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Rossiya 1 told Ivanoff the author of the message was a sailor named Captain Anatoly Botsanenko, who wrote the note, marked June 20, 1969, while aboard a Russian ship named Sulak.

\"From the Russian Fleet Far East shipping Company VRXF (East Fish Freezing Fleet) depot ship Sulak,\" the translated note read. \"I greet those who find the bottle and ask to respond to the address Vladivostok-43 VRXF Sulak to all crew.\"

\"It was pretty interesting,\" Ivanoff told ABC News. \"I thought it was just a random person; I never thought it would be the captain of a ship.\"

At first, 86-year-old Captain Botsanenko didn't recognize his letter, but burst into tears of joy after a second glance in a video produced by Russia 1, and translated by the BBC.

\"That doesn't look like my handwriting…\" he told Russian TV channel Rossiya 1, \"Oh yes, look! East industry fishing fleet!\"

His 50-year-old note concluded, \"We wish you good health, long years of life and happy sailing.\"

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