The Latest Breaking News from Mikhail Gorbachev

Russian President Vladimir Putin famously described the Soviet Union’s collapse as the “greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century.” On Wednesday, he marked Mikhail Gorbachev’s death with only muted praise for the leader who oversaw the Communist state’s demise.

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Vladimir Putin paid tribute to Mikhail Gorbachev, 91, following his death but the last leader of the Soviet Union's funeral poses issues for the Russia and its president

No other person but the final leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev – who has died aged 91 – could bring to life the eternal debate on the role of the individual in history. Does real change happen because of impersonal structural factors, or because of individual choice by…

When Vladimir Putin became president in 2000, he had no greater champion than Mikhail Gorbachev. But as Putin slowly transformed Russia into an imperial presidency, the two men turned against each other.

Pope Francis on Wednesday praised the late Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev as a far-sighted statesman who was committed to improving relations among nations.

Editorial: Russia’s post-Soviet experiment in democracy failed, but the dream of its political freedom must be preserved

Letters: With better support from the US and Britain, Russia could have been a very different place today, says Michael Meadowcroft, while Bill Robinson remembers photographing the Thatchers and the Gorbachevs in Moscow

The funeral and burial plans for Mikhail Gorbachev will sum up the crosscurrents of his legacy

Thanks to the final Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who has died aged 91, a disarmament treaty has denied Vladimir Putin thousands more missiles which he could have ordered to be used against Ukraine. Russian forces attacking Ukraine have not been able to use land-based missiles with ranges of between 500km…

Former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev is dead. Given the tributes being paid to him in the West for his efforts to end the Cold War, it might be difficult to appreciate just how unpopular he became in his native Russia.