Mikhail Gorbachev: I am 'fighting for my life'

Mikhail Gorbachev, the now-defunct Soviet Union's final leader, told Russian media outlets this week that he is "fighting for my life," against a bevy of health complications.

After spending Thursday night in a Moscow hospital due to an "aggravation" of his acute diabetes, Gorbachev was released on Friday, but the 83-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner complained that his recent decline caused him to miss this week's announcements of the new Nobel Prize winners, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Gorbachev received his own Nobel Peace Prize in 1990, as the former Communist Party leader spearheaded reformations that moved Eastern Europe away from totalitarian policies that facilitated the Iron Curtain. While Gorbachev's deteriorating health has pulled him away from politics, the Los Angeles Times notes that he has continued to voice concerns over Russian President Vladimir Putin's free speech restrictions — along with U.S. President Barack Obama's policies toward Europe.

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