Gorbachev's death mourned as passing of rare leader

BANGKOK, Aug 31 (AP): The passing of Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union and for many the man who restored democracy to then-communist-ruled European nations, was mourned Wednesday as the loss of as a rare leader who changed the world and for a time gave hope for peace among the superpowers.

But the man who died at age 91 on Tuesday was also reviled by many countrymen who blamed him for the 1991 implosion of the Soviet Union and its diminution as a superpower. The Russian nation that emerged from its Soviet past shrank in size as 15 new nations were created.

The loss of pride and power also eventually led to the rise of Vladimir Putin, who has tried for the past quarter-century to restore Russia to its former glory and beyond.

"After decades of brutal political repression, he embraced democratic reforms. He believed in glasnost and perestroika - openness and restructuring - not as mere slogans, but as the path forward for the people of the Soviet Union after so many years of isolation and deprivation" President Joe Biden said.

He added that "these were the acts of a rare leader - one with the imagination to see that a different future was possible and the courage to risk his entire career to achieve it. The result was a safer world and greater freedom for millions of people."

World leaders paid tribute to a man some described as a great and brave leader.

Outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that "in a time of Putin's aggression in Ukraine, his tireless commitment to opening up Soviet society remains an example to us all."

French President Emmanuel Macron described Gorbachev as "a man of peace whose choices opened up a path of liberty for Russians. His commitment to peace in Europe changed our shared history."

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called him "a one-of-a kind statesman who changed the course of history" and "did more than any other individual to bring about the peaceful end of the Cold War."

"The world has lost a towering global leader, committed multilateralist, and tireless advocate for peace," the U.N. chief said in a statement.