While the former Soviet leader was hailed for his political reforms, his death has spotlighted his complicated relationship with an independent Ukraine.
Mikhail Gorbachev is being remembered for his complicated views on Ukrainian independence, after the reformist Soviet leader reluctantly acquiesced to the country breaking free from Moscow but later called it a “mistake.”
The last leader of the Soviet Union, Gorbachev’s death at age 91 on Tuesday sparked a renewed look at his legacy that reshaped the global political order. Gorbachev led the Soviet Union as Ukraine declared independence in 1991, rejecting centuries of domination from Russia. With a resurgent Russia seeking to regain control over Ukraine, how Gorbachev shaped relations between the two countries is being given a fresh look.
Gorbachev is best remembered for ushering in a series of reforms as general secretary of the Soviet Communist Party and the first and only president of the Soviet Union. He sought improved relations with Western countries and loosened government control over political and economic life that precipitated the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991.
“Death of ex-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev at 91 is a reminder of what he did: ending the Soviet Union and setting free numerous, now independent, countries, including #Ukraine,” Frank Gardner, BBC security correspondent, said in a tweet.
