OREANDA-NEWS. January 16, 2009. Vladimir Putin sent a congratulatory telegram to People’s Artist Vasily Lanovoy, an actor of the Vakhtangov State Academic Theatre, on his 75th birthday
The message said, in part:

"You have to your acting credit dozens of striking and unforgettable roles in the theatre and in film - works that by right are included in the golden treasury of Russia's art and are still the acknowledged standard of supreme professional mastery. Your many admirers sincerely love your creative characters. Friends and colleagues do justice to your fine personal qualities, inexhaustible energy, capacity for work, and loyalty to your chosen path."