Title: Russian Presidential Leaders
Headings: Russian Presidential Leaders
Russian Presidential Leaders
Details
Russian Presidents
Boris Yeltsin (1991 - 1999)
Vladimir Putin (2000 - 2008)
Dmitry Medvedev (2008 - 2012)
Vladimir Putin (2012 - 2018+)
Presidential Terms

Content: The presidential leaders of Russia continue to write the history books on this topic, but progress to date has been slow and bumpy. Boris Yeltsin (1991 - 1999)
Additional Resources
Former Russian Leaders
Boris Yeltsin became the first President of Russia in 1991. He was also the first elected leader in the country's history, winning 57% of the popular vote, and taking office in July 1991. In late 1991, Ukraine voted for independence from the Soviet Union, a move that signaled the end of the USSR and the establishment of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). With the end of the USSR, economic restructuring accelerated, and Boris Yeltsin took aim at the privatization of many of the traditionally state-run services. Early missteps by the Yeltsin government led to a skyrocketing of prices, slashing of government jobs, and heavy taxation; all of which took a heavy toll on the Russian economy. Opposition to the package of Yeltsin's reforms grew strong among the people and Russian politicians. The very structure of the Commonwealth began to crumble as the political leaders of Tatarstan and Bashkiria called for independence from Russia. In 1993, the Congress of People's Deputies attempted to impeach Yeltsin.