FILE PHOTO: The first Russian president Boris Yeltsin (L) stands with President Vladimir Putin
FILE PHOTO: The first Russian president Boris Yeltsin (L) stands with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia May 7, 2000. Putin became president on Sunday, vowing to unite the nation, repay people’s trust and take care of the country he inherited from Yeltsin in Russia’s first democratic handover of power. Itar Tass/File Photo