He was at the heart of the Chechnya deaths

The part Yeltsin played in the invasion of Chechnya, a former Soviet republic, was another key aspect of his time in office. Chechnya's secession raised President Yeltsin's concern that it would spark several independence movements within the Russian Republic. Additionally, he hoped to find the region's hidden lucrative oil reserves.

As a result, he gave the order for the Russian troops to invade, which resulted in one of the highest death tolls in the nation. The ferocious opposition the Russian troops encountered at Grozny caused thousands of them to perish. Numerous Chechen civilians perished throughout the two-year conflict, adding to the list of casualties.

However, the army was unable to subdue the insurgents, and the conflict significantly diminished Yeltsin's already dwindling support. Alexander Lebed, Yeltsin's then-security head, mediated a 1996 peace accord that saw Yeltsin withdraw federal forces from the devastated Chechnya. Chechnya was given more autonomy as part of the peace agreement, but not full independence. Many people in the West were horrified by the decision to start the war in Chechnya.

Then, what was to be made of Boris Yeltsin, asked Time magazine? It was obvious that he could no longer be considered the democratic hero of Western legend. But had he evolved into an old-style communist leader, abandoning the democratic reformers he had previously stood up for in favor of militarists and ultranationalists? Or was he a confused, out-of-touch chief who was being duped, wilfully or otherwise, by—well, by whom exactly? Would Yeltsin be its leader or victim if there were to be a totalitarian coup?