Moscow - The friendship between Russia and Cuba was built thanks to the personal participation of the Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro, and with his death, an entire historic period will go along, Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev said on Saturday.

Fidel Castro lived a life full of challenges and he was not only a politician and a leader, but also a brilliant figure, noted the Russian head of Government.

The last time we spoke over the phone in August this year, on the occasion of the Cuban leader's 90th birthday, he expressed interest in the situation in Russia and the world. Until the last moment, he had an acute sense of humor and he stored a lot of information, Medvedev admitted.

On his Facebook account, Medvedev noted that he will always remember his meetings with that great personality. My most sincere condolences to the relatives of Fidel Castro and the entire Cuban people, he stressed.

The Russian prime minister sent a telegram expressing his condolences to the president of the Councils of State and of Ministers of Cuba, Raul Castro.