海角大神

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 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.

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

He added that 鈥渢hese were the acts of a rare leader 鈥� 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.鈥�

Gorbachev won the 1990 Nobel Peace Prize for his role in ending the Cold War but although widely feted abroad, he was a pariah at home.

Mr. Putin acknowledged that Gorbachev had 鈥渁 deep impact on the course of world history.鈥�

鈥淗e led the country during difficult and dramatic changes, amid large-scale foreign policy, economic, and social challenges,鈥� Mr. Putin said in a short telegram sending his condolences to Gorbachev鈥檚 family.

Gorbachev 鈥渞ealized that reforms were necessary and tried to offer his solutions to the acute problems,鈥� Mr. Putin said.

Reactions from Russian officials and lawmakers were overall mixed. They applauded Gorbachev for his part in ending the Cold War but censured him for the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Oleg Morozov, a member of the main Kremlin party, United Russia, said Gorbachev should have 鈥渞epented鈥� for mistakes that went against Russia鈥檚 interests.

鈥淗e was a willing or an unwilling co-author of the unfair world order that our soldiers are now fighting on the battlefield,鈥� Mr. Morozov said, in a reference to the current war in Ukraine.

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

In Germany, where Gorbachev is considered one of the fathers of the country鈥檚 reunification in 1990 and is popularly referred to as 鈥淕orbi,鈥� former Chancellor Angela Merkel saluted him as 鈥渁 unique world politician.鈥�

鈥淕orbachev wrote world history. He exemplified how a single statesman can change the world for the better,鈥� she said in a statement, recalling how she had feared Russian tanks might roll into East Germany, where she lived, as the Berlin Wall fell in 1989.

Current German Chancellor Olaf Scholz praised Gorbachev for paving the way for his country鈥檚 reunification, though he also pointed out that Gorbachev died at a time when many of his achievements have been destroyed.

鈥淲e know that he died at a time when not only democracy in Russia has failed 鈥� there is no other way to describe the current situation there 鈥� but also Russia and Russian President Putin are drawing new trenches in Europe and have started a horrible war against a neighboring country, Ukraine,鈥� he said.

Outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also recalled the current conflict, saying that 鈥渋n a time of Putin鈥檚 aggression in Ukraine, [Gorbachev鈥檚] tireless commitment to opening up Soviet society remains an example to us all.鈥�

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

Others in Europe challenged positive recollections of Gorbachev.

Gabrielius Landsbergis, the son of Vytautas Landsbergis who led Lithuania鈥檚 independence movement in the early 1990s and is now its top diplomat, tweeted that 鈥淟ithuanians will not glorify Gorbachev.鈥�

Memories are still fresh in the Baltic country of Jan. 13, 1991, when hundreds of Lithuanians headed to the television tower in Vilnius to oppose Soviet troops deployed to crush the country鈥檚 bid to restore its independence. In the clashes that followed, 14 civilians were killed and more than 140 others were injured. Moscow recognized Lithuania鈥檚 independence in August that year.

鈥淲e will never forget the simple fact that his army murdered civilians to prolong his regime鈥檚 occupation of our country. His soldiers fired on our unarmed protesters and crushed them under his tanks. That is how we will remember him,鈥� Mr. Landsbergis wrote.

But another Baltic leader, Latvian President Egils Levits, noted that Gorbachev鈥檚 policies enabled the eventual independence of the three Baltic countries.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Gorbachev 鈥渁 one-of-a kind statesman who changed the course of history鈥� and 鈥渄id more than any other individual to bring about the peaceful end of the Cold War.鈥�

鈥淭he world has lost a towering global leader, committed multilateralist, and tireless advocate for peace,鈥� the U.N. chief said in a statement.

Gorbachev鈥檚 contemporaries pointed to the end of the Cold War as one of his achievements.

鈥淢ikhail Gorbachev played a critical role in the peaceful end to the Cold War. At home, he was a figure of historical importance, but not in the way he intended,鈥� said Robert M. Gates, who headed the CIA from 1991 to 1993 and later became U.S. defense secretary.

Calling Gorbachev 鈥渁 brave leader and great statesman,鈥� Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said the last Soviet leader 鈥渙pened the gates of the Soviet Union for the great wave of Jewish immigration to Israel in the 1990s.鈥�

In Asia, Gorbachev was remembered as a leader with the courage to bring change.

China鈥檚 government recognized Gorbachev鈥檚 role in healing relations between Moscow and Beijing. Gorbachev had been an inspiration to reformist thinkers in China during the late 1980s, and his visit to Beijing in 1989 marked a watershed in relations between the sides.

鈥淢r. Gorbachev made positive contributions to the normalization of relations between China and the Soviet Union. We mourn his passing and extend our sympathies to his family,鈥� Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said.

However, China鈥檚 Communist Party leaders also regard Gorbachev鈥檚 liberal approach as a fatal display of weakness and his moves toward peaceful coexistence with the West as a form of surrender.

This story was reported by The Associated Press. Patrick Quinn reported from Bangkok. AP journalists around the world contributed to this report.