Gorbachev Died 'Upset' Over Putin's Invasion Of Ukraine: Analyst Says 'Sometimes Your Worst Nightmare Is Right Behind You'

After Mikhail Gorbachev's death, American political scientist Ian Bremmer shared an old photo of the former Soviet leader and Russian President Vladimir Putin, reigniting talks about Gorbachev's discomfort over Ukraine’s invasion.

What Happened: Bremmer, while sharing an old picture of the duo in his tweet, wrote, “sometimes your worst nightmare is right behind you,” while pointing toward Gorbachev's complicated relationship with Putin.

sometimes your worst nightmare is right behind you pic.twitter.com/4BauI6lXBQ

— ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) August 30, 2022

“Putin called the collapse of the Soviet Union ‘the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century.’ he has devoted his dictatorship to undoing Gorbachev's singular accomplishment…and driving Europe back into cold war,” Bremmer added.

Gorbachev, who died of prolonged illness at 91, on Tuesday, did not support Putin's decision to invade Russia's neighbor. He was known to have ended the Cold War without bloodshed between 1985 and 1991 when he was at the helm.

See Also: Mikhail Gorbachev Dies At 91: What's The Final Soviet Union Leader's Legacy?

Despite being in poor health when the invasion began on Feb. 24, Gorbachev had called for "an early cessation of hostilities and immediate start of peace negotiations." 

"There is nothing more precious in the world than human lives."

In July, a close ally revealed that Gorbachev, whose maternal family was ethnically Ukrainian, was "upset" by what he saw in Russia's all-out offensive. 

"Gorbachev's reforms – political, not economic – were all destroyed," Alexei Venediktov told Forbes.

Gorbachev was known for his reforms as Soviet leader that transformed the Union and allowed Eastern Europe to free itself from Soviet rule.

His former interpreter Pavel Palazhchenko told Fox News before the war: "He always warned things could happen that could be very dangerous between Russia and Ukraine, but he always did what he could to bring those two nations closer together rather than see a continuation of this rift."

See Also: 'Not Just Putin's War:' Former US Diplomat Says Many Russians Now Support 'National Extermination Of Ukraine'