President Yeltsin's former security adviser, Alexander Lebed, has been sworn in as governor of the large Siberian region of Krasnoyarsk, after winning elections there last month.

Mr Lebed's return to political office is being seen as a prelude to his standing for the Russian presidency in the year 2000.

Several foreign diplomats were reported to have joined Russian political and business leaders and representatives of the Orthodox Church at the swearing-in ceremony.