THE SQUIZ
Mikhail Gorbachev, the former Soviet leader credited with bringing the Cold War to an end, died in Moscow at 91yo following “a serious and protracted disease“. Few other details have been released, but in June, it was widely reported he had been admitted to hospital after suffering from a kidney ailment. He will be buried in Novodevichy Cemetery next to his wife Raisa, who died of leukaemia in 1999. It is the final resting place of many prominent Russians, including playwright Anton Chekhov and Gorbachev’s successor Boris Yeltsin.

REMIND ME WHAT HE DID…?
Gorbachev came to power in 1985 and led the Soviet Union until it dissolved in 1991. After decades of Cold War tensions, he brought the Soviet Union closer to the West through arms reduction deals and new partnerships, which helped to bring down the Iron Curtain. At home, he made essential reforms to the economic and political system known as ‘perestroika’. And he introduced ‘glasnost’ (aka a policy of ‘openness’) which allowed people to publicly criticise the government. That emboldened nationalists to push for independence in 15 Soviet nations, and when Gorbachev refused to use force against them, it marked the beginning of the end for the Soviet Union and his leadership. Many Russians never forgave Gorbachev for the impact of his reforms, including declining living standards. But to others on the outside, Gorbachev was a hero who received the Nobel Peace Prize “for the leading role he played in the radical changes in East-West relations”.

SO WHAT’S HIS LEGACY?
Many world leaders paid tribute to him yesterday. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen says he opened the path to a free Europe, and UN chief Antonio Guterres says he “changed the course of history” as “a tireless advocate for peace”. US President Joe Biden says Gorbachev believed in “glasnost and perestroika not as mere slogans, but as the path forward for the people of the Soviet Union after so many years of isolation and deprivation.” And British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, citing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, says Gorbachev’s “tireless commitment to opening up Soviet society remains an example to us all”. As for Russian President Vladimir Putin, he expressed “his deepest condolences” despite having referred to Gorbachev’s reforms as the “greatest geopolitical catastrophe” of the 20th century.