YELTSIN, Boris Nikolayevich (1931-2007)
First President of Russia 

Born February 1, 1931 in the village of Butka, loctaed in  Sverdlovsk region

Graduated in 1955 from S.M. Kirova Politechnic Institute of Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterniburg)

1961,  joined the Communist Party.
1976, appointed First Secretary of the Sverdlovsk Region Committee of the CPSU.
July 1985, appointed by Mikhail Gorbachev as Secretary on Construction Issues for the Central Committee of the CPSU.
December 24, 1985, became First Secretary of the Moscow City Party Committee.
November 11, 1987, reoved from First Secretary Position after critisizing the policy of effective speed of Perestroika reforms.
March 26, 1989, elected to the Soviet Parliament. Served as Chairman of the Committee on Building and Architecture.
March 1, 1990, published Against the Grain:Autobiography.
July 1990, left the Communist Party.
June 12, 1991, elected President of the Russian Federation in its first popular election.
August 18-21, 1991, condemned the Communist coup against Gorbachev. Delivered a public speech atop a tank in front of teh White House of Russia, and was heralded as a "defender of democracy".
March 26, 1993, Congress of People's Deputies attempted to impeach President Yeltsin, but were 72 voyes short.
April 25, 1993, in a special referendum Yeltsin won a vote of confidence.
September 21, 1993, disbanded the Supreme Soviet and Congress of People's Deputies in violation of the constitution.
October 3, 1993, after Yeltsin's oppsition proclaimed Vice president General Alexander Rutskoj the new president, armed supporters of Rutskoj seized the Moscow Mayor's  Office and attacked the Ostankino television station.
October 4, 1993, troops loyal to Yeltsin surrounded and shelled the  White House. Main perpetrators of the coup were arrested.
Deember 12, 1993, Yeltsin's presidential powers significantly increased with the passege of a new constitution.
1994, published the Struggle for Russia.
December 11, 1994, ordered  Russian troops  into Chechnya.
July 3, 1996, re-elected to a second term as a president.
March 23, 1998, fired entire cabinet and replaced Prime MinisterViktor Chernomyrdin with Sergey Kirienko.
August 23, 1998, fired Prime Minister Kiriyenko and re-nominated Viktor Chernomyrdin, but re-nomination was rejected by Duma.
September 1998, Yevgeny Primakov  confirmed as mew Prime Minister.
May 12, 1999, fired Prime Minister Primakov, replaced with Interior Minister Sergey Stepashin.
August 9, 1999, fired Prime Minister Stepashin, replaced with Vladimir Putin. Designated Putin as successor.
December 31, 1999, resigned as Prsident.
October 12, 2000, published Midnight Diaries.

Died April 23rd 2007. Buried in the Novodevichy Cemetery on 25 April 2007, following a period during which his body had lain in state in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Moscow. Yeltsin is the first Russian statesman in 113 years to be buried in a church ceremony, after Emperor Alexander III.
The day of his funeral was declared by President Putin to be a national day of mourning with flags flown at half-staff.


Survived by wife Naina, and daughters Yelena and Tatyana.


Related articles:

President Putin's Speech at Reception in Memory of Boris Yeltsin
The Last Rites, by Lara McCoy Roslof, Russia Profile, April 25 2007
History Passing, by Paul Abelsky, Russia Profile, April 24th 2007
The People's Politician, by Dmitry Babich, Russia Profile, April 24th 2007

Russia's First President, Boris Yeltsin, Turns 75 RIA Novosti (February 1, 2006)
Valentinas Mite, Legacy Unclear, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (February 1,2006)
Eleven years later, most Russians blame Yeltsin  Jamestown Foundation Eurasia Daily Monitor  (Oct. 4, 2004)

Last updated February 2, 2006