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Gorbachev’s funeral to have some features of state ceremony — Kremlin spokesman

Mikhail Gorbachev died in Moscow on Tuesday aged 91

MOSCOW, September 1. /TASS/. The farewell ceremony for the former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev will include some elements of a state funeral, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media on Thursday.

"There will be elements of a state funeral," he said, when asked if Gorbachev's funeral would follow a strict official protocol. According to Peskov, there will be a guard of honor and a farewell ceremony. The authorities will provide assistance in organizing the funeral.

At the same time, Peskov did not mention what elements of the state funeral would be absent.

"I need to make inquiries to find out exactly what features a state funeral implies. I find it difficult to answer correctly right away, so I will not try," Peskov said.

Mikhail Gorbachev died in Moscow on Tuesday at 91 years of age. The farewell ceremony will be held in the Pillar Hall of the House of the Unions, and funeral itself, at the Novodevichy Cemetery on Saturday, September 3. Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Central Clinical Hospital on Thursday to pay his last respects to Gorbachev.

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