Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has died at 91

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who played a central role in ending the Cold War, died Tuesday at the age of 91.

Russian media reported his death, citing the hospital that was treating him as saying he died of a «serious and protracted disease,» without providing more information.

Gorbachev’s trademark policies of glasnost and perestroika helped open up the Soviet economy and liberalize society in the late 1980s, confront its past and engage with Western leaders on arms control. He also oversaw the withdrawal of Soviet troops from about a decadelong military campaign in Afghanistan, as well as the USSR’s handling of Chernobyl.

Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990, he was seen by many abroad, including President Ronald Reagan, as a visionary. But his legacy is complicated at home, where many viewed him as the man who engineered the collapse of the Soviet Union.

He felt he belonged to a generation of children of World War II

He was born in 1931 in Privolnoye, a village in southern Russia. He was the son of peasants and knew how to operate farm equipment. He also knew the horror of war.

In an interview with the Academy of Achievement years later, Gorbachev said watching the Nazis occupy his village as a boy shaped his life.

«This was all happening right in front of our eyes, the eyes of the children,» he said. «Thus, you see, I belong to the so-called children-of-the-war generation. The war left a heavy mark on us, a painful mark. This is permanent, and this is what determined a lot of things in my life.»

Similar news

Somali forces battle to end deadly hotel siege in Mogadishu Afghanistan is drifting into another phase of violence and civil war: Dr. Moonis Ahmar Western govts must step up support for those pushing back against the Taliban: NATO Secretary General Russia willing to host talks between Taliban and National Resistance Front