worldUpdated: Dec 31, 2019 08:43 ISTBritain was so concerned by Russian President Boris Yeltsin’s heart attacks and drinking in 1995 that contingency plans were drawn up in case he died in office, declassified files showed on Tuesday. After Yeltsin suffered a second heart attack, the Foreign Office drafted statements of condolence, fearing for his health amid the boozing, according to documents released from Britain’s National Archives. He was rushed to hospital in Moscow with heart trouble on October 26, for the second time in under four months. A cable the same day from ambassador Andrew Wood in Moscow on Yeltsin’s medical condition reported on his drinking in New York. “We have therefore given some thought to contingency plans should President Yeltsin die in office.” The likely arrangements for Britain’s funeral delegation were outlined, including draft messages to be issued to the media, Yeltsin’s wife and the acting president.

Source: Hindustan Times December 31, 2019 03:09 UTC