Gorbachev, at 80, gets Russia's highest honor
MOSCOW -- Mikhail Gorbachev was awarded Russia's highest medal on his 80th birthday Wednesday, a belated tribute from the homeland where many blame him for the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told Gorbachev during a meeting that he would be awarded the Order of St. Andrew for his service as the last Soviet leader. Medvedev said leading the Soviet Union during a "very complex, dramatic period" was a tough job.
"It can be assessed differently, but it was a heavy load," Medvedev said, adding that he will invite Gorbachev to the Kremlin to give him the award.
Gorbachev has been revered in the West for his liberal reforms that led to the collapse of Communism, but he has been reviled at home, where many hold him responsible for the breakup of the Soviet Union and the ensuing economic meltdown that cost many most of their lifetime savings.
His bitter rival, the late Boris Yeltsin, Russia's first president, treated Gorbachev in a humiliating way, giving him just a few hours to pack up after he resigned as the Soviet president on Christmas Day 1991. Yeltsin also issued Gorbachev a government pension equivalent to only a few dollars a month....
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Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told Gorbachev during a meeting that he would be awarded the Order of St. Andrew for his service as the last Soviet leader. Medvedev said leading the Soviet Union during a "very complex, dramatic period" was a tough job.
"It can be assessed differently, but it was a heavy load," Medvedev said, adding that he will invite Gorbachev to the Kremlin to give him the award.
Gorbachev has been revered in the West for his liberal reforms that led to the collapse of Communism, but he has been reviled at home, where many hold him responsible for the breakup of the Soviet Union and the ensuing economic meltdown that cost many most of their lifetime savings.
His bitter rival, the late Boris Yeltsin, Russia's first president, treated Gorbachev in a humiliating way, giving him just a few hours to pack up after he resigned as the Soviet president on Christmas Day 1991. Yeltsin also issued Gorbachev a government pension equivalent to only a few dollars a month....