A portrait of Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, is displayed on the wall during his memorial service at the Column Hall of the House of Unions in Moscow, on September 3, 2022. (AFP Photo)
A funeral service is being held for last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in Moscow on Saturday, after he passed away earlier this week at the age of 91 following a long illness.
Hundreds of people gathered at the House of Trade Unions within sight of the Kremlin in the Russian capital as Gorbachev's body was laid out.
Many of those in the crowd held flowers and waited to pay their respects for the Nobel Peace Prize winner.
He was to be buried next to his wife Raissa in Moscow's Novodevichy cemetery. Unlike for former Russian president Boris Yeltsin (1931-2007), no state funeral was planned for Gorbachev.
The internationally respected statesman was often credited for bringing the Cold War to a peaceful end.
However, while politicians in the West have praised his services to peace and the reunification of Germany, reactions in Russia were mixed, with many holding the former head of state responsible for the disintegration of the Soviet Union.
Despite high regard for Gorbachev in London, Paris and Berlin for ending the Cold War that had divided the continent, Western leaders were not expected to attend the ceremony, as Russian's invasion of Ukraine has soured relations with Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was also not expected on account of prior engagements. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Putin has a demanding schedule ahead of a planned trip to Russia's far east.
Russian former president Dmitry Medvedev did attend the ceremony on Saturday, Russian news agencies reported.
