Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend Gorbachev's funeral, which is scheduled for September 3, Russia's presidential office said.
Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader who ended the Cold War, died on August 30 at the age of 91.
According to the foundation represented by Mr. Gorbachev, the funeral will be held at a facility in Moscow on the 3rd of this month.
Regarding this, spokesman Peskov of the Russian Presidential Office said on the 1st, ``Unfortunately, President Putin cannot attend the funeral due to official duties,'' and announced that President Putin will not attend Mr. Gorbachev's funeral.
Also, when asked by the press whether the funeral will be treated as a state funeral, he only said, "There will be elements of that. The government will support the funeral arrangements."
Before the funeral, on the 1st, President Putin visited the hospital where Mr. Gorbachev is enshrined and met with the body. I cut the cross in front and made it public to say goodbye to Mr. Gorbachev.
In recent years, Mr. Gorbachev has expressed concern that the Putin regime's governance method is authoritarian, and it is reported that he was also concerned about a military invasion of Ukraine.