page_title: Xerox Affair
section_title: Arrest and initial scandal
hierarchical_section_title: Xerox Affair / Arrest and initial scandal
caption_attribution_description: White House (Moscow)
context_page_description: The Xerox Affair is a Russian political controversy that took place during the second round of the 1996 Russian presidential election. The controversy stems from the June 19 detention of two staffers of President Boris Yeltsin's reelection campaign outside of the Russian White House. Security agents discovered $500,000 in a Xerox copy-paper box that was being carried by one of the men. It was soon discovered that the staffers had been arrested and interrogated at the behest of Mikhail Barsukov and Alexander Korzhakov, both of whom were members of Yeltsin's campaign organization and presidential administration.
  The scandal, which occurred only two days after the conclusion of the initial round of the Russian presidential election, resulted in the dismissal of Korzhakov and Barsukov from their roles in Yeltsin's presidential administration and campaign organization, as well as the dismissal of their political ally, Deputy Prime Minister Oleg Soskovets.
context_section_description: On June 19, at the behest of Korzhakov and Barsukov, security guards detained Sergey Lisovsky (the general director of the company ORT-advertising)  and Arkady Evstafiev (an assistant to Chubais) while the two were leaving the Russian White House. The security agents discovered $500,000 in a Xerox copy-paper box that was being carried by one of the men. As a result of this discovery, and at the further behest of Barsukov and Korzhakov, the men were then arrested and interrogated.
  The motivation of Barsukov and Korzhakov for orchestrating the arrests had likely been Korzhakov's resentment towards campaign manager Antoly Chubais. Korzhakov had been a key individual urging Yeltsin to postpone the election. He had earlier caused a media frenzy in early May by publicly asserting the opinion that Yeltsin should postpone the election. Distrusting and disagreeing with Chubais, Korzhakov and the others were likely attempting to smear Chubais in Yeltsin's eyes, hoping for him to fall out of favor.
  The arrest and the involvement of Barsukov and Kozhakov was reported within hours by television networks.
  The main controversy which erupted surrounded the corrupt actions of Barsukov and Korzhakov in orchestrating the arrests in an apparent effort to discredit Chubais.
  Controversy also arose from discovery of the $500,000, as it raised suspicions of fraudulent finances being conducted by Yeltsin's campaign.
caption: Staffers were detained while leaving the Russian White House
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