Moscow: The final Soviet Union leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, known for his efforts to bring the Cold War to a peaceful end, died at the age of 91 in Moscow. Central Clinical Hospital (CCH) declared late on Tuesday, "This evening, after a serious and long illness, Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev died," IANS reported.
He will be buried next to his wife in Moscow's Novodevichy Cemetery, where Russia's famous politicians, writers and composers rest.
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated his condolences, said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov late Tuesday evening. Gorbachev co-founded Novaya Gazeta newspaper, was critical of Kremlin and exposed human rights abuses in Russia multiple times.
Gorbachev is internationally respected for his statesmanship. He made noble efforts in making groundbreaking treaties with the United States in the 1980s for nuclear disarmament and arms control. He also worked for the unification of Germany. His policies in his home country, "glasnost" (openness) and "perestroika" (restructuring), had served freedom to millions. He received the Nobel Prize in 1990 for his courageous reforms.
But in 1991, the Soviet Union succumbed to massive economic upheavals and the 15-nation communist empire split, leading to Gorbachev's own political downfall. In addition, a large section of the Russian population saw the leader as the one who destroyed the Soviet Union.
Gorbachev resigned as President of the Soviet Union in 1991, and the nation dissolved into 15 independent states.
However, in the three decades after his step down, he made many contributions to the Russian civil society, advocating democratic values. He wrote many books and was worried about "Russia constantly being cast as the enemy".
Important personalities such as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Britain's outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson etc., expressed their sympathies.