Boris Yeltsin — "The Soviet Union has ceased to exist."
The Soviet Union has ceased to exist.
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More from Boris Yeltsin
"The reforms are painful, but they are necessary."
"I'm a simple man, but I have a strong will."
"The greatest joy is to see Russia free."
"We need to create a strong, independent, and democratic Russia."
"You can't build a new house without tearing down the old one."
About Boris Yeltsin (1931-2007)
First president of post-Soviet Russia (1991-1999), who climbed atop a tank to defy the August 1991 coup and oversaw the chaotic privatization of the 1990s. Closely associated with Mikhail Gorbachev (his predecessor and rival reformer). For an intellectual contrast, see Gennady Zyuganov, Russian Communist Party leader — Zyuganov came within 3 percentage points of beating the ailing Yeltsin in the 1996 presidential runoff — the closest free election Russia has had, and arguably the moment that decided whether Russia would reverse to communism or continue down the path that led to Putin.