MOSCOW, June 12: Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded a top state honour to ex-dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn on Tuesday, lauding his devotion to the “fatherland” at a lavish ceremony in the Kremlin.

Solzhenitsyn's wife Natalya accepted the State Prize, Russia's highest, on behalf of her husband, who at 88 was unable to attend the ceremony.

“Millions of people in the world link the name and works of Alexander Isayevich Solzhenitsyn with the fate of Russia itself,” said Putin.

“Through his scientific investigation and outstanding literary works, practically all his life has been devoted to the fatherland.” Shortly after the ceremony, Putin, who worked as a KGB officer during the period Solzhenitsyn spent in exile after being expelled from the Soviet Union in 1974, visited the author at his home in Troitse-Lykovo, northeast of Moscow.

The frail-looking, wheelchair-bound laureate appeared happy to receive the Russian president.

“I greatly appreciate your visit,” he said during the meeting, part of which was broadcast on Russian television.

The two men spoke of “the situation in Russia” and of “the future of the country,” Putin was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying after the visit.

Solzhenitsyn “drew my attention to the need to support the small and medium-sized businesses and the middle class,” he said.—AFP