Russian President Boris Yeltsin has roused himself from his sickbed, where he is being treated for a bleeding ulcer, to launch what could be the next round of a political shakeup in the Kremlin. There are good reasons to change key personnel in Moscow -- the economy continues to totter and the government of Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov appears unwilling to do much about it -- but this shuffle seems to be animated by personal animosities and paranoia. Russia needs leadership; another round of character assassination and political musical chairs will not provide it.
The immediate target of Mr. Yeltsin's wrath is Mr. Boris Berezovsky, who is serving as executive secretary of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the loose association of 12 former Soviet republics. Mr. Berezovsky is also Mr. Yeltsin's former adviser, supporter and confidant -- less charitably, he is considered the president's Rasputin, a shadowy figure who pulls strings behind the scenes. Mr. Berezovsky's assumed power has made him a target for the president's enemies and a considerable political liability. Last week, Mr. Yeltsin dismissed Mr. Berezovksy from his post for exceeding the limits of his authority. Technically, only the heads of all the CIS states can fire the executive secretary, but it does not look as if Mr. Berezovsky had much support.
This is not the first time that the two allies have crossed swords. Mr. Yeltsin fired Mr. Berezovsky from his previous position as deputy secretary of the Russian security council in 1997. This time, however, the force behind the ouster is thought to be Mr. Primakov, who has been waging his own war with Mr. Berezovsky. Since becoming prime minister, he has been slowly accumulating power, putting allies in positions of authority and, some say, preparing a run for the presidency when Mr. Yeltsin's term expires. (Mr. Primakov denies any such aspirations.)