MOSCOW -- Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin has died aged 76, the Kremlin said on Monday.
Here are some key facts about him:
The white-haired former construction boss from the Urals captivated the world in 1991 by defying communist hardliners from atop a tank to thwart their coup.
He then presided over the demise of Soviet communism to become Russia's first democratically elected leader, taking over from Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev.
The 1994-96 war he began against rebels in Chechnya, resulting in the death of tens of thousands and the humiliation of Russia's once mighty army, cast a grim shadow over his record.
There was a darker side to his complicated personality and in his last years in power he seemed an erratic figure, isolated in the Kremlin and prone to depression. His latter years in power appeared to be clouded by the effect of drink.
Yeltsin never lost his ability to surprise. His resignation on December 31, 1999, accompanied by an apology for his mistakes made in office, stunned Russia and the world. He oversaw a peaceful transfer of power to protege, Vladimir Putin.
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