The funeral of Mr. Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, took place in Russia's capital Moscow today.

Interfax said the funeral of Mr. Mikhail Gorbachev started at 10am today (14h Hanoi time) in the lobby in the federal house in Moscow, the venue for the funeral of senior officials, including, including

Gorbachev's body was guarded by Russian army soldiers, surrounded by black and white portraits and many wreaths.

Gorbachev's body in the federal house lobby in Moscow today.

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Mr. Gorbachev at the hospital where the former Soviet leader died and did not attend the funeral due to the schedule.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, one of the European leaders who have close relationships with President Putin, will visit Mr. Gorbachev.

The funeral is scheduled to last for 4 hours, before Mr. Gorbachev was buried at Novodevichy cemetery in Moscow.

Mr. Gorbachev died on the night of August 30 at the age of 91. He led the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991 and conducted a number of major reforms.

Mr. Gorbachev asserted that his sole purpose was to revive the Soviet economy and reform the political system.

In his resignation speech, Gorbachev admitted the country's renewal process and major changes in the world community were much more complicated than those that could predict.

After leaving the office, he has repeatedly called for Kremlin and the White House to heal the relationship when tensions escalate, since Russia merged the Crimea peninsula in 2014 and launched a military campaign in Ukraine from the end of the end.

Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, died of serious illness at the age of 91. 7

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited at the hospital where the former Soviet leader died, but he would not attend the funeral on September 3 due to schedule.