The Truth About Mikhail Gorbachev's Daughter

Mikhail Gorbachev, the former president of the Soviet Union, died on August 30, 2022, as a result of an unknown illness. Having political ambition from a young age, Gorbachev became a significant figure in Russia during the Cold War within the Communist Party, per Britannica. He held the position of General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1985 amidst tensions with the United States. In fact, Gorbachev is the one who Ronald Reagan addressed in his "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" proclamation about the Berlin Wall. The Communist leader later served as the first and only person to hold the office of president due to the Soviet Union's fall in 1991.

Long before his storied political career, Gorbachev met his wife, Raisa Gorbacheva, while the two were attending Moscow State University. The couple tied the knot in 1953 and welcomed one daughter, Irina Mikhailovna Virganskaya, in 1957.

So, who is the mysterious only child of this Soviet legacy, and how was she involved in her father's life?

Irina Virganskaya is essential to the Gorbachev family name

As the sole child of Mikhail Gorbachev, Irina Virganskaya took on the responsibility of continuing the Gorbachev family legacy. The heir apparent had two daughters, Anastasia and Ksenia, with a husband whom she divorced, per the Daily Mail. According to the German National Library, Virganskaya went to school to become a doctor.

In terms of the family business, Virganskaya serves as the Vice President of the Gorbachev Foundation, which is a nonprofit that funds various ventures. From her writings, it's apparent that Virganskaya has a great reverence for her father's life and career. While some may disagree with Gorbachev's political views, Virganskaya recognized her father's thinking. "You had the courage not just to stay in the country where, in effect, they had ousted you," she wrote in a retrospective for Gorbachev's 80th birthday in 2011. "[You] had the courage to continue doing many things for the benefit of the country, and people in general. In terms of human dimension, you are much stronger and wiser than those who try to blame you or judge you."

Throughout the years, Virganskaya has joined her father in public appearances and remains synonymous with the Gorbachev Foundation.