1 Defense Minister Pavel Grachev, who has been rumored to be on his way out for his role in the Chechen crisis, has been hospitalized for medical checkups, a news agency reported Thursday.
2 Grachev was the second major official in charge of the Chechnya war to go to the hospital in the past week. Embattled Nationalities Minister Nikolai Yegorov was hospitalized earlier with pneumonia.
3 The prominent daily Izvestia printed a front-page story Thursday speculating that both men would soon be ousted.
4 Under the headline 'The Resignations of Yegorov, Grachev and (Counterintelligence Chief Sergei) Stepashin Are Possible,' the Izvestia article called Yegorov the Kremlin's first scapegoat of the crisis. It predicted that Grachev would be soon to follow.
5 Grachev, 48, entered the hospital Wednesday for medical tests, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported. No further details were given.
6 It was the defense minister's second hospital stay in three months. In November, he failed to appear at parliamentary hearings on military corruption because he was hospitalized, also for routine medical procedures, his office said.
7 Stepashin, head of the Federal Counterintelligence Agency, was responsible for arming the Chechen opposition and supporting them with Russian troops, an operation that ended in failure last year.
8 Izvestia said Grachev made two major mistakes in the Chechnya operation.
9 First, he promised Yeltsin a quick victory in Chechnya, giving the president a false sense of confidence. Second, he failed to make clear to the army how complex and difficult the operation would be.
10 The Russian military has long been deep in crisis, beset by corruption scandals, infighting at the top and budget cuts. Many blame Grachev, and many legislators have demanded his ouster.

The prominent daily Izvestia printed a front - page story Thursday speculating that both men would soon be ousted .
speculating
Based on what evidence?