Vladimir Putin and Mikhail Gorbachev's competing visions for Russia's future ultimately saw the two men turn on each other
ABCHe was the last leader of the Soviet Union, the man who helped end the Cold War, and the president who tried to turn Russia into a functioning democracy. "Everything that Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev did – it's all ruined," journalist Alexei Venediktov, the editor of the Ekho Moskvy radio station, told the Russian Forbes magazine. In 2006, LA Times writer Matt Welch recalled an interview where "Gorbachev's smile disappeared, his eyes narrowed to lumps of burning coal" at the suggestion Putin was departing from democracy. Gorbachev grew frustrated with Putin's apparent obsession with power at all costs, declaring him "an obstacle to progress" in Russia. A confidant reportedly told Swiss newspaper Blick that Gorbachev "strongly condemned the war in Ukraine from the very beginning", and had made several attempts over the years to contact Putin directly.
History of this topic
Op-Ed: Russia’s identity mirrors its rulers. Putin reflects absolutism, Gorbachev fragile hope
LA Times
History’s bookends: Putin reversed many Gorbachev reforms
Associated Press
Russia remains divided over legacy of ‘father of perestroika’
The Hindu
History’s bookends: Putin reversed many Gorbachev reforms
The Hindu
It’s complicated: Relationship status of Mikhail Gorbachev and Vladimir Putin
Live Mint
Mikhail Gorbachev, Last Soviet Leader who Opened Russia's Doors to the World, Dies at 91
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