Putin has snubbed him, but thousands have come to see the last Soviet leader lying in state in Moscow
The Pillar Hall in the House of the Unions is a grand old ballroom where Soviet leaders are put on display when they die. Nearly a century ago, the body of Vladimir Lenin lay in state for three days before his funeral. Stalin and Brezhnev followed. Now Mikhail Gorbachev is here, pale in a spotlit coffin: the last Soviet leader finally being laid to rest.
Vladimir Putin is not here, a snub that the Kremlin has said was a result of his busy work schedule. Yet thousands of Russians have come to pay their respects, lining up past the downtown theatres and trendy cafes, each person a reminder that Mikhail Gorbachev still remains a hero to some.
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