Excerpts below; full story at:

http://newsmax.com/articles/?a=1999/12/31/95835

Analysis by Russian Defector: Y2K Bug Forced Yeltsin Out

NewsMax.com

December 31, 1999

Colonel Stanislav Lunev, the highest-ranking military spy to ever defect from Russia, writes an exclusive column for NewsMax.com on Russia, military/espionage matters and foreign policy.

Col. Lunev offered his immediate analysis of the breaking news story that President Yeltsin had resigned effective today, handing the Russian presidency to his Prime Minister, Vladmir Putin.

Here are Col. Lunev's Key Points:

Y2K Bug: Last week, key members of Yelstin's inner circle - his family, money backers and political entourage - had a meeting. During the meeting, these members, referred to in mafia language as Yeltsin's "family," were, no doubt, informed about the disaster the Y2K computer problem may hold for Russia.

The family knows that Yeltsin is out of his mind, and has little support in the Russian military. There are fears and concerns of an accidental nuclear war. This is why the U.S. and Russia have sent top-level officers to each others military and nuclear command posts. The family knows that Yeltsin would be unable to handle a crisis involving nuclear weapons and that he would have to be removed, or risk removal by the Russian military.

There will be economic and social disruptions because of Y2K. Yeltsin's family has gotten something of a victory in the Parliamentary elections, and they feel Yeltsin needs to exit before Y2K erupts. Otherwise he risks the wrath and blame of the Russian people if disaster strikes.

-- hiding in plain (sight@edge of.nowhere), January 01, 2000

Answers

Very moving resignation speech.....

Friday, December 31 9:29 PM SGT

Full text of Boris Yeltsin's resignation speech

MOSCOW, Dec 31 (AFP) -

Here is the verbatim text of Russian President Boris Yeltsin's televised speech announcing his resignation as head of state and replacement by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin until elections next March.

"Dear Russians.

Little time remains before a magical date in our history. The year 2000 is upon us. The new century. The new millennium. We have all measured ourselves against this date. We calculated, first during our childhood, then as adults: How old would we be in the year 2000? How old would our mother be? Our children? At the time it seemed an eternity away, this extraordinary New Year.

Now this day has arrived, here it is.

Dear friends. My dears. Today I am addressing you my New Year greetings for the last time. But that is not all. Today I am addressing you for the last time as president. I have taken a decision.

I have thought about it for a long time, and with great pain. Today, the last day of the outgoing century, I am resigning.

I have heard several times that Yeltsin would cling to power by any means, and that I would hand over to nobody. That's all lies. That is not the problem.

I have always said that I would not depart from the constitution a single inch and that legislative elections would take place as planned.

That has happened. I wanted the presidential election to take place as planned also, in June 2000. It was very important for Russia.

We could create a precedent, the civilised and voluntary transfer of power from one Russian president to another, newly elected. But I took a different decision.

I am going. I am going before my time. I understood it was necessary for me to do this. Russia must enter the new millennium with new politicians, new forces, intelligent, strong, energetic people. Now, those of us who have been in power for many years must go.

After having witnessed with what hope and faith people voted in the Duma elections for a young generation of politicians, I understood that I had accomplished the main task of my life: Russia will never return to the past. Russia from now on will only move forward.

And I must not get in the way of the natural course of history. To hang onto power for another six months, when the country has a strong man, worthy of being president, and on whose shoulders almost every Russian places his and her hopes for the future? Why should I get in his way? What is the point of waiting another six months? No. That is not my way. Not my character at all.

Today, on this extraordinarily important day for me, I want to say some more words of a more personal nature than usual for me.

I want to ask your forgiveness.

For the fact that many of our hopes did not materialise. For things which to us seemed simple but turned out arduous. I want to ask forgiveness for the fact that I was not able to justify the hopes of some people who believed that we would be able to move forward in one swoop from a grey totalitarian and stagnant past to a bright, rich and civilised future.

I believed it myself. But it did not work out like that. In some way I was too naive. Problems turned out to be too complicated. We moved forward precariously, making mistakes and experiencing setbacks. Many people in this difficult period suffered major shocks.

I want you to know, I never said this before: today it is important that I tell you. I felt the pain of each one of you as my own, in my heart. Sleepless nights, torments: what could I do to make life easier and better for people, even if just a tiny bit? It was my principal task.

I am going. I did all I could. And it is not because of my health, but for a whole variety of reasons. I have been replaced by a new generation. A generation which can do more, do it better. In accordance with the constitution, in resigning, I have signed a decree charging the head of the government, Vladimir Putin, to take over my duties. For the next three months, in line with the constitution, he will be head of state. And at the end of those three months presidential elections will be held.

I have never doubted the extraordinary wisdom of the Russians. It is for this reason that I do not doubt what choice you will make at the end of March 2000.

In bidding my farewell to you, I want to say to each and every one of you: be happy. You deserve to be happy. To be happy and live in peace.

Happy New Year. Happy New Century, my dears.

-- INever (inevercheckmy@onebox.com), January 01, 2000.

Thanks ThunderLight, you just confirmed what I had suspected. After he shot his mouth off at Clinton a few weeks ago, they could see that he has pickled his brain in Vodka, and is too far gone to be trusted to give orders. If any glitches had popped up and he decided to launch, his military leaders would have to shoot him, and they of course wanted to avoid that scenario.

Wishing you peace in the New Year,

Hawk :-)

-- Hawk (flyin@high.again), January 01, 2000.

Thanks for the insight. It was driving me nuts trying to figure it out.

-- Moore dinty Moore (dac@ccrtc.com), January 01, 2000.