Russia: President Putin will not attend Mikhail Gorbachev’s funeral

Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the funeral on Saturday of the last leader of the USSR, Mikhail Gorbachev, who died at the age of 91, the Kremlin spokesman said on Thursday.

“We know that the main ceremony will be on September 3, as well as the funeral, but the president’s schedule will not allow him to be there,” said Dmitry Peskov, adding that Vladimir Putin had already went to the Moscow hospital where Mikhail Gorbtachev died to “place flowers near his coffin”.

During this same speech, Dmitry Peskov declared that there will be “elements of a state funeral”, during the burial of Mikhail Gorbtachev, in particular an “honor guard” organized with state aid.

The last leader of the Soviet Union passed away on Tuesday evening after a “long and serious illness”.