Russian nationalist politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky, a key figure in the country’s post-Soviet history, has died at the age of 75, the head of the lower house of parliament said Wednesday.
State Duma chairman Vyacheslav Volodin said Zhirinovsky — who was reported to have been in grave condition after being hospitalised in early February with COVID-19 — had died after a “serious and prolonged illness.”
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Volodin described Zhirinovsky as a “bright, talented politician” in a message on Telegram announcing his death.
He was “a man who deeply understood how the world works and foresaw many things,” Volodin said.
“His personality is on such a big scale that without him it is difficult to imagine the development of Russia’s modern political system.”
Known for his brash, confrontational style and eyebrow-raising antics, Zhirinovsky had been a permanent fixture on the Russian political scene for the past three decades and appeared to thrive on controversy.
He co-founded and led the Liberal-Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), one of main forces in the country's rubber stamp parliament, since 1990.
Zhirinovsky took part in all of post-Soviet Russia’s presidential elections and had been a member of parliament since 1993, when his party scored a major success with nearly 23 percent of the vote.
Often described as a clown in Russian political circles, he was known for his fiery anti-American, anti-liberal and anti-communist speeches.
In late December last year, he even appeared to predict Russia’s current military action in Ukraine in an address to parliament.
“This won’t be a peaceful year,” he said in reference to 2022, urging Russian forces to strike Ukraine.
“This will be a year when Russia will finally become a great country again and everyone will have to shut up.”
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