Gorbachev mourned as rare world leader but some still bitter

BERLIN (AP) – Mikhail Gorbachev was the last leader of the Soviet Union and is for many the man who restored democracy to many European countries under communist rule.

He is being saluted as a rare leader who changed the world and for a time brought hope for peace among the superpowers.

But the man who died Tuesday in Moscow at 91 was also reviled by many in his own country who blamed him for the 1991 implosion of the Soviet Union and its diminution as a superpower.

The loss of pride and power also led to the eventual rise of President Vladimir Putin.

The Russian leader has spent the past quarter-century trying to restore Russia to its former glory and beyond.

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8/31/2022 12:06:03 PM (GMT -5:00)