Was Yeltsin's presidency chaotic?
Chaos? Russia was a mess when I took over! The Soviet empire had collapsed, leaving a vacuum. Of course, the transition was difficult. There were economic hardships, and political disagreements. But let us not confuse the challenges of building a free society with the inherent flaws of the system I inherited. My critics, often those who profited from the old ways or dreamt of restoring the past, would love to paint my tenure as pure disaster. They forget the crushing weight of what we overcame. My diaries, 'Midnight Diaries,' show the immense pressure.
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