The message reads, in part:
“It is sad to realise that the iconic generation of war writers is passing away. Yury Bondarev was a worthy representative of this glorified cohort and an honest, principled and very respectable person, as well as an outstanding writer. His life was an excellent example of selfless love for his Fatherland and loyalty to his civic duty and literary calling.”
Yury Bondarev passed away in Moscow at the age of 96.
Yury Bondarev fought at the Stalingrad front, took part in the Battle of the Dnieper and the liberation of Kiev, and reached Czechoslovakia with the advancing Soviet troops. He became famous for his short stories and novels about the war and life after the war, many of which were made into well-known films.
Yury Bondarev was Hero of Socialist Labour, winner of the Lenin Prize and national awards.