Yeltsin 'too ill to campaign'

The chances that Boris Yeltsin will do any further major campaigning before Wednesday's Russian presidential election were fading yesterday, with an admission from one of his aides that he needs several days to get back to "full fighting form", writes Phil Reeves. Although the 65- year-old president's staff say that he is only suffering from a sore throat, his sudden departure from view has caused his campaign to fizzle out - and raised the spectre of his ill health at the worst possible moment. Yesterday his opponent, the Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov, claimed the president's health problems were "a lot more complicated" than a tired voice. "After two serious heart attacks, you can't be in good health," said Mr Zyuganov.

Lebed's ambitions, page 14