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Russia's Medvedev unveils Boris Yeltsin statue

For the first time since the Soviet era, a statue has been erected to a Russian political leader. The monument in Yekaterinburg, Boris Yeltsin's home city, is the centrepiece of the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of his birth.

Until recently, state-owned channels had been emphasising the out-of-control criminality associated with the Yeltsin years, but this week his official reputation appears to have been re-evaluated with the broadcast of stirring TV documentaries.

The extent of the rehabilitation is best illustrated by the appearance of President Dmitry Medvedev himself at the unveiling of the statue. It is an intriguing development given the Russian political tradition of denouncing one's predecessors.

Naina Yeltsina says she is glad that her husband's memory is being treated with more respect.

"Looking back now, it might seem as if all the problems should have been easier to solve," she told the BBC....
Read entire article at BBC News