Little more than a week has passed since, for the first time in its history, an independent Russia successfully staged democratic presidential elections. On that occasion the congratulations of the international community were showered on Moscow.
Now, with the rebel region of Chechnya back on a full war footing and two bombs in as many days on the streets of Moscow, the age old question is once again being asked. "What is happening in Russia?" Winston Churchill's answer to that perennial query was perhaps the most concise. "I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia", he said, " it is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma."
The ink has hardly dried on the ballot papers in which a majority of Russians placed their trust in Mr Yeltsin in an election campaign which promised an end to the Chechen war and a restoration of order. But the will of the people has not been implemented. Villages and towns in Chechnya have been indiscriminately bombed and shelled once more. Innocent civilians have died in the rebel region and there have been bomb attacks on the streets of Moscow.
The blame for the resumption of full scale war has firmly and unequivocally been placed by western governments led by the United States on Russian forces and, consequently, on their commander in chief, President Yeltsin. The contrast between official America's attitude before the election and its statements in more recent days could not be more stark. Seldom has a political honeymoon ended so abruptly. Russian authorities have hinted at Chechen involvement in the Moscow bombings but other reasons have also been put forward.
Criminal activity can not be ruled out and neither can sinister activities by the shadowy political forces which have for centuries plagued the country. Reaction from the Moscow authorities has been reminiscent of the Soviet era. The city's popular mayor, Mr Yuri Luzhkov, has spoken of a "purge" in which Moscow will be cleared of "the homeless, beggars and outlaws," the usual shorthand for non Russians, particularly people from the Caucasus.
President Yeltsin, appearing in public for the first time in three weeks, has spoken of "harsh measures" about to be taken in a city "infested by terrorists." To the fore in the fight against terrorism and crime is a man who has publicly declared himself not to be a democrat. General Alexander Lebed, secretary of the Russian Security Council, also has plans to restrict the movement of foreigners into Russia and of certain Russians to travel abroad.
Attempts to solve the regional problem in Chechnya by bombs and rockets, when the officially stated policy is to exhaust all efforts to find a political solution, smacks of duplicity or a lack of effective control by an ailing and indecisive president. The bombing of civilians and if it comes about racial expulsions and restrictions on movement, should draw a condemnation from the international community which will be at least as strong and enthusiastic as its recent congratulatory messages.