THEY TALK SPECIAL: MIKHAIL GORBACHEV - The last leader of the USSR and Vladimir Putin's Russia

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Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union died at the age of 91, on 30th August 2022. He was a highly respected statesman abroad but not so much in his own country, Russia. His relationship with President Putin was especially cold. What did Gorbachev think about Vladimir Putin’s Russia?

Our focus here isn’t the last days of the USSR or Mr Gorbachev's life story. We are concentrating on his take on how Russia is today and its current leader Mr Putin.

Mikhail Gorbachev and Vladimir Putin (Credit: Turun Sanomat) 
HIS LEGACY

After the news about the passing of Mikhail Gorbachev the world has once again remembered, and praised, the part that he played in ending the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the West.

In 1990, Gorbachev was given the Nobel Peace Prize “for the leading role he played in the radical changes in East-West relations”. Many western politicians have stated in their obituaries how he helped bring the Europeans together by lifting the Iron Curtain.

That being said, the legacy of Mikhail Gorbachev isn't appreciated in his own country. In a poll conducted in 2021, 70% of Russians believed that the country had gotten worse during his term.

The Guardian's Russia expert, a British newspaper, Pjotr Sauer points out that there are vast amounts of Russians who have never forgiven him for the turbulence that his progressive politics caused. Many remember the economical downwards spiral that took place after “Glasnost”.

On top of that, Russians, who are feeling Soviet nostalgia, think that Gorbachev is responsible for the destruction of their so called empire. This is because he encouraged Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and others to seek their independence.

WHAT ABOUT PUTIN?

Gorbachev’s relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin was complicated to say the least. According to the Washington Post, Gorbachev balanced his criticism towards Putin by little compliments here and there.

He saw that Putin restored the same stability and the prestige that Russia had before the turmoil that happened after the fall of the Soviet Union.

We need to remember that although Gorbachev said all that, he criticized Putin’s methods more often then complimenting him. One of his criticisms was related to the actions that targeted the freedom of the press and the media. During his trip to the United States, in 2011, he warned the world about Putin’s way of governing Russia. He said that authoritarian leadership is going to end up damaging the country.

In an interview hosted by the LBJ Presidential Library in the U.S., Gorbachev was asked why he thought it was time for Putin to go, rather than seek a third term in office. 

“Putin inherited a very difficult situation from his predecessor, Boris Yeltsin,” he said in answer to the question. “Putin did a lot of useful work to preserve Russia and to consolidate the Russian state … And so I think that it was perhaps understandable that during that initial phase, he used certain authoritarian methods in his leadership. But using authoritarian methods as a policy for the future, that I think is wrong. I think that’s a mistake.”

Later in 2013 he told the BBC that the relationship between him and Putin had soured after Putin became the President once again.

In an interview he called on President Vladimir Putin "not to be afraid of his own people."

Mr Gorbachev also criticized Mr Putin's inner circle, saying it was full of "thieves and corrupt officials."

He told to BBC, "I get the feeling he's very tense and worried. Not everything is going well. I think he should change his style and make adjustments to the regime." He continued to say, "The common thread running through all of them is an attack on the rights of citizens. For goodness sake, you shouldn't be afraid of your own people...What people want and expect their president to do is to restore an open, direct dialogue with them. He shouldn't take offense at this."

Putin on the other hand has called the fall of the Soviet Union the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century.

About the blame of giving away the country Gorbachev accurately replied, "I'm often accused of giving away Central and Eastern Europe. But who did I give it to? I gave Poland, for example, back to the Poles. Who else does it belong to?"

THE WAR IN UKRAINE

Putin’s attack on Ukraine in February 2022 offered Mr Gorbachev the last opportunity to criticize the president. On February 26th, two days after the Russia’s war against the Ukraine had begun Mr Gorbachev released a statement through Gorbachev Foundation:

"In connection with Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, begun on February 24, we affirm the need for an early cessation of hostilities and immediate start of peace negotiations. There is nothing more precious in the world than human lives."

Pavel Palaženko, a former translator for Mr Gorbachev and a member of Gorbachev's think tank, tells us that two days before that attack began the former leader of the Soviet Union was afraid of the dangerous events that might transpire between Russia and Ukraine. He always did all he could that these two nations would be closer to one another. Now there is a drift that keeps growing all the time because of the actions of Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

According to Mr Gorbachev’s dear friend, the journalist of “Eho Moskvy” radio channel, Aleksei Venediktov, Mr Gorbachev was extremely upset of the state of Russia mere months before his death. He said that his life's work was destroyed. Venediktov said that, “All that he achieved is being destroyed. All the reforms have vanished in the air. He was really upset. It was about his life’s work. Freedom was his business.”

We will end with the words of Russian economist, Ruslan Grinberg who said, “He gave freedom to all of us but we didn’t know what to do with it”.

I hope that we know what we do with our freedom. This has been They Talk. Thanks for joining us on this post. Please go to the YouTube Video and hit the like button. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to our channel and click the be for notifications on future episodes! 



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