Last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev will be laid to rest today in a Moscow ceremony, but without the fanfare of a state funeral and with the glaring absence of President Vladimir Putin.
With Russia isolated by its military campaign in Ukraine, no foreign leaders are expected to attend what will be a relatively low-key affair to remember one of the great political figures of the 20th century.
Gorbachev – affectionately known in the West as Gorby – died on Tuesday