In a stunning New Year's Eve shocker, Boris Yeltsin, the larger-than-life leader who piloted Russia out of communism, abruptly surrendered the reins of power, catapulting his trusted protégé, Vladimir Putin, into the presidency. The ailing 68-year-old Yeltsin, whose health had been in free fall, penned a farewell address to the nation, expressing gratitude for the trust placed in him and apologizing for any mistakes. As the clock struck midnight, Putin, the 47-year-old former KGB officer, assumed the role of acting president, inheriting a nation in turmoil and a presidency still reeling from the Soviet collapse.