Russian politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky passes away

Russian Liberal Democratic Party leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky passed away on Wednesday after a severe and prolonged illness, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said at a plenary session of the chamber.

"Vladimir Volfovich Zhirinovsky passed away after a serious and prolonged illness," Volodin said.

The lawmakers honored the politician's memory with a minute of silence and adjourned the session.

In his Telegram channel Volodin noted that Zhirinovsky was a bright and talented politician. "A man who deeply understood how the world works, and foresaw many things. The leader of the LDPR faction in the State Duma. He was always in the thick of things," Volodin noted.

According to him, Zhirinovsky's personality was "so large-scale that without him it is difficult to imagine the development of the modern Russian political system."

"The best assessment of his performance is the unwavering support of voters. This is an irreparable loss for all of us. Let the bright memory of him always be in our hearts," Volodin stressed.