Mikhail Gorbachev is held in high esteem abroad as a pioneer of the end of the Cold War. However, many international guests could be prevented from attending the funeral service for the former head of state in Moscow due to entry bans.
In view of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and the EU and US sanctions against the country, it is unclear which international guests will come to the funeral of former Soviet President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Mikhail Gorbachev in Moscow. Not only have many high-ranking politicians in the EU been banned from entering the country by the Russian side as a reaction to the Western sanctions. The airspace in Russia is also blocked for "unfriendly EU countries". Many Western politicians are avoiding contact with Russia because of the war of aggression against Ukraine ordered by Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin six months ago.
Long before his death, former Soviet President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Mikhail Gorbachev arranged his funeral. He is buried in Moscow's famous celebrity cemetery at the Novodevichy Convent, where he secured a grave next to his wife Raisa Gorbacheva, who died in Münster in 1999 after a serious illness. He was there often.
However, it is still unclear whether there will be a state funeral for the Nobel Peace Prize winner. According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov in Moscow, the Interfax news agency said. The topic will be discussed during the day. "A decision is still being made," he said. It also depends on the wishes of family and friends.
Gorbachev died in Moscow on Tuesday evening at the age of 91 after a long illness. He was the last General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and had introduced the policies of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (transformation). In 1991 he resigned as Soviet President. In view of the historical and international importance of the politician, guests from abroad should also want to say goodbye to the politician, who was also considered one of the fathers of German unity.
