Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to stay away from the funeral on Saturday of Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader, sends a deliberate message that underlines his differing view of the world, one of Russia's most prominent journalists has said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin had a "full working day" on Saturday, including what he called internal meetings, an international phone call and preparations for an economic forum in Vladivostok next week.
