Putin's closest ally Vladimir Sungorkin dies 'immediately' during a business trip

Russian President Vladimir Putin got another blow as one of his closest allies and editor-in-chief of pro-Kremlin tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda, Vladimir Nikolayevich Sungorkin, died on Wednesday. According to a report by the state-run Interfax news agency, the 68-year-old journalist had suffered a stroke while on a business trip to the Khabarovsk territory in Russia's far east. "Nikolayevich died. A stroke was suspected. He was on a business trip in the Khabarovsk Territory. Now we are organizing his removal to Moscow," Alexander Gamov, a columnist said.

In a statement posted on the Telegram messaging application, Komsomolskaya Pravda said its editor-in-chief died immediately after suffering a major attack. "Sungorkin had died suddenly during a trip to collect material for a book about the great pioneer of the Far East, Vladimir Arseniev," it said.  Notably, the tabloid was founded in 1925 and is described as one of President Putin's favourite papers. The publication was also the official voice of the Central Committee of the Komsomol which was more often called a communist youth league.

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in a statement released on Wednesday termed his death a great loss for Moscow and added the Kremil had expressed its condolences. "Today is sad news, unfortunately, Sungorkin passed away. We knew him very well," he said and added the President would send a personal message to Sungorkin's friends and family.

Who was Putin's closest ally Vladimir Sungorkin?

Born on June 16, 1954, in Khabarovsk, Sungorkin started his career at Komsomolskaya Pravda as a reporter. Later, he worked with the newspaper Sovetskaya Rossiya. He had been associated with Komsomolskaya Pravda since 1997. According to Interfax, Sungorkin was awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree, in 2014. In 2018 he was granted the title "Honored Journalist of the Russian Federation." In April, when the European Commission sanctioned several Russian public figures for its action against Ukraine, he was also included in the list. "Vladimir Sungorkin is disseminating and legitimising aggressive anti-Ukraine and anti-Western propaganda of the Putin regime under direct Kremlin authority in one of Russia's most popular media outlets," the Commission said in a statement. 

Image: AP