He was a great man who I had the pleasure of knowing on my trips to Star city. He had a great sense of humor and was always well turned out when we met. Like many other unflown cosmonauts he was justifiably bitter about his experience with Soyuz 13 and not flying. But he was able to talk about it and eventually arranged for us to meet with his former crewmate Valery Yazdovsky despite their past differences. It was an unique moment, and I am truly grateful to him for sharing.
He was very loyal and kind person. He introduced us to several other unflown cosmonauts. His wife had passed away many years before and he lived alone in Dom 4.
Sadly in his last years he had a bad hip and had treatment for throat cancer, but he bravely carried on, writing instead of talking. One can only wonder how different his life would have been had he flown into space. A true Russian Hero!
God bless you Lev Vasilyevich!
(I wonder why it took Novosti so long to post this.)