Lack of Efficacy of Nitroglycerin Treatment in Boris Yeltsin

🏥 Boris Yeltsin’s health became a significant concern for the Russian Federation, particularly from 1994 onward. He suffered from ischemic heart disease accompanied by angina pectoris and was also frequently afflicted by pain in the lumbar region of his spine. Nitroglycerin, which he used to alleviate his cardiac symptoms, ceased to be sufficiently effective. As a result, Yeltsin increasingly relied on analgesics and alcohol.

Several incidents related to Yeltsin’s behavior related with alcohol attracted international attention. At Shannon Airport in Ireland, Yeltsin failed to disembark from his aircraft despite the entire Irish government waiting to greet him at the foot of the stairs. Contemporary media reports claimed that he had fallen into a drunken sleep after consuming alcohol during the flight home from a summit meeting with U.S. President Clinton. Yeltsin later maintained that he had been asleep and that his aides had chosen not to wake him.

💔 According to some Kremlin observers, however, the reality may have been different. They suggested that Yeltsin had suffered a severe myocardial infarction at the time and that the Russian leadership considered it preferable for rumors of drunkenness to circulate rather than disclose information that might have signaled an impending change in the country’s leadership.