Putin lingered by Ivanov's coffin twice as long as he did at the memorial service for his predecessor
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin attended the funeral service for former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, which took place at the Central Clinical Hospital in Moscow. According to the Russian state news agency TASS, he spent about 20 minutes at the casket.
Russian media noted that this was roughly twice as long as during the farewell ceremony for the previous defense minister, Igor Sergeyev, in 2006. At that time, after laying flowers, Putin spoke with the deceased’s relatives for about 10 minutes.
Also present at the ceremony were Elvira Nabiullina, Chair of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation; Vyacheslav Volodin, Speaker of the State Duma; Sergei Naryshkin, Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service; Anton Vaino, Chief of the Presidential Administration; Dmitry Medvedev; and other high-ranking Russian officials.
According to TASS, Sergei Ivanov will be buried at the Troekurovsky Cemetery with full military honors. Representatives of the Russian Ground Forces, Aerospace Forces, and Navy formed the honor guard at the ceremony.
Sergei Ivanov, who once headed the Russian Ministry of Defense and served as a special representative of Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, has died at the age of 74 in Russia, the aggressor nation.
Legendary TV host Vladimir Molchanov has died in Russia.
