Zakharova recalled Russians' reaction to Yeltsin's departure

Some Russians did not believe at first that Boris Yeltsin had announced his resignation as president on December 31, 1999, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

"I call, I try to connect with my father, somehow they connect me. I tell him, and he answers me: "Is everything OK with you? Do you realize what you are saying right now?" <...> I say, "Dad, I saw it on TV. We've all seen it on TV. We checked, it's for sure," Zakharova said on January 1 on the air of Sputnik radio.

According to the diplomat, after that her father called Russian Ambassador to China Igor Rogachev, who also did not believe what he had heard.

Ordinary citizens then also doubted the truthfulness of the information and discussed it in public transportation, Zakharova recalled. She pointed out that in those years news could be learned only from the next television broadcast.

The day before, Yeltsin's photo correspondent Yuri Feklistov said that the preparation of the former head of state's television address on resignation was conducted in a secret atmosphere to avoid leaks. According to the journalist, Yeltsin's decision stunned him at the time.

Yeltsin was president of the Russian Federation from 1991 to 1999. On December 31, 1999, he announced his decision to resign in a televised address. Vladimir Putin became acting president of the country, and in March 2000 he was elected president in early elections. Yeltsin died on April 23, 2007.