A Mixed Legacy: Russian leader was a key force in the collapse of the Soviet Union

(AP) - Former President Boris Yeltsin, who hastened the dismantling of the Soviet Union by scrambling atop a tank to rally opposition against a hard-line coup and later pushed Russia to embrace democracy and a market economy, died yesterday at age 76.

The first freely elected leader of Russia, Yeltsin was initially admired abroad for his defiance of the monolithic Communist system. But many Russians will remember him best for presiding over the steep decline of their nation.