Word: zharakovich
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...Vladimir Gusinsky is certainly no better than any other Russian oligarch," says TIME Moscow correspondent Yuri Zharakovich. "All of them came to their exalted positions and their wealth by crook rather than by hook. But he has, nonetheless, created the most honest and most professional media organization in the country, and its objective coverage of stories such as the Chechnya war has infuriated the Kremlin. Putin may say that this was an independent decision by the prosecutor's office, but nobody in Russia makes a decision of such magnitude unless it comes from the boss...
...that knows the capricious terror of Stalinism, the magnitude of Gusinsky's arrest is not being underestimated. "This spells the beginning of the end of freedom of speech in Russia, which has been the only tangible benefit the country has gained since the collapse of the Soviet system," says Zharakovich. And it's not only Putin critics who see the media mogul's arrest as an ill omen. Even Boris Berezovsky - the oligarch most closely connected with Putin's rise, and a mortal enemy of Gusinsky because of business and political rivalry - has expressed disquiet. "Berezovsky, who actually wanted Gusinsky...
...slower, than the Russians expect." Part of the reason for Moscow's new sense of urgency is the specter of European economic sanctions, which may be imposed as early as next week. "While Europe wouldn't stop humanitarian supplies, sanctions may limit the commercial importing of food," says Zharakovich. And that could raise the domestic political cost of the war on the eve of the March presidential election...
...bloody as it may be, the battle for Grozny may be primarily symbolic. "It's this medieval symbolism of planting your flag on a city and claiming you've won," says Zharakovich. "In a war against guerrilla forces, capturing a city doesn't mean anything." The bulk of the Chechen forces are already in the mountains to the south, and constant ambushes and attacks behind Russian lines signify the limits of territorial control in this war. Still, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin desperately needs a way to declare victory in the popular military campaign that he hopes will carry...
...does Boris Yeltsin have to worry about assassination, on top of everything else? "Not really, because if you wanted to kill Yeltsin you'd have to go to Sochi, the Black Sea resort to which he's retreated," says Zharakovich. "And once there you'd be distracted by all the other attractions -- it's like Florida...
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