Mikhail Gorbachev: The man who restored democracy to Communist-ruled European nations, changed the world

New Delhi: The 91-year-old Mikhail Gorbachev, former head of the Soviet Union who peacefully ended the Cold War, has passed away. He was the last leader of the Soviet Union. Gorbachev passed away after a prolonged illness, according to Russian state news sources. The man who is credited with ending the Cold War by bringing important political and economic changes to the USSR. He was a remarkable leader who altered the course of history and briefly raised the prospect of superpower harmony.

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According to Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin's spokesperson, the Russian president expressed his condolences. Worldwide tributes have been paid, with United Nation’s Chief Antonio Guterres saying that Mikhail Gorbachev has “changed the course of history.”

In his Twitter tribute he quoted that “Mikhail Gorbachev was a one-of-a-kind statesman,” “The world has lost a towering global leader, committed multilateralist, and tireless advocate for peace.” 

Many of his fellow citizens loathed him and held him responsible for the Soviet Union's collapse and decline as a superpower in 1991. As 15 new countries were formed, the size of the Russian country that had emerged from its Soviet history decreased. The decline in dignity and authority finally contributed to the ascent of Vladimir Putin, who has worked over the past 25 years to bring Russia back to its former splendour and beyond.

“After decades of brutal political repression, he embraced democratic reforms. He believed in glasnost and perestroika - openness and restructuring not as mere slogans, but as the path forward for the people of the Soviet Union after so many years of isolation and deprivation" President Joe Biden said.

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Biden added these were the acts of a rare leader “one with the imagination to see that a different future was possible and the courage to risk his entire career to achieve it. The result was a safer world and greater freedom for millions of people.”

Gorbachev received the 1990 Nobel Peace Prize for his part in putting an end to the Cold War, but although receiving much praise abroad, he was despised at home. It's uncertain how his passing will be greeted in Russia given that country's ongoing nationalist conflict in Ukraine. Leaders from around the world paid respect to a man who was hailed as a great and valiant leader.

(Inputs from PTI)