to represent the interests of the three big gas players.

Kiev/Moscow - A last-ditch effort by Ukraine to pay part of a massive debt to Russia may be insufficient to prevent a natural gas supply crisis affecting Europe, according to a Thursday announcement by the Russian energy giant Gazprom.

Ukraine's government late Monday evening transferred 800 million dollars to the Russian natural gas monopolist on Tuesday, but the payment does not cover all of Kiev's outstanding debt, the Interfax news agency reported, citing a Gazprom company statement.

Moscow - Two Russian servicemen and two rebel fighters were killed in armed clashes overnight in Russia's strife-torn North Caucasus province of Chechnya, Interfax news agency reported Thursday.

Another six men from the local police force and Interior Ministry troops were injured in the battle.

The gunfight broke out just before midnight Wednesday as Russian servicemen stormed an apartment block where suspected rebels were hiding in the town of Argun.

Moscow  - Russia set out its development goals until 2012 this year, but the four-year budget plan hardly matched reality - something which even the Finance Ministry had to admit.

Economists have halved the country's growth forecast as the real cost of the credit freeze and a dive in the price of Russia's main export commodities set in, but Moscow appears to be rolling ahead with an expansive foreign policy and ambitious domestic infrastructure and social spending.

While governments all over the world scrambled to legislate bail- outs for flagship sectors in distress, Moscow's initial reaction was to cast the country as immune to the crisis.

Chisinau - A Russian import firm imported a lorry shipment of Moldovan wine on Tuesday, ending a two-year Kremlin boycott of bulk imports.

The lorry container load was destined for processing by the Moscow-based Imperial Vin beverage company. Moldova's Gatchinsky Spirit Factory was the exporter.

The Russian government banned all wine imports from Moldova in 2006, citing worries about low quality and possibly dangerous additives.

Moldovan producers said the embargo was groundless, pointing out Moldovan wine had long competed successfully in markets with stricter health standards than Russia's such as the European Union.