Mikhail Gorbachev will be remembered in the West for laying the basis for more constructive relations to ease the end of the Cold War, but vilified in Russia for speeding the Soviet Union’s demise.

In Africa, perceptions of Russia’s flagship vaccine, Sputnik V, are largely positive, despite it having not undergone the rigorous clinical trials that other vaccines have.

The truth is that his tenure as secretary of state was often rocky, and as full of setbacks as acclaim.