Russia's former PM Yevgeny Primakov dies aged 85

Yevgeny Primakov died after a prolonged illness, Russian news agencies reported

Yevgeny Primakov, a former Russian prime minister, foreign minister and spy chief, has died at the age of 85.

Mr Primakov died in Moscow after a prolonged illness, Russian news agency Interfax reported.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said President Vladimir Putin had been informed of the former prime minister's death and was "deeply saddened".

Mr Primakov was head of the Russian government for just eight months between September 1998 and May 1999.

Born in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev in 1929, he was brought up in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia.

He studied Arabic at the Moscow Institute for Oriental Studies and went on to be a correspondent for state radio and television.