e and empty; just "cheap linoleum and fluorescent lighting." Early in the interview, Lebed tells of Moscow's hard-hitting politics, "Luzhkov is trying to evict us. The building has been declared an architectural monument and we've been told we have to go."
Regardless, Moscow has become an oasis of prosperity in a ravaged nation. In 1996 Luzhkov was reelected mayor with 90% of the vote. Whereas rivals clash with mafia and special interests, Luzhkov coexists with them in the Russian capital; but he makes them cough up big money in return. In a recent interview, Mayor Luzhkov was asked why the city of Moscow has successfully retained so much control. "We say that privatization is necessary to create new owners who will manage the factories better than the old, but that is possible only if the factories are sold for real money, so the new owner h
...