MINISTER’S WRONGDOING USED AS AMMUNITION AGAINST LEBED…

President Yeltsin has fired Shamil Tarpishchev — his one-time friend and tennis coach — from his post as Russia’s sports minister. No explanation was given for the dismissal, which appears to be part of the ongoing campaign by Yeltsin’s chief aide, Anatoly Chubais, to clear the Kremlin of Yeltsin’s former cronies. It also seems part of a new campaign to weaken National Security Chief Aleksandr Lebed. Tarpishchev was an associate of Yeltsin’s one-time drinking buddy, Aleksandr Korzhakov, who is now rumored to be close to Lebed. In recent days, Russian television has aired lurid allegations of bribery and corruption concerning Tarpishchev and Korzhakov. The ins and outs of these goings-on are probably not significant in themselves; nor are they well understood by most television viewers. But they provide Lebed’s foes with an opportunity to insinuate that Lebed himself, who vowed to fight corruption, is in league with corrupt circles. (NTV, October 6; ITAR-TASS, ORT, October 7)

…As Kulikov Accuses Lebed’s Aide of Corruption…