“On Friday, June 26, the 83rd year of his life, the national poet of Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia, the honorary president of the Caucasus Writers Club, Salikh Sultanbekovich Gurtuev,” the Instagram report said.
Gurtuev wrote more than 25 books of poetry, literary essays, translations into the Balkar language of works of Russian and world literature, as well as poets of the peoples of the Caucasus.
He also headed the State Committee of Kabardino-Balkaria for publishing, printing and book trade.
Relatives of the poet told TASS that a coronavirus was detected in Gurtuev and he was treated in one of the hospitals in Nalchik.
On February 3, Moscow, the poet, translator and literary critic Yevgeny Vitkovsky died.