Mikhail Gorbachev Passes Away

Mikhail Gorbachev will be laid to rest in Moscow on 3 September; no confirmation on state funeral yet

The ceremony will be held in the Moscow Hall of Columns, historically used for funeral services of high officials, including Joseph Stalin in 1953

China highlights Gorbachev's mistakes leading to collapse of Soviet Union as it mourns his death

Chinese observers considered Gorbachev a tragic figure who catered to the US and the West without principle, a write-up in the state-run Global Times said

'Had a huge impact on world history': Putin on last Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev

Putin, who famously called the Soviet collapse the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century, has spent much of his more than 20-year rule trying to reverse parts of Gorbachev's legacy