November 29, 1999
Web posted at: 12:08 p.m. EST (1708 GMT)

MOSCOW -- Russian President Boris Yeltsin was taken to the hospital Monday with suspected pneumonia, just days after falling ill with what doctors described as bronchitis, the Kremlin said.

The president, 68, was taken to the Central Clinical Hospital in Moscow for examination and treatment. Doctors had examined him earlier Monday at his country home and decided to hospitalize him.

Yeltsin had been resting at the country residence outside Moscow after being diagnosed last Thursday with bronchitis. Doctors had said that his condition was not serious and he needed to rest, but his condition apparently deteriorated, forcing his hospitalization Monday.

The Kremlin said the president would be hospitalized for about a week, according to the Interfax news agency.

Yeltsin has been hospitalized several times in the past three years, usually with respiratory infections, including for pneumonia on two earlier occasions. Russian officials tend to hospitalize the ailing president at the first sign of illness.

AUDIO CNN's Matthew Chance describes Yeltsin's current situation 385 K/35 sec. AIFF or WAV sound CNN's Matthew Chance gives an overview of Yeltsin's health since his last election 454 K/40 sec. AIFF or WAV sound     ALSO West increases pressure on Russia to halt Chechen war     MESSAGE BOARD Russia's future

Earlier Monday the president summoned his chief of staff to his country residence for discussions.

Russia's NTV television showed footage Monday of Yeltsin and Chief of Staff Alexander Voloshin sitting in chairs across a small table. The tape showed the president, dressed in a dark sweater, speaking emphatically to Voloshin, who nodded in agreement. The clip did not include Yeltsin's voice.

It was the first footage of Yeltsin shown to the public since he fell ill last week. The Kremlin, which released the footage, did not give details of Yeltsin's conversation with Voloshin.

Yeltsin underwent quintuple bypass heart surgery in November 1996 and has been sidelined repeatedly by other illnesses, including respiratory infections and a bleeding ulcer. The president was hospitalized briefly last month with the flu and a fever.

Even when he is healthy, Yeltsin spends most of his time in his residence, rarely putting in a full week at his Kremlin office. Still, the president has insisted he is strong enough to serve the remainder of his term, which runs through mid- 2000.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.