After suffering from a long illness, Russian writer, expert in Armenian studies and author of books about Armenia Kim Bakshi passed away. He was 88 years old.

Bakshi was born in 1931 in Moscow and graduated from Moscow State University.

Since 1964, Kim Bakshi has shown interest in old and contemporary Armenian culture and has explored the manuscripts kept at the Matenadaran depository of ancient manuscripts in Yerevan, the St. Lazar’s Island in Venice, the Mekhitarists Congregation in Vienna, the Catholicosate of Cilicia in Beirut, the Holy Christ Savior Cathedral in Isfahan and the world’s largest libraries and in many other collections of ancient books.

His mission was to introduce the public to Armenian history and culture, the nation’s spiritual values and centuries-old traditions, as well as the marvelous nature of Armenia and unique monuments.

Kim Bakshi has received Armenia’s State Order of Honor for his longstanding and prolific activities for the strengthening and development of the friendly and cultural ties between Russia and Armenia. He has received the Hovhannes Tumanyan Award of the Union of Writers of Armenia and the “Friend of the Armenian People” Award. He has also been awarded the Movses Khorenatsi Medal (2001, Order of the Government of Armenia) and the Order of Honor of the Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) University (2006, for enlightening activities, prolific activities in the study of ancient Armenian manuscripts and tremendous contributions to the popularization of Armenian history and culture). Bakshi is a recipient of the Garbis Papazian Special Fund’s award (Vienna) (for literary work devoted to Armenian history and the Armenian people). The Union of Armenians of Russia has awarded Kim Bakshi the Silver Cross and later the Golden Cross.