Vladimir Kryuchkov was head of the KGB when the Soviet Union collapsed five years ago. He was one of those who kept Brezhnev in charge. He told Channel 4 News that in the old days it was possible to keep leaders going because the system could cope, but that s not the case today. Especially in the last few months it was difficult for Brezhnev to rule, but the system was effective. We had a team of advisers who were committed to keeping the state strong.
Today there is no management.
There is no tradition of rule. There is a total lack of control. As reports emerged that Boris Yeltsin has suffered a third heart attack ahead of the second round of presidential elections in July, there quickly calls for him to step down. The Communist runner-up in those elections, Gennady Zyuganov, argued that voters had been deceived. The president, he claimed, was incapacitated, and according to Russia s constitution, the prime minister should take over ahead of fresh elections.