The funeral service for former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev began in the Russian capital Moscow on Saturday. Hundreds of people gathered at the House of Trade Unions, within sight of the Kremlin.
The body of the Nobel Peace Prize winner was laid out there. Many waited in front of the building with flowers in their hands. Gorbachev died on Tuesday at the age of 91 after a long, serious illness.
In the early afternoon, the former head of state and party leader is to be buried next to his wife Raisa in Moscow’s celebrity cemetery at the Novodevichy Convent near the city center. There was no state funeral – unlike after the death of President Boris Yeltsin (1931-2007). Germany is represented by the chargé d’affaires at the embassy in Moscow.
In addition, no Western leaders traveled to the funeral. The background are the sanctions because of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. Russia’s incumbent President Vladimir Putin is also absent, according to the Kremlin for reasons of scheduling.
However, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has been criticized for his special path towards Russia within the EU, announced a trip to Moscow, where he wants to take part in the funeral service. Orban wanted to “pay his last respects” to Gorbachev, the Foreign Ministry said on Twitter on Saturday. The Kremlin immediately stressed that no meeting between Orban and Russian President Putin was planned.
Orban has been accused by his critics of being too close to Moscow. Among other things, Hungary has been the only EU country to increase gas supplies from Russia since the beginning of the Ukraine war.
In Russia, Gorbachev is held responsible by many for the collapse of the Soviet Union, and with it the decline in Russia’s greatness. Gorbachev is considered an important pioneer of German unity. He led the Soviet Union as its last president from 1985 to 1991.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev paid his last respects to Gorbachev on Saturday. Today’s Deputy Head of the Security Council came to the funeral service in Moscow, as reported by Russian news agencies. Medvedev laid flowers on the coffin in the House of Trade Unions near the Kremlin.
In the morning, Russian state television showed people laying flowers in front of the coffin and pausing for a moment. The Union House was open to the public. A long line formed in front of the building. Next to the coffin were wreaths and a portrait of the ex-head of state.