Reminds me of when Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, the shah of Iran, took a "vacation" early in 1979. It turned out to be permanent.
Gorby went on "vacation" and when he came back, Yeltsin had taken over.
I lived there from 1975-1976. The Shah was a great ruler but the desire of many to return to their fundamental roots was too compelling and those who opposed it were complacent.
Sounds oddly familiar...