Mr Yeltsin, 76, died yesterday as result of sudden heart failure. He had a history of heart problems and was known as a heavy drinker but had appeared in better health since leaving the Kremlin.

Authorities in the country have confirmed that the politician will lie in state in the Church of Christ the Saviour near the Kremlin, a church destroyed by the Communists but rebuilt by Mr Yeltsin.

His successor Vladimir Putin has also expressed a message of condolence to the family of the former president and praised the politician. Mr Putin said that "a whole new epoch was born" when Mr Yeltsin began his presidency in 1991.

He ruled the country during a time of major upheaval after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the regime of its last leader Mikhail Gorbachev, having been elected Russian president on June 12th 1991.

Numerous states gained independence from Moscow during his period in power and Mr Yeltsin oversaw a period of major, and sometimes harsh, economic reform, as well as continued conflict in Chechnya, a war started during his rule.

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