REGIONAL TRENDS IN RUSSIAN GOLD PRODUCTION

A noted Western specialist on the energy and natural resource industri es of the former USSR assesses trends in the production of gold in the Russian Federation in the 1990s, focusing on regional patterns of out put. A discussion of changes in the organizational structure and legal environment surrounding gold production is followed by a description of state gold purchasing and storage activities. Coverage then turns t o an in-depth analysis of production in Russia's gold-producing region s-the Urals, West Siberia, East Siberia, and the Far East. A concludin g section surveys key obstacles confronting the industry in 1997 and t he production outlook over the near and longer-term future.