At the press conference in Yekaterinburg on 9 October after the completion of the Russo-German summit Defense Minister Ivanov said that Russia retains the right to use military force on the territory of the former Soviet republics. \"The CIS is a very crucial sphere for our security,\" Ivanov said. \"Ten million of our compatriots live there, and we are supplying energy to them at prices below international levels. We are not going to renounce the right to use military power there in situations where all other means have been exhausted.\" He added that Russia intends to boost its military presence in the CIS, especially in Central Asia, and will insist upon the ultimate withdrawal of military bases established there by the U.S.-led international antiterrorism coalition. He noted that Moscow only agreed to the presence of such bases for the period necessary to stabilize Afghanistan and to achieve the goals set forth by the coalition. (lenta.ru)