Gorbachev Mourned As Rare World Leader But Some Are Still Bitter

But the man who died on Tuesday aged 91 was also reviled by many of his countrymen who blamed him for the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and its relegation as a superpower. The Russian nation that emerged from its Soviet past shrank in size as 15 new nations were created. The loss of pride and power also ultimately led to the rise of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has spent the last quarter of a century trying to restore Russia to its former glory and beyond. US President Joe Biden praised Gorbachev for being open to democratic change. Gorbachev won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 for his role in ending the Cold War. “After decades of violent political repression, he embraced democratic reforms. He believed in glasnost and perestroika – opening up and restructuring – not as mere slogans, but as the way forward for the people of the Soviet Union after so many years of isolation and deprivation,” Biden said. Biden added that “these were the actions of a rare leader – one with the imagination to see that a different future was possible and the courage to risk his entire career to achieve it. The result was a safer world and greater freedom for millions of people.” Although Gorbachev was widely known abroad, he was an outcast at home. Putin acknowledged that Gorbachev had a “profound impact on the course of world history.” “He led the country through difficult and dramatic changes amid large-scale foreign policy, economic and social challenges,” Putin said in a short cable sending his condolences to Gorbachev’s family. Gorbachev “realized that reforms were necessary and tried to offer his solutions to acute problems,” Putin said. Reactions from Russian officials and lawmakers were mixed. They applauded Gorbachev for his part in ending the Cold War, but criticized him for the collapse of the Soviet Union. Oleg Morozov, a member of the Kremlin’s main United Russia party, said Gorbachev should have “repented” of mistakes that were against Russia’s interests. “He was a willing or unwilling co-author of the unjust world order that our soldiers are now fighting on the battlefield,” Morozov said, referring to Russia’s current war in Ukraine. Lech Walesa, the leader of Poland’s pro-democratic Solidarity movement in the 1980s and the country’s president from 1990-1995, had a more nuanced view of Gorbachev. She said she “admired him, even liked him, but she didn’t understand him.” “He believed until the end that communism could be reformed, but I, on the contrary, did not believe it was possible,” Walesa told Wirtualna Polska media. Walesa added: “He knew the Soviet Union couldn’t last much longer and did everything he could to prevent the world from holding Russia accountable for communism. And there he succeeded.” World leaders paid tribute to a man some described as a great and brave leader. In Germany, where Gorbachev is considered one of the fathers of the country’s 1990 reunification and is widely referred to as “Gorbi”, former Chancellor Angela Merkel hailed him as “a unique world politician”. “Gorbachev wrote world history. It showed how a single politician can change the world for the better,” he said, recalling how he feared Russian tanks might roll into East Germany, where he lived, as the Berlin Wall fell in 1989. Germany’s current chancellor, Olaf Scholz, praised Gorbachev for paving the way for his country’s reunification, although he also pointed out that Gorbachev died at a time when many of his achievements have been destroyed. “We know that he died at a time when not only has democracy in Russia failed – there is no other way to describe the current situation there – but also Russia and Russian President Putin are carving out new trenches in Europe and have launched a horrific war against a neighboring country, Ukraine,” Scholz said. Outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said “at a time of Putin’s aggression in Ukraine, (Gorbachev’s) tireless commitment to opening up Soviet society remains an example to us all.” French President Emmanuel Macron described Gorbachev as “a man of peace whose choices opened a path of freedom for Russians. His commitment to peace in Europe changed our shared history.” Others in Europe disputed Gorbachev’s positive memories. Gabrielius Landsbergis, a top Lithuanian diplomat who is also the son of Vytautas Landsbergis, who led Lithuania’s independence movement in the early 1990s, tweeted that “Lithuanians will not glorify Gorbachev.” Memories are still fresh in the Baltic nation of January 13, 1991, when hundreds of Lithuanians marched to the television tower in Vilnius to oppose Soviet troops deployed to crush the country’s bid to restore independence. The ensuing clashes killed 14 civilians and injured more than 140 others. Moscow recognized Lithuania’s independence in August of the same year. “We will never forget the simple fact that his army murdered civilians to prolong his regime’s occupation of our country. His soldiers shot our unarmed protesters and crushed them under his tanks. That’s how we’ll remember him,” Landsbergis wrote. But another Baltic leader, Latvian President Egils Levits, noted that Gorbachev’s policies allowed the eventual independence of the three Baltic countries. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Gorbachev “a unique politician who changed the course of history” and “did more than any other individual to bring about a peaceful end to the Cold War.” “The world has lost a towering world leader, committed multilateralist and tireless defender of peace,” the UN chief said. Gorbachev’s contemporaries pointed to the end of the Cold War as one of his achievements. “Mikhail Gorbachev played a crucial role in the peaceful end of the Cold War. Internally, he was a figure of historical importance, but not in the way he intended,” said Robert M. Gates, who headed the CIA from 1991 to 1993 and later became US defense secretary. Calling Gorbachev “a brave leader and a great statesman,” Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said the last Soviet leader “opened the gates of the Soviet Union for the great wave of Jewish immigration to Israel in the 1990s.” In Asia, Gorbachev was remembered as a leader with the courage to bring about change. China recognized Gorbachev’s role in healing relations between Moscow and Beijing. Gorbachev was a source of inspiration for reformist thinkers in China in the late 1980s, and his visit to Beijing in 1989 marked a watershed in relations between the sides. “Mr. Gorbachev made a positive contribution to the normalization of relations between China and the Soviet Union. We mourn his death and express our condolences to his family,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian. But China’s Communist Party leaders also see Gorbachev’s liberal approach as a fatal display of weakness and his moves toward peaceful coexistence with the West as a form of surrender.

Patrick Quinn reported from Bangkok. AP reporters around the world contributed to this report.

More AP stories on Mikhail Gorbachev here:

title: “Gorbachev Mourned As Rare World Leader But Some Are Still Bitter Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-08” author: “Alice Petersen”

But the man who died on Tuesday aged 91 was also reviled by many of his countrymen who blamed him for the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and its relegation as a superpower. The Russian nation that emerged from its Soviet past shrank in size as 15 new nations were created. The loss of pride and power also ultimately led to the rise of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has spent the last quarter of a century trying to restore Russia to its former glory and beyond. US President Joe Biden praised Gorbachev for being open to democratic change. Gorbachev won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 for his role in ending the Cold War. “After decades of violent political repression, he embraced democratic reforms. He believed in glasnost and perestroika – opening up and restructuring – not as mere slogans, but as the way forward for the people of the Soviet Union after so many years of isolation and deprivation,” Biden said. Biden added that “these were the actions of a rare leader – one with the imagination to see that a different future was possible and the courage to risk his entire career to achieve it. The result was a safer world and greater freedom for millions of people.” Although Gorbachev was widely known abroad, he was an outcast at home. Putin acknowledged that Gorbachev had a “profound impact on the course of world history.” “He led the country through difficult and dramatic changes amid large-scale foreign policy, economic and social challenges,” Putin said in a short cable sending his condolences to Gorbachev’s family. Gorbachev “realized that reforms were necessary and tried to offer his solutions to acute problems,” Putin said. Reactions from Russian officials and lawmakers were mixed. They applauded Gorbachev for his part in ending the Cold War, but criticized him for the collapse of the Soviet Union. Oleg Morozov, a member of the Kremlin’s main United Russia party, said Gorbachev should have “repented” of mistakes that were against Russia’s interests. “He was a willing or unwilling co-author of the unjust world order that our soldiers are now fighting on the battlefield,” Morozov said, referring to Russia’s current war in Ukraine. Lech Walesa, the leader of Poland’s pro-democratic Solidarity movement in the 1980s and the country’s president from 1990-1995, had a more nuanced view of Gorbachev. She said she “admired him, even liked him, but she didn’t understand him.” “He believed until the end that communism could be reformed, but I, on the contrary, did not believe it was possible,” Walesa told Wirtualna Polska media. Walesa added: “He knew the Soviet Union couldn’t last much longer and did everything he could to prevent the world from holding Russia accountable for communism. And there he succeeded.” World leaders paid tribute to a man some described as a great and brave leader. In Germany, where Gorbachev is considered one of the fathers of the country’s 1990 reunification and is widely referred to as “Gorbi”, former Chancellor Angela Merkel hailed him as “a unique world politician”. “Gorbachev wrote world history. It showed how a single politician can change the world for the better,” he said, recalling how he feared Russian tanks might roll into East Germany, where he lived, as the Berlin Wall fell in 1989. Germany’s current chancellor, Olaf Scholz, praised Gorbachev for paving the way for his country’s reunification, although he also pointed out that Gorbachev died at a time when many of his achievements have been destroyed. “We know that he died at a time when not only has democracy in Russia failed – there is no other way to describe the current situation there – but also Russia and Russian President Putin are carving out new trenches in Europe and have launched a horrific war against a neighboring country, Ukraine,” Scholz said. Outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said “at a time of Putin’s aggression in Ukraine, (Gorbachev’s) tireless commitment to opening up Soviet society remains an example to us all.” French President Emmanuel Macron described Gorbachev as “a man of peace whose choices opened a path of freedom for Russians. His commitment to peace in Europe changed our shared history.” Others in Europe disputed Gorbachev’s positive memories. Gabrielius Landsbergis, a top Lithuanian diplomat who is also the son of Vytautas Landsbergis, who led Lithuania’s independence movement in the early 1990s, tweeted that “Lithuanians will not glorify Gorbachev.” Memories are still fresh in the Baltic nation of January 13, 1991, when hundreds of Lithuanians marched to the television tower in Vilnius to oppose Soviet troops deployed to crush the country’s bid to restore independence. The ensuing clashes killed 14 civilians and injured more than 140 others. Moscow recognized Lithuania’s independence in August of the same year. “We will never forget the simple fact that his army murdered civilians to prolong his regime’s occupation of our country. His soldiers shot our unarmed protesters and crushed them under his tanks. That’s how we’ll remember him,” Landsbergis wrote. But another Baltic leader, Latvian President Egils Levits, noted that Gorbachev’s policies allowed the eventual independence of the three Baltic countries. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Gorbachev “a unique politician who changed the course of history” and “did more than any other individual to bring about a peaceful end to the Cold War.” “The world has lost a towering world leader, committed multilateralist and tireless defender of peace,” the UN chief said. Gorbachev’s contemporaries pointed to the end of the Cold War as one of his achievements. “Mikhail Gorbachev played a crucial role in the peaceful end of the Cold War. Internally, he was a figure of historical importance, but not in the way he intended,” said Robert M. Gates, who headed the CIA from 1991 to 1993 and later became US defense secretary. Calling Gorbachev “a brave leader and a great statesman,” Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said the last Soviet leader “opened the gates of the Soviet Union for the great wave of Jewish immigration to Israel in the 1990s.” In Asia, Gorbachev was remembered as a leader with the courage to bring about change. China recognized Gorbachev’s role in healing relations between Moscow and Beijing. Gorbachev was a source of inspiration for reformist thinkers in China in the late 1980s, and his visit to Beijing in 1989 marked a watershed in relations between the sides. “Mr. Gorbachev made a positive contribution to the normalization of relations between China and the Soviet Union. We mourn his death and express our condolences to his family,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian. But China’s Communist Party leaders also see Gorbachev’s liberal approach as a fatal display of weakness and his moves toward peaceful coexistence with the West as a form of surrender.

Patrick Quinn reported from Bangkok. AP reporters around the world contributed to this report.

More AP stories on Mikhail Gorbachev here:

title: “Gorbachev Mourned As Rare World Leader But Some Are Still Bitter Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-30” author: “Todd Jahns”

But the man who died on Tuesday aged 91 was also reviled by many of his countrymen who blamed him for the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and its relegation as a superpower. The Russian nation that emerged from its Soviet past shrank in size as 15 new nations were created. The loss of pride and power also ultimately led to the rise of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has spent the last quarter of a century trying to restore Russia to its former glory and beyond. US President Joe Biden praised Gorbachev for being open to democratic change. Gorbachev won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 for his role in ending the Cold War. “After decades of violent political repression, he embraced democratic reforms. He believed in glasnost and perestroika – opening up and restructuring – not as mere slogans, but as the way forward for the people of the Soviet Union after so many years of isolation and deprivation,” Biden said. Biden added that “these were the actions of a rare leader – one with the imagination to see that a different future was possible and the courage to risk his entire career to achieve it. The result was a safer world and greater freedom for millions of people.” Although Gorbachev was widely known abroad, he was an outcast at home. Putin acknowledged that Gorbachev had a “profound impact on the course of world history.” “He led the country through difficult and dramatic changes amid large-scale foreign policy, economic and social challenges,” Putin said in a short cable sending his condolences to Gorbachev’s family. Gorbachev “realized that reforms were necessary and tried to offer his solutions to acute problems,” Putin said. Reactions from Russian officials and lawmakers were mixed. They applauded Gorbachev for his part in ending the Cold War, but criticized him for the collapse of the Soviet Union. Oleg Morozov, a member of the Kremlin’s main United Russia party, said Gorbachev should have “repented” of mistakes that were against Russia’s interests. “He was a willing or unwilling co-author of the unjust world order that our soldiers are now fighting on the battlefield,” Morozov said, referring to Russia’s current war in Ukraine. Lech Walesa, the leader of Poland’s pro-democratic Solidarity movement in the 1980s and the country’s president from 1990-1995, had a more nuanced view of Gorbachev. She said she “admired him, even liked him, but she didn’t understand him.” “He believed until the end that communism could be reformed, but I, on the contrary, did not believe it was possible,” Walesa told Wirtualna Polska media. Walesa added: “He knew the Soviet Union couldn’t last much longer and did everything he could to prevent the world from holding Russia accountable for communism. And there he succeeded.” World leaders paid tribute to a man some described as a great and brave leader. In Germany, where Gorbachev is considered one of the fathers of the country’s 1990 reunification and is widely referred to as “Gorbi”, former Chancellor Angela Merkel hailed him as “a unique world politician”. “Gorbachev wrote world history. It showed how a single politician can change the world for the better,” he said, recalling how he feared Russian tanks might roll into East Germany, where he lived, as the Berlin Wall fell in 1989. Germany’s current chancellor, Olaf Scholz, praised Gorbachev for paving the way for his country’s reunification, although he also pointed out that Gorbachev died at a time when many of his achievements have been destroyed. “We know that he died at a time when not only has democracy in Russia failed – there is no other way to describe the current situation there – but also Russia and Russian President Putin are carving out new trenches in Europe and have launched a horrific war against a neighboring country, Ukraine,” Scholz said. Outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said “at a time of Putin’s aggression in Ukraine, (Gorbachev’s) tireless commitment to opening up Soviet society remains an example to us all.” French President Emmanuel Macron described Gorbachev as “a man of peace whose choices opened a path of freedom for Russians. His commitment to peace in Europe changed our shared history.” Others in Europe disputed Gorbachev’s positive memories. Gabrielius Landsbergis, a top Lithuanian diplomat who is also the son of Vytautas Landsbergis, who led Lithuania’s independence movement in the early 1990s, tweeted that “Lithuanians will not glorify Gorbachev.” Memories are still fresh in the Baltic nation of January 13, 1991, when hundreds of Lithuanians marched to the television tower in Vilnius to oppose Soviet troops deployed to crush the country’s bid to restore independence. The ensuing clashes killed 14 civilians and injured more than 140 others. Moscow recognized Lithuania’s independence in August of the same year. “We will never forget the simple fact that his army murdered civilians to prolong his regime’s occupation of our country. His soldiers shot our unarmed protesters and crushed them under his tanks. That’s how we’ll remember him,” Landsbergis wrote. But another Baltic leader, Latvian President Egils Levits, noted that Gorbachev’s policies allowed the eventual independence of the three Baltic countries. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Gorbachev “a unique politician who changed the course of history” and “did more than any other individual to bring about a peaceful end to the Cold War.” “The world has lost a towering world leader, committed multilateralist and tireless defender of peace,” the UN chief said. Gorbachev’s contemporaries pointed to the end of the Cold War as one of his achievements. “Mikhail Gorbachev played a crucial role in the peaceful end of the Cold War. Internally, he was a figure of historical importance, but not in the way he intended,” said Robert M. Gates, who headed the CIA from 1991 to 1993 and later became US defense secretary. Calling Gorbachev “a brave leader and a great statesman,” Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said the last Soviet leader “opened the gates of the Soviet Union for the great wave of Jewish immigration to Israel in the 1990s.” In Asia, Gorbachev was remembered as a leader with the courage to bring about change. China recognized Gorbachev’s role in healing relations between Moscow and Beijing. Gorbachev was a source of inspiration for reformist thinkers in China in the late 1980s, and his visit to Beijing in 1989 marked a watershed in relations between the sides. “Mr. Gorbachev made a positive contribution to the normalization of relations between China and the Soviet Union. We mourn his death and express our condolences to his family,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian. But China’s Communist Party leaders also see Gorbachev’s liberal approach as a fatal display of weakness and his moves toward peaceful coexistence with the West as a form of surrender.

Patrick Quinn reported from Bangkok. AP reporters around the world contributed to this report.

More AP stories on Mikhail Gorbachev here:

title: “Gorbachev Mourned As Rare World Leader But Some Are Still Bitter Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-05” author: “Paul Adams”

But the man who died on Tuesday aged 91 was also reviled by many of his countrymen who blamed him for the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and its relegation as a superpower. The Russian nation that emerged from its Soviet past shrank in size as 15 new nations were created. The loss of pride and power also ultimately led to the rise of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has spent the last quarter of a century trying to restore Russia to its former glory and beyond. US President Joe Biden praised Gorbachev for being open to democratic change. Gorbachev won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 for his role in ending the Cold War. “After decades of violent political repression, he embraced democratic reforms. He believed in glasnost and perestroika – opening up and restructuring – not as mere slogans, but as the way forward for the people of the Soviet Union after so many years of isolation and deprivation,” Biden said. Biden added that “these were the actions of a rare leader – one with the imagination to see that a different future was possible and the courage to risk his entire career to achieve it. The result was a safer world and greater freedom for millions of people.” Although Gorbachev was widely known abroad, he was an outcast at home. Putin acknowledged that Gorbachev had a “profound impact on the course of world history.” “He led the country through difficult and dramatic changes amid large-scale foreign policy, economic and social challenges,” Putin said in a short cable sending his condolences to Gorbachev’s family. Gorbachev “realized that reforms were necessary and tried to offer his solutions to acute problems,” Putin said. Reactions from Russian officials and lawmakers were mixed. They applauded Gorbachev for his part in ending the Cold War, but criticized him for the collapse of the Soviet Union. Oleg Morozov, a member of the Kremlin’s main United Russia party, said Gorbachev should have “repented” of mistakes that were against Russia’s interests. “He was a willing or unwilling co-author of the unjust world order that our soldiers are now fighting on the battlefield,” Morozov said, referring to Russia’s current war in Ukraine. Lech Walesa, the leader of Poland’s pro-democratic Solidarity movement in the 1980s and the country’s president from 1990-1995, had a more nuanced view of Gorbachev. She said she “admired him, even liked him, but she didn’t understand him.” “He believed until the end that communism could be reformed, but I, on the contrary, did not believe it was possible,” Walesa told Wirtualna Polska media. Walesa added: “He knew the Soviet Union couldn’t last much longer and did everything he could to prevent the world from holding Russia accountable for communism. And there he succeeded.” World leaders paid tribute to a man some described as a great and brave leader. In Germany, where Gorbachev is considered one of the fathers of the country’s 1990 reunification and is widely referred to as “Gorbi”, former Chancellor Angela Merkel hailed him as “a unique world politician”. “Gorbachev wrote world history. It showed how a single politician can change the world for the better,” he said, recalling how he feared Russian tanks might roll into East Germany, where he lived, as the Berlin Wall fell in 1989. Germany’s current chancellor, Olaf Scholz, praised Gorbachev for paving the way for his country’s reunification, although he also pointed out that Gorbachev died at a time when many of his achievements have been destroyed. “We know that he died at a time when not only has democracy in Russia failed – there is no other way to describe the current situation there – but also Russia and Russian President Putin are carving out new trenches in Europe and have launched a horrific war against a neighboring country, Ukraine,” Scholz said. Outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said “at a time of Putin’s aggression in Ukraine, (Gorbachev’s) tireless commitment to opening up Soviet society remains an example to us all.” French President Emmanuel Macron described Gorbachev as “a man of peace whose choices opened a path of freedom for Russians. His commitment to peace in Europe changed our shared history.” Others in Europe disputed Gorbachev’s positive memories. Gabrielius Landsbergis, a top Lithuanian diplomat who is also the son of Vytautas Landsbergis, who led Lithuania’s independence movement in the early 1990s, tweeted that “Lithuanians will not glorify Gorbachev.” Memories are still fresh in the Baltic nation of January 13, 1991, when hundreds of Lithuanians marched to the television tower in Vilnius to oppose Soviet troops deployed to crush the country’s bid to restore independence. The ensuing clashes killed 14 civilians and injured more than 140 others. Moscow recognized Lithuania’s independence in August of the same year. “We will never forget the simple fact that his army murdered civilians to prolong his regime’s occupation of our country. His soldiers shot our unarmed protesters and crushed them under his tanks. That’s how we’ll remember him,” Landsbergis wrote. But another Baltic leader, Latvian President Egils Levits, noted that Gorbachev’s policies allowed the eventual independence of the three Baltic countries. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Gorbachev “a unique politician who changed the course of history” and “did more than any other individual to bring about a peaceful end to the Cold War.” “The world has lost a towering world leader, committed multilateralist and tireless defender of peace,” the UN chief said. Gorbachev’s contemporaries pointed to the end of the Cold War as one of his achievements. “Mikhail Gorbachev played a crucial role in the peaceful end of the Cold War. Internally, he was a figure of historical importance, but not in the way he intended,” said Robert M. Gates, who headed the CIA from 1991 to 1993 and later became US defense secretary. Calling Gorbachev “a brave leader and a great statesman,” Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said the last Soviet leader “opened the gates of the Soviet Union for the great wave of Jewish immigration to Israel in the 1990s.” In Asia, Gorbachev was remembered as a leader with the courage to bring about change. China recognized Gorbachev’s role in healing relations between Moscow and Beijing. Gorbachev was a source of inspiration for reformist thinkers in China in the late 1980s, and his visit to Beijing in 1989 marked a watershed in relations between the sides. “Mr. Gorbachev made a positive contribution to the normalization of relations between China and the Soviet Union. We mourn his death and express our condolences to his family,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian. But China’s Communist Party leaders also see Gorbachev’s liberal approach as a fatal display of weakness and his moves toward peaceful coexistence with the West as a form of surrender.

Patrick Quinn reported from Bangkok. AP reporters around the world contributed to this report.

More AP stories on Mikhail Gorbachev here: