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>Mikhail Gorbachev turned 90 on Tuesday March 2nd, with several world leaders sending well-wishes to the former leader of the Soviet Union. The former leader of the Soviet Union and secretary-general of the Communist Party is considered by some as one of the greatest reformers of the 20th century — but remains a controversial figure at home.

>Still active, Gorbachev heads a political foundation and co-owns the Kremlin-critical newspaper, Novaya Gazeta. He celebrated his birthday while staying in a hospital as a precaution amid the coronavirus pandemic.

>Gorbachev was scheduled to have video calls with his aides and associates who gathered at his foundation to congratulate him. He also spoke with world leaders and read messages from admirers worldwide. World leaders including US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and German Chancellor Angela Merkel called to congratulate him.

>Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Gorbachev in a letter published by the Kremlin, hailing him as "one of the most outstanding statesmen of modern times who made a considerable impact on the history of our nation and the world.'' Putin also praised Gorbachev for continuing to work on international humanitarian projects.

>So how does the Russian public view him? Pro-democratic forces also see him as a symbol of freedom, as he has criticized repression under Russian President Vladimir Putin and warned against falling back into a dictatorship. However, many Russians still hold him at least partially responsible for the collapse of the Soviet Union that led to a devastating economic meltdown and years of political turmoil.

>>Mikhail Gorbachev turned 90 on Tuesday March 2nd, with several world leaders sending well-wishes to the former leader of the Soviet Union. The former leader of the Soviet Union and secretary-general of the Communist Party is considered by some as one of the greatest reformers of the 20th century — but remains a controversial figure at home. >>Still active, Gorbachev heads a political foundation and co-owns the Kremlin-critical newspaper, Novaya Gazeta. He celebrated his birthday while staying in a hospital as a precaution amid the coronavirus pandemic. >>Gorbachev was scheduled to have video calls with his aides and associates who gathered at his foundation to congratulate him. He also spoke with world leaders and read messages from admirers worldwide. World leaders including US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and German Chancellor Angela Merkel called to congratulate him. >>Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Gorbachev in a letter published by the Kremlin, hailing him as "one of the most outstanding statesmen of modern times who made a considerable impact on the history of our nation and the world.'' Putin also praised Gorbachev for continuing to work on international humanitarian projects. >>So how does the Russian public view him? Pro-democratic forces also see him as a symbol of freedom, as he has criticized repression under Russian President Vladimir Putin and warned against falling back into a dictatorship. However, many Russians still hold him at least partially responsible for the collapse of the Soviet Union that led to a devastating economic meltdown and years of political turmoil.

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Pravda has published a related story, reporting on a poll taken among Russian people asking their opinion about Gorbachev.

https://english.pravda.ru/society/147340-gorbachev/

>A poll conducted by the Russian Public Opinion Research Centre among 1,600 Russians revealed that the number of people who believe that Gorbachev brought the country more harm than good has decreased. In 2019, 54 percent of respondents thought so, and in 2021 - 51 percent.

>The number of Russians who are confident that the harm and benefit from Gorbachev's activities were approximately equal has not changed in two years. As many as 32 percent of respondents share this point of view. Fifty-one percent of respondents believe that Gorbachev cared primarily about the welfare of the country and the people, but made a number of mistakes that led to shocks (50% of respondents thought so in 2019). The number of Russians who consider Gorbachev a criminal who deliberately destroyed the state has decreased: 26 percent in 2019 vs. 22 percent in 2021.

>Eleven percent of respondents said that Gorbachev was a brave man who was not afraid to take responsibility for the reforms the country needed. Two years earlier, ten percent of respondents thought so.

>The Russians find glasnost and freedom of speech (9%), perestroika (4%) and the development of international relations (3%) as Gorbachev's achievements. As for the main failures of Gorbachev's policy, the respondents named the collapse of the USSR (36%), actions in the interests of the West (7%), and economic decline (7%).