Economic Development and Trade Minister German Gref – who is being rumored as a replacement to the mediocre Mikhail Kasyanov as prime minister – said in a recent interview that Russia's first post-Soviet prime minister, Yegor Gaidar, had saved the country from destruction.

That is a brave statement from Gref – considering it is about a man who is despised by around 99 percent of the Russian electorate. But what Gref said was absolutely correct. It has become fashionable these days among Russia-watchers to slam Gaidar for ruining the country. But this interpretation is arrant nonsense.

Gaidar took a job no one wanted. It was unwanted because accepting the prime minister's post was tantamount to political suicide for the person involved. Yet Gaidar had the courage to take it up nonetheless. He saw that times were critical and he was prepared to accept the odium for making terribly painful decisions.

Gaidar, unlike his friend Anatoly Chubais, was never corrupt. Indeed, it is only a shame that he did not have more time to try to implement his economic program.

Gref was absolutely right in his comments about Russia's first prime minister. We hope Gref goes on to become prime minister once the hapless bureaucrat Kasyanov is eventually dumped.