Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has decorated Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev with the country's top award, the order of St. Andrew the First-Called.
Gorbachev, whose attempts to reform the crumbling Soviet system led instead to its downfall, celebrates his 80th birthday on Wednesday.
"I think it is a fitting mark of the important work you undertook as head of state," Medvedev told the former president, who despite being a popular figure in the West, rarely enjoys popular acclaim in Russia.
The eight-pointed star embossed with an image of St. Apostle Andrew, and a blue ribbon were established by Emperor Peter the Great in 1698-99. Late President Boris Yeltsin revived the order in 1998.
GORKY, March 2 (RIA Novosti)
