Mikhail Gorbachev, the former president of the Soviet Union, has been admitted to hospital, according to a family spokesperson. Speaking to The Associated Press, Vladimir Polyakov said the 82-year-old was taken to a hospital in the Kremlin on Tuesday for routine tests.
The former Soviet President speaking at a lecture earlier this year
Gorbachev, who has been in declining health in recent years, was forced to miss the funeral of the Margaret Thatcher earlier this year due to infirmity.
Gorbachev speaking outside 10 Downing Street in 1989
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Gorbachev remained in domestic politics, as well as making regular appearances on Russian and global media. He also established a foundation for economic, political and social research.
One of the great statesmen of the twentieth century, Gorbachev is the last of the political triumvirate who, along with Thatcher and Reagan, presided over the dénouement of the Cold War.