Yeltsin aides were alarmed on Sunday when they thought the turnout would be well below 70 percent.

The aim of Yeltsin aides was to generate economic growth and put Russia's fiscal house in order.

Top Yeltsin aides say the Government may no longer be able to fulfill its much-ballyhooed promise to pay back wages.

Yeltsin aides said the referendum, on whether the president or the parliament should be supreme in Russia would probably take place on 25 April.

But other top Yeltsin aides sought to ease foreign and domestic criticism by downplaying the significance of the move.

As the divisions widened, Yeltsin aides did their best to paper over the obvious divisions in the ranks.

Nor do top Yeltsin aides have a clear idea of what happens with the money allocated for defense.

Unlike other Yeltsin aides, he has not gone around boasting that Russia is firmly embarked on the path of economic growth.

Yeltsin aides call for new elections, but want Chechnya to drop its claims of independence and start obeying Moscow.

In recent days, Yeltsin aides have issued a series of upbeat statements to impress anxious investors.