Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the funeral of Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, who died Tuesday evening at the age of 91, the Kremlin announced Thursday.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “We know that the main ceremony will be held on September 3, as well as the funeral, but the president’s schedule does not allow him to attend.”
According to AFP, he explained that Putin had already visited the hospital where Gorbachev died in Moscow “to lay flowers near his coffin”.
Peskov noted that there would be “state funeral elements” at Gorbachev’s funeral, in particular an “honor guard” company, and that it would be organized “with the help of the state.”
According to the Russian Presidential Hospital, Gorbachev died on Tuesday evening “after a long battle with a serious illness”.
Gorbachev, who came to power in 1985, is widely respected in Western countries, while some Russians blame him for his involvement in the collapse of the Soviet Union.
After Putin’s decision to launch military operations against Ukraine on February 24, Gorbachev was the last surviving leader of the Cold War era.
Source: Lebanon Debate
