THE CONSEQUENCES:

"The Budyonnovsk raid last June had major political repercussions in Moscow," says Zarakhovich. Yeltsin had to sacrifice loyalists like Interior Minister Victor Yerin and Security Services Chief Sergei Stepashin. Yeltsin also saw the prestige of Prime Minister Chernomyrdin soar overnight, while he was out of the country at the G-7 Summit in Halifax. The Kizlyar raid may prove even more ominous for Yeltsin, who was already seen on TV Tuesday, pounding his fist and demanding action from his generals. It will certainly be exploited by the opposition as a further proof of his regime's growing impotence and might seriously affect his chances for re-election. Chernomyrdin might also find himself coming under attack as the architect of a peace plan that failed."