Transferring control of a new regime from the leader who founded it to a successor is a critical political moment, for it shows whether the regime is personal, ending when its leader leaves the scene, as in Franco Spain, or whether it has continuity independent of its founder, for example the People's Republic of China. As Boris Yeltsin's second term moved toward its close, the critical issue was whether his successor would be the second president of the Russian Federation or the first head of a new regime. Boris Yeltsin's reliance on vlast made it uncertain how the transfer of power would occur.

President Yeltsin surrounded himself with a Family of loyal supporters who had as much at stake as he had, for when he left office their access to political power would expire. Its members tended to be people who in an earlier era would have sought to be close to the tsar. A family of close personal advisors is familiar in other countries, for example Tony's cronies in Blair's Downing Street or the Kennedy clan in the White House. However, in modern states personal favouritism is constrained by strong laws and norms missing in the Russian Federation.

Inside the Kremlin, President Yeltsin had a changing set of favourites, some valued for their political or technical expertise, others as companions on the tennis court or in drinking sessions, and some because their loyalty was unquestionable, such as Boris Yeltsin's younger daughter, Tatyana Dyachenko, a campaign consultant in 1996 and appointed to the Kremlin post of media consultant the following year.