Mikhail Gorbachev celebrates his 80th birthday, gets Russia's highest honor

PanARMENIAN.Net - Mikhail Gorbachev has been awarded with Russia's highest honor on his 80th birthday.

Russian president Dmitry Medvedev told Gorbachev on March 2 that the award of the Order of St. Andrew medal was a tribute to his work as the last Soviet leader.

Gorbachev has been revered in the West for liberal reforms that led to the collapse of Communism. But he but has been reviled at home where many hold him responsible for the breakup of the Soviet Union and the ensuing economic meltdown.

Gorbachev recently has become increasingly critical of Russia's current rulers, saying they have taken the country back to the Soviet ways. He has described Russia as an "imitation" of democracy where parliament and courts lack independence from the government, AP reports.

Mikhail Gorbachev served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until USSR collapse in 1991.