The dismissal of Gen Alexander Lebed from President Yeltsin's team stems from a Kremlin intrigue of almost unfathomable depth. The immediate winner appears to be the interior minister, Gen. Anatoly Kulikov, who has been a consistent opponent of the terms which ended the disastrous war in Chechnya.
In the longer period, as well as risking a fresh outbreak of violence in that troubled region where Yeltsin tens of thousands of innocent civilians have died, Mr Yeltsin may have created a powerful enemy whose short spell at the seat of power in Russia may have allowed him to learn enough about Kremlin machinations to make some startling revelations in the future.
A lack of team spirit was given by Mr Yeltsin as the main reason for Gen Lebed's dismissal, but Mr Yeltsin's own style of leadership has not been conducive to easy relationships within the administration. In his five years at the helm, Mr Yeltsin has deliberately pitted the ambitions of one politician against the other. The appointment of a liberal has invariably been balanced by the appointment of a hardliner. Even after his seeing off of the Communist challenge in the presidential elections earlier this year, it was thought necessary to include Communists - such as the Minister for Relations with the CIS countries, Mr Aman Tuleyev - in the cabinet.
The result of this strategy has been the creation of serious tensions within the administration which have led to periods of stability punctuated by outbreaks of political turmoil.
Allegations that Gen Lebed was forming a Russian Legion in order to stage a military coup have the stamp of intrigue rather than reality about them. Even the prime minister, Mr Chernomyrdin, a rival of Gen Lebed, has ruled them out. It must be taken, then, that Gen Lebed was dismissed either because he was becoming too powerful or because he knew too much.
If the latter is the case, Gen Lebed's announcement that he is about to set up a political organisation and stomp the country to raise support for his presidential candidacy is bad news for those whose grip on power is as tenuous as Mr Yeltsin's grip on the pen with which he signed the decree to fire his security chief.
With a serious heart operation facing him next month, Mr Yeltsin's death or deterioration in health leading to his inability to govern would create a situation in which an ensuing election would almost inevitably be lost by his successors. Most serious of all for the stability of Europe's largest nation is the possible resumption of war in Chechnya. Gen Kulikov's complete rejection of the terms of settlement in that region does not bode well for continuing peace. Nor does the fact that the Chechen rebels see Gen Lebed as their only ally in Moscow.
In terms of human life the cost of the war to Russia has been enormous; in terms of its international reputation for human rights it has caused severe damage. A resumption of hostilities at a time when the Russian economy is showing signs of coming out of a chaotic period could jeopardise stability even further. Team spirit has never been the Kremlin's strong suit. It is needed now more than ever.