It is absolutely amazing that Alexander Solzhenitsyn, locked away for years by the Soviet Union in a Siberian gulag as a dissident, later winning the Nobel Prize, is now a hero in death in new Russia. Putin, Russians Brave Rain to Mourn Solzhenitsyn [washingtonpost.com].
Most of those viewing his body lying in state may not even remember Gorbachev, but this expression of pride and respect is a sign that Russia, despite its flaws, has indeed come a long, long way.