probably of liver failure

4/23/2007 10:11:09 AM

Quote :

"Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin Dies At 76 (CBS News) MOSCOW Former President Boris Yeltsin, who engineered the final collapse of the Soviet Union and pushed Russia to embrace democracy and a market economy, has died, a Kremlin official said Monday. He was 76. 60 Minutes' Mike Wallace interviewed Yeltsin in October 2000 about the Russian leader's legacy for his country. Yeltsin, who became Russia's president in 1991 and survived two armed uprisings by hardline communists, resigned suddenly Dec. 31, 1999, after suffering several heart attacks and being hospitalized with pneumonia. He was also the target of accusations he had accepted bribes. Putin granted Yeltsin lifetime immunity from prosecution upon his resignation. In the interview with Wallace, Yeltsin insisted his health had improved, that his heart and emotional state were stable, but he did not appear well. Yeltsin says of his battle with alcohol, saying "I did struggle. Of course I did," but says he has reduced his drinking since his 1994 heart attack. He says he stopped drinking heavily back in 1994 after a heart attack left him noticeably weakened. He admits he concealed his 1996 heart attack from the public until after the election that year, saying, "I was confident about my health." The former president, who estimates his net worth at $300,000, denies that he and his family have foreign assets hidden away. Confronted with statistics showing that the standard of living n Russia had fallen and that suicide, crime and alcoholism were increasing, Yeltsin said, "Your data is wrong. I don't believe your data." Asked if he believed democracy was firmly established in the new Russia, Yeltsin answered, "Firmly." "America has not become more influential than Russia. It has not," the former president insisted. Rarely seen in public since his resignation, Yeltsin had spent most his time at his dacha outside Moscow working on his memoirs. Former premier Mikhail Gorbachev, Yeltsin's predecessor, lives nearby, but he and Yeltsin have not met for years. Yeltsin would not elaborate on the reasons."

4/23/2007 10:13:20 AM

oh well....

[Edited on April 23, 2007 at 11:22 AM. Reason : .]

4/23/2007 11:20:32 AM

Oh wow...I remember him. RIP i guess.

4/23/2007 4:44:31 PM

Gorbachev is still alive...same age as Yeltsin

I guess Gorby knew how to avoid all those KGB "accidental" food poisonings

4/23/2007 4:47:47 PM

polonium?

4/23/2007 5:03:51 PM

yeah supposedly

(not yeltsin, but litvinenko)

[Edited on April 23, 2007 at 5:06 PM. Reason : .]

4/23/2007 5:06:09 PM

who cares.

4/23/2007 7:09:24 PM

Who cares about the man who converted the largest country in the world to democracy and capitalism?

Some republican you are.

4/23/2007 8:01:32 PM

aha

4/23/2007 8:30:34 PM

4/23/2007 11:15:00 PM

that is awesome!!!

I miss that man, whatever else may be.

[Edited on April 23, 2007 at 11:55 PM. Reason : .,.]

4/23/2007 11:54:59 PM

Let's drink to, and for Boris.

[Edited on April 24, 2007 at 10:39 AM. Reason : for too]

4/24/2007 10:39:06 AM

RIP DAWG!

4/24/2007 10:58:36 AM

I AM INWINSIBLE!!!!

4/24/2007 12:32:06 PM

Quote :

"Who cares about the man who redirected the largest country in the world from a fledgling democracy back to a corrupted totalitarian police state?"

You know, Vladimir Putin.

Bush's buddy.

Yeah, some republican ol' George is.





[Edited on April 24, 2007 at 12:52 PM. Reason : ]

4/24/2007 12:50:03 PM

what the fuck does that have to do with Boris Yeltsin?

Oh, you're just trolling.

gg fag

4/24/2007 2:13:48 PM

Putin, bushes buddy. So now you are blamming bush for thing is russia too? that is rich.

RIP Boris. Ill always remember him on that tank, standing up for democracy. A great leader.

4/24/2007 2:38:17 PM

seriously, i thought yeltsin was a good guy.

he had some issues, but who didnt.

RIP

4/24/2007 2:39:55 PM