Papers began disappearing from the sealed-up premises of the Central Committee of the Communist Party. Furthermore, a large number of former KGB officers began gathering around Rutskoi. As the supporting cast for Rutskoi's role as vice-king played their roles with great exaggeration, Rutskoi's reckless abandon seemed less commendable in a government post than it had been on the barricades. Yeltsin pushed the general back into the shadows. Having tasted fame, Rutskoi found this difficult to accept, and his friends urged him on as well.
Questions remain about whether the vice president has the right to follow such an independent line.
In the end, Rutskoi was handed the agriculture portfolio, the traditional expression of deep disfavor in Russian politics.