Gorbachev laid to rest in Moscow

Mikhail Gorbachev has been buried alongside his wife Raisa at Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow after a farewell ceremony attended by hundreds of mourners. The first and only president of the Soviet Union died in the Russian capital on August 30 at the age of 91. 

The funeral took place on Saturday afternoon with the participation of honor guards. The coffin with the body of the Soviet leader was covered with the Russian state flag as it was carried to the burial place.  

Earlier in the day, a farewell ceremony took place in Moscow’s House of the Unions where hundreds of people, including politicians and foreign diplomats, were lining up to pay their respects to Gorbachev. Russian President Vladimir Putin was not able to attend the funeral, but he paid his last tribute to the late Soviet leader before the official ceremony, on Thursday. 

After becoming the leader of the Soviet Union in 1985, Gorbachev launched sweeping reforms known as “perestroika” aimed at liberalizing the country’s economy and public life. His tenure saw the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War. He resigned at the end of 1991 with the breakup of the Soviet Union.

In 1990, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.