Gorbachev’s resignation 30 years ago marked the end of USSR

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV
Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) — People strolling across Moscow’s snowy Red Square on the evening of Dec. 25, 1991 witnessed one of the 20th century’s most pivotal moments. That night, the Soviet red flag that flew over the Kremlin was pulled down and replaced with the Russian Federation’s tricolor. Minutes earlier, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev had announced his resignation in a live televised address, concluding 74 years of Soviet history by acceding to the demands of independence-seeking Soviet republics. Political experts argue to this day whether Gorbachev could have held onto his position and saved the USSR. Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the Soviet collapse as “the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century.”