MOSCOW — Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has unveiled a monument to his predecessor Boris Yeltsin, praising him for leading the country through the difficult first years after the collapse of the Soviet Union
The 10-meter (33-foot) marble obelisk was unveiled in Yeltsin’s hometown of Yekaterinburg Tuesday, the 80th anniversary of his birth.
Yeltsin died in April 2007 age 76.
Yeltsin’s legacy remains controversial, with some Russians praising him for promoting civil freedoms and democracy and others despising him for the corruption and economic suffering that marked his presidency.
Medvedev said that today’s Russia should be thankful that Yeltsin "did not turn away from the path of change during the most difficult period in the history of the country."
