OREANDA-NEWS  Mikhail Gorbachev, the late last leader of the Soviet Union and architect of perestroika, led the country through “dramatic” and challenging times, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.  

Gorbachev passed away at the age of 91 on Tuesday.  

“Mikhail Gorbachev was a politician and statesman who made a profound impact on the course of world history,” Putin wrote in a condolence letter to Gorbachev’s family.

He led our country through a period of difficult, dramatic changes, and large-scale external, economic and societal challenges. He understood deeply that the reforms were necessary and strived to offer solutions to urgent problems.