Vassily Dzharty, the prime minister of Ukraine's autonomous republic of Crimea, has died, his spokeswoman said on Wednesday.
The 53-year-old underwent an operation on his lungs last month.
He died in the region's resort town of Yalta on Tuesday night.
Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych described Dzharty as an "honest and responsive father, loving husband and great statesman whose name will live on in the history of modern Ukraine."
Dzharty was appointed chairman of Crimea's council of ministers in March 2010.
