The project IC Russia started last summer. It publishes a regular e-mail newsletter Washington-Online that provides Russian subscribers with news and analytics about US-Russian relations and the situation in Russia. The staff of The Washington-Online gathers, sorts and translates into Russian news and analytics from a variety of American organizations and sends it two-three times a week to the subscribers in Russia.

IC Russia says of itself: "We fulfill a unique informational niche. As far as we know, it is the first and still the only
Russian-language e-mail publication from the Unites States in Russia. It is very convenient for the end users because it is regular, free of charge and copyright-free, in publishing-ready form and does not require Web-searching that is very expensive in Russia. Plus, unlike many media, Washington-Online is has a truly countrywide distribution and influence."

Washington-Online provides information on a variety of topics, including: human and civil rights, environmental movement, economic and social situation in the countries of the former USSR; Arms-control and non-proliferation; American politics towards Russia and other countries of the former USSR, US-Russia relations, US-Russia programs of cultural exchange.

To provide its subscribers with a variety of official and non-official opinions, Washington-Online uses a number of different sources of information: American Congress and Administration, think tanks and centers of Russian studies, American, Russian and NIS Media and non-government organizations working in the field of environmental and arms control and civil and human right. Washington-Online also publishes articles of its experts. However, it
does not comment on the opinions of the sources, allowing the subscribers to make their own judgments.

Washington-Online has about 4,000 subscribers. It has very strong distribution in Russian province: About 75 percent of the subscribers live outside Moscow and St. Petersburg.

The structure of the subscribers is also very diverse. Among them:

Political, social, civil rights and environment activists: 65%
Non-Government organizations: 35%
Media: 41%
State Institutions: 13%
Educational organizations: 8%
Funds and think-tanks: 6%
Business Organizations: 6%