STORY:
Y2K Fears Few in Russia

Russia's Y2K worries low because technology is not high-tech

There won’t be too many Y2K problems in Russia because its equipment is so old it doesn’t use dates in its operation at all. Much of Russia’s technology is from the Soviet-era and is based on analogue, not digital technology. This means a date change will not effect the equipment.

The Y2K bug can only effect equipment that uses a date for its operation. The problem arises when the computer reads a "00" as the year 1900 instead of the year 2000. Computers face problems only if they can’t differentiate between 1900 and 2000.

It’s a good thing much of Russia operates with this lower end technology, because many Russian companies have not done Y2K tests until recently. Most Russian organizations did not do any testing until the government told them to in January of 1999. In fact, most of the testing of telephone, electricity, and banks took place in just the last couple of months.

The U.S. government says Russia’s power industry will be the most prone to disruptions linked to Y2K. In fact, the State Department is letting diplomats stationed there leave their posts temporarily because of possible power disruptions. RAO, Russia’s power company, did a test recently and found no glitches. That wasn’t enough for the U.S. State Department, officials’ say they just aren’t sure what might really happen when the calendar changes dates. RAO officials say it will experience more problems in its financial department, not in the power supply.

"I am convinced not one U.S. diplomat will notice any problems," RAO Chief Executive, Anatoly Chubais, told a group of diplomats at a briefing. Chubais said he doubts Russia will see any major blackouts linked to Y2K. Even so, the U.S. is advising Americans to defer travel to Russia, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine until the extent of Y2K problems becomes clear.

Source: Bloomberg

DATE: 11/9/99

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