THE RUSSIANS: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

VASILI TSIBLIYEV

The question "Kto vinovat?" (Who's to blame?) has long haunted Russia. Searching for scapegoats--be it at the behest of Bolsheviks, Stalinists or the Russian Space Agency--is a native tradition. But Vasili Tsibliyev, after surviving the premature judgment of Boris Yeltsin (who blamed Mir's woes on "the human factor"), has hit the ground fighting. "They can convict me," he says, "but what'll they do when the next crisis comes?" Though the new crew on Mir has been beset by their own troubles, Tsibliyev won't gloat. "If the crew weren't prepared, they'd be on the ground. No one gets a free...

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