YELTSIN APPOINTS CHUBAIS CHIEF-OF-STAFF.

Yesterday’s announcement that President Yeltsin had appointed Anatoly Chubais as his chief-of-staff took most observers by surprise. (NTV, July 15) Only a couple of weeks ago, Yeltsin publicly insisted that he had no intention of giving Chubais any new job. Chubais — an administrator of genius — took over the management of Yeltsin’s flagging reelection campaign in February and ensured the president’s victory. He played a key role in bringing Aleksandr Lebed onto Yeltsin’s team, and an equally important but much murkier role in the purge of Kremlin hawks that followed. Now he is himself to replace Yeltsin’s hawkish chief-of-staff, Nikolai Yegorov. It seems to be Chubais’ appointment that has allowed Yeltsin to take his long-postponed rest.

Mixed Reactions to Chubais’ Appointment.