The message read, in part:
"Please accept my sincerest condolences over the passing of Vasily Aksyonov.
His departure is a huge and irreplaceable loss for Russian literature and all Russia's culture, for all those who knew and loved the creative work of this brilliant, courageous and freedom-loving writer.
Vasily Aksyonov will remain in our memory as a chronicler of a whole era in the country's history, as a word-painter and a discriminating expert of the human soul.
He has lived a worthy life, achieved a great deal, and penned wonderful works which have been read over past decades with great interest not only in Russia, but also beyond its borders."