Yeltsin cries "You're Fired!" in a Crowded Kremlin
It's December, and a deadly chill is enveloping the Kremlin. None of the inhabitants knows whom it may strike next, and its effects are likely to range far and wide, resulting in the suffering or even death of many people.
The bright side is at least the weather's not quite as bad.
On December 7 - Pearl Harbour Day in America - President Boris Yeltsin actually left his hospital bed, where he was (and is) under treatment for pneumonia. He went to the Kremlin, there to practice perhaps the most important aspect of his governance by now. No, not signing decrees. And no, he didn't make any speeches - not in his condition.
He fired people and yelled at the ones still in office.
Ain't it nice when a sick old man like Boris Yeltsin can still do what he seems to do best?
At the head of the guillotine queue was Kremlin Chief of Staff Valentin Yumashev. No new job was announced for him, but his former deputy Oleg Sysuyev said he was still "a member of the team". He was replaced by Security Council Secretary - and former general and deputy director of the Federal Border Service - Nikolai Bordyuzha. Bordyuzha also retains his Security Council position.
Yumashev's first deputy, Yuri Yarov, was transferred to the Federation Council (the upper house of Russia's parliament, which includes presidential appointees).
Mikhail Kommissar, appropriately enough the man in charge of the administration's relations with political parties, also got the axe. So did Yevgeny Savostyanov, who was in charge of personnel and relations with security agencies. The latter was replaced by Vladimir Makarov, formerly of the KGB.
In particular, Bordyuzha is seen as the point man for a possible new series of purges. If they happen, they would likely concern the rest of the presidential staff and the Ministry of Justice.
Yeltsin berated the staff for (1) not being able to suppress crime, especially the organized variety and (2) failing to coordinate their work adequately.
The first concern is obvious enough. And in the wake of Starovoitova's killing and Mikhail Fridman's reward offer, it's becoming obvious that rampant organized crime has become everybody's problem. Of course, it's also a gold mine for someone who needs a good excuse to shake up the staff.
The second spells big-time trouble. Anytime your boss fires some people and then goes on to complain about coordination by the rest, update your resume. Especially if he can already fill out a pink slip in his sleep.
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