Russian Chief Justice Vyacheslav Lebedev dies at 81 after meeting with Putin as Moscow says he is ‘prolonged ill’
A Russian justice chief has died just days after meeting Vladimir Putin.
Vyacheslav Lebedev, Chairman of Russia‘s Supreme Court suffered a “prolonged illness” before he died Moscow.
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The 81-year-old was believed to be in poor condition cancer-related, Russian paper Kommersant reported.
“He was a real fighter. Fought to the end. I literally participated in the work of the Supreme Court until the last day,” said a Kommersant source.
Lebedev’s death comes just days after his encounter with Putin.
The pair met on February 6 to discuss the use of digital technology in judicial work, as well as measures to humanize legislation and law enforcement practice.
Read more about the war in Ukraine
Putin told Lebedev: “Under your leadership, the Supreme Court has done a lot to make the judiciary transparent and more accessible to our people.”
The death of the Supreme Court boss is the latest in a series of high losses for Vlad.
More than thirty high-profile Russians have been killed since the tyrant Ukraine invaded.
Lieutenant General Alexander TatarenkoThe 63-year-old was the highest-ranking of 10 military officers killed in a suspected Storm Shadow missile attack this month.
The attack took place at the Belbek air base occupied Crimea.
Two years ago, Putin sent a deadly army of troops into Ukraine in an attack that shocked the world.
On Saturday, Ukrainian Army chief Oleksandr Syrsky has said he still believes “light” will triumph over “darkness.”
“I am convinced that unity is our victory. And it will surely happen. Because light always conquers darkness!” Syrsky said on social media.
The Ukrainian army chief recalled how few believed Ukraine could repel a Russian advance in the early days of the 2022 war.
He said: “When thousands of columns of Russian invaders entered Ukraine from all directions, when thousands of rockets and bombs fell on our country, no one in the world believed that we would survive.
“Nobody believed, but Ukraine did! It believed, accepted the struggle and survived.”
The army chief then praised Ukraine’s fallen soldiers and the efforts of their troops, who were able to liberate land in the northeast and the south.
He added that two years later, Ukraine remains determined to fight.
Since the outbreak of the war, 70,000 Ukrainian troops and at least 10,000 civilians have also been killed, although it is feared the number is likely much higher.
This estimate includes more than 560 children.
At least in the meantime 302,000 Russian soldiers have died on the front lines.
Although it is estimated that Russia only lost 79 citizens.
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