Boris Yeltsin’s death yielded reactions of many political figures. While Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Tony Blair said he was "very saddened" to hear of the death of a “remarkable man”, President of the United States of America George W. Bush praised Mr. Yeltsin for helping to “lay the foundations of freedom in Russia”. As of Tuesday afternoon, Maltese authorities released no official statement concerning the former leader’s death.  It was also not clear whether Malta would be represented at the state funeral on Wednesday.

Another statement about Mr. Yeltsin’s death was issued by Former United Kingdom Prime Minister Sir John Major who also spoke of Mr Yeltsin's role in democratising Russia.  

United Kindgom’s Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague also commented, saying that Mr Yeltsin would always be associated with the creation of democracy in Russia and would be remembered as the man who led his country through a "turbulent transformation in far calmer fashion than many had feared."  

Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, remembered Mr. Yeltsin for "major deeds for the good of the country, as well as serious mistakes".  

Mr. Yeltsin’s funeral will be held on Wednesday, a day of national mourning declared by present President Vladimir Putin. The former US Presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush Senior will be among a host of world leaders expected to attend the funeral in Moscow, the Kremlin announced this morning. 

Mr. Yeltsin’s eight-year-long term in Russia was marked by notable successes as well as resounding shortcomings. Mr. Yeltsin strived to ensure that his country would never return to the stifling authoritarianism of Soviet communism and famously stood on a tank to show his opposition to the attempted coup mounted by Soviet hardliners in the dying days of communism in 1991.  

However, he also presided over what BBC News termed as a “disastrous military campaign” to crush Chechnya's drive for independence. Mr. Yeltsin was also in power when some entrepreneurs amassed fortunes from the sale of state property under questionable circumstances, breeding resentment among an ordinary population fighting financial hardship. The Former Russian President was also often mocked for his heavy drinking and erratic behaviour.  

Mr. Yeltsin also served his country while the Malta Shipbuilding awaited payment for a number of timber carriers it constructed on behalf of the Soviet Union in the 1980s. Until May 2006, Malta was still to be paid for the service rendered. He was not a major political figure in Malta, perhaps because he never officially visited the country.

On Tuesday hundreds of people have flocked to Moscow's where Mr. Yeltsin is lying in state.

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Russia to settle debts with all foreign countries in 2006 - May 30, 2006, 13:24 CET