Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin, who buried the Soviet Union then led Russia through its chaotic first years of independence, died on Monday aged 76, the Kremlin said.
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 hard-line coup plotters who wanted to turn back the clock. But his economic "shock therapy" cast millions into poverty and his last years in office were marked by chaos and erratic behaviour.