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Mar 2022
9m 11s

Boris Yeltsin's surprise resignation

Bbc World Service
About this episode

On New Year's Eve 1999 the Russian President went on TV and announced he was leaving office. Tired and emotional, he apologised to the people for the state of the country. Boris Yeltsin's departure paved the way for his chosen successor, Vladimir Putin. Dina Newman spoke to the former Russian president's widow, Naina Yeltsina, about that day.

PHOTO: Boris Yeltsin in 1999 (Getty Images)

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