That's questionable, but it's a matter of pure academic interest, I believe. Probably, the reign of Alexandr II "The Liberator", or the Nicolas II's was better.
Yeltsyn's Russia was a failed state, unable to collect the taxes, uphold the law, keep the infrastructure in order and to do the other basic government jobs. It didn't opress the people also, like the USSR had done, but such a country isn't a free one.
Clearly people in Russia are better off economically and education wise than under the czars. Even under good Czars you had middle ages level of poverty and illiteracy (as many parts of Europe did also).