Yeltsin's Resignation Speech with English Subtitles

Excerpts from Yeltsin's Dec 31 1999 resignation speech.

[daanmollema]

Say what you want about Yeltsin, this was sincere. And for his honest and true apology, he deserves respect for acknowledging his mistakes.

[KomradeCPU]

I think he said it from the bottom of his heart, at that moment.

[bioskoparhivvioktobar]

Спасибо! Я надеюсь, что мы это заслужили.

[HunterShows]

And that's how Putin became ruler of Russia December 31, 1999.

[KoeSeer]

i remember this speech when I was 10. it was new year's eve and he appeared on TV during new years eve party and everyone, including the new years party host thought he was just saying some usual "happy new year" (we are not a russian speaking country, nor a slavic country, so nobody knows what he was saying).

it was some years later I realized I witness a historical event.

[Alex]

You know, Yeltsin is a decent person, not unfeeling as some might suggest. But, as he said, many mistakes and miscalculations were made, critical mistakes and miscalculations, the kind that a leader cannot afford to make. In the end, he recognised that the task of leading Russia through the transition was just beyond his ability and apologised for his failings. Deep respect to the big man with the courage to do that in front of his fellow countrymen.

[pitoblogg]

Never have I ever seen a politician regardless of nationality take responsibility and ask for forgiveness. God rest his soul.

[ArtsakhUnionUAAR]

He sounds exactly like Leonid Brezhnev.

[senhordoutorprofessormestr]

É até emocionante ouvir a despedida de um velho bêbado que sabe que, estando onde está, mais atrapalha que ajuda...

[polayrisletuchiy]

Ельцин это единственный глава государства, который перед уходом искренне просил прощения за свои поступки( хотя возможно проблема в том что большинство из них просто умерли до отставки)

[algraham]

Wouldn't it be wonderful if our leaders here in Britain had the honesty to make a speech like that?  Instead we have the usual pathetic self-serving, self-justifying cant that goes for political discourse.

[chiron]

If only he had realized his mistakes as early as 1991, Russians would not have suffered in the 90s. Besides, Tens of millions of people in countries that depended on a strong Russia would not have suffered at the hands of the west.

[puppiesarepower]

I remember seeing this during the world millennial party.

[prismaticc_abyss]

A sincere apology from a politician? Impossible

[riotriguez]

He's apologizing not for selling the soviet economic power to the West for bargain prices and dropping the life expectancy by nearly a decade, he's apologizing for it not working when it would have never worked, but Im sure he's looking up and us and also regretting having done it now.

[aboveboard]

For all his faults, we have him to thank for the appointment of Vladimir Putin who went on to transform the country and is know spearheading the move to a multi polar world!

[linz]

He was a honest politician who was dare to addressed challenges seriously, may Russian to develop new space projects as galactic civilization, never fall and never joins the conflicts to waste time.

[thomasthezaugg]

For me this kind of helps illustraites the genius, patriotism and work ethic of Putin. There must have come a point where Yelstin realized that Putin could run the country better and out of recognition of his own limitations, resigned. From what I understand Russia is doing much better than it was at the time of this speech.

[merlinecacebes]

Humble, A man with Principles.! He made the right decision to choose Mr. PRIME Minister Putin!

[alexandersantala]

True leaders words. Be happy, you have right and you deserve to be happy. He said it from heart, otherwise it would be much more plain.