That piece ( https://www.theonion.com/mikhael-gorbachev-last-soviet-leader-who-took-down-iro-1849486759 https://www.theonion.com/mikhael-gorbachev-last-soviet-l

That piece ( https://www.theonion.com/mikhael-gorbachev-last-soviet-leader-who-took-down-iro-1849486759 https://www.theonion.com/mikhael-gorbachev-last-soviet-leade... ) is definitely satire. It's one of their fake reactions/public comments pieces, where fictitious people give funny reactions to real events. The first one in the piece is a gag about Gorbachev's infamous Pizza Hut commercial. The Onion does those regularly, and their format doesn't really work for the OP since their headlines are straight and factual.