Before opening a meeting on providing a comfortable environment for people with disabilities, Vladimir Putin said:

“Ladies and gentlemen, as you know, Viktor Chernomyrdin, a man all of us knew, respected and loved, has died in the early hours today. Behind the façade of an uncomplicated man who loved a joke and coined quite a few phrases, a game he played with abandon, in fact was concealed a very sensitive, intelligent and honourable person. Viktor Chernomyrdin was not only a prime minister but also a major politician and a true patriot of his country. He has done much to promote the development of Russia, its economy and social system, and to strengthen its foreign policy standing. Let us stand up to honour his memory.”

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Vladimir Putin has also sent a message of condolences to Mr Chernomyrdin’s family. The message reads, in part:

“Russia has lost one of its outstanding sons, a politician and statesman who will always be remembered for his part in the critical events in the country’s modern history. Viktor Chernomyrdin chaired the government for nearly six years, and he had a number of trying periods. He never shirked responsibility for his decisions and never betrayed his beliefs or detoured from his chosen path. He has done much for the revival of the country. Mr Chernomyrdin was a very kind, wise and talented person. No wonder that he was loved and respected in Russia and by his colleagues abroad. We will always remember him.”