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International - August 31, 2022

Mikhail Gorbachev: Last Soviet leader dies aged 91

Mikhail Gorbachev: Last Soviet leader dies aged 91

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Mikhail Gorbachev, the former Soviet leader who delivered the Cold War to a peaceable end, has died aged 91.

Mr Gorbachev took power in 1985 and added reforms, as well as opening up the Soviet Union to the world.

But he was once unable to stop the gradual give way of the union, and many Russians blamed him for the years of turmoil that ensued.

Outside Russia, he was once extensively respected, with the UN chief saying he had “changed the direction of history”.

“Mikhail Gorbachev used to be a one-of-a variety statesman,” UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said. “The world has misplaced a towering world leader, committed multilateralist, and tireless advocate for peace.”

The hospital in Moscow the place he died said he had been struggling from a lengthy and serious illness.

In recent years, his health had been in decline and he had been in and out of hospital. In June, global media suggested that he had been admitted after suffering from a kidney ailment, although his reason of dying has now not been announced.

He will be buried in Moscow’s Novodevichy cemetery, the resting location of many prominent Russians. It is no longer clear whether he will acquire a kingdom funeral.

Reports have counseled he had a strained relationship with President Vladimir Putin, who has expressed his deepest condolences, according to his spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Mr Gorbachev used to be stated to have been sad with Mr Putin’s choice to invade Ukraine, even although he had supported the annexation of Crimea in 2014.

In his tribute, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he admired Mr Gorbachev’s courage and integrity, adding: “In a time of Putin’s aggression in Ukraine, his tireless dedication to opening up Soviet society stays an example to us all.”

US President Joe Biden referred to as him a “rare leader” and praised Mr Gorbachev as a unique politician who had the “imagination to see that a different future was possible” amid the tensions of the Cold War.

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