Gorbachev criticizes Putin

Former Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev has long not been a fan of Vladimir Putin. Today, the man who oversaw the downfall of Communism issued his harshest criticism yet of the current Russian leadership, calling it an imitation democracy.

“We have everything – a parliament, courts, a president, a prime minister and so on. But it’s more of an imitation,” Gorbachev told a packed press conference, held ahead of his 80th birthday next week. United Russia, the party formed to back Putin, reminded him of “the worst copy of the Communist Party,” he said.

He said “there was a problem” with Russia’s approach to human rights and called the case against jailed oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky politically motivated. Commenting on the growing unrest in the Middle East, Gorbachev said all people naturally desire freedom and a better quality of life.

These are big words and could cause a huge scandal – but they won’t. Gorbachev is held up in the West as a hero of democracy, a man who opened up the rotting Soviet system and eventually allowed it to collapse. But inside Russia, most continue to see him as the man who oversaw a time that plunged millions of Russians into poverty, insecurity and uncertainty. Taking a taxi to the press conference on Monday, I told the driver that I was getting ready to see Gorbachev in person for the first time. “Gorbachev? He should be hanged,” he replied.