There is a real cognitive dissonance between the disdain and anger of -seemingly most - Russians to the legacy of Gorbachev and the admiration and gratitude of most in the "west". This disdain and anger of Russians is certainly understandable, though it is important to remember that much of the worst came after him, with active outside connivance. The admiration and gratitude is based on two great thing that he did accomplish. One was a huge reduction in nuclear weapons and the global nuclear arms race. The second was the USSR withdrawal from Afghanistan, alongside a general military withdrawal from the countries occupied during World War 2. These were not small matters.
There is a real cognitive dissonance between the disdain and anger of -seemingly most - Russians to the legacy of Gorbachev and the admiration and gratitude of most in the "west". This disdain and anger of Russians is certainly understandable, though it is important to remember that much of the worst came after him, with active outside connivance. The admiration and gratitude is based on two great thing that he did accomplish. One was a huge reduction in nuclear weapons and the global nuclear arms race. The second was the USSR withdrawal from Afghanistan, alongside a general military withdrawal from the countries occupied during World War 2. These were not small matters.