Mikhail Gorbachev, one of the great leaders of the 20th century and the man who transformed history by bringing about the fall of the Soviet Union, has passed away in Moscow at the age of 91.Gorbachev had passed away at a major hospital in Moscow “after a serious and protracted illness.”
His reforms as the leader of the Soviet Union changed his nation and enabled Eastern Europe to break free from Soviet authority, making his life one of the most significant of its era.He was lauded in the West for the changes he brought about and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990, but many Russians despised him for ending their nation’s status as a powerhouse.
He has been on the political periphery for a significant portion of the last two decades, occasionally pleading with the White House and the Kremlin to mend fences as tensions rose to Cold War levels following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the beginning of its offensive in Ukraine earlier this year.
Despite the occasional difficulties in their relationship, President Putin offered Mikhail Gorbachev his “deep sympathies” upon learning of his passing.
