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Donald Trump's election victory appeared to mark a turning point in the frosty relationship between the US and Russia.

Vladimir Putin even celebrated the billionaire tycoon's victory with a glass of champagne and sent Trump a congratulatory telegram.

But it now appears as though the outspoken President-Elect has upset his new friends following his criticism of Fidel Castro.

After news of the former revolutionary leader of Cuba's death yesterday, Trump issued a strongly-worded statement calling Castro a "brutal dictator who oppressed his own people."

That was in stark contrast to a statement issued by Russian President Vladimir Putin who described Castro as a "sincere and reliable friend of Russia".

(Image: Getty)

Now, a senior official in the Russian Foreign Ministry has attacked Trump for his comments.

Alexander Schetinin, the director of the Latin American Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry said it would remain on Trump's "conscience".

Schetinin said Trump's comments were "disrespectful" to a recently deceased person.

He added that Castro was "a great politician of our time" who is "worthy of respect for all", RIA Novosti reported.

The Communist revolutionary's death was announced on Cuban state television in the early hours of Saturday.

In a statement released following his death, President-Elect Trump said the communist leader's legacy was one of repression and the "denial of fundamental human rights."

He said Castro's death marked the beginning of what he hopes would be a move away from 'the horrors endured for so long.'

(Image: AFP/Getty Images)

Castro had been in poor health since an intestinal ailment nearly killed him in 2006 and he formally ceded power to his younger brother Raul Castro two years later.

Wearing an olive coloured military uniform, Raul Castro appeared on state television to announce his brother's death.

"At 10.29 in the night, the chief commander of the Cuban revolution, Fidel Castro Ruz, died," he said.

(Image: REUTERS)

"Ever onward, to victory."

Before his 90th birthday in August, Fidel Castro told supporters he was going to die soon.

The bearded Fidel Castro took power in a 1959 revolution and ruled Cuba for 49 years with a mix of charisma and iron will, creating a one-party state and becoming a central figure in the Cold War.

He was demonised by the United States and its allies but admired by many leftists around the world, especially socialist revolutionaries in Latin America and Africa.

Transforming Cuba from a playground for rich Americans into a symbol of resistance to Washington, Castro outlasted nine U.S. presidents in power.

He fended off a CIA-backed invasion at the Bay of Pigs in 1961 as well as countless assassination attempts.

(Image: Rex)

Wearing green military fatigues and chomping on cigars for many of his years in power, Castro was famous for long, fist-pounding speeches filled with blistering rhetoric, often aimed at the United States.

At home, he swept away capitalism and won support for bringing schools and hospitals to the poor. But he also created legions of enemies and critics, concentrated among Cuban exiles in Miami who fled his rule and saw him as a ruthless tyrant.

When he closed the twice-a-decade congress of the Cuban Communist Party in April he called on his countrymen to maintain socialist ideals in the face of closer ties with the US.

Castro's last appearance in public was at an event to mark his birthday

As President Barack Obama moved to heal relations with Havana, Castro responded: "We don't need the empire to give us anything.