Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the funeral of late Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who died Tuesday at the age of 91, Reuters reports.
On Thursday, state television showed Putin visiting Gorbachev's coffin in Moscow's Central Clinical Hospital, where he "made a sign of the cross in Russian Orthodox fashion before briefly touching the edge of the coffin," Reuters writes.
Putin opted to pay his respects on Thursday because his "work schedule" will not allow him to attend the services on Sept. 3, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Peskov added that Gorbachev's ceremony would have "elements" of a state funeral, such as a "guard of honor, and a farewell ceremony."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
To that end, it's unclear how exactly Gorbachev's event might differ from an ordinary, full-fledged state funeral, CNN notes; but overall, the government's muted response to his death is in "stark contrast" to that which followed the loss of former President Boris Yeltsin back in 2007.
For one thing, Putin, who resented Gorbachev for bringing about the end of the USSR, took over 15 hours to share a tribute to the fallen leader and compatriot. Gorbachev, meanwhile, had "grown more critical of Putin and his increasingly restrictive regime in recent years," CNN adds.
Gorbachev will be buried next to his wife at Moscow's Novodevichy cemetery, per NBC News.
-
ABC shelves ‘Kimmel Live’ after Trump FCC threatSpeed Read ‘A free and democratic society cannot silence comedians because the president doesn’t like what they say’
-
September 18 editorial cartoonsCartoons Thursday's political cartoons include a man who would be king, an inconsistent court, and social media in the trash
-
Spinal Tap II: The End Continues – laughs are sadly ‘thin on the ground’Talking Point Disappointing sequel to the classic rock’n’roll spoof
-
Russian drone tests Romania as Trump spinsSpeed Read Trump is ‘resisting congressional plans to impose newer and tougher penalties on Russia’s energy sector’
-
Kim Jong Un’s triumph: the rise and rise of North Korea’s dictatorIn the Spotlight North Korean leader has strengthened ties with Russia and China, and recently revealed his ‘respected child’ to the world
-
‘Peak consumption has become the Holy Grail of the energy debate’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to TrumpSpeed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raidsSpeed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
Burkina Faso's misinformation warUnder The Radar The president of the West African country has quickly become the face of a viral, AI-powered propaganda campaign
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raidSpeed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
