Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, has passed away at age 91
According to Russian state media, Gorbachev passed away after a protracted illness.
According to RIA Novosti on Tuesday, the Central Clinical Hospital confirmed Gorbachev’s death, saying, “Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev died this evening after a severe and prolonged illness,”
The man who is widely regarded as the architect of the Soviet Union’s political and economic reforms, which contributed to the eventual demise of the Cold War, had been ill for some time.
Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told RIA Novosti that Putin “expressed his condolences” for the loss.
According to RIA Novosti, Putin plans to send a message to Gorbachev’s loved ones on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, world leaders paid tribute to Gorbachev. US President Joe Biden referred to him as “a man of remarkable vision” in a statement.
President Joe Biden praised Gorbachev, saying, “As leader of the USSR, he worked with President Reagan to reduce our two countries’ nuclear arsenals, to the relief of people worldwide praying for an end to the nuclear arms race,” Gorbachev’s reforms also resulted in “a safer world and greater freedom for millions of people.”
The European Commission’s President, Ursula von der Leyen, recently tweeted that Gorbachev’s role in ending the Cold War was “historic.” “opened the way for a free Europe. This legacy is one we will not forget.”
Gorbachev was the first Soviet leader to be anything but a distant, chilly figure, thanks to his outgoing, charming personality. From early on in his tenure as leader, he pushed for far-reaching changes to make the system fairer and more equitable. Thus, “glasnost” (openness) and “perestroika” (restructuring) were the two most important words of the Gorbachev era (restructuring).
“I began these reforms and my guiding stars were freedom and democracy, without bloodshed. So the people would cease to be a herd led by a shepherd. They would become citizens,” Eventually, he explained.
The Gorbachev Foundation confirmed to RIA Novosti that he will be laid to rest at Moscow’s Novodevichy Cemetery next to his wife.