Former President George Bush made the mistake of pretending for too long that Michail Gorbachev was still in control of the Soviet Union; President Bill Clinton should be careful to avoid a similar miscalculation with Russia’s Boris Yeltsin.

President Yeltsin has lost the battle for Grozny, no matter the outcome in the next couple of weeks. Even if, as is likely, the Moslem-led defenders of the city eventually are forced to retreat to the surrounding mountains, they have humiliated the world’s second-largest army and its leader. But the damage to President Yeltsin’s authority goes beyond the disastrous decision in Chechnya.

The modest economic gains made by Russia in the past year have been threatened by the fighting in Chechnya. Normally encouraging western European nations, particularly Germany, are suspending economic aid. (The first joint maneuvers on Russian soil between Russian troops and those of Germany were also postponed.) The United States can express its disapproval of Moscow’s action in Chechnya and re-establish its interest in greater democracy in Russia by withholding further suppport to Russia while the fighting continues.

When President Yeltsin offered Russia a path to democracy and better economic times, the Russian people seemed willing to accept the hardships that currently plague them. Their leader once asserted the moral authority to ask for sacrifices. He had, after all, risked his career and perhaps his life by standing astride a tank and defying the 1991 military coup. He is losing that authority now.

Though he could very well survive this debacle, President Yeltsin has demonstrated that his influence in reforming Russia is on the wane. More moderate government officials, reportedly shut out of plans for the assault on Chechnya, are now speaking out strongly against the incursion. The United States should support these moderate voices and encourage the focus to return to political and economic reform.