Television viewers got a rare look into the home life of President Boris Yeltsin on Saturday as he mobilized his entire family to remind Russians how far they've come - and warn that food shortages and other woes could return if he is not re-elected on June 16.
The hourlong program "Top Secret" included an interview with the Yeltsins as they sat around the family table. The Russian president was shown playing tennis with his teenage grandson, Boris, who confessed to having a "serious" girlfriend.It was a rare public appearance for the younger Boris and Yeltsin's daughters, Tatyana and Yelena, although his wife, Naina, has played an increasingly visible role in the campaign.
Naina Yeltsin appeals to Russians with her pleasant, down-to-earth style - unlike her predecessor, Raisa Gorbachev, who was seen by Russians as flashy and arrogant.
The first lady was shown pouring tea, serving cabbage pie and giving her favorite recipe for chocolate cake.
Interviews and films of the family were interspersed with footage of Russian life and events before the Soviet Union collapsed: There were clips of people running to get in line to buy sausage, of tanks rolling through Moscow during the August 1991 hard-line coup attempt and pictures of three pro-democracy activists who were killed.
"My children and grandchildren suffered a lot," Naina Yeltsin said. "God forbid it ever happens again."
Her remarks fit in with the tactics of Yeltsin's campaign team, which has tried to scare voters away from the Communists by recalling Soviet-era food shortages and ration coupons, and warning that civil war could break out if the Communists regain the Kremlin.
In an appeal to key Communist supporters, Naina Yeltsin said she had met with many people who rely on pensions, which have sharply lost value under free-market reforms.
"Yes, it is difficult to live with the pensions they have, but nobody wants to go back to the past," she said.
She only hopes her children and grandchildren don't go into politics.
"It is very difficult profession, a difficult job and a difficult burden," she said. "I would not wish this on my children or grandchildren."