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Vladimir Putin visited the Church of the Transfiguration of Christ at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, where he attended a memorial service for actor, film director, screenwriter, producer, writer, political and public activist, State Duma deputy, chairman of the State Duma Committee on Culture Stanislav Govorukhin.

The President paid his last respects to Stanislav Govorukhin, laid flowers on his coffin, and personally expressed his condolences to the widow. Stanislav Govorukhin died on June 14 at the age of 82 after a long illness.

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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: This is a very sad day, a day of mourning. We are bidding our last respects to Stanislav Govorukhin, a man who is known and loved by millions of our people. They love him primarily for his creative work, for his iconic films.

I would like to speak on behalf of ordinary spectators, and I have always considered myself one of them. When we look at the cinema screen, we see our favourite actors perform, we are carried away by the plot, and as a rule we do not remember the person who remains off-screen, who is not seen yet is the one who made it all.

It is the director, like a conductor of a large symphony orchestra, who selects the piece, casts the performers, primarily the soloists, makes the instruments sound or make a meaningful pause. And Stanislav Govorukhin could do it like a genius; he was a truly great artist.

I met him not very long ago, in late 2011; we became close friends when he agreed to head my election campaign and then co-chaired the Russian Popular Front.

“You do not have to be a poet, but a citizen you must surely be [a quote form Nikolai Nekrasov’s 1865 poem The Poet and the Citizen] – these words are exactly about him. It was a great pleasure and great honour for me to personally get acquainted with Stanislav Govorukhin and talk with him.

As it turned out, it was not his administrative or even political support as a State Duma deputy that turned out to be important. What was important for me was his moral support because he reminded me once again that we have a great many real patriots in our country, citizens and people with their own firm stand who can stand up for it without looking back at some current selfish considerations but rather guided by the country’s interests the way they understand them.

Stanislav Govorukhin was certainly one of the select few. He had and he will forever have in afterlife the seal of the Lord, he surely had it and has it. His star will shine brightly in the skies, and millions of people will remember him. He will remain in my heart forever.

I offer my heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, colleagues and disciples.