Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, who brought down the Iron Curtain, died at the age 91 following a long illness Tuesday, according to Russian state and independent media.

Gorbachev’s rule was not without blemishes from a Western point of view. He sent tanks into Lithuania to crush independence hopes in the Baltic states in 1991, months before leaving power.

Gorbachev "thought he was bringing Communism closer to the people rather than dismantling it," Bershidsky recalled. Ultimately, he failed as both an autocrat and a politician — and Putin learned ...

Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, who presided over the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, has died at the age of 91. RFE/RL looks back at the life and career of a ...

Gorbachev’s courage and vision helped bring peace to Europe and built a freer, more open society for millions. His legacy will be remembered by us all. — Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) August 31, 2022 ...

Gorbachev served as general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, in effect its leader, and in 1990 he became the Soviet Union's first and only president.

Mikhail Gorbachev speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the Gorbachev Fund in Moscow in 2001. Russian news agencies are reporting that former Soviet president has died. He was 91.

Gorbachev was the last leader of the Soviet Union, which itself died in his arms on Dec. 25, 1991. His legacy will be forever debated and is as controversial today as it was when he was on the ...

Gorbachev mourned as a rare world leader, but some remain bitter over his legacy Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and President Reagan begin a three-day summit in Washington in 1987.

Gorbachev was weak; the only way to modernize was through authoritarian reform backed by force. But the West’s debt to Mr. Gorbachev for bringing down a totalitarian empire is enormous.

Gorbachev told the New York Times on May 23, 1991, that the problems facing the Soviet Union deserved more attention and support from the G7.

Mr. Gorbachev was charming and presented himself as a modernizer, but neither Ronald Reagan nor George Bush was convinced he was for real. They would both be proved wrong.