Yury Luzhkov, former mayor of Moscow, dies

Yury Luzhkov, former mayor of Moscow, died on December 10, 2019, at age 84. It was said that Luzhkov died at a hospital in Munich, Germany.

Luzhkov served as the Mayor of Moscow from 1992 to 2010. He was also one of the founders of the United Russia party, which still remains the biggest political force in Russia. 

President Medvedev dismissed Luzhkov from the post on 28 September 2010, citing "loss of trust", a traditional Russian legal formula for dishonorable dismissal.

Luzhkov was accused of brutal suppression of opposition protests. He was widely condemned for leaving Moscow during the smog crisis resulting from 2010 Russian wildfires. He is also blamed for traffic congestion in the city.