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Putin Pays Final Respect to Boris Yeltsin
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has arrived at Christ the Savior Cathedral to pay his final respect to former president Boris Yeltsin.
The official funeral service in Christ the Savior Cathedral, which was blown up in time of Josef Stalin and rebuilt in Yeltsin’s epoch, is attended by Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov, First Vice Premiers Sergey Ivanov and Dmitry Medvedev, President’s Administration Chief Sergey Sobyanin, Fed Council Speaker Sergey Mironov, State Duma’s Speaker Boris Gryzlov, former U.S. Presidents George Bush Senior and Bill Clinton, former Britain’s PM John Major and many others.
Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev paid tribute to Boris Yeltsin Wednesday despite that exactly Yeltsin had forced him out of the office and led the Soviet Union to final collapse.
Russia’s First President Boris Yeltsin died from heart failure Monday. Current President Vladimir Putin, who is Yeltsin’s successor, ordered a state funeral and declared April 25 the day of national mourning.
Thousands of Russians and foreigners filed past Yeltsin’s open coffin at the cathedral.
After the mourning ceremony, the funeral procession will head to Novodevichie cemetery. Breaking the Soviet traditions, Yeltsin will be laid to rest there instead of the Red Square.
”Guard Russia!” ailing Yeltsin bid farewell far back in December 31, 1999 when he was ceding power to successor.
www.kommersant.com
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