epa10149598 A general view over the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, 31 August 2022. Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev died on 30 August 2022 at the age of 91, according to a Moscow Central Clinical Hospital statement. Gorbachev initiated numerous reforms during his tenure. He signed a nuclear arms treaty with the United States and withdrew the Soviet Union from the Soviet-Afghan war. His policies created freedom of speech and press, and decentralized fiscal policy planning and execution to increase efficiency. Gorbachev was the last leader of the Soviet Union, overseeing Russia's transition from one party rule to a fragile democracy.  EPA/MAXIM SHIPENKOV