Putin Will Not Attend Gorbachev S Funeral

Russian President Vladimir Putin privately laid flowers on the coffin of Mikhail Gorbachev on Thursday, snubbing a public weekend funeral, in a move that reflects the Kremlin’s concern over Gorbachev’s legacy. Shortly before departing for a working trip to Russia’s westernmost Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad, Putin visited a Moscow hospital where Gorbachev’s body was being kept ahead of Saturday’s funeral. Russian state television showed Putin walking toward Gorbachev’s open coffin and placing a bouquet of red roses next to him. He stood in silence for a few moments, bowed his head, touched the coffin, crossed himself and walked away. “Unfortunately, the president’s work schedule would not allow him to do this on Saturday, so he decided to do it today,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a conference call with reporters. Gorbachev, who died on Tuesday aged 91, will be buried at Moscow’s Novodevichy Cemetery next to his wife, Raisa, after a farewell ceremony in the Pillar Hall of the House of the Unions, an iconic mansion near the Kremlin that has functioned as the venue for state funerals since the time of the Soviet Union. The Kremlin stopped short of declaring a state funeral, with Peskov saying the ceremony would have “elements” of one, such as honor guards, and the government would help organize it. He would not elaborate, however, on how the ceremony would differ from a full state funeral. If the Kremlin had called for a state funeral for Gorbachev, it would have been inconvenient for Putin to snub the official ceremony. A state funeral would also oblige the Kremlin to send invitations to foreign leaders, something Moscow has been reluctant to do amid rising tensions with the West after sending troops to Ukraine. Putin’s decision to pay a private visit to the hospital while staying away from Saturday’s public ceremony, combined with uncertainty over the status of the funeral, reflect the Kremlin’s ambivalence over Gorbachev’s legacy. The late leader has been praised in the West for reforms that ended the Cold War, but was reviled by many at home for actions that led to the Soviet collapse in 1991 and plunged millions into poverty. While he avoids outright criticism of Gorbachev, Putin has repeatedly accused him in the past of failing to secure written commitments from the West that would have blocked NATO’s eastward expansion — an issue that has become a major irritant in Russian-Western ties for decades and fueled tensions that exploded when the Russian leader sent troops into Ukraine on February 24. In Wednesday’s condolence letter released by the Kremlin, Putin praised Gorbachev as a man who left “a huge impact on the course of world history.” “He has led the country through difficult and dramatic changes amid large-scale foreign policy, economic and societal challenges,” Putin said. “He deeply realized that reforms were necessary and tried to offer his solutions to the acute problems.” Sergei Markov, a pro-Kremlin political analyst, observed that Putin’s decision to pay tribute privately to Gorbachev reflected both “security concerns and the sheer unpopularity of Mikhail Gorbachev’s policies.” At the same time, Putin wanted to show his respect to the former head of state, Markov said. The Kremlin’s ambivalent view of Gorbachev was reflected in state television broadcasts, which paid tribute to Gorbachev as a historical figure but described his reforms as ill-conceived and held him responsible for failing to secure the country’s interests in dialogue with the West . The criticism echoed earlier assessments by Putin, who has famously lamented the collapse of the Soviet Union as the “biggest geopolitical disaster of the century.” On Wednesday, Peskov said Gorbachev was an “excellent” politician who “will always remain in the history of the country” but noted what he described as his idealistic view of the West. “Gorbachev made a push to end the Cold War and sincerely wanted to believe it would end and begin an eternal romance between the renewed Soviet Union and the collective West,” Peskov said. “That romance failed to materialize. The bloodthirsty nature of our adversaries came to light and it’s a good thing we caught it in time.” The Russian public has remained deeply divided over Gorbachev’s legacy, with some praising him for ending the Cold War and offering civil liberties after seven decades of totalitarian rule and others accusing him of betrayal. Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once Russia’s richest man who spent a decade in prison for fraud and tax evasion widely seen as a political vendetta for challenging Putin’s power, hailed Gorbachev for dismantling the repressive communist system. “In Russia, Gorbachev will be remembered, on the one hand, as the man who was able to give the country freedom, and on the other hand, he will be remembered as the man who was unable to help Russia make use of that freedom. Khodorkovsky, who lives in London, told The Associated Press. Khodorkovsky described Russia’s military action in Ukraine as a return to Russia’s imperial past that Gorbachev sought to demolish. “What is happening now, the war between Russia and Ukraine, is an extension of the process of imperial collapse,” Khodorkovsky said. —— AP reporter Susie Blann in London contributed to this report.

title: “Putin Will Not Attend Gorbachev S Funeral Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-13” author: “Leslie Harris”

Russian President Vladimir Putin privately laid flowers on the coffin of Mikhail Gorbachev on Thursday, snubbing a public weekend funeral, in a move that reflects the Kremlin’s concern over Gorbachev’s legacy. Shortly before departing for a working trip to Russia’s westernmost Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad, Putin visited a Moscow hospital where Gorbachev’s body was being kept ahead of Saturday’s funeral. Russian state television showed Putin walking toward Gorbachev’s open coffin and placing a bouquet of red roses next to him. He stood in silence for a few moments, bowed his head, touched the coffin, crossed himself and walked away. “Unfortunately, the president’s work schedule would not allow him to do this on Saturday, so he decided to do it today,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a conference call with reporters. Gorbachev, who died on Tuesday aged 91, will be buried at Moscow’s Novodevichy Cemetery next to his wife, Raisa, after a farewell ceremony in the Pillar Hall of the House of the Unions, an iconic mansion near the Kremlin that has functioned as the venue for state funerals since the time of the Soviet Union. The Kremlin stopped short of declaring a state funeral, with Peskov saying the ceremony would have “elements” of one, such as honor guards, and the government would help organize it. He would not elaborate, however, on how the ceremony would differ from a full state funeral. If the Kremlin had called for a state funeral for Gorbachev, it would have been inconvenient for Putin to snub the official ceremony. A state funeral would also oblige the Kremlin to send invitations to foreign leaders, something Moscow has been reluctant to do amid rising tensions with the West after sending troops to Ukraine. Putin’s decision to pay a private visit to the hospital while staying away from Saturday’s public ceremony, combined with uncertainty over the status of the funeral, reflect the Kremlin’s ambivalence over Gorbachev’s legacy. The late leader has been praised in the West for reforms that ended the Cold War, but was reviled by many at home for actions that led to the Soviet collapse in 1991 and plunged millions into poverty. While he avoids outright criticism of Gorbachev, Putin has repeatedly accused him in the past of failing to secure written commitments from the West that would have blocked NATO’s eastward expansion — an issue that has become a major irritant in Russian-Western ties for decades and fueled tensions that exploded when the Russian leader sent troops into Ukraine on February 24. In Wednesday’s condolence letter released by the Kremlin, Putin praised Gorbachev as a man who left “a huge impact on the course of world history.” “He has led the country through difficult and dramatic changes amid large-scale foreign policy, economic and societal challenges,” Putin said. “He deeply realized that reforms were necessary and tried to offer his solutions to the acute problems.” Sergei Markov, a pro-Kremlin political analyst, observed that Putin’s decision to pay tribute privately to Gorbachev reflected both “security concerns and the sheer unpopularity of Mikhail Gorbachev’s policies.” At the same time, Putin wanted to show his respect to the former head of state, Markov said. The Kremlin’s ambivalent view of Gorbachev was reflected in state television broadcasts, which paid tribute to Gorbachev as a historical figure but described his reforms as ill-conceived and held him responsible for failing to secure the country’s interests in dialogue with the West . The criticism echoed earlier assessments by Putin, who has famously lamented the collapse of the Soviet Union as the “biggest geopolitical disaster of the century.” On Wednesday, Peskov said Gorbachev was an “excellent” politician who “will always remain in the history of the country” but noted what he described as his idealistic view of the West. “Gorbachev made a push to end the Cold War and sincerely wanted to believe it would end and begin an eternal romance between the renewed Soviet Union and the collective West,” Peskov said. “That romance failed to materialize. The bloodthirsty nature of our adversaries came to light and it’s a good thing we caught it in time.” The Russian public has remained deeply divided over Gorbachev’s legacy, with some praising him for ending the Cold War and offering civil liberties after seven decades of totalitarian rule and others accusing him of betrayal. Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once Russia’s richest man who spent a decade in prison for fraud and tax evasion widely seen as a political vendetta for challenging Putin’s power, hailed Gorbachev for dismantling the repressive communist system. “In Russia, Gorbachev will be remembered, on the one hand, as the man who was able to give the country freedom, and on the other hand, he will be remembered as the man who was unable to help Russia make use of that freedom. Khodorkovsky, who lives in London, told The Associated Press. Khodorkovsky described Russia’s military action in Ukraine as a return to Russia’s imperial past that Gorbachev sought to demolish. “What is happening now, the war between Russia and Ukraine, is an extension of the process of imperial collapse,” Khodorkovsky said. —— AP reporter Susie Blann in London contributed to this report.

title: “Putin Will Not Attend Gorbachev S Funeral Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-05” author: “Anne Varos”

Russian President Vladimir Putin privately laid flowers on the coffin of Mikhail Gorbachev on Thursday, snubbing a public weekend funeral, in a move that reflects the Kremlin’s concern over Gorbachev’s legacy. Shortly before departing for a working trip to Russia’s westernmost Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad, Putin visited a Moscow hospital where Gorbachev’s body was being kept ahead of Saturday’s funeral. Russian state television showed Putin walking toward Gorbachev’s open coffin and placing a bouquet of red roses next to him. He stood in silence for a few moments, bowed his head, touched the coffin, crossed himself and walked away. “Unfortunately, the president’s work schedule would not allow him to do this on Saturday, so he decided to do it today,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a conference call with reporters. Gorbachev, who died on Tuesday aged 91, will be buried at Moscow’s Novodevichy Cemetery next to his wife, Raisa, after a farewell ceremony in the Pillar Hall of the House of the Unions, an iconic mansion near the Kremlin that has functioned as the venue for state funerals since the time of the Soviet Union. The Kremlin stopped short of declaring a state funeral, with Peskov saying the ceremony would have “elements” of one, such as honor guards, and the government would help organize it. He would not elaborate, however, on how the ceremony would differ from a full state funeral. If the Kremlin had called for a state funeral for Gorbachev, it would have been inconvenient for Putin to snub the official ceremony. A state funeral would also oblige the Kremlin to send invitations to foreign leaders, something Moscow has been reluctant to do amid rising tensions with the West after sending troops to Ukraine. Putin’s decision to pay a private visit to the hospital while staying away from Saturday’s public ceremony, combined with uncertainty over the status of the funeral, reflect the Kremlin’s ambivalence over Gorbachev’s legacy. The late leader has been praised in the West for reforms that ended the Cold War, but was reviled by many at home for actions that led to the Soviet collapse in 1991 and plunged millions into poverty. While he avoids outright criticism of Gorbachev, Putin has repeatedly accused him in the past of failing to secure written commitments from the West that would have blocked NATO’s eastward expansion — an issue that has become a major irritant in Russian-Western ties for decades and fueled tensions that exploded when the Russian leader sent troops into Ukraine on February 24. In Wednesday’s condolence letter released by the Kremlin, Putin praised Gorbachev as a man who left “a huge impact on the course of world history.” “He has led the country through difficult and dramatic changes amid large-scale foreign policy, economic and societal challenges,” Putin said. “He deeply realized that reforms were necessary and tried to offer his solutions to the acute problems.” Sergei Markov, a pro-Kremlin political analyst, observed that Putin’s decision to pay tribute privately to Gorbachev reflected both “security concerns and the sheer unpopularity of Mikhail Gorbachev’s policies.” At the same time, Putin wanted to show his respect to the former head of state, Markov said. The Kremlin’s ambivalent view of Gorbachev was reflected in state television broadcasts, which paid tribute to Gorbachev as a historical figure but described his reforms as ill-conceived and held him responsible for failing to secure the country’s interests in dialogue with the West . The criticism echoed earlier assessments by Putin, who has famously lamented the collapse of the Soviet Union as the “biggest geopolitical disaster of the century.” On Wednesday, Peskov said Gorbachev was an “excellent” politician who “will always remain in the history of the country” but noted what he described as his idealistic view of the West. “Gorbachev made a push to end the Cold War and sincerely wanted to believe it would end and begin an eternal romance between the renewed Soviet Union and the collective West,” Peskov said. “That romance failed to materialize. The bloodthirsty nature of our adversaries came to light and it’s a good thing we caught it in time.” The Russian public has remained deeply divided over Gorbachev’s legacy, with some praising him for ending the Cold War and offering civil liberties after seven decades of totalitarian rule and others accusing him of betrayal. Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once Russia’s richest man who spent a decade in prison for fraud and tax evasion widely seen as a political vendetta for challenging Putin’s power, hailed Gorbachev for dismantling the repressive communist system. “In Russia, Gorbachev will be remembered, on the one hand, as the man who was able to give the country freedom, and on the other hand, he will be remembered as the man who was unable to help Russia make use of that freedom. Khodorkovsky, who lives in London, told The Associated Press. Khodorkovsky described Russia’s military action in Ukraine as a return to Russia’s imperial past that Gorbachev sought to demolish. “What is happening now, the war between Russia and Ukraine, is an extension of the process of imperial collapse,” Khodorkovsky said. —— AP reporter Susie Blann in London contributed to this report.

title: “Putin Will Not Attend Gorbachev S Funeral Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-05” author: “Anna Mcclintock”

Russian President Vladimir Putin privately laid flowers on the coffin of Mikhail Gorbachev on Thursday, snubbing a public weekend funeral, in a move that reflects the Kremlin’s concern over Gorbachev’s legacy. Shortly before departing for a working trip to Russia’s westernmost Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad, Putin visited a Moscow hospital where Gorbachev’s body was being kept ahead of Saturday’s funeral. Russian state television showed Putin walking toward Gorbachev’s open coffin and placing a bouquet of red roses next to him. He stood in silence for a few moments, bowed his head, touched the coffin, crossed himself and walked away. “Unfortunately, the president’s work schedule would not allow him to do this on Saturday, so he decided to do it today,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a conference call with reporters. Gorbachev, who died on Tuesday aged 91, will be buried at Moscow’s Novodevichy Cemetery next to his wife, Raisa, after a farewell ceremony in the Pillar Hall of the House of the Unions, an iconic mansion near the Kremlin that has functioned as the venue for state funerals since the time of the Soviet Union. The Kremlin stopped short of declaring a state funeral, with Peskov saying the ceremony would have “elements” of one, such as honor guards, and the government would help organize it. He would not elaborate, however, on how the ceremony would differ from a full state funeral. If the Kremlin had called for a state funeral for Gorbachev, it would have been inconvenient for Putin to snub the official ceremony. A state funeral would also oblige the Kremlin to send invitations to foreign leaders, something Moscow has been reluctant to do amid rising tensions with the West after sending troops to Ukraine. Putin’s decision to pay a private visit to the hospital while staying away from Saturday’s public ceremony, combined with uncertainty over the status of the funeral, reflect the Kremlin’s ambivalence over Gorbachev’s legacy. The late leader has been praised in the West for reforms that ended the Cold War, but was reviled by many at home for actions that led to the Soviet collapse in 1991 and plunged millions into poverty. While he avoids outright criticism of Gorbachev, Putin has repeatedly accused him in the past of failing to secure written commitments from the West that would have blocked NATO’s eastward expansion — an issue that has become a major irritant in Russian-Western ties for decades and fueled tensions that exploded when the Russian leader sent troops into Ukraine on February 24. In Wednesday’s condolence letter released by the Kremlin, Putin praised Gorbachev as a man who left “a huge impact on the course of world history.” “He has led the country through difficult and dramatic changes amid large-scale foreign policy, economic and societal challenges,” Putin said. “He deeply realized that reforms were necessary and tried to offer his solutions to the acute problems.” Sergei Markov, a pro-Kremlin political analyst, observed that Putin’s decision to pay tribute privately to Gorbachev reflected both “security concerns and the sheer unpopularity of Mikhail Gorbachev’s policies.” At the same time, Putin wanted to show his respect to the former head of state, Markov said. The Kremlin’s ambivalent view of Gorbachev was reflected in state television broadcasts, which paid tribute to Gorbachev as a historical figure but described his reforms as ill-conceived and held him responsible for failing to secure the country’s interests in dialogue with the West . The criticism echoed earlier assessments by Putin, who has famously lamented the collapse of the Soviet Union as the “biggest geopolitical disaster of the century.” On Wednesday, Peskov said Gorbachev was an “excellent” politician who “will always remain in the history of the country” but noted what he described as his idealistic view of the West. “Gorbachev made a push to end the Cold War and sincerely wanted to believe it would end and begin an eternal romance between the renewed Soviet Union and the collective West,” Peskov said. “That romance failed to materialize. The bloodthirsty nature of our adversaries came to light and it’s a good thing we caught it in time.” The Russian public has remained deeply divided over Gorbachev’s legacy, with some praising him for ending the Cold War and offering civil liberties after seven decades of totalitarian rule and others accusing him of betrayal. Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once Russia’s richest man who spent a decade in prison for fraud and tax evasion widely seen as a political vendetta for challenging Putin’s power, hailed Gorbachev for dismantling the repressive communist system. “In Russia, Gorbachev will be remembered, on the one hand, as the man who was able to give the country freedom, and on the other hand, he will be remembered as the man who was unable to help Russia make use of that freedom. Khodorkovsky, who lives in London, told The Associated Press. Khodorkovsky described Russia’s military action in Ukraine as a return to Russia’s imperial past that Gorbachev sought to demolish. “What is happening now, the war between Russia and Ukraine, is an extension of the process of imperial collapse,” Khodorkovsky said. —— AP reporter Susie Blann in London contributed to this report.