Title: Boris Yeltsin – Russiapedia Leaders Prominent Russians
Headings: Prominent Russians:
Boris Yeltsin

Prominent Russians: Boris Yeltsin
February 1, 1931 – April 23, 2007

Content: Post-Soviet Russia has never before buried its leader and the Communist past was left well behind. Unlike most Soviet leaders, laid to rest by the Kremlin wall, Russia’s first President was buried at Moscow’s Novodevichy cemetery, a resting place of many prominent artists, scientists and politicians. Yeltsin is survived by his wife Naina and daughters Yelena and Tatyana. Boris Yeltsin guided Russia through a time of great change and challenge. After decades of Communism, when Russia and the USSR were often seen as one and the same, the 1990s were the time of forging a new identity and restoring traditions. Yeltsin’s Russia saw a huge religious revival, many churches destroyed during the Soviet times were rebuilt and religious holidays were once again back on the calendar. The country went through a true media boom, enjoying greater political and civic freedoms than it had ever known, and carved itself a place among the world’s most industrialised democracies, turning G7 into G8. Boris Yeltsin (AFP Photo)
Many blame Yeltsin for demising the Soviet Union, ruining the economy and plunging millions into hopeless poverty. Yet, others credit him with bringing the country a breath of fresh air as he ended more than 70 years of Soviet Communism. The architect of modern Russia, he’s praised for leading Russia onto the path to democracy and opening it to the world.