Russians Bid Farewell to Gorbachev

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Russians said farewell to the last leader of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev on Saturday in a funeral with a no-show from President Vladimir Putin.

A public farewell ceremony for Gorbachev, who died this week at the age of 91, came to a close despite people still waiting their turn to pay their respects. It lasted around three-and-a-half hours.

The ceremony took place in Moscow’s Hall of Columns, a venue that has hosted the state funerals of former Soviet leaders.

Gorbachev was buried next to his wife Raisa later in the day.

While lionized in the west for ending the cold war, Gorbachev is seen as a pariah at home for the chaos caused by his economic reforms. This created the circumstances that made a strongman like Putin attractive to many Russians.

Putin blamed Gorbachev for the demise of the USSR, which he called the “Greatest Geopolitical Catastrophe” of the 20th century.

Since then, he has set about restoring Russia’s wounded prestige.