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Yeltsin played a controversial role in the history of the former Soviet Union and Russia. Under his leadership, the collapse of the former Soviet Union was accelerated, and a group of powerful oligarchs was nourished and strengthened during his time in Russia.
When he leaves office, his successor, Putin, is left with a series of unresolved issues. In the eyes of many Russians, handing over power to Putin may be the wisest decision of his life. Despite being criticized by those who loved the Soviet Union, Russia's former leader, Boris Yeltsin, was hailed as a key figure in the modernization of China's military power. So what did Yeltsin contribute to China?
In the 90s, although China's economic strength has improved significantly, the overall strength of the whole country has also gradually improved. However, in the field of military technology, we are facing a shortage of professional scientific and technological personnel, and many key technologies are still in the hands of the United States, making it difficult for our scientific research team to make breakthroughs. In the face of this challenge, the mainland is aware of the need to increase investment in the field of military science and technology, especially in personnel training and technological innovation. However, the appearance of Yeltsin helped the mainland a lot!
Yeltsin's deeds
The first half of Yeltsin's life was uneventful, after all, his family conditions were average, and his parents worked outside the home all the year round, hoping to support his family with hard-working hands and provide for Yeltsin's education. Relying on his indomitable will and deep love for his country, Yeltsin gradually climbed the political ladder. From the secretary of the state party committee of the Ural region, to the top leadership of the Soviet Union, to becoming the first president of the Russian Federation, his life was full of twists and controversies.
In 1991, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Yeltsin became the first president of the Russian Federation, and in that chaotic era, he tried to introduce reforms of democracy and a market economy, but the pain and difficulties of the transition exceeded many expectations. The economy is in disarray, people's living standards are declining, and instability and corruption are everywhere. Yeltsin's health also began to be challenged, his leadership and decision-making were questioned, and his political career came to an end in 1999.
"I ask forgiveness for failing to fulfill my promises, for failing to bring Russia a bright future. ”
When he made that speech to the people of the whole country on television, his eyes were full of exhaustion and helplessness. He realized that, despite his good intentions, the results did not meet expectations, and the Russian people were still in a difficult situation.
The crisis of the collapse of the Soviet Union
At the end of the 80s of the 20th century, the former Soviet Union was suffering from deep social conflicts, especially economic problems. Since then, Yeltsin has frequently expressed his inclination towards the Western world, believing that the capitalist system of the West can quickly help the former Soviet Union out of its predicament. Considering the circumstances at the time, it was clear that the lifting of the economic blockade of the former Soviet Union by the United States would significantly reduce the economic burden on the latter. As a result, Yeltsin spared no effort to flatter the West, especially its relations with the United States, which eventually promised that if Yeltsin could facilitate the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States would unite with other capitalist countries to provide economic support. Obviously, Yeltsin was deeply moved by this promise.
So, in 1991, Yeltsin took a series of radical steps, including support for the declaration of sovereignty of the Russian Federation and a revolt against the conservatives of the CPSU in Moscow. These initiatives eventually led to the collapse of the Soviet Union and marked the end of the Cold War era. Yeltsin became the first president of the Russian Federation, and he immediately embarked on a series of reforms aimed at transforming into a market economy. These reforms, often referred to as "shock therapy," were intended to quickly break free from the shackles of a planned economic system. However, the side effects of these therapies soon became apparent, and the Russian economy fell into chaos, with inflation and unemployment soaring, and the standard of living of the population plummeting.
When the Soviet Union collapsed, it left behind a large number of military assets, mainly weapons and equipment. Most of this equipment went into Russian control, while Ukraine received a portion. After Yeltsin's unsuccessful attempts to revive the Russian economy through shock therapy, he quickly turned his attention to the arms market.
Yeltsin sought cooperation with the mainland
On the global stage, the USSR failed to receive real assistance, and Yeltsin was even considered a laughing stock.
In the face of international insults, Yeltsin made the difficult decision to start selling his country's advanced weapons at low prices, with the aim of using the funds to improve the living standards of the domestic population. At that time, the military equipment of the Soviet Union could be described as the best in the world. Coinciding with the fact that the mainland was seeking to modernize military technology and was eager for high-end equipment, Yeltsin quickly identified potential opportunities for cooperation with the mainland. Therefore, the two countries quickly reached a consensus and carried out mutually beneficial cooperation.
Yeltsin's contribution to the mainland
In view of the demands of domestic economic growth and the global environment of good relations between China and Russia, Yeltsin made his first official visit to China as head of Russia in 1992. This time, he did not come empty-handed, but carried more than 20 key military equipment contracts. These contracts fully took into account the interests of China and Russia, and the two governments quickly reached a consensus on cooperation.
Under Yeltsin's initiative, the "934 Key National Project" was officially launched. The "934 Key National Project" involves not only advanced weapons research and development, but also military intelligence sharing, strategic resource development, and future scientific and technological research. The purpose of all this is to provide more solid security guarantees for both sides in an increasingly complex international environment. With the gradual progress of the project, the cooperation between the two countries in the fields of science and technology and military has become closer and closer. The two countries have jointly developed a new stealth fighter, and at the same time, the two sides have made amazing progress in areas such as artificial intelligence, quantum communications and space exploration.
At that time, Yeltsin was also very generous, not only providing the Su-30 fighters that Russia was developing at that time, such as Tornado rocket launchers, BMP3 combat vehicle turrets, etc., which were sold at low prices, and the design drawings were also included. In addition, high-end weapons, including thermobaric bombs and laser-guided bombs, are also sold at a discount. At the same time, he also sold four cutting-edge destroyers to the mainland at one time, which are equipped with advanced weapons systems such as supersonic anti-ship missiles, and sell them as a package.
In terms of fighters, Russia's technological influence in the field of fighter jets on the mainland today is still significant. At present, the J-16 fighter is still one of the core forces of the continental air force. During the design and development of this fighter, it was deeply inspired by the Su-30 fighter, and many key performance indicators and technical details were borrowed from the Su-30.
This kind of technological borrowing greatly saved the mainland's investment and time in research and development, and the mainland's military capability made a leap forward at that time, at least 20 years forward. This is all due to Yeltsin's contribution to the mainland at that time.