Putin's schedule prevents him attending Gorbachev funeral: Kremlin
Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the funeral of the last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, his spokesman said on Thursday.
- World
- Reuters & AFP
- Published Date: 01:35 | 01 September 2022
- Modified Date: 01:42 | 01 September 2022
Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the funeral of the last Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, on Saturday because of schedule constraints, the Kremlin said.
In a call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin had paid his respects on Thursday morning by visiting and laying a wreath at Moscow's Central Clinical Hospital, where Gorbachev died on Tuesday.
"Unfortunately, the president's work schedule will not allow him to do this on Sept. 3, so he decided to do it today," Peskov said.
He added that Gorbachev's funeral would have "elements" of a state funeral, including a guard of honour, and that the state was helping with the organisation.
- Sexual assaults in American military reach new record - report
- Cargo vessel carrying more than 3,000 tonnes of corn from Ukraine drifts aground in Bosphorus strait
- Wildfire rages as California bakes under heat dome
- Germany's Baerbock accused of ignoring voters in favour of Ukraine
- Canadian spy smuggled me into Syria, says British girl who joined Daesh/ISIS