Kremlin offers mixed view of Gorbachev’s historic role

MOSCOW — The Kremlin treaded carefully Wednesday reacting to Mikhail Gorbachev’s death, praising his prominent role in reshaping 20th-century history but noting his “romantic” view of the West. The criticism echoed earlier assessments by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has famously lamented the collapse of the Soviet Union as the “greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century.” In a telegram of condolences released by the Kremlin, Putin praised Gorbachev as a man who left “ an enormous impact on the course of world history.” “He led the country during difficult and dramatic changes, amid large-scale foreign policy, economic and society challenges,” Putin said. Leonid Slutsky, the head of the foreign affairs committee in the lower house, the State Duma, hailed Gorbachev as “the most remarkable politician of his time,” but noted that his reforms “played into the hands of those who were trying to wipe the USSR off the world’s map.” Sergei Mironov, the leader of the Just Russia party, noted that Gorbachev “was like a breath of fresh air, embodying the hopes for colossal changes,” but added that his policies led to “the loss of a great country” and became a “tragedy for generations of Russians.” Others in Russia were far less polite. “I’m sure that our descendants will have a far more favorable view of his life than his contemporaries.” Dmitry Muratov, last year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner who served as the editor of Russia’s top independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta until it shut under official pressure in March after the Kremlin sent troops into Ukraine, praised Gorbachev as a man who put an end to the war in Afghanistan, released political prisoners and ended the Cold War-era arms race.