According to the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin did not have time to attend the funeral service for Mikhail Gorbachev. There are therefore only a few recordings from Moscow's central hospital that show the Russian president saying goodbye to the former head of the Soviet Union. In those pictures, Putin appears tense and listless, the atmosphere about as chilled as the letter of condolence that the Kremlin had previously distributed. Gorbachev, an influential statesman, understood the need for reform and then offered his own solutions, it was said coolly.

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