President Boris Yeltsin Monday canceled all meetings for this week because of medical tests in advance of upcoming heart surgery and punished a former bodyguard who said Yeltsin was too sick to govern.
Yeltsin ordered Alexander Korzhakov, a one-time close friend, relieved of his military duties because of what the president said were "slanderous statements."Presidential spokesman Sergei Yastrzhembsky said at a Kremlin news conference that Yeltsin's doctors had recommended complete rest while he undergoes the tests. He said even the president's weekly meeting with the prime minister would be canceled.
"The preparations have entered their final stage," Yastrzhembsky said. "Everything is proceeding as normal."
Yastrzhembsky did not release any details about the nature of the medical tests or say when the surgery would occur. But he indicated there was no change in the president's health.
Yeltsin has been holding almost daily meetings at a government health resort outside Moscow while awaiting multiple heart bypass surgery, expected to take place sometime between mid-November and mid-December.
Yeltsin has said he will temporarily transfer power to Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin during his operation. Asked Monday whether the time had come for the transfer, Yastrzhembsky said, "So far it doesn't mean that."
Yeltsin's aides have insisted that he is fully in charge, and that even when he is not meeting with people, he does paperwork and speaks on the telephone.
While absent from the Kremlin, Yeltsin has issued frequent decrees. In an order dated Monday, Yeltsin accused Korzhakov of "a series of slanderous statements concerning the Russian president and members of his family," and of trying to discredit top state officials.
Korzhakov, a lieutenant general in the state security services, wielded enormous behind-the-scenes power before being fired as Yeltsin's personal security chief in June. He has since emerged as a key player in Kremlin power struggles and threatened to disclose incriminating evidence against unspecified officials.
Korzhakov has told reporters that Yeltsin should resign, saying that because of his poor health the true power was in the hands of Yeltsin's daughter, Tatyana, and chief of staff Anatoly Chubais.
Yastrzhembsky said Korzhakov would be relieved of his military duties because of "the cumulative effect" of his critical statements.
Yeltsin said Korzhakov "crudely violated his duties as a serviceman, as well as ethical standards, and stained the honor of a Russian officer."