A public memorial service was held in Moscow on Saturday morning for Mr Gorbachev, who died earlier this week aged 91 – but President Vladimir Putin was nowhere to be seen. Hundreds of people lined up outside the Hall of Columns to pay their respects at the memorial to former Soviet leaders such as Joseph Stalin and Vladimir Lenin. Unlike some of his predecessors, Mikhail Gorbachev was not given a full funeral and the service was rejected by President Vladimir Putin. (AP) Hundreds of people lined up outside the Hall of Columns to pay their respects (AP) John Sullivan, the US ambassador to Russia, and Viktor Orbán, the prime minister of Hungary, were among the political figures in attendance. Gorbachev was laid to rest next to his wife Raisa later on Saturday at Novodevichy Cemetery. Unlike some of his predecessors, Mr Gorbachev was not given a full state funeral and the service was rejected by Mr Putin. A spokesman said the service would have “elements of a state funeral” including a guard of honour. No explanation was given, however, of how Mr. Gorbachev’s service differed from that given to some of the Soviet leaders who had preceded him. The Kremlin’s refusal to hold a full state funeral reflects its unease with the legacy of Mr Gorbachev, who is revered worldwide for bringing down the Iron Curtain but by many at home for the Soviet collapse and subsequent economic collapse he plunged into millions in poverty. Russians lined the streets to bid farewell to the ceremony (AP) Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban lays flowers on Saturday (EPA) On Thursday, Putin laid private flowers on Mr. Gorbachev’s coffin at the Moscow hospital where he died. The Kremlin said the president’s busy schedule would prevent him from attending the funeral. Asked what specific work Mr Putin would have on Saturday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters the president had a series of work meetings, an international phone call and had to prepare for a business forum in Russia’s Far East at which is scheduled to attend. next week. US Ambassador to Russia John Joseph Sullivan attended the service (AFP via Getty) President Putin laid private flowers at Mr Gorbachev’s coffin at the Moscow hospital where he died (Russian pool) At the ceremony on Saturday, hundreds of mourners filed past Mr Gorbachev’s open casket flanked by honor guards, laying flowers as official music played. Mr. Gorbachev’s daughter, Irina, and his two granddaughters sat by the coffin. Despite the choice of the famous venue, the Kremlin stopped short of calling it a state funeral, with Peskov saying the ceremony would have “elements” of one, such as honor guards, and government help in organizing it. Announcing a state funeral for Mr. Gorbachev would oblige Mr. Putin to attend and require Moscow to invite foreign leaders, something it has apparently been reluctant to do amid rising tensions since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Guards stand next to the coffin of the former Soviet leader (AFP via Getty) A woman holding flowers looks on as she queues to say goodbye (AP) Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia’s Security Council under Putin, who served as Russia’s president from 2008-2012, was present at the farewell ceremony. The low-key proceedings contrasted with a lavish state funeral given in 2007 to Boris Yeltsin, Russia’s first post-Soviet leader, who anointed Putin as his preferred successor and set the stage for him to win the presidency by stepping down. Mr Putin, who once lamented the collapse of the Soviet Union as the “biggest geopolitical disaster of the century”, avoided direct personal criticism of Mr Gorbachev. When he did criticize, he focused on Mr. Gorbachev’s failure to secure written commitments from Western nations to reign in NATO expansion, which has been the cause of growing tension between Russia and the West for decades. A guard stands over the body of the former Soviet leader (EPA) Mr Gorbachev “left a huge impact on the course of world history”, Putin said (POOL/AFP via Getty) The issue has marred Russia’s international relations for decades and fueled tensions that exploded when the Russian leader sent troops into Ukraine on February 24. In a carefully worded letter of condolence released on Wednesday, avoiding explicit praise or criticism, Putin described Gorbachev as a man who left “an enormous 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.” The Kremlin’s ambivalence about Mr. Gorbachev was reflected in state television broadcasts, which described the global acclaim and high expectations his reforms had generated, but held him responsible for plunging the country into political and economic turmoil, as well as the failure to properly defend the interests of the country. talks with western leaders.
