Russia's former president Yeltsin dies: Kremlin | Reuters

Russia's former president Yeltsin dies: Kremlin | Reuters:

Many Russians initially viewed Yeltsin as a hero for dismantling Communist rule. His finest hour came when, in 1991, he clambered onto a tank and raised his fist in defiance of hardline coup plotters who wanted to turn back the clock.

...in 1989 he was elected to the new Soviet Congress of People's Deputies and in June 1991 he was elected president of Russia -- still within the Soviet Union -- in a landslide.

Two months later, he faced down tanks in the Moscow streets...