Mikhail Gorbachev, who ended the Cold War, dies aged 91

Mikhail Gorbachev who changed the course of history by triggering the demise of the Soviet Union and was one of the great figures of the 20th century has died in Moscow aged 91His death was announced on Tuesday by Russian news agencies who said Gorbachev had died at a central hospital in Moscow after a serious and long illnessGorbachev in power between 1985 and 1991 helped bring USSoviet relations out of a deep freeze and was the last surviving Cold War leaderHis life was one of the most influential of his times and his reforms as Soviet leader transformed his country and allowed Eastern Europe to free itself from Soviet ruleThe changes he set in motion saw him lionised in the West he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 but also earned him the scorn of many Russians who lamented the end of their countrys role as a global superpowerHe spent much of the past two decades on the political periphery intermittently calling for the Kremlin and the White House to mend ties as tensions soared to Cold War levels after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and launched an offensive in Ukraine earlier this yearAlso Read World must pressure Ukraine over nuke plant Kremlin Oneofakind His relationship with President Vladimir Putin was difficult at times but the Russian leader nonetheless expressed his deep sympathies after Gorbachevs deathIn the morning Putin will send a telegram of condolences to his family and friends Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agenciesGorbachev spent the twilight years of his life in and out of hospital with increasingly fragile health and observed selfquarantine during the pandemic as a precaution against the coronavirusGorbachev was regarded fondly in the West where he was affectionately referred to as Gorby and best known for defusing USSoviet nuclear tensions in the 1980s as well as bringing Eastern Europe out from behind the Iron CurtainHe won the Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating a historic nuclear arms pact with US leader Ronald Reagan and his decision to withhold the Soviet army when the Berlin Wall fell a year earlier was seen as key to preserving Cold War peaceHe was also championed in the West for spearheading reforms to achieve transparency and greater public discussion that hastened the breakup of the Soviet empireAlso Read Shellfire resounds around Zaporizhzhia nuclear plantUN chief Antonio Guterres praised Gorbachev as a oneofakind statesman who changed the course of history and did more than any other individual to bring about the peaceful end of the Cold WarBritish Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he always admired the courage and integrity Gorbachev showed to bring the Cold War to a peaceful conclusionIn a time of Putins aggression in Ukraine his tireless commitment to opening up Soviet society remains an example to us all he said in a Twitter post Man of peace French President Emmanuel Macron praised him as a man of peace whose choices opened up a path of liberty for Russians His commitment to peace in Europe changed our shared historyThe first Russian leader to live past the age of 90 he was congratulated by world leaders including US President Joe Biden and former German chancellor Angela Merkel on his 90th birthdayAt home Gorbachev remained a controversial figure and had a difficult relationship with PutinFor Putin and many Russians the breakup of the Soviet Union was a tragedy bringing with it a decade of mass poverty and a weakening of Russias stature on the global stageMany Russians still look back fondly to the Soviet period and Putin leans on its achievements to buttress Russias claim to greatness and his own prestigeAs the USSR collapsed Gorbachev was superseded by the younger Boris Yeltsin who became postSoviet Russias first presidentFrom then on Gorbachev was relegated to the sidelines devoting himself to educational and humanitarian projectsHe made a disastrous attempt to return to politics and ran for president in 1996 but received just 05 percent of the voteOver the years he saw many of his major achievements rolled back by Putin Supporter of free press An early supporter of Russias leading independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta founded in 1993 he donated part of his Nobel winnings to help it buy its first computersBut the newspaper like Russian independent media across the board came under increasing pressure during Putins twodecade reignNovaya Gazeta whose chief editor Dmitry Muratov last year won the Nobel Peace Prize suspended publication in late March after Moscows military intervention in UkraineGorbachev himself made no public statements about Russias military action in Ukraine though his foundation called for an early cessation hostilities and immediate start of peace negotiationsUniquely among Soviet leaders Gorbachev made no secret of his warm and supportive relationship with his wife Raisa an elegant woman who often appeared in public with him and whose premature death from cancer was a devastating blowA source close to the Gorbachev family told news agency TASS that he would be buried next to Raisa at Moscows Novodevichy cemetary the resting place of many other famous Russian figures including Yeltsin