Putin won't attend Gorbachev's funeral this weekend, Kremlin says

Sept. 1 (UPI) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the funeral for former leader Mikhail Gorbachev because of other commitments, the Kremlin said on Thursday.

Gorbachev, the final leader of the Soviet Union before it dissolved, died on Tuesday at the age of 91.

Putin has said that Gorbachev won't have a state funeral, but elements of the memorial service will be similar to a state funeral, state media reported. The event is scheduled for Saturday.

"Unfortunately, the president's work schedule will not allow him [to attend]," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said of Putin, according to The Moscow Times.

The Russian president visited Moscow's House of Unions on Thursday and placed flowers where Gorbachev is lying in state.

Gorbachev's funeral will include an honor guard and a farewell and the state will assist with funeral arrangements, state media reported. But it will not be a full state funeral.

The funeral will be held in the House of Union's Hall of Columns, which is the traditional place for memorial services for top officials. Former leader Josef Stalin's funeral was held there in 1953.

Finally, Gorbachev will be buried Moscow's Novodevichy Cemetery.

Gorbachev, who's been remembered fondly by many world leaders, did not publicly comment on Russia's war in Ukraine. His foundation, however, has advocated for peace negotiations, saying "there is nothing more precious in the world than human lives," according to CNN.