Vladimir Putin not attending Mikhail Gorbachev's funeral because his 'schedule won't allow it'

According to Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov, Russian President Vladimir Putin has bid farewell to the first president of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, at the Central Clinical Hospital in Moscow.

Peskov clarified that Putin stopped by the hospital before flying to Kaliningrad. He said that the president will not attend Gorbachev's funeral.

"We know that the farewell ceremony will take place on September 3, the funeral, but unfortunately, the president's work schedule won't allow him to do it on September 3, so he made a decision to make sure to do it today," Peskov said (quoted by Interfax).

Peskov also said that the farewell ceremony for the Soviet president will have "elements of a state funeral."

According to Peskov, "There will be elements of a state funeral in the sense that there will be a guard of honor. A farewell will be organized. In this case here, the state will assist in the organization of these funerals."

He did not specify how exactly the status of the ceremony will differ from an official state funeral.

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