Putin to Skip Gorbachev's Funeral... "Will Visit in Advance to Pay Final Respects"

Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the former Soviet Union, passed away at the age of 91 on the 30th of last month (local time). Former President Gorbachev led the democratization of the Soviet Union by promoting the policies of "Perestroika" (reform) and "Glasnost" (openness), contributing to the end of the East-West Cold War structure. The photo shows Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) speaking with former President Gorbachev as he begins a press conference in Germany in December 2004. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] Kremlin announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be able to attend the funeral of former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev due to scheduling conflicts.

According to major foreign media on the 1st (local time), Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, stated, "The funeral is scheduled to take place on September 3rd, but unfortunately, the president will not be able to attend due to work commitments."

However, he added that President Putin visited the hospital where former President Gorbachev passed away in advance to pay his last respects.

Peskov said, "The president left for Kaliningrad today. But before leaving, he stopped by the Central Clinical Hospital to say farewell to former President Gorbachev and laid flowers."

Former President Gorbachev passed away on August 30th at the age of 91 after a long battle with illness.

When asked whether former President Gorbachev's funeral would be held as a state funeral, Peskov refrained from commenting. He said, "We need to clarify exactly what constitutes a state funeral," and added, "It is difficult to answer this precisely right now, so I will not comment."

President Putin expressed deep condolences immediately after hearing the news of former President Gorbachev's passing and sent a message of sympathy to the bereaved family. However, separately, the Kremlin has not clearly stated its position on whether the funeral will be conducted as a state funeral.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.