Scandalous stuff. But is the 500-page, bestselling litany of disconcerting events true? Korzhakov, who was once Yeltsin's best drinking buddy and closest confidant, has been threatening to get revenge on his former boss ever since Yeltsin fired him during a Kremlin power struggle last summer. So far, Yeltsin, who has admitted to suffering from "dark thoughts" in the past, has not commented on the allegations of "a man blinded by a grudge," and assessments of the book's accuracy vary. "The stories have a grain of truth," says one State Department analyst, "but they are embellished and sensationalized."
On one point, however, all experts agree: If anybody is in a position to know Yeltsin's darkest secrets, it's former Lt. Gen. Alexander Korzhakov. "He had access, man," says American political consultant George Gorton, who worked on Yeltsin's 1996 reelection campaign. Born in Moscow in 1950, Korzhakov played volleyball while serving in the Red Army and joined the KGB before being assigned to then-Moscow Communist Party boss Yeltsin's personal security staff in 1985. The rising politician and his gruff retainer became fast friends. "To this day [Korzhakov] never leaves my side, and we even sit up at night during trips together," Yeltsin—who was elected Russia's president six years later—wrote in his 1994 autobiography. "While outwardly he seems very simple, behind this simplicity is a sharp mind and an excellent and clear head."
To say nothing of unwavering loyalty. When rebellious legislators challenged Yeltsin's authority and occupied the Russian parliament building in 1993, Korzhakov played a vital role in organizing the tank-led military assault that abruptly silenced the revolt and left some 200 people dead. Yeltsin rewarded him with a series of promotions and granted independent status to the small army under Korzhakov's command at the Kremlin. Soon, Korzhakov reached the zenith of his power. He hobnobbed with VIPs (including Michael Jackson, to whom he later presented a Cossack sword from his collection of guns and antique knives). He is said to have moved into a house formerly used by Joseph Stalin and allegedly tried to extort $40 million from the then-head of the National Sports Fund. But the shadowy figure at Yeltsin's side was perhaps most feared because of his total control over access to the often-ill president.
Still, as Korzhakov's influence grew, his ability to keep pace with Russia's changing political climate seemed to falter. Capping an embarrassing series of miscalculations, last summer he ordered the detention on corruption charges of two aides of Kremlin rival Anatoly Chubais, who is now first deputy prime minister. (The men were later released.) His KGB-style tactics were widely seen as a liability to Yeltsin, who "wants to be the guy in the history books who demonstrated that democracy is more stable than authoritarianism," says Harley Balzer, director of Georgetown University's Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies. Yeltsin fired Korzhakov on June 20, 1996.
Since completing Dawn to Dusk, Korzhakov, who is married with two daughters, has been splitting his time between Moscow and Tula, the shabby industrial city some 100 miles to the south that he now represents in parliament. "I have no free time outside work," he told PEOPLE—although he admits he's looking forward to buying a car with the profits from his book. Asked whether Korzhakov had also accrued any political capital with his tell-all revelations, one scandal-weary Russian voter was adamant. "Korzhakov doesn't realize that he's not just exposing Yeltsin," says retired geologist Fyodor Bassisty. "He's exposing himself."
PATRICK ROGERS
GLENN GARELIK in Washington and ANDREW KEITH in Moscow
- Contributors:
- Glenn Garelik,
- Andrew Keith.
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
