Boris Yeltsin
4981
226138522
2008-07-17T00:07:47Z
92.100.8.49
{{Redirect|Yeltsin}}
{{Infobox President
|name = Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin<br/><small>гандон, поставивший Россию на колени</small>
|nationality = [[Russian people|Russian]]
|image = Yeltsin 1993 cropped.jpg
|imagesize=175px
|order = 1st [[President of the Russian Federation|President of Russia]]
|term_start = [[November 6]] [[1996]]
|term_end = [[December 31]] [[1999]]
|primeminister = [[Viktor Chernomyrdin]]<br>[[Sergey Kiriyenko]]<br>[[Viktor Chernomyrdin]] ''(acting)''<br>[[Yevgeny Primakov]]<br>[[Sergei Stepashin]]<br>[[Vladimir Putin]]
|predecessor = [[Viktor Chernomyrdin]] ''(acting)''
|successor = [[Vladimir Putin]] ''(acting)''
|term_start1 = [[July 10]] [[1991]]
|term_end1 = [[November 5]] [[1996]]
|primeminister1 = ''Himself''<br>[[Yegor Gaidar]] ''(acting)''<br>[[Viktor Chernomyrdin]]
|vicepresident1 = [[Alexander Rutskoy]] <br /> (1991–1993) <br /> [[Constitution of Russia|Office abolished]]
|predecessor1 = ''Office created''
|successor1 = [[Viktor Chernomyrdin]] ''(acting)''
|birth_date = {{birth date|1931|2|1|mf=y}}
|birth_place = Butka, [[Sverdlovsk Oblast]],<br>[[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic|Russian SFSR]], [[Soviet Union]]
|death_date = {{death date|2007|4|23|mf=y}} <small>(aged {{age|1931|2|1|2007|4|23}})</small>
|death_place = [[Moscow]], [[Russia]]
|spouse = [[Naina Yeltsina]]
|religion = [[Russian Orthodox Church|Russian Orthodox]]
|party = [[CPSU]] (prior to 1990)<br />[[Independent (politician)|Non-partisan]] (after 1990)
|order2 = 1st [[Prime Minister of Russia]]
|term_start2 = [[November 6]] [[1991]]
|term_end2 = [[June 15]] [[1992]]
|predecessor2 = [[Oleg Lobov]] <small>(''acting'') As Prime Minister of the [[Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic|RSFR]]</small>
|successor2 = [[Yegor Gaidar]]
|signature = Yeltsin_signature_svg.svg
}}
'''Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin''' ({{audio-ru|Борис Николаевич Ельцин|ru-Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin.ogg}}; {{IPA2|bɐˈrʲis nʲɪkɐˈlaɪvʲɪtɕ ˈjelʲtsɨn}}) ([[February 1]] [[1931]]{{ndash}} [[April 23]] [[2007]]) was the first [[President of the Russian Federation]], serving from 1991 to 1999.
Yeltsin came to power with a wave of high expectations. On [[12 June]] [[1991]] he was elected president of the [[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic]] with 57% of the vote, becoming the first popularly elected president. But Yeltsin never recovered his popularity after a series of economic and political crises in Russia in the 1990s. The Yeltsin era was marked by widespread corruption, economic collapse, and enormous political and social problems. By the time he left office, Yeltsin had an approval rating of two percent by some estimates.<ref>{{cite web|title=Transcripts of 'Insight' on CNN|publisher=[[CNN]]|date=2002-10-07|accessdate=2007-07-17|url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0210/07/i_ins.01.html}}</ref>
Following the [[History of the Soviet Union (1985-1991)#Yeltsin and the dissolution of the USSR|dissolution of the Soviet Union]] in December 1991, Yeltsin, vowing to transform Russia's [[economy of the Soviet Union|socialist command economy]] into a free [[market economy]], endorsed a program of price liberalization and [[privatization in Russia|privatization]]. As a result, a handful of people were able to enrich themselves while arguably stamping out competitors.<ref>{{cite web|last=Åslund|first=Anders|authorlink=Anders Åslund|title=Russia's Collapse|work=Foreign Affairs|publisher=[[Council on Foreign Relations]]|date=September/October 1999|accessdate=2007-07-17|url=http://www.foreignaffairs.org/19990901faessay1007/anders-aslund/russia-s-collapse.html}}</ref>
In August 1991, Yeltsin won international plaudits for casting himself as a democrat and defying the [[Soviet coup attempt of 1991|August coup attempt of 1991]] by the members of Soviet government opposed to [[perestroika]]. He left office widely unpopular with the Russian population as an ineffectual and ailing [[autocrat]].<ref>Paul J. Saunders, "U.S. Must Ease Away From Yeltsin", ''Newsday'', [[May 14]], [[1999]]. [http://www.nixoncenter.org/publications/articles/pjs-newsday.htm]</ref> He either acted as his own prime minister (until June 1992) or appointed men of his choice, regardless of parliament. His confrontations with parliament climaxed in the [[Russian constitutional crisis of 1993|October 1993 Russian constitutional crisis]], when Yeltsin called up tanks to shell the [[Russian White House]], blasting out his opponents in parliament. Later in 1993, Yeltsin imposed a [[Constitution of Russia|new constitution]] with strong presidential powers, which was approved by [[Russian constitutional referendum, 1993|referendum]] in December.
Just hours before the first day of 2000, Yeltsin made a surprise announcement of his resignation, leaving the presidency in the hands of [[Vladimir Putin]].
==Early life==
Boris Yeltsin was born in the village of [[Butka]], in [[Talitsky District]] of [[Sverdlovsk Oblast]], [[Russia]]. His father, Nikolay Yeltsin, was convicted of [[Article 58 (RSFSR Penal Code)|anti-Soviet agitation]] in 1934 and sentenced to hard labour in a [[gulag]] for three years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/newsinreview/oct98/russia/timeline.htm|title=Timeline of a Leader|publisher=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]]|date=October 1998|accessdate=2007-04-17}}</ref> Following his release he remained unemployed for a period of time and then worked in construction. His mother, Klavdiya Vasilyevna Yeltsina, worked as a seamstress.
Boris Yeltsin studied at [[Pushkin High School]] in [[Berezniki]] in [[Perm Krai]]. He was fond of sports (in particular [[skiing]], [[gymnastics]], [[volleyball]], [[track and field]], [[boxing]] and [[wrestling]]) despite losing the thumb and index finger of his left hand when he and some friends sneaked into a [[Red Army]] supply depot, stole several grenades, and tried to dissect them.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/magazinemonitor/2007/04/10_things_we_didnt_know_last_w_21.shtml|title=10 things we didn't know last week|publisher=[[BBC]]|date=[[2007-04-27]]|accessdate=2007-04-29}}</ref>
Yeltsin received his higher education at the [[Ural State Technical University]] in [[Yekaterinburg|Sverdlovsk]], majoring in [[construction]], and graduated in 1955. The subject of his degree paper was "Television Tower".
From 1955 to 1957 he worked as a foreman with the building trust Uraltyazhtrubstroy and from 1957 to 1963 he worked in Sverdlovsk, and was promoted from construction site superintendent to chief of the Construction Directorate with the Yuzhgorstroy Trust. In 1963 he became chief engineer, and in 1965 head of the Sverdlovsk House-Building Combine, responsible for sewerage and technical plumbing. He joined the ranks of the [[CPSU]] ''[[nomenklatura]]'' in 1968 when he was appointed head of construction with the Sverdlovsk Regional Party Committee. In 1975 he became secretary of the regional committee in charge of the region's industrial development. In 1976 the [[Politburo of the CPSU]] promoted him to the post of the first secretary of the CPSU Committee of [[Sverdlovsk Oblast]] (effectively he became the head of one of the most important industrial regions in the USSR), he remained in this position till 1985.
==CPSU member==
Yeltsin was a member of the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union]] (CPSU) from 1961 to July 1990, and began working in the Communist administration in 1968. He later commented on his [[communist]] views:
:''"I sincerely believed in the ideals of justice propagated by the party, and just as sincerely joined the party, made a thorough study of the charter, the programme and the classics, re-reading the works of [[Vladimir Lenin|Lenin]], [[Karl Marx|Marx]] and [[Friedrich Engels|Engels]]."''
In 1977 as party boss in [[Yekaterinburg|Sverdlovsk]], Yeltsin—on orders from Moscow—ordered the destruction of the [[Ipatiev House]] where the [[Nicholas II of Russia|last Russian tsar]] had been killed by [[Bolshevik]] troops. The [[Ipatiev House]] was demolished in one night, [[July 27]], [[1977]].<ref>[http://www.searchfoundationinc.org/Chronology.html Chronology<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Also during Yeltsin's stay in Sverdlovsk, a CPSU palace was built which was named "White Tooth" by the residents.<ref>[http://www.panorama.ru/works/oe/yeltsine.html Yeltsin Boris Nikolayevich<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>. During this time, Yeltsin developed connections with key people in the Soviet power structure.
He was appointed to the [[Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee|Politburo]]<!-- ref name="StrangeDeath77">''The Strange Death of the Soviet Empire'', page 77; ISBN 0805041540</ref -->, and was also "Mayor" of [[Moscow]] (First Secretary of the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union|CPSU]] Moscow City Committee) from [[December 24]] [[1985]] to 1987. He was promoted to these high rank positions by [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] and [[Yegor Ligachev]], who presumed that Yeltsin would be their man. Yeltsin was also given a country house ([[dacha]]) previously occupied by Gorbachev. During this period Yeltsin portrayed himself as a reformer and [[Populism|populist]] (for example, he took a [[trolleybus]] to work), firing and reshuffling his staff several times. His initiatives became popular among Moscow residents.
In 1987, after a confrontation with hardliner [[Yegor Ligachev]] and [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] about Gorbachev's wife, Raisa, meddling in affairs of the state, Yeltsin was sacked from his high ranking party positions. On [[October 21]], [[1987]] at the plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the [[CPSU]], Yeltsin, without prior approval from Gorbachev, lashed out at the Politburo. He expressed his discontent with both the slow pace of reform in society and the servility shown to the General Secretary, then asked to resign from the Politburo, adding that the City Committee would decide whether he should resign from the post of first secretary of the Moscow City Party Committee. In his reply, Gorbachev accused Yeltsin of "political immaturity" and "absolute irresponsibility", and at the plenary meeting of the Moscow City Party Committee proposed relieving Yeltsin of his post of first secretary. Nobody backed Yeltsin. Criticism of Yeltsin continued on [[November 11]], [[1987]] at the meeting of the Moscow City Party Committee. After Yeltsin admitted that his speech had been a mistake, he was fired from the post of first secretary of the Moscow City Committee. He was demoted to the position of first deputy commissioner for the State Committee for Construction. After being fired, Yeltsin was hospitalized and later (confirmed by [[Nikolai Ryzhkov]]) attempted suicide. He was perturbed and humiliated but began plotting his revenge.<ref name="StrangeDeath86">''The Strange Death of the Soviet Empire'', page 86; ISBN 0-8050-4154-0</ref> His opportunity came with Gorbachev's establishment of the [[Congress of People's Deputies]].<ref name="StrangeDeath90">''The Strange Death of the Soviet Empire'', page 90; ISBN 0-8050-4154-0</ref> He recovered, and started intensively criticizing Gorbachev, highlighting the slow pace of reform in the Soviet Union as his major argument.
Yeltsin's criticism of the Politburo and Gorbachev led to a smear campaign against him, in which examples of Yeltsin's awkward behavior were used against him. An article published in ''[[Pravda]]'' described him as being drunk at a lecture during his visit to the United States, an allegation which appeared to be confirmed by a TV account of his speech. However, popular dissatisfaction with the regime was very strong, and these attempts to smear Yeltsin only added to his popularity. In another incident, Yeltsin fell from a bridge. Commenting on this event, Yeltsin hinted that he was helped to fall from the bridge by the enemies of [[perestroika]], but his opponents suggested that he was simply drunk.
==President of the RSFSR==
[[Image:1991 coup yeltsin.jpg|right|thumb|300px|In an iconic photograph by the [[Associated Press]] broadcast worldwide,<ref>{{cite book|title=The Broadcast Century and Beyond: a Biography of American Broadcasting|author=Robert L. Hilliard|coauthors=Michael C. Keith|publisher=Elsevier|year=2006|pages=p. 271|isbn=0240805704}}</ref> Yeltsin (far left) with his personal bodyguard [[Alexander Korzhakov]] stands on a tank to defy the August coup in 1991]]
In March 1989, Yeltsin was elected to the [[Congress of People's Deputies]] as the delegate from [[Moscow]] district and gained a seat on the [[Supreme Soviet]].
On [[May 29]], [[1990]], he was elected [[chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR]] ([[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic|RSFSR]]), the post he held until [[July 10]], [[1991]]. He was supported by both democratic and conservative members of the [[Supreme Soviet]], which sought power in the developing political situation in the country. A part of this power struggle was the opposition between power structures of the [[Soviet Union]] and the [[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic|RSFSR]]. In an attempt to gain more power, on [[12 June]] [[1990]], the Congress of People's Deputies of the RSFSR adopted a declaration of sovereignty and Yeltsin quit the CPSU in July 1990.
On [[12 June]] [[1991]], Yeltsin won 57% of the popular vote in the [[Russian presidential election, 1991|democratic presidential elections]] for the Russian republic, defeating Gorbachev's preferred candidate, [[Nikolai Ryzhkov]]. In his election campaign, Yeltsin criticized the "dictatorship of the center", but did not suggest the introduction of a market economy. Instead, he said that he would put his head on the railtrack in the event of increased prices. Yeltsin took office on [[July 10]].
On [[August 18]] [[1991]], a [[Soviet coup attempt of 1991|coup against Gorbachev]] was launched by the government members opposed to perestroika headed by [[Vladimir Kryuchkov]]. Gorbachev was held in [[Crimea]] while Yeltsin raced to the [[White House of Russia]] (residence of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR) in Moscow to defy the coup. The White House was surrounded by the military but the troops defected in the face of mass popular demonstrations. Yeltsin responded to the coup by making a memorable speech from the turret of a tank. By [[August 21]] most of the coup leaders had fled Moscow and Gorbachev was "rescued" from [[Crimea]] and then returned to Moscow. Yeltsin was subsequently hailed by his supporters around the world for rallying mass opposition to the coup.
Although restored to his position, Gorbachev's powers were now fatally compromised. Neither union nor Russian power structures heeded his commands as support had swung over to Yeltsin. Through the fall of 1991, the Russian government took over the union government, ministry by ministry.
On [[November 6]], [[1991]], Yeltsin issued a decree banning the Communist Party throughout the RSFSR.
In early December 1991, [[Ukraine]] voted for independence from the Soviet Union. A week later, on [[December 8]], Yeltsin met with Ukrainian president [[Leonid Kravchuk]] and the leader of [[Belarus]], [[Stanislav Shushkevich]], in [[Belovezhskaya Pushcha]], where the three presidents announced the dissolution of the [[Soviet Union]] and that they would establish a voluntary [[Commonwealth of Independent States]] (CIS) in its place. According to [[Mikhail Gorbachev]], the president of the [[Soviet Union]] at that time, Yeltsin kept the plans of the Belovezhskaya meeting in strict secrecy and the main goal of the dissolution of the Soviet Union was to get rid of Gorbachev, who by that time had started to recover his position after the events of August. [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] has also accused Yeltsin of violating the people's will expressed in the referendum in which the majority voted to keep the [[Soviet Union]].
On [[December 24]], the [[Russian Federation]] took the Soviet Union's seat in the [[United Nations]]. The next day, President Gorbachev resigned and [[Collapse of the Soviet Union|the Soviet Union ceased to exist]], thereby ending the world's largest and most influential socialist state. Economic relations between the former Soviet republics were severely compromised. Millions of ethnic Russians found themselves in the newly formed foreign countries.
==President of the Russian Federation==
===Yeltsin's first term===
====Radical reforms====
Just days after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Boris Yeltsin resolved to embark on a program of radical economic reform, with the aim of restructuring Russia's economic system—converting the world's largest command economy into a free-market one. During early discussions of this transition, Yeltsin's advisers debated issues of speed and sequencing, with an apparent division between those favoring a rapid approach and those favoring a gradual or slower approach.
In late 1991 Yeltsin turned to the advice of Western economists, and Western institutions such as the [[IMF]], the [[World Bank]], and the [[U.S. Treasury Department]], who had developed a standard policy recipe for transition economies in the late 1980s. This policy recipe came to be known as the "[[Washington Consensus]]" or "[[shock therapy (economics)|shock therapy]]," a combination of measures intended to liberalize prices and stabilize the state's budget. Such measures had been attempted in Poland, and advocates of "shock therapy" felt the same could be done in Russia. Some Russian policymakers were skeptical that this was the way to go, but the approach was favored by Yeltsin's deputy, [[Yegor Gaidar]], a 35-year-old Russian economist inclined toward radical reform.
On [[January 2]] [[1992]], Yeltsin, acting as his own [[Prime Minister of Russia|prime minister]], ordered the liberalization of foreign trade, prices, and currency. At the same time, Yeltsin followed a policy of 'macroeconomic stabilization,' a harsh austerity regime designed to control inflation. Under Yeltsin's stabilization program, interest rates were raised to extremely high levels to tighten money and restrict credit. To bring state spending and revenues into balance, Yeltsin raised new taxes heavily, cut back sharply on government subsidies to industry and construction, and made steep cuts to state welfare spending.
In early 1992, prices skyrocketed throughout Russia, and deep credit crunch shut down many industries and brought about a protracted depression. The reforms devastated the living standards of much of the population, especially the groups dependent on Soviet-era state subsidies and [[Welfare (financial aid)|welfare]] [[entitlement program]]s.<ref>Peter Nolan, ''China's Rise, Russia's Fall''. Macmillan Press, 1995. pp. 17–18.</ref> Through the 1990s, Russia's [[GDP]] fell by 50 percent, vast sectors of the economy were wiped out, inequality and unemployment grew dramatically, while incomes fell. [[Hyperinflation]], caused by the Central Bank of Russia's loose monetary policy, wiped out a lot of personal savings, and tens of millions of [[Russians]] were plunged into [[poverty]].<ref>Daniel Treisman, "Why Yeltsin Won: A Russian Tammany Hall," ''Foreign Affairs'', September/October 1996. [http://www.foreignaffairs.org/19960901faessay3402/daniel-treisman/why-yeltsin-won-a-russian-tammany-hall.html]</ref><ref>Theodore P. Gerber, Michael Hout, "More Shock than Therapy: Market Transition, Employment, and Income in Russia, 1991–1995", AJS Volume 104 Number 1 (July 1998): 1–50.</ref>
Some economists argue that in the 1990s Russia suffered an economic downturn more severe than the United States or Germany had undergone six decades earlier in the [[Great Depression]].<ref>Peter Nolan, ''China's Rise, Russia's Fall''. Macmillan Press, 1995. pp. 17–18.</ref> Russian commentators and even some Western economists, such as [[Marshall Goldman]], widely blamed Yeltsin's Western-backed economic program for the country's disastrous economic performance in the 1990s. Many politicians began to quickly distance themselves from the program. In February 1992, Russia's vice president, [[Alexander Rutskoy]] denounced the Yeltsin program as "economic genocide."<ref>Celestine Bohlen, "Yeltsin Deputy Calls Reforms 'Economic Genocide,'" ''[[New York Times]]'', [[February 9]] [[1992]].</ref> By 1993 conflict over the reform direction escalated between Yeltsin on the one side, and the opposition to radical economic reform in Russia's parliament on the other.
====Confrontation with parliament====
{{main|1993 Russian constitutional crisis}}
Also throughout 1992, Yeltsin wrestled with the [[Supreme Soviet]] and the Congress of People's Deputies for control over government, government policy, government banking and property. In the course of 1992, the speaker of the Russian Supreme Soviet, [[Ruslan Khasbulatov]], came out in opposition to the reforms, despite claiming to support Yeltsin's overall goals. In December 1992, the 7th Congress of People's Deputies succeeded in turning down the Yeltsin-backed candidacy of Yegor Gaidar for the position of [[Prime Minister of Russia|Russian prime minister]]. Eventually, on [[December 14]], [[Viktor Chernomyrdin]], seen as a compromise figure, was confirmed in the office.
The conflict escalated on [[20 March]] [[1993]] when Yeltsin, in a televised address to the nation, announced that he was going to assume certain "special powers" in order to implement his program of reforms. In response, the hastily-called 9th Congress of People's Deputies attempted to remove Yeltsin from presidency through impeachment on [[26 March]] [[1993]]. Yeltsin's opponents gathered more than 600 votes for impeachment, but fell 72 votes short of the required two-thirds majority.<ref>[http://www.acs.brockport.edu/~dgusev/Russian/bybio.html Boris Yeltsin<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
On [[21 September]] [[1993]] Yeltsin announced in a televised address his decision to disband the Supreme Soviet and Congress of People's Deputies by decree.
In his address Yeltsin declared his intent to rule by decree until the election of the new parliament and a referendum on a new constitution, triggering the [[Russian constitutional crisis of 1993|constitutional crisis of October 1993]]. On the night after Yeltsin's televised address, the Supreme Soviet declared Yeltsin removed from presidency, by virtue of his breaching the constitution, and Vice-President Alexander Rutskoy was sworn in as the acting president.
Between September 21–24, Yeltsin was confronted by significant popular unrest, encouraging the defenders of the parliament. Moscow saw what amounted to a spontaneous mass uprising of anti-Yeltsin demonstrators numbering in the tens of thousands marching in the streets resolutely seeking to aid forces defending the parliament building. The demonstrators were protesting the new and terrible living conditions under Yeltsin. Since 1989 GDP had declined by half. Corruption was rampant, violent crime was skyrocketing, medical services were collapsing, food and fuel were increasingly scarce and life expectancy was falling for all but a tiny handful of the population; moreover, Yeltsin was increasingly getting the blame.
By early October, Yeltsin had secured the support of Russia's army and ministry of interior forces. In a massive show of force, Yeltsin called up tanks to shell the [[Russian White House]], Russia's parliament building, blasting out his opponents.
As Supreme Soviet was dissolved, in December 1993 were held elections to the newly established parliament, [[State Duma]]. Candidates identified with Yeltsin's economic policies were overwhelmed by a huge anti-Yeltsin vote, the bulk of which was divided between the [[Communist Party of the Russian Federation|Communist Party]] and ultra-nationalists. The referendum, however, held at the same time, approved the new constitution, which significantly expanded the powers of the president, giving Yeltsin a right to appoint the members of the government, to dismiss the [[Prime Minister|prime minister]] and, in some cases, to dissolve the Duma.<ref>[http://www.departments.bucknell.edu/russian/const/ch4.html Russian Constitution SECTION ONE Chapter 4<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
====Chechnya====
{{main|First Chechen War}}
In December 1994, Yeltsin ordered the military invasion of [[Chechnya]] in an attempt to restore Moscow's control over the separatist republic. Nearly two years later Yeltsin withdrew federal forces from the devastated Chechnya under a 1996 peace agreement brokered by [[Alexander Lebed]], then Yeltsin's security chief. The peace deal allowed Chechnya greater autonomy but not full independence.
The decision to launch the war in Chechnya dismayed many in the West. [[TIME magazine]] wrote: <blockquote>
"Then, what was to be made of Boris Yeltsin? Clearly he could no longer be regarded as the democratic hero of Western myth. But had he become an old- style communist boss, turning his back on the democratic reformers he once championed and throwing in his lot with militarists and ultranationalists? Or was he a befuddled, out-of-touch chief being manipulated, knowingly or unwittingly, by{{ndash}} well, by whom exactly? If there was to be a dictatorial coup, would Yeltsin be its victim or its leader?"<ref>http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,982323-1,00.html</ref>
</blockquote>
====Privatization and the rise of "the oligarchs"====
{{main|Privatization in Russia}}
[[Image:Oligarchs.jpg|frame|A number of prominent oligarchs, including [[Mikhail Khodorkovsky]] (far right), pictured with Boris Yeltsin in the mid-1990s]]
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Yeltsin promoted [[privatization in Russia|privatization]] as a way of spreading ownership of shares in former state enterprises as widely as possible to create political support for his economic reforms. In the West, privatization was viewed as the key to the transition from communism in Eastern Europe, ensuring a quick dismantling of the Soviet-era command economy to make way for 'free market reforms.' In the early 1990s, [[Anatoly Chubais]], Yeltsin's deputy for economic policy, emerged as a leading advocate of privatization in Russia.
In late 1992, Yeltsin launched a program of free vouchers as a way to give mass privatization a jump-start. Under the program, all Russian citizens were issued vouchers, each with a nominal value of around 10,000 rubles, for purchase of shares of select state enterprises. Although each citizen initially received a voucher of equal face value, within months most of them converged in the hands of intermediaries who were ready to buy them for cash right away.
In 1995, as Yeltsin struggled to finance Russia's growing foreign debt and gain support from the Russian business elite for his bid in the spring 1996 presidential elections, the Russian president prepared for a new wave of privatization offering stock shares in some of Russia's most valuable state enterprises in exchange for bank loans. The program was promoted as a way of simultaneously speeding up privatization and ensuring the government a much-needed infusion of cash for its operating needs.
However, the deals were effectively giveaways of valuable state assets to a small group of tycoons in finance, industry, energy, telecommunications, and the media who came to be known as "[[Business oligarch|oligarchs]]" in the mid-1990s. By summer 1996, substantial ownership shares over major firms were acquired at very low prices by a handful of people. [[Boris Berezovsky]], who controlled major stakes in several banks and the national media, emerged as one of Yeltsin's most prominent backers. Along with Berezovsky, [[Mikhail Khodorkovsky]], [[Vladimir Potanin]], [[Vladimir Bogdanov]], [[Rem Viakhirev]], [[Vagit Alekperov]], [[Alexander Smolensky]], [[Victor Vekselberg]], [[Mikhail Fridman]] and a few years later [[Roman Abramovich]], were habitually mentioned in the media as Russia's oligarchs.
====The Yeltsin/Senator Helms interchange====
On [[December 5]], [[1991]], [[Jesse Helms|Senator Jesse Helms]], ranking member of the Minority Staff of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, wrote to Boris Yeltsin concerning U.S. servicemen who were POWs or MIAs. "The status of thousands and thousands of American servicemen who are held by Soviet and other Communist forces, and who were never repatriated after every major war this century, is of grave concern to the American people."
Yeltsin would ultimately respond with a statement made on [[June 15]], [[1992]], while being interviewed aboard his presidential jet on his way to the United States, "Our archives have shown that it is true — some of them were transferred to the territory of the U.S.S.R. and were kept in labor camps... We can only surmise that some of them may still be alive." On [[December 10]], [[1991]], just five days after Senator Helms had written Yeltsin concerning American servicemen, he again wrote to Yeltsin, this time concerning KAL 007.
"One of the greatest tragedies of the Cold War was the shoot-down of the [[Korean Airlines Flight 007]] by the Armed Forces of what was then the Soviet Union on [[September 1]], [[1983]]... The KAL-007 tragedy was one of the most tense incidences of the entire Cold War. However, now that relations between our two nations have improved substantially, I believe that it is time to resolve the mysteries surrounding this event.
Clearing the air on this issue could help further to improve relations<ref>http://www.rescue007.org/helms_letter.htm</ref>." In March of 1992, Yeltsin would hand over KAL 007's Black Box without its tapes to Korean President [[Roh Tae-Woo]] at the end of the plenary session of the Korean National Assembly with this statement, "We apologize for the tragedy and are trying to settle some unsolved issues."
Yeltsin would ultimately respond on [[January 8]], [[1992]] by handing over to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) of the United Nations what the Russians had for so many years denied possessing: the tapes of the KAL 007's "Black Box" (its [[Digital]] [[Flight Data Recorder]] and [[Cockpit Voice Recorder]])<ref>http://www.rescue007.org/docs/Is%20This%20the%20Final%20Word.pdf</ref>.
The openness of Yeltsin about POW/MIA and KAL 007 matters may also have signaled his willingness for more openness to the West. In 1992, which he labelled the "window of opportunity", he admitted that the [[Sverdlovsk anthrax leak]] of [[April 2]], [[1979]] had been caused as a result of a mishap at a military facility. In the anthrax outbreak at Sverdlovsk, about {{convert|850|mi|km|0}} east of Moscow, about 94 people were affected and 64 died. The
Russian government had previously maintained the cause was contaminated meat.
====1996 presidential election====
In February 1996, Yeltsin announced that he would seek a second term in the [[Russian presidential election, 1996|spring 1996 Russian presidential election]]. The announcement followed weeks of speculation that Yeltsin was at the end of his political career because of his health problems and growing unpopularity in Russia. At the time Yeltsin was recuperating from a series of heart attacks. Domestic and international observers also noted his occasionally erratic behaviour. When campaigning opened at the beginning of 1996, Yeltsin's popularity was close to zero.<ref>CNN, Russian presidential candidate profiles, 1906.[http://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/pivotal.elections/1996/russia/candidate.html]</ref> Meanwhile, the opposition [[Communist Party of the Russian Federation]] had already gained ground in parliamentary voting on [[17 December]] [[1995]], and its candidate, [[Gennady Zyuganov]], had a strong grass roots organization, especially in the rural areas and small towns, and appealed effectively to memories of the old days of Soviet prestige on the international stage and the socialist domestic order.<ref>CNN, Gennady Zyuganov candidate profile, 1996. [http://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/9602/russia_zyuganov/]</ref>
Panic struck the Yeltsin team when opinion polls suggested that the ailing president could not win; some members of his entourage urged him to cancel presidential elections and effectively rule as dictator from then on. Instead, Yeltsin changed his campaign team, assigning a key role to his daughter, [[Tatyana Dyachenko]], and appointing Chubais as campaign manager.<ref>http://vms.cc.wmich.edu/~97levintova/Ny.html</ref> Chubais, acting as both Yeltsin's campaign manager and adviser on Russia's privatisation programme, used his control of the privatisation programme as an instrument of Yeltsin's reelection campaign.
In the spring of 1996, Chubais and Yeltsin recruited a team of a handful of financial and media oligarchs to bankroll the Yeltsin campaign and guaranteed favorable media coverage the president on national television and in leading newspapers.<ref>Daniel Treisman, "Blaming Russia First," ''Foreign Affairs'', November/December 2000. [http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20001101fareviewessay946/daniel-treisman/blaming-russia-first.html]</ref> In return, Chubais allowed well-connected Russian business leaders to acquire majority stakes in some of Russia's most valuable state-owned assets.<ref>See, e.g., Pekka Sutela, "Insider Privatization in Russia: Speculations on Systemic Changes," ''Europe-Asia Studies'' 46:3 (1994), p. 420-21. </ref> The media painted a picture of a fateful choice for Russia, between Yeltsin and a "return to totalitarianism." The oligarchs even played up the threat of civil war if a Communist were elected president.
Yeltsin campaigned energetically, dispelling concerns about his health, and maintained a high media profile. To boost his popularity, Yeltsin promised to abandon some his more unpopular economic reforms, boost welfare spending, end the war in Chechnya, and pay wage and pension arrears. Yeltsin's campaign also got a boost from the announcement of a $10 billion loan to the Russian government from the International Monetary Fund.<ref>CNN Interactive: Pivotal Elections: Russian Elections; Candidates: Boris Yeltsin [http://edition.cnn.com/WORLD/pivotal.elections/1996/russia/candidate.html]</ref>
Zyuganov, who lacked Yeltsin's resources and financial backing, saw his strong initial lead whittle away. After the first round on [[June 16]] Yeltsin appointed a highly popular candidate [[Alexander Lebed]], who came in third in the first round, Secretary of the [[Security Council of Russia]], sacked at the latter's behest defence minister [[Pavel Grachev]] and on [[June 20]] sacked a number of his ''[[siloviki]]'', one of them being his chief of presidential security [[Alexander Korzhakov]], viewed by many as Yeltsin's [[éminence grise]].
In the run-off on [[July 3]], with a turnout of 68.9%, Yeltsin won 53.8% of the vote and Zyuganov 40.3%, with the rest (5.9%) voting "[[blank vote|against all]]".<ref>Lee Hockstader, Washington Post Foreign Service, Friday, [[July 5]], [[1996]] [http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/russiagov/stories/premier070596.htm]</ref>
In his second term, Yeltsin was unable to follow through on most of his campaign promises, except for ending the Chechen war, which was halted for most of the period.
===Yeltsin's second term===
[[Image:BorisYeltsin and BillClinton 1999-11-18.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Boris Yeltsin and [[Bill Clinton]] in 1999]]
In July 1996, Yeltsin was re-elected as president with financial support from influential [[business oligarchs]] who owed their wealth to their connections with Yeltsin's administration. Despite only gaining 35% of the first round vote in the 1996 elections, Yeltsin defeated his communist rival [[Gennady Zyuganov]] with 54% in the runoff election. Later that year, Yeltsin underwent an emergency [[Coronary_artery_bypass_surgery#Number_of_bypasses|quintuple heart bypass surgery]] and remained in the hospital for months.
During Yeltsin's presidency, Russia received [[US$]] 40 billion in funds from the [[IMF]] and other international lending organizations. However, his opponents allege that most of these funds were stolen by people from Yeltsin's circle and placed in foreign banks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsmax.com/articles/?a=1999/7/26/125259|title=Where Is the IMF Money to Russia Really Going?|author=Stanislav Lunev|publisher=[[NewsMax.com]]|date=[[1999-07-27]]|accessdate=2007-04-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.the-spark.net/csart264.html|title=Yeltsin, "The Family" and the Bureaucratic Mafia|author=the-spark.net|date=[[2003-07-19]]|accessdate=2007-04-17}}</ref><ref>;{{cite web|url=http://www.atimes.com/c-asia/AI11Ag01.html|title=Checkmate nears for Yeltsin|author=[[Asia Times Online]]|date=[[1999-09-10]]|accessdate=2007-04-17}}</ref>
In 1998, a political and economic crisis emerged when Yeltsin's government defaulted on its debts, causing financial markets to panic and the [[Russian ruble|ruble]] to collapse in the [[Russian financial crisis of 1998|1998 financial crisis]].
During the 1999 [[Kosovo war]], Yeltsin strongly opposed the [[NATO]] military campaign against [[Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]], and warned of possible Russian intervention if NATO deployed ground troops to Kosovo. In televised comments he stated: "I told NATO, the Americans, the Germans: Don't push us toward military action. Otherwise there will be a European war for sure and possibly world war."<ref>{{cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Yeltsin Warns Of European War Over Kosovo |url= |work= |publisher=Reuters |date=1999-04-09 |accessdate= }} Also, {{cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Yeltsin warns of possible world war over Kosovo |url=http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/europe/9904/09/kosovo.diplomacy.02/ |work= |publisher=CNN |date=1999-04-09 |accessdate=2007-04-23}}</ref>
On [[May 15]], [[1999]], Yeltsin survived another attempt of [[impeachment]], this time by the [[Yabloko|democratic]] and [[Communist Party of the Russian Federation|communist]] opposition in the [[State Duma]]. He was charged with several unconstitutional activities, including the signing of the [[Belavezha Accords]], dissolving the [[Soviet Union]] in December 1991, the [[1993 Russian constitutional crisis|coup-d'état in October 1993]], and initiating the war in [[Chechnya]] in 1994. None of these charges received the two-thirds majority of the Duma which was required to initiate the process of [[impeachment]] of the president.
On [[August 9]], [[1999]] Yeltsin fired his prime minister, [[Sergei Stepashin]], and for the fourth time, fired his entire cabinet. In Stepashin's place he appointed [[Vladimir Putin]], relatively unknown at that time, and announced his wish to see Putin as his successor.
In late 1999 Yeltsin and President Clinton openly disagreed on the war in Chechnya. At the November meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Clinton pointed his finger at Yeltsin and demanded he halt bombing attacks that had resulted in many civilian casualties. Yeltsin immediately left the conference.<ref>{{cite news |first=Charles |last=Babington |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Clinton Spars With Yeltsin On Chechnya, President Denounces Killing of Civilians |url= |work= |publisher=Washington Post |date=1999-11-19|pages= A01 }}</ref>
In December while visiting China to seek support on Chechnya, Yeltsin replied to Clinton’s criticism of a Russian ultimatum to citizens of Grozney. He bluntly pronounced: "Yesterday, Clinton permitted himself to put pressure on Russia. It seems he has for a minute, for a second, for half a minute, forgotten that Russia has a full arsenal of nuclear weapons. He has forgotten about that." Clinton dismissed Yeltsin's comments stating: "I didn't think he'd forgotten that America was a great power when he disagreed with what I did in Kosovo." It fell to Vladimir Putin to downplay Yeltsin's comments and present reassurances about U.S. and Russian relations.<ref>
{{cite news |first=Michael|last=Laris |authorlink= |author= |coauthors= |title=In China, Yeltsin Lashes Out at Clinton Criticisms of Chechen War Are Met With Blunt Reminder of Russian Nuclear Power |url= |format= |work= |publisher=Washington Post |id= |pages= |page=A35 |date=1999-12-10 |accessdate= |language= |quote= }}</ref>
====Resignation====
On [[31 December]] [[1999]], in a surprise announcement aired at 12:00 noon on Russian television and taped in the morning of the same day, Yeltsin said he had resigned and Prime Minister [[Vladimir Putin]] had taken over as acting president, with elections due to take place on [[26 March]] [[2000]]. Yeltsin asked for forgiveness for what he acknowledged were errors of his rule, and said Russia needed to enter the new century with new political leaders. Yeltsin said: "I want to beg forgiveness for your dreams that never came true. And also I would like to beg forgiveness not to have justified your hopes."
==Alleged alcoholism and neurological disorder==
According to numerous reports, Yeltsin struggled with alcoholism. The subject made headlines abroad during Yeltsin's visit to the U.S. in 1989 for a series of lectures on social and political life in the Soviet Union. That trip was described by a report in the Italian newspaper ''[[La Repubblica]]''. The article reported that Yeltsin often appeared drunk in public. The article was reprinted by ''[[Pravda]]''. Yeltsin's alleged alcoholism was also the subject of media discussion following his meeting with U.S. [[Deputy Secretary of State]] [[Strobe Talbott]] following Clinton's inauguration in 1993 and after his flight stop-over at [[Shannon Airport]], Ireland in September 1994 when the waiting Irish Taoiseach (prime minister) [[Albert Reynolds]] was told that Yeltsin was unwell and would not be leaving the aircraft.
According to former Deputy Prime Minister of Russia [[Boris Nemtsov]], the bizarre behavior of Yeltsin resulted from "strong drugs" given to him by Kremlin's doctors, which were incompatible even with a small amount of alcohol. This was discussed by journalist [[Yelena Tregubova]] from the "[[Kremlin's pool]]" in connection with an episode during Yeltsin's visit to [[Stockholm]] in 1997 when Yeltsin suddenly started talking nonsense (he allegedly told his bemused audience that Swedish meatballs reminded him of [[Björn Borg]]'s face), lost his balance, and almost fell down on the podium after drinking a single glass of Champagne<ref>[[Yelena Tregubova]] ''Tales of a Kremlin Digger'' ([[Russian language|Russian]]: Елена Трегубова. Байки кремлевского диггера., Mосква., Ad Marginem, 2003 ISBN 5-93321-073-0 [http://www.az-design.ru/Projects/AZLibrCD/290/c2ebe/books/001btoc.shtml Full text in Russian]. [http://www.perlentaucher.de/artikel/3350.html German translation]. Tregubova barely escaped an assassination attempt after publishing this material [http://www.cpj.org/news/2004/Russia02feb04na.html]</ref> Yeltsin, in his memoirs, claimed no recollection of the event but did however make a passing reference to the incident when he met Borg a year later at The World Circle Kabaddi Cup in Hamilton, Ontario, where the pair had been invited to present the trophy.<ref> Yeltsin, B "Midnight Diaries", New York, p.344 </ref> Similarly, Yeltsin made a hasty withdrawal from the funeral of [[Hussein of Jordan]] in February 1999. ([[Russian language|Russian]]: Елена Трегубова. Байки кремлевского диггера., Mосква., Ad Marginem, 2003 ISBN 5-93321-073-0 [http://www.az-design.ru/Projects/AZLibrCD/290/c2ebe/books/001btoc.shtml Full text in Russian]. [http://www.perlentaucher.de/artikel/3350.html German translation].
After Yeltsin's death, a Dutch neurosurgeon revealed that his team was secretly flown to Moscow to operate on Yeltsin in 1999. Yeltsin suffered from an unspecified neurological disorder that affected his sense of balance, causing him to wobble as if in a drunken state; the goal of the operation was to reduce the pain.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uk.rug.nl/archief/jaargang36/31/03f5.php|title=University professor reveals neurological disorder|publisher=Rijks Universiteit Groningen|date=[[2007-05-03]]|accessdate=2007-12-31}}</ref>
==Life after resignation==
Yeltsin's personal and health problems received a great deal of attention in the global press. As the years went on, he was often viewed as an increasingly unstable leader, rather than the inspiring figure he was once seen as. The possibility that he might die in office was often discussed.
Starting in the last years of his presidential term, Yeltsin's primary residence was the ''Gorki-9'' presidential dacha west of Moscow. He made frequent stays at the nearby government sanatorium in [[Barvikha]].
Yeltsin maintained a low profile after his resignation, making almost no public statements or appearances. However, on [[13 September]] [[2004]], following the [[Beslan school hostage crisis]] and nearly-concurrent terrorist attacks in Moscow, Putin launched an initiative to replace the election of regional governors with a system whereby they would be directly appointed by the president and approved by regional legislatures. Yeltsin, together with [[Mikhail Gorbachev]], publicly criticized Putin's plan as a step away from democracy in Russia and a return to the centrally-run political apparatus of the Soviet era.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mosnews.com/news/2004/09/16/exleaders.shtml|title=Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin Speak out Against Putin’s Reforms|publisher=MosNews.com|date=[[2004-09-16]]|accessdate=2007-04-17}}</ref>
In September 2005, Yeltsin underwent a hip operation in Moscow after breaking his [[femur]] in a fall while vacationing on the [[Italy|Italian]] island of [[Sardinia]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kommersant.com/p609848/r_1/Boris_Yeltsin_Leaves_Ward/|title=Boris Yeltsin Leaves Ward|author=Yulia Osipova|publisher=[[Kommersant]]|date=[[2005-09-19]]|accessdate=2007-04-17}}</ref>
On [[February 1]] [[2006]], Yeltsin celebrated his 75th birthday. He used this occasion as an opportunity to criticize a "monopolistic" U.S. foreign policy, and to state that [[Vladimir Putin]] was the right choice for Russia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mosnews.com/interview/2006/01/30/yeltsin.shtml|title=Putin Was Right Choice for Russia—Boris Yeltsin|publisher=MosNews.com|date=[[2006-01-30]]|accessdate=2007-04-17}}</ref> He also disputed accusations of corruption.
===Passion for tennis===
Yeltsin also used his retirement to pursue his considerable love of tennis. He was a frequent fixture at tournaments held in Russia, notably Russian Davis Cup and Federation Cup team events. Far from a passive supporter like many VIPs who attend sports events, Yeltsin gained a reputation as an animated fan, cheering and jumping in support of the Russians. When the Russian men won the Davis Cup in 2002 and 2006 Yeltsin descended the stands to celebrate with the players, group hugging the team.
Following his death in April 2007, his widow, Naina, attended in Yeltsin's place the final of that year's Federation Cup, in which Russia's women comprehensively beat Italy.
==Death==
[[Image:Grave-yeltsin.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Flowers at Yeltsin's grave]]
{{wikinewsart|Boris Yeltsin, former president of Russia, dies at 76}}
Boris Yeltsin died of [[congestive heart failure]]<ref name="kp">{{cite web|url=http://kp.ru/daily/23892/66451/|title=У первого президента не выдержало сердце|publisher=[[Komsomolskaya Pravda]]|date=[[2007-04-24]]|accessdate=2007-04-24}} {{ru icon}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://lenta.ru/news/2007/04/23/elzin2/|title=Ельцин умер от остановки сердца|publisher=[[Lenta.ru]]|date=[[2007-04-23]]|accessdate=2007-04-24}} {{ru icon}}</ref> on [[April 23]] [[2007]] at the age of 76.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6584481.stm|publisher=[[BBC]]|title=Russian ex-president Yeltsin dies|date=[[2007-04-23]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30200-1262163,00.html |title = Former Russian President Yeltsin dies | publisher = [[Sky News]]| date=[[2007-04-23]]}}</ref> According to experts quoted by [[Komsomolskaya Pravda]], the onset of Yeltsin's condition was due to his visit to [[Jordan]] between [[March 25]] and [[April 2]].<ref name="kp"/> He was buried in the [[Novodevichy Cemetery]] on [[April 25]], [[2007]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www1.wsvn.com/news/articles/world/MI45512/|publisher=[[FoxNews]]|title=Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin, who helped bring demise of Soviet Union, dead at 76|date=[[2007-04-23]]}}</ref> following a period during which his body had [[lying in state|lain in state]] in the [[Cathedral of Christ the Saviour (Moscow)|Cathedral of Christ the Saviour]] in Moscow.<ref>BBC News [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6586181.stm Yeltsin to lie in state in Moscow] retrieved on [[April 24]] [[2007]]</ref> Yeltsin was the first Russian statesman in 113 years to be buried in a church ceremony, after Emperor [[Alexander III of Russia|Alexander III]].
President Putin declared the day of his funeral a national [[day of mourning]], with flags flown at half-staff and all entertainment programs suspended for the day.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kremlin.ru/text/docs/2007/04/125066.shtml|title=President's decree of mourning day|date=[[2007-04-23]]|accessdate=2007-04-24}} {{ru icon}}</ref>
Yeltsin is survived by his wife, [[Naina Yeltsina|Naina Iosifovna Yeltsina]], whom he married in 1956, and their two daughters Yelena and [[Tatyana Dyachenko|Tatyana]], born in 1957 and 1959 respectively.
===Reaction ===
<!--please include information or recognize this source {{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6584785.stm|publisher=[[BBC]]|title=In quotes: Reactions to Yeltsin death |date=[[2007-04-23]]}}—information may have been vandalized out of the article.-->
'''{{RUS}}'''—Russian president [[Vladimir Putin]] said, declaring [[April 25]], [[2007]], a day of national mourning, that:
<blockquote>Yeltsin's "presidency has inscribed him forever in Russian and in world history." ... "A new democratic Russia was born during his time: a free, open and peaceful country. A state in which the power truly does belong to the people." ... "the first President of Russia’s strength consisted in the mass support of Russian citizens for his ideas and aspirations. Thanks to the will and direct initiative of President Boris Yeltsin a new constitution, one which declared human rights a supreme value, was adopted. It gave people the opportunity to freely express their thoughts, to freely choose power in Russia, to realise their creative and entrepreneurial plans. This Constitution permitted us to begin building a truly effective Federation." ... "We knew (Yeltsin) as a brave and a warm-hearted, spiritual person. He was an upstanding and courageous national leader. And he was always very honest and frank while defending his position." ... "(Yeltsin) assumed full responsibility for everything he called for, for everything he aspired to. For everything he tried to do and did do for the sake of Russia, for the sake of millions of Russians. And he invariably took upon himself, let it in his heart, all the trials and tribulations of Russia, peoples’ difficulties and problems."<ref>[http://president.kremlin.ru/eng/speeches/2007/04/23/2207_type82912_125079.shtml Vladimir Putin`s Address on the Occasion of Boris Yelstin’s Passing] Kremlin, [[April 23]], [[2007]]. Retrieved: 2007-04-24</ref></blockquote>
'''{{RUS}}'''—Shortly after the news broke, former Soviet leader [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] issued a statement, saying:
<blockquote> "I offer my deepest condolences to the family of a man on whose shoulders rested many great deeds for the good of the country and serious mistakes—a tragic fate".<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6584785.stm ''In quotes: Reactions to Yeltsin death''] [[April 23]], [[2007]]. </ref></blockquote>
==References==
===Books===
*''Midnight Diaries'' By Boris Yeltsin. Translated by Catherine A. Fitzpatrick. Illustrated. 398 pp. New York: PublicAffairs.
* {{cite book |last=Korzhakov |first=Aleksandr |authorlink=Aleksandr Korzhakov|title=Борис Ельцин: от рассвета до заката|year=1997|isbn=5-88589-039-0}} (''See [[Boris Yeltsin: From Dawn to Dusk]]'')
==See also ==
*[[Yeltsinism]]
==Footnotes==
{{reflist|2}}
==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
{{commons|Борис Николаевич Ельцин|Boris Yeltsin}}
*[http://www.lastingtribute.co.uk/famousperson/yeltsin/2561891 Obituary and public tributes on Lasting Tribute]
*[http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/kbank/profiles/yeltsin/ CNN Cold War — Profile: Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin]
*[http://hammernews.com/borisyeltsin.htm Death of a Bear]- ''Hammernews''
*[http://www.reason.com/news/show/120349.html The Good Czar The Strange Nobility of Boris Yeltsin]
*[http://youtube.com/watch?v=t98Eq0c9Gus&feature=user The Yeltsin Years] Documentary
*{{worldcat id|id=lccn-n83-228407}}
{{start box}}
{{s-off}}
{{succession box
|title = [[President of Russia]]
|years = 1996 – 1999
|before = [[Viktor Chernomyrdin]]<br><small>(acting)</small>
|after = [[Vladimir Putin]]<br><small>(acting)</small>
}}
{{succession box
|title = [[President of Russia]]
|years = 1991 – 1996
|before = Office created
|after = [[Viktor Chernomyrdin]]<br><small>(acting)</small>
}}
{{succession box
|title = [[Prime Minister of Russia]]
|years = 1991 – 1992
|before = [[Oleg Lobov]]<br><small>(acting)</small>
|after = [[Yegor Gaidar]]<br><small>(acting)</small>
}}
{{Succession box
|title = [[Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR|Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR]]
|before = [[Vitaly Vorotnikov]]
|years = 1990 – 1991
|after = [[Ruslan Khasbulatov]]
}}
{{end box}}
{{Presidents of the Russian Federation}}
{{Prime Ministers of Russia}}
{{Heads of RSFSR}}
{{Chechen wars}}
{{Persondata
|NAME = Yeltsin, Boris Nikolayevich
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Ельцин, Борис Николаевич (Russian); Eltsin.
|SHORT DESCRIPTION = Political leader, President of Russia.
|DATE OF BIRTH = {{birth date|1931|2|1|mf=y}}
|PLACE OF BIRTH = Butka, [[Sverdlovsk]], [[Soviet Union]]
|DATE OF DEATH = {{death date|2007|4|23|mf=y}}
|PLACE OF DEATH = [[Moscow]], [[Russia]]
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yeltsin, Boris}}
[[Category:Presidents of the Russian Federation]]
[[Category:Prime Ministers of Russian Federation]]
[[Category:Russian Ministers of Defense]]
[[Category:Soviet politicians]]
[[Category:Cold War leaders]]
[[Category:People of the Chechen wars]]
[[Category:Deaths from cardiovascular disease]]
[[Category:1931 births]]
[[Category:2007 deaths]]
[[Category:Russian anti-communists]]
[[ar:بوريس يلتسن]]
[[az:Boris Yeltsin]]
[[zh-min-nan:Boris Yeltsin]]
[[be-x-old:Барыс Ельцын]]
[[bs:Boris Jeljcin]]
[[br:Boris Yeltsin]]
[[bg:Борис Елцин]]
[[ca:Borís Ieltsin]]
[[cv:Ельцин Борис Николаевич]]
[[cs:Boris Jelcin]]
[[cy:Boris Yeltsin]]
[[da:Boris Jeltsin]]
[[de:Boris Nikolajewitsch Jelzin]]
[[et:Boriss Jeltsin]]
[[el:Μπορίς Γιέλτσιν]]
[[es:Borís Yeltsin]]
[[eo:Boris Jelcin]]
[[eu:Boris Jeltsin]]
[[fa:بوریس یلتسین]]
[[fr:Boris Eltsine]]
[[ga:Boris Yeltsin]]
[[gl:Boris Ieltsin]]
[[ko:보리스 옐친]]
[[hi:बोरिस येल्तसिन]]
[[hr:Boris Jeljcin]]
[[io:Boris Yelcin]]
[[id:Boris Yeltsin]]
[[is:Boris Jeltsín]]
[[it:Boris Nikolaevič El'cin]]
[[he:בוריס ילצין]]
[[ka:ბორის ელცინი]]
[[ky:Борис Ельцин]]
[[sw:Boris Yeltsin]]
[[ku:Boris Yeltsin]]
[[la:Boris Ieltsin]]
[[lv:Boriss Jeļcins]]
[[lb:Boris Nikolajewitsch Jelzin]]
[[lt:Borisas Jelcinas]]
[[hu:Borisz Nyikolajevics Jelcin]]
[[mk:Борис Елцин]]
[[ml:ബോറിസ് യെല്ത്സിന്]]
[[mr:बोरिस येल्त्सिन]]
[[nl:Boris Jeltsin]]
[[ja:ボリス・エリツィン]]
[[no:Boris Jeltsin]]
[[nn:Boris Jeltsin]]
[[oc:Borís Ieltzin]]
[[pl:Borys Jelcyn]]
[[pt:Boris Iéltsin]]
[[ro:Boris Elţîn]]
[[ru:Ельцин, Борис Николаевич]]
[[se:Boris Jeltsin]]
[[scn:Boris Eltsin]]
[[simple:Boris Yeltsin]]
[[sk:Boris Nikolajevič Jeľcin]]
[[sl:Boris Jelcin]]
[[sr:Борис Јељцин]]
[[sh:Boris Jeljcin]]
[[fi:Boris Jeltsin]]
[[sv:Boris Jeltsin]]
[[tl:Boris El’cin]]
[[ta:போரிஸ் யெல்ட்சின்]]
[[tt:Boris Yeltsin]]
[[th:บอริส เยลซิน]]
[[vi:Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin]]
[[tr:Boris Yeltsin]]
[[uk:Єльцин Борис Миколайович]]
[[ur:بورس یلسن]]
[[zh-yue:葉利欽]]
[[bat-smg:Borisos Jelcins]]
[[zh:鲍里斯·叶利钦]]