Death and state funeral of Boris Yeltsin
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| Date | April 23 – 25, 2007 |
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| Location | Cathedral of Christ the Saviour and Novodevichy Cemetery, Moscow |
| Participants | Vladimir Putin, Sergey Sobyanin, Naina Yeltsina, Mikhail Fradkov, Dmitry Medvedev and others |
On April 23, 2007, Boris Yeltsin, 1st President of Russia, died of cardiac arrest twelve days after being admitted to the Central Clinical Hospital in Moscow. Boris Yeltsin was the first Russian head of state in 113 years to be buried in a church ceremony, after Emperor Alexander III.[1]
The funeral was held on 25 April 2007. On the day Yeltsin died, the President of Russia Vladimir Putin declared the day of his funeral to be a day of national mourning.[2] The ceremony was broadcast live on the main Russian state TV channels. Current and former heads of state attended, with a number of them expressing their condolences. The lowering of the coffin into the grave was accompanied by an artillery salute.
Last illness and cause of death
Yeltsin died at 3:45 p.m. Moscow time as a result of heart failure caused by progressive multiple organ failure.[3][4] Yeltsin was hospitalized for 12 days before his death while doctors fought for his life.[5][6] In his last week, Yeltsin was mostly bedridden. He experienced heart pain and a sharp deterioration in his health occurred in the last three days. On the morning of April 23 came a slight improvement, but then Yeltsin's heart stopped twice.[7] The first time doctors were able to revive him, but the second time they could not. However, according to Renat Akchurin, the heart surgeon who in 1996 performed Yeltsin's bypass surgery, it was unexpected. The relatives requested an autopsy, which was carried out.
Shortly before his death, Yeltsin had traveled to the Middle East (Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian Territories), which, according to some doctors, was too much for him, and could have contributed to his health deteriorating.[8]
President Vladimir Putin telephoned his widow Naina Yeltsin April 25, 2007 expressing his condolences. Others to express theirs were Angela Merkel, Jacques Chirac, George W. Bush, Lech Kaczynski, Helmut Kohl, Tony Blair and Bill Clinton.
Students and staff of his native Urals State Technical University held a minute's silence and mourning to honor the former leader's memory.
Farewell ceremony and burial service
The ceremony began at 16:30 Moscow time on April 24, 2007 at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. With a half-couch casket, the Russian flag was placed in the center of the temple. A stand with awards achieved by Russia's First President and his portrait, was nearby. Soldiers from the Kremlin Regiment formed an Honor Guard. The temple was open all evening and all night for viewing and around 25,000 people came to pay their respects.[9] At the memorial service representatives were constantly present to accept condolences to the Yeltsin family members: widow Naina, daughters Elena Okulova and Tatyana Dyachenko and the Yeltsins' grandchildren. The requiem liturgy was given by the Vicar of the Moscow Diocese Archbishop Arseny (Epifanov).
After the civil ceremony, which ended at 12:30 pm on April 25, a farewell was held for officials and representatives of foreign states.
The service was led by Metropolitan Krutitsy and Kolomna Juvenal (Poyarkov), assisted by Metropolitan Kirill (Gundyaev) and Clement (Kapalin). Metropolitan Juvenal read out the message to Vladimir Putin, Boris Yeltsin's family and the attendees. During the reading of the Psalms, the funeral rites and the liturgy, Yeltsin was remembered as "First President of Russia Boris Nikolayevich," and not a "servant of God, Boris," as is usually the case. This change emphasized that the President is the modern Russian equivalent to the monarch: the use of titles and patronymic name corresponds to the formula heave offering of the monarch and members of the royal house, until the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II.
The funeral
The coffin was closed then carried outside into the hearse which was escorted by motorcyclists through the Novodevichy streets. From the hearse, officers placed it on a gun carriage draped with the national flag and drawn by an armored personnel carrier to the cemetery gates. From there, the funeral procession continued with the gun carriage being manoeuvred on foot. Yeltsin's coffin was removed and carried by eight officers, with a bell of the Novodevichy Convent. The procession continued to the central avenue to where the grave was, with a small hearse in front of it. The flag was taken from the coffin and handed over to Sergey Sobyanin, who in its turn gave it to Naina Yeltsina.
The coffin was taken down and opened again. Metropolitan Juvenal called Yeltsin's family to approach the body one last time, first Yelena Okulova, then Tatyana Dyachenko, and finally, widow Naina Yeltsina. After that a final memorial was performed by Mn. Juvenal, with Mns. Kirill and Kliment assisting and a female chorus from the Novodevichy Convent sang "Eternal Memory". Metropolitan Juvenal put a small wreath on Yeltsin's brow and by about 16:30 pm the coffin was closed, adorned with flowers and lowered into the grave. An artillery salute of three volleys rang out and a military band played the Russian anthem.
Afterwards, at the reception in the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin gave his only speech..
Guests
The ceremony was attended by more than thirty foreign visitors. These were the heads of state and government and other representatives of various countries, as well as many former heads of state and government, who had worked with Boris Yeltsin.
Also, in addition to foreign leaders, there were many Russian politicians.
Gallery
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Coffin with the body of Boris Yeltsin in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
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Prime Minister Fradkov and President Putin.
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Yeltsin's coffin being taken to the cemetery.
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Yeltsin family.
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Bill Clinton, Vladimir Putin, wife Ludmila Putina and George H. W. Bush.
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Vladimir Putin and his wife laying flowers on the grave.
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Grave before installing the tombstone.
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Vladimir Putin, Naina Yeltsina and Leonid Kuchma.
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Vladimir Putin delivers a speech.
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Yeltsin's tomb with Russian flag sculpture.
Legacies
On April 8, 2008 in Yekaterinburg, where Boris Yeltsin had lived and worked, January 9 Street was renamed "Boris Yeltsin Street".
On April 23, 2008 a grand opening ceremony at Novodevichy Cemetery was held for the monument to Boris Yeltsin, made by sculptor Georgy Frangulyan. The memorial is a broad headstone, made in the colors of the Russian flag – a white marble, blue Byzantine mosaics and red porphyry. On the pavement under the tricolor is an engraved Orthodox cross. The ceremony was attended by Yeltsin's family, including widow, Naina, Russian President Vladimir Putin, the president-elect Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov, Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Sergey Sobyanin, government members, friends, colleagues and others who worked with Yelstin.
On April 23, 2008 Ural State Technical University name was changed to include "Boris Yeltsin".[10]
On January 25, 2015 in Yekaterinburg the Boris Yeltsin Presidential Center opened.[11]
References
- ↑ "Yeltsin, the man who buried communism"
- ↑ Decree "On the declaration of mourning over the death of the first Russian President Boris Yeltsin and his funeral"
- ↑ It named the cause of the death of Boris Yeltsin.
- ↑ It named the official cause of death of Boris Yeltsin
- ↑ Yeltsin was hospitalized for 12 days before his death
- ↑ Doctors fought for Boris Yeltsin's life 12 days
- ↑ Yeltsin's heart stopped twice
- ↑ The first president could not stand the heart (Russian) (Eng. The first president's heart couldn't take it.
- ↑ At Yeltsin's funeral were about 25 thousand people
- ↑ Ural State Technical University was given the name of Boris Yeltsin
- ↑ Opening Yeltsin Center
