Overview
- RIA Novosti cited the Consulate General of Russia in Bonn, which reported Merlin died in his 101st year of life.
- St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov offered condolences and praised Merlin’s legacy of more than 3,000 works.
- Officials noted Merlin began wartime service in a local self‑defence unit during the Siege of Leningrad and fought against Japan in 1945.
- Beglov recalled he was awarded the medal For the Defense of Leningrad and later performed and published widely.
- The consulate provided no cause of death or funeral information, noting only that Merlin had resided in Munich in recent years.