Publication

The transition from the presidency of Vladimir Putin to that of Dmitry Medvedev in 2008 proceeded extremely smoothly. Although the transition from Boris Yeltsin to Putin in December 1999 also proceeded with an equivalent degree of tranquillity, there had been considerable concern throughout 1999 that the post-Yeltsin succession could take place in an extremely destabilising fashion. There had been an attempt to impeach Yeltsin in 1999, and his popularity at the end of his final presidential term was extremely low.