Item 1 of 5 SENSITIVE MATERIAL. THIS IMAGE MAY OFFEND OR DISTURB Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a farewell ceremony for Russian Supreme Court Chief Justice Irina Podnosova at the Central Clinical Hospital of the Russian Presidential Administration in Moscow, Russia July 24, 2025. Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Pool via REUTERS

[1/5] SENSITIVE MATERIAL. THIS IMAGE MAY OFFEND OR DISTURB Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a farewell ceremony for Russian Supreme Court Chief Justice Irina Podnosova at the Central Clinical Hospital of the Russian Presidential Administration in Moscow, Russia July 24, 2025…. Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab Read more

MOSCOW, July 24 (Reuters) – President Vladimir Putin joined mourners on Thursday to say farewell to his former classmate Irina Podnosova, the head of Russia’s Supreme Court, who died earlier this week aged 71.

Putin looked sad and pensive as he sat alongside members of Podnosova’s family in a Moscow hospital where her open casket was placed on display, flanked by an honour guard, for people to pay their final respects.

Putin placed a bouquet of red flowers at the foot of her coffin, crossed himself, and bowed his head over the open casket before talking to her family.

Putin, 72, and Podnosova were fellow law students in the 1970s in Leningrad, now St Petersburg, where the future president launched his career in the KGB security service. Podnosova was one of several trusted associates from that period who took on senior roles in politics and the judiciary after he became president.

Podnosova had been chair of the Supreme Court for little more than a year. She died of cancer, Russian media reported.

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab

Suggested Topics:

Read Next

Firefighters battled multiple wildfires across Turkey and Cyprus on Thursday that have scorched swathes of land, forced the evacuation of towns and villages and killed 10 firefighters in central Turkey amid a searing Mediterranean heatwave.

Site Index

About Reuters

Stay Informed

Information you can trust

Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world’s media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers.

Read More