NewsU.S. and the World

Actions

Mikhail Gorbachev, former Soviet Union leader, dies at 91

Russia Obit Gorbachev
Posted at 3:06 PM, Aug 30, 2022
and last updated 2022-08-30 17:07:56-04

Former Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev has died at age 91, according to Russian news agencies.

His cause of death was not immediately released, but Gorbachev's office had said earlier that he was undergoing treatment at the Central Clinical Hospital in Moscow, according to The Associated Press.

Gorbachev served as the eighth and final General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991.

During his time in this role, he oversaw a de-escalation of the Cold War, which culminated in the dissolution of the USSR and the fall of the Berlin Wall.

In 1990, Gorbachev won the Nobel Peace Prize.