Yeltsin 'had thirst for power' - Yeltsin

Mikhail Gorbachev, the former leader of the Soviet Union, tonight marked a decade since the demise of the USSR by launching a stinging attack on his successor, Boris Yeltsin.

In a BBC interview being broadcast on the World Service programme The World Today, he called the former Russian president a ‘‘liar’’ who had helped to destroy the superpower.

Gorbachev, who resigned as Soviet leader 10 years ago today, said: ‘‘We wanted to reform the USSR, turn it into a union of sovereign states. But Russia had other plans.

‘‘It wanted to destroy the union, it thought independence would make it rich. Instead, the collapse of the USSR brought widespread poverty.’’

Asked if his opinion of Yeltsin, who became president of Russia after the USSR was disbanded, had changed in 10 years, he said: ‘‘Yeltsin is a strange man, full of tricks, and he’s a liar, you just can’t trust him.

‘‘He always said he was against the idea of privileges, but Russian tsars didn’t have the kind of privileges that Yeltsin had. He also has a thirst for power.’’

But the man famous for his policy of ‘‘perestroika’’, which opened up the USSR to the world, was full of praise for the current Russian leader, Vladimir Putin.

‘‘Putin is clearly a talented and mature politician - he’s cautious, and he knows how to listen,’’ he said.

‘‘He’s helped bring stability and order to this country. I believe Putin’s domestic policies do benefit the majority of Russians.

‘‘Sometimes he and I get together to discuss different issues, like reforms of education and health. I’ve even had a special hotline installed which lets me call the Kremlin.’’

Gorbachev, who has always been a popular figure in the West, but less so in his own country, said he is now receiving better treatment in Russia.

‘‘As soon as Yeltsin left office, people started treating me better. The trouble was that Yeltsin tried to control me completely.’’

And he added: ‘‘They tried to isolate me. But they didn’t manage to put me on my knees.’’