Insecure Putin Won’t Attend Gorbechev Funeral

Russian President Vladimir Putin won’t be attending the funeral of Mikhail Gorbachev, in just the latest snub against the deceased leader who presided over the end of the Soviet Union.

In a Thursday call with the Associated Press and other media outlets, Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin couldn’t attend Gorbachev’s funeral service on Saturday, blaming a scheduling conflict.

The claimed scheduling conflict comes as Putin has already denied Gorbachev the same state honors that he had granted to former Russian President Boris Yeltsin after Yeltsin’s death in 2007, Reuters reported.

After Yeltsin’s death, Putin ordered a national day of mourning. He also attended a massive state funeral at Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior, along with other world leaders. Former U.S. Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton were in attendance, as was British Prime Minister Tony Blair.