Yeltsin, Boris Nikolayevich

Russian politician and reformer

first secretary of Moscow Communist Party Committee 1985-1987

removed from office after criticizing Mikhail Gorbachev and perestroika

member of Soviet Politburo 1986-1988

chairman of Russian Supreme Soviet 1990-1991

at 28th Communist Party Congress, resigned from Communist Party 1990

last president of Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic 1991

prime minister of Russia 1991-1992

1st post-Soviet president of Russia 1991-1999

with George Bush, signed Start II arms limitation treaty 1993

survived anti-Yeltsin putsch led by Alexander Rutskoi and Ruslan Khasbulatov 1993

endorsed formation of Our Home Is Russia party 1995

dismissed Viktor Chernomyrdin's government 1998, naming Sergei Kiriyenko as prime minister, but reappointed Chernomyrdin five months later on interim basis until replaced by Yevgeny Primakov

dismissed Primakov in favor of Sergei Stepashin 1999

survived parliamentary votes on five counts of impeachment 1999

resigned presidency in favor of Vladimir Putin 1999

wrote autobiography "Against the Grain" 1990 (also "Ispoved na zadannuyu temu", "Confession on an Assigned Theme"), memoir "The Struggle for Russia" 1994 (also "Zapeski presidenti" 1993, "Notes of the President")