Vladimir Zhirinovsky: Russian ultranationalist is dead

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Vladimir Zhirinovsky

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Natalia Kolesnikova / AFP

Vladimir Zhirinovsky is dead. This was announced by the Speaker of the Russian Parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin, in the Telegram online service on Wednesday.

The Russian ultra-nationalist died at the age of 75.

The development of the modern political system in Russia would have been unthinkable without the "extraordinary personality" of Zhirinovsky, Volodin claimed.

Above all, Zhirinovsky had always been careful not to mess with President Vladimir Putin during his career.

Zhirinovsky founded the Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) in 1991.

He remained the group leader until his death.

Zhirinovsky ran in the presidential election six times, most recently in 2018 when he finished third with 5.65 percent.

At the beginning of the 1990s, his party was the strongest force in the Russian State Duma, the parliament that then presented itself as a counterbalance to the Russian president.

In the period that followed, not only the Duma lost weight, but also the LDPR.

Zhirinovsky was considered one of the most dazzling politicians in Russia - also because of his undiplomatic speeches, which he often delivered screaming with a red face.

He also called for Russia to return to the monarchy and advocated dropping Russian nuclear bombs on the US capital Washington (read more here).

He accused then-President Boris Yeltsin of allowing "Western secret services to take control of all the power centers in the country."

Such tirades fueled fears in the West.

SPIEGEL printed Zhirinovsky's likeness in 1994 with the headline: "The Hetzer - Danger from Russia," it said next to it.

The "Bild" newspaper called him "Russian Hitler".

In Russia, there was already a stir on March 25 because the politician's death had been accidentally reported.

Parliament leader Volodin had denied the report at the time.

Now Volodin confirmed the death.

as/AFP/dpa