replace boris yeltsin after putin's own 16 years of service as a kgb agent. >> not long ago ed a 20-minute conversation with boris yeltsin, who today ends his historic tenure. >> presidentacy elections have been announced, vladimir putin has been elected president of russia. >> putin deployed his own government background in relationships to actually get installed, which allowed him to then run for the results you just saw as a new incumbent with connected insiders, and forces behind putin who immediately used the power of official state tv to enhance his profile, aiming to win him more than 50% of the votes cast. as the times reported, that was before the 2000 election.