The former president of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) Mikhail Gorbachev has died at the age of 91, Russian state media reported on Tuesday.
The former Soviet leader's office had previously said he was in the Moscow Central Clinical Hospital due to a prolonged illness.
Former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev during an interview in 2016. Ivan Sekretarev / AP
Although he remained in power for less than seven years, the political and economic reforms Gorbachev introduced during the 1980s had a profound impact on the USSR and ultimately helped trigger its dissolution in 1991.
The sudden collapse of the USSR led to a fundamental change in the international order, bringing an end to Soviet domination over Eastern Europe.
This is a developing story.
Please check back for updates.
