YELTSIN BEGINS FIRESIDE CHATS…

Russian president Boris Yeltsin, who is expected to be out of the public eye for several months while undergoing heart surgery, plans to keep in touch with the population through regular radio addresses. The first was broadcast this morning. Yeltsin assured listeners that he remains in full control and that his hospitalization does not mean that the government is paralyzed. (BBC World Service, October 3) The row that erupted yesterday between the government and Russia’s gas giant suggests the opposite. (For details, see Perspective)

…As His Popularity Tumbles.