Gorbachev Funeral Snubbed By Putin

September 3, 2022 4:36 am

MOSCOW (AP) — Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who launched dramatic reforms that helped end the Cold War and precipitated the breakup of the Soviet Union, is set to be buried in a relatively low-key ceremony snubbed by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin’s refusal to declare a state funeral reflects its uneasiness about the legacy of Gorbachev, who has been venerated worldwide for bringing down the Iron Curtain but reviled by many at home for the Soviet collapse and the economic meltdown that plunged millions into poverty. On Thursday, Putin privately laid flowers at Gorbachev’s coffin at a Moscow hospital where he died. The Kremlin said the president’s busy schedule would prevent him from attending the funeral.