Mandela `one of the greatest modern politicians`: Putin

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed Nelson Mandela as "one of the greatest politicians in modern times", saying the former South African president was a man who never betrayed his convictions. "Mandela, having gone through the most difficult ordeals, was committed to the end of his days to the ideals of humanism and justice," Putin was quoted as saying in a Kremlin statement. "A whole era of modern African history is connected with the name of Nelson Mandela, which is marked by victory over apartheid and building the democratic South Africa," the statement said.