Putin shows himself in the open coffin of the Russian ultra-nationalist Zhirinovsky
Vladimir Putin at the open grave of Vladimir Zhirinovsky
Source: PA/DPA/Pool Sputnik Kremlin/AP/Sergey Gunayev
Prominent right-wing populist Zhirinovsky is buried in Moscow. Thousands of people were present, including President Putin. He appeared in public for the first time after a long absence.
bAt a funeral service, Russian President Vladimir Putin and thousands in Moscow said goodbye to prominent politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky. Putin, 69, appeared in his first public appearance on Friday in the long open coffin of Zhirinovsky. He placed a bouquet of red roses on the open coffin of Zhirinovsky and bowed.
The leader of the ultra-nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) faction died on Wednesday after more than two months in hospital as a result of the COVID-19 illness. The politician, identified as a right-wing agitator, was 75 years old.
With his nationalist, anti-Western and anti-liberal positions, Zhirinovsky was considered a provocateur and populist. His arrows in the Duma are legendary: he insulted his opponents, sometimes threw a glass of water and even got into fights. The right-wing populist ran six times in the presidential election, most recently in 2018, when he finished third with 5.65 percent.
In Moscow, meanwhile, a power struggle began for the LDPR’s presidential successor, one of the five pro-Kremlin parties in the State Duma. Although officially part of the opposition, the LDPR has consistently supported government projects.
Zhirinovsky was buried in the famous cemetery of the Novodevichy Convent in Moscow. Earlier it was said that he would be buried with his family members at the Troykurovo cemetery. Although he himself expressed his desire to be buried in the most famous cemetery in Moscow.
