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Russian and Soviet politician Mikhail Gorbachev passed away on August 30, 2022, at the age of 91. He was hospitalized at Moscow’s Central Clinical Hospital. Following his death, the hospital issued a statement saying that he had died after suffering from a severe and prolonged illness.
Reports say that he had been battling health issues for a long time. His condition worsened in 2020, following which he was under the continuous care of doctors.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his grief over Gorbachev’s death.
US president Joe Biden also paid tribute to the former Soviet leader in a statement released by the White House:
“As leader of the USSR, he worked with President Reagan to reduce our two countries’ nuclear arsenals, to the relief of people worldwide praying for an end to the nuclear arms race.”
Mikhail Gorbachev was the longest-living ruler in Russia’s history followed by lawyer and revolutionary Alexander Kerensky and Russian Soviet politician Vasili Kuznetsov.
As specified in his will, Gorbachev will be buried alongside his wife Raisa at the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow.
"This legacy is one we will not forget": Twitter flooded with tributes for Mikhael Gorbachev
Numerous globally renowned figures like European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, former U.S. secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, and Ireland’s Taoiseach Micheal Martin expressed their condolences over Gorbachev’s death.
Here are some of the tributes on Twitter:
In brief, about Mikhail Gorbachev
Born on March 2, 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev grew up while Joseph Stalin was in power in what was then the Soviet Union. He married Raisa Titarenko in 1953 when he was a student at Moscow State University. He received his law degree in 1955.
Gorbachev then shifted to Stavropol and joined the Komsomol youth organization. He became the Stavropol Regional Committee’s First Party Secretary in 1970 and took charge of looking after the construction of the Great Stavropol Canal. He was chosen as Politburo’s General Secretary in 1985.
Despite numerous criticisms levied against him, Gorbachev was recognized as one of the most influential figures in the 20th century, and won several awards including the Nobel Peace Prize.
He played a key role in facilitating the end of the Cold War and introducing new political and economic freedoms in the Soviet Union.
He served as the head of the Soviet Union from 1988 to 1991 - during which he held numerous titles.
He was the Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet from 1988 to 1989. Following that, he served as the Chairman of the Supreme Soviet until 1990.
That apart, he also served as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991. Finally, he served as the President of the Soviet Union from 1990 to 1991, which is when the country was dissolved.
He was initially a supporter of Marxism-Leninism but shifted his focus towards social democracy in early 1990.
