From Yeltsin to Putin and Back

This remarkable memoir pulls back the curtain on Boris Yeltsin—the man behind the presidency — through the eyes of his former son-in-law, Alexey Dyachenko. Offering a rare perspective from inside Russia’s First Family, Dyachenko takes readers beyond politics and headlines, revealing the human side of a leader often obscured by myth and stereotype. With candour, warmth, and humour, he recounts both historic moments on the world stage and the private realities of life under relentless public scrutiny. From state visits and global encounters to family dinners and quiet reflections, the narrative explores themes of resilience, identity, and personal growth in the shadow of immense power. This is not a political memoir, but an intimate portrait of Boris Yeltsin as husband, father, and grandfather — told openly and honestly by someone who lived within the inner circle. For the first time, we glimpse the man as his family knew him: flawed, resilient, deeply human.

Alexey Dyachenko was born in 1963 in Moscow, USSR, to the renowned Soviet space rocket designer - Deputy Chief Designer of the Salyut Design Bureau, Yuri Dyachenko (father) and his wife Nina (mother). Alexey has a degree in Technology Engineering from the Moscow Aviation Technology Institute (MATI). He followed in his father’s footsteps and joined the Salyut Design Bureau (now the Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center). It was there that the engineer met Boris Yeltsin's daughter, Tatiana. In 1991, Dyachenko left DB Salyut and joined JV Interural, in Moscow, Russia. In 1992, Dyachenko trained as a stock exchange broker and corporate finance manager at Dresdner Bank in Frankfurt, Germany. Dyachenko then co-founded and became one of the main shareholders of an oil company, Urals Energy LLP. The company was subsequently listed and traded on the London Stock Exchange. Today, Alexey is an independent consultant to international companies on developing projects with CIS countries. In 1985, Alexey Dyachenko was skiing in Krylatskoye, Moscow, where he met his colleague, programmer, Tatiana Yeltsin. The couple worked together at the Salyut Design Bureau. Sadly, the rocket scientist lost his father to cancer that same year. In 1987, Yeltsin's daughter and Alexey married and began living under the same roof with his wife's parents. Alexey adopted Tatyana's son, Boris, from her first marriage. The pair welcomed their son, Gleb Dyachenko, in 1995 in Moscow, Russia. Unfortunately, Gleb was born with Down syndrome. Yeltsin's Head of Security, Alexander Korzhakov, is Gleb’s godfather. In February 2001, Alexey and Tatiana Dyachenko divorced. In 2002, Tatiana married journalist and politician Valentin Yumashev. Alexey also remarried and now lives in London with his second wife and their children.