The funeral of Boris Yeltsin was held today at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow. The former Russian President died on Monday of heart failure and had been lying in state in the cathedral. Hundreds of mourners gathered at the cathedral to pay off their final respects to the man who broke down the Soviet Union. Among the mourners was the last Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, his widow Naina and his daughter Tatiana.
The atmosphere inside the Church was heavy. Strong smells of incense and the sound of Orthodox priests sang hymns filled the room. Many mourners hugged Yeltsin's widow and songs were chanted over his body asking for God's mercies. There were a few high profile foreigners present, former US Presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush Sr, also former British Prime Minister John Major.
Throughout the night, mourners filed past the coffin paying tribute to the man who finally led Russia away from communism. Despite the obvious grieving, many derrogatory assesments of his legacy have surfaced in the face of his death. Many people claim him to have handed over the state assets to small governments and denting the country's reputation through drunken buffoonery.
Marina Shetakova, a student, told us; "My mum thought Yeltsin was great because he gave us democracy. My dad hates him because he thinks he ruined a great country..." Perhaps now that the former President has been burried, many may now be left to mourn him in peace without having to defend his legacy.