State and Political Activities of A.I. Lebed and A.V. Rutskoy in the Mid-1990s

Abstract

The first post-Soviet decade led to a utmost renewal of the country's political landscape. The involvement of retired military in the political life, which was their first-ever opportunity, became a striking event in the life of the new Russia. Not all of them were front-line politicians, so it appears of interest to trace the pre-election political activity, as well as the participation in public administration of the two most famous retired military leaders – A.I. Lebed and A.V. Rutskoy. This article examines their political activities in the mid-1990s, when both of these figures had the greatest chance of leading roles in Russian big politics. Their political program, strategy and tactics of the struggle for power are studied in detail. Special attention is paid to the attitude of political generals towards one of the most acute domestic political problems of that era, the Chechen crisis. Their personal relationships are also important. The authors conclude that both politicians from among the retired generals were generally unable to achieve their goals, but later some aspects of their program were used in the 1999–2000 electoral cycle.