It took Putin 15 hours to publish a restrained condolence message on Gorbachev
September 1, 2022, 9:29 am

It took Putin 15 hours to publish a restrained condolence message on Gorbachev

Mikhail Gorbachev, the first president of the Soviet Union © Alexander Chumichev/TASS (archive)

Mikhail Gorbachev was mourned in the West on Wednesday (August 31) as a towering statesman who helped to end the Cold War, but his death received a cool response in Russia, engaged in a war with Ukraine to regain some of the power it lost when he presided over the Soviet Union’s collapse.

It took President Putin more than 15 hours to publish the text of a restrained condolence message in which he said Gorbachev had had a “huge impact on the course of world history” and “deeply understood that reforms were necessary” to tackle the problems of the Soviet Union in the 1980s.

However, it appeared that Gorbachev would be accorded the same honour as previous Soviet leaders Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin and Leonid Brezhnev – a funeral in the Hall of Columns of the House of Unions, within sight of the Kremlin. The ceremony will take place on Saturday.

Russian media were far less interested in Gorbachev’s passing. Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told an educational forum that Gorbachev’s “romanticism” about rapprochement with West had been misplaced.

“The bloodthirstiness of our opponents showed itself,” he said.

Sergei Naryshkin, director of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, said: “Perestroika’ has long become history, but today we all have to deal with its consequences.

It fell to Gorbachev to lead the country in a very difficult period, to face many external and internal challenges, for which an adequate response was not found.”

Last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who is awarded Nobel Peace Prize, dies at age of 91

Gorbachev was born on March - 2 - 1931, in Privolnoye, Stavropol Krai, to a poor peasant family of Russian and Ukrainian heritage.

In recent years his health has been in decline and he had been in and out of hospital. In June, international media reported that he had been admitted after suffering from a kidney ailment, though his cause of death has not been announced, the BBC reported.

levantnews–engnews-agencies

UN: China's treatment of Uighur Muslims may be crime against humanity PM Johnson calls for Britain to end its energy dependence on 'foreign despots'

BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”