'The Stained Leader': How Mikhail Gorbachev got infamous nickname after Chernobyl tragedy

The former President and the last leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, passed away at the age of 91 on Tuesday, August 30. He became a Soviet leader in 1985 and soon established himself as a charismatic and revolutionary figure. Gorbachev, who supervised a significant transformation as the USSR's leader from 1985 to 1991, steered the country towards social democracy, but his political status wasn't without controversy, most notably the nuclear tragedy at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant which occurred in 1986. 

According to reports, all eyes were on Gorbachev on how he would deal with a catastrophic incident like Chernobyl, as he was dubbed as the most crucial leader in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Although the nuclear accident happened on April 26, Gorbachev did not inform the Russian people of its full scope until May 14. However, this decision did not go down well with the people of the country and invited criticism for the Soviet leader, the Daily Star reported.

Mikhail Gorbachev: 'The Stained Leader'

Meanwhile, the Chernobyl disaster and his reaction to the incident also earned Gorbachev an infamous nickname, "The Stained Leader"- referring to the birthmark on his forehead. The splotchy purple birthmark on his forehead made him easily recognisable. Due to its colour, his birthmark is classified as a port wine stain, which is formed by a malformation of blood vessels and looks like a flat or somewhat rough reddish-purple discolouration of the skin. However, he reportedly blamed the Soviet Union's nuclear industry for the Chernobyl disaster, saying that it was dominated by servitude, bootlicking, and persecution of people who hold opposing views.  

Russian people criticised Gorbachev for Chernobyl's devastation

It should be noted here that the former Soviet Union President was praised for allowing greater freedom of speech and the press during his tenure, but the Russian population chastised him for exploiting Chernobyl's devastation as a pretext to start another revolution. "A Russian needs a mission impossible, so that he would send everything to [hell], and do what is needed. A new Chernobyl should happen every day to make him wake up and move forward," Gorbachev had remarked, as per the Daily Star. Notably, the iconic leader also played an instrumental role in ending the Cold War.