Nearly as rich and as influential as Berezovsky is VladimirGusinsky, another immensely wealthy Jewish banker and media magnatewho played a key role in reelecting Yeltsin. (Forward, April 4,1997) An outspoken advocate of Jewish interests, Gusinsky is aclose ally of presidential chief of staff, Chubais. Accordingto a Wall Street Journal report, he has ties to organized crime.

After a meteoric career building Most Bank, Gusinsky now devoteshis energies to Media-Most, a new media holding company that includesthe important NTV television network; a slick television weekly,”7 Days”; a popular radio station, “Echo of Moscow“;and a weekly news magazine, Itogi, which is published in partnershipwith Newsweek (owned by the Washington Post company); NTV-Plussatellite television network; and a 100,000-circulation dailynewspaper, Sevodnya. (The Washington Post, March 31, 1997). Healso has close connections with international media tycoon RupertMurdoch.

When Prime Minister Chernomyrdin arrived in Washington, DC,in early February for a meeting with President Clinton, the 44-year-oldGusinsky accompanied him. On the day of their arrival, author/journalist Georgie Anne Geyer wrote (Washington Times, Feb. 6):

On the surface Gusinsky is chairman of the powerful Most Bankand the “independent” Moscow TV … His bank was onthe CIA’s recent list of banks with Russian mafia connections.In 1994, Most Bank was the scene of a bitter shootout with Mr.Yeltsin’s then-favorite KGB General Aleksander Korzhakov afterwhich Mr. Gusinsky and his family temporarily exiled themselvesto London. Most Bank is also known as a veritable den of formerKGB men, and not KGB men from the professional intelligence sections,but from the notorious “Fifth Chief Directorate.”

Mr. Gusinsky now has a new role to play. He has had himselfnamed head of the Russian Jewish Congress, and the suspicion iswidespread that he will use his growing contacts with the AmericanJewish community to cry “Discrimination!” whenever anyonedares to criticize his business methods … We need to recognizewhat a delicate and dangerous moment this is in Russia when PresidentYeltsin’s life hangs in the balance, and men like Mr. Berezovskyand Mr. Gusinsky are readying to fill the vacuum that will surelyopen soon. They have talked publicly about using “constitutionalmeans” when the time comes to insure an appointed presidentrather than new elections (in particular to avoid a victory ofthe honest General Aleksandr Lebed).