Russian General Psychic
General Viktor Chechevatov is, by all accounts, a
man of superhuman ability. Commander of the Russian far east military
region, he has become one of President Boris Yeltsin's most trusted
advisers. But it is not about the army that the leader likes to consult
him.
Chechevatov, according to a government figure with knowledge of goings-on
in the Kremlin, claims he can see into the future. He has a particular
knack for predicting what sort of medical treatment a person might need
and believes he can tell at a glance when a person is going to die.
According to the source, the general predicted the multiple heart-bypass
surgery the president had to undergo at the end of last year.
On Thursday the two men met in the Kremlin, ostensibly to discuss military
affairs; many suspected he was about to be offered the job of defense
chief.
But Yeltsin, according to the source, simply wanted Chechevatov's verdict
on his convalescence from surgery and the double pneumonia that extended
his absence from the Kremlin.