After the fall of the soviet union in 1991, the popular political leader (boris yeltsin, mikhail gorbachev, or helmut khol) went on to become the president of (romania, russia, or poland)

Answer 1: Boris Yeltsin

Answer 2: Russia

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991, by the declaration of the independence of the different soviet republics, its last president, Mikhail Gorbachev, resigned. Meanwhile, Boris Yeltsin who started in politics as a supporter of Gorbachev had turned to be, during the previous years,  one of the main detractors of his perestroika policies. He was regarded as a rebel and an anti-establishment personality and this image increased sharply his popularity.

Boris Yeltsin became the first president of the Russian Federation from 1991 to 1999, after being elected by popular vote.