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Reuters
Reuters
Entertainment
By Andrew Osborn and Filipp Lebedev

Thousands of Russians bid farewell to last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev 'the peacemaker'

A portrait of Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, is hanged on the wall during his memorial service at the Column Hall of the House of Unions in Moscow, Russia September 3, 2022. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/Pool

Thousands of Russians filed past the open casket of Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, on Saturday with many saying they wanted to honour his memory as "a peacemaker" who dismantled totalitarianism and gave them their freedom.

Gorbachev, leader of the Soviet Union from 1985-1991, died on Tuesday aged 91. His body lay in state in the grand Hall of Columns in central Moscow in the tradition of previous Soviet leaders, including Vladimir Lenin and Josef Stalin.

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