Complex sentence: He was born in Sortavala and died in Moscow by drowning in the Mitinskoe pond; "an oak of a man," the Western press described him as a "tank" and a typical product of communism.
Split into simpler sentences: He was born in Sortavala and died in Moscow by drowning in the Mitinskoe pond. "An oak of a man," the Western press described him as a "tank" and a typical product of communism.