it is likely that this and other incidents that occurred between NATO elements and Russia in the post-Cold War era fed into ...
Putin was named acting president on New Year's Eve in 1999, when predecessor Boris Yeltsin unexpectedly resigned and apologized for the country's post-Soviet turmoil in a speech that stunned Russians.
In 1999, then-president Boris Yeltsin dismissed his prime minister at the time, promoting former KGB officer Mr. Putin in his place.