Mikhail Gorbachev is dead. He was the last leader of the Soviet Union before the Union’s collapse in 1991. He was 91 years old.
According to Reuters news agency, the former Soviet leader passed away Tuesday from a long term illness at the Central Clinic Hospital.
It was reported that Mikhail Gorbachev was hospitalized at the beginning of the Covid-19 outbreak in 2019 and was placed under special treatment.
Read also: World War III elusive but global peace prospects dim
Gorbachev who brought an end to the Cold War against the wishes of his opponents in Moscow will be remembered by the west for his role in the fall of the Soviet Union.
Gorbachev’s era brought about a new relationship between the East bloc and the west in a bid to maintain a strong foreign policy to repair the damage of Cold War hostilities between the two power houses.
Ursula bon der Leyen, president of the European Union commission said Gorbachev’s legacy will not be forgotten.
“Mikhail Gorbachev was a trusted and respected leader. He played a crucial role to end the Cold War and bring down the Iron Curtain. It opened the way for a free Europe,” she tweeted. This legacy is one we will not forget.
Antonio Guterres, United Nations secretary-general said the late Russian was a one-of-a-kind statesman.
“Mikhail Gorbachev was a one-of-a kind statesman who changed the course of history,” Guterres shared on his verified Twitter handle.
“The world has lost a towering global leader, committed multilateralist, and tireless advocate for peace. I’m deeply saddened by his passing.”
