Career Notes: Career peaked when he ended Chechen war as Head of Security Council under Yeltsin, who sacked him for his trouble... Took over 14th Army in 1992 and shelled the heck out of anybody who opposed him, ending a civil war between Moldovans and Transdniestr Slavs... Backed Yeltsin in 1991 and 1993; later distanced himself... In '98, funded by Boris Berezovsky, became governor of resource-rich Krasnoyarsk oblast... With Primakov's help, ousted Krasnoyarsk aluminium thug Anatoly Bykov; Bykov has returned on Stepashin's watch and situation remains unclear...Beat Taibbi in billiards and Ames in toilet-polo.

Minor League Notes: Never a communist... As youth in Novocherkassk in the 1960s, watched Soviet soldiers kill hundreds of demonstrators.