According to the Kremlin spokesperson, Vladimir Putin’s schedule does not allow him to attend the funeral. The Kremlin’s contradictory attitude towards Mikhail Gorbachev’s legacy has also been assessed as the reason.
Teemu Juhola,
Olli-Pekka Sulasma
President of Russia Vladimir Putin went today to say goodbye to the last leader of the Soviet Union to Mikhail Gorbachev.
Putin laid memorial flowers next to Gorbachev’s coffin at the Moscow hospital where Gorbachev died on Tuesday. Putin stood next to the coffin for a moment and bowed to the deceased. Behind the coffin in the hospital is a portrait of Gorbachev.
Putin will not attend Gorbachev’s funeral on Saturday. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov according to Putin’s schedule does not allow participation in the funeral.
However, the Kremlin’s contradictory attitude towards the legacy that Gorbachev left as the last leader of the Soviet Union has also been speculated to be the reason for not participating.
Gorbachev is buried next to his wife
Gorbachev will be buried on Saturday in Moscow at the Novodevichy Cemetery by his wife Raisa Gorbachevna beside.
Before the burial, a memorial ceremony will be held in the House of Trade Unions, a historic building in the center of Moscow. State funerals have been organized in the mansion in question since Soviet times.
According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Gorbachev’s funeral is not a state funeral, but it has features of a state funeral.
Among other things, there is a guard of honor at the funeral and the government participates in the arrangements. However, Peskov did not elaborate when speaking to the press on how the funeral differs from the actual state funeral. Until the funeral, Gorbachev’s coffin will be kept in the hospital.
Putin’s absence from the funeral and the unclear status of the funeral are estimated to reflect the Kremlin’s contradictory attitude towards Gorbachev.