Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, has died at 91. Here's a look at our all-format coverage plans at this hour::
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OBIT-GORBACHEV — Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, has died at 91. He waged a losing battle to salvage a crumbling empire but produced extraordinary reforms that led to the end of the Cold War. The Central Clinical Hospital in Moscow said in a statement that Gorbachev died after a long illness. No other details were given. Though in power less than seven years, Gorbachev unleashed a breathtaking series of changes. They quickly overtook him and resulted in the collapse of the authoritarian Soviet state, the freeing of Eastern European nations from Russian domination and the end of decades of East-West nuclear confrontation. By Jim Heintz. SENT: 2,000 words, photos. video. With an abridged version.
OBIT-GORBACHEV-A LIFE — Before Mikhail Gorbachev came along, the Soviet Union seemed an immovable superpower in perpetual antagonism to the United States. With a series of reforms, Gorbachev changed all that — and re-directed the course of the 20th century. By Jim Heintz. SENT 2,000 words, photos.
OBIT-GORBACHEV-GLOBAL REACTION — The passing of Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union and for many the man who restored democracy to many European countries under communist rule, was mourned for the loss of what world leaders described as a rare leader who brought global change and at the time a hope for peace among the superpowers. But the man who died in Moscow on Tuesday at the age of 91, was also reviled by many in his own country who blamed him for the 1991 implosion of the Soviet Union and its diminution as a superpower. By Patrick Queen. SENT: 700 words, photos.
RUSSIA GORBACEHC'S LEGACY — Mikhail Gorbachev sought to make peace with the West, open the world to his country’s citizens and reform their failing economy and society, but the forces he unleashed went out of control. More than three decades after Gorbachev left power and the USSR collapsed, President Vladimir Putin’s hard line has resulted in Europe’s bloodiest and most destructive fighting since World War II and a near-complete reversal of the last Soviet leader’s reforms. UPCOMING on Thursday.
PHOTOS
A wide selection of archival photos have moved and are available for use. Here's are some highlights:
RGO103 — Mikhail Gorbachev waves from the Red Square tribune during a Revolution Day celebration in 1989.
RGO102 — Mikhail Gorbachev and U.S. President Ronald Reagan talk during their meeting in Reykjavik, Iceland, in 1986.
RGO109 — Russia’s President Vladimir Putin talks with former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev at the start of a news conference in 2004.
VIDEO
Live expected from Moscow's Red Square throughout the day.
Archive footage showing the life and times of Mikhail Gorbachev
Ex-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev dies aged 91
Archive footage showing the former Soviet President Gorbachev who has died aged 91
Biden asked about Soviet leader Gorbachev’s death
Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida expresses condolences after Gorbachev’s death
Australia pays tribute to Gorbachev
— The AP
