A Russian general who was recently fired by Vladimir Putin has been found dead in a suspected suicide.
Major General Vladimir Makarov, 67, was in charge of ‘combating extremism’ in Russia and was found shot dead on Monday morning, February 13.
He reportedly led the hunting down and suppression of opponents of the Russian president, as well as journalists deemed hostile to the Kremlin.
Makarov’s wife Valentina was in a country house with her husband in Golikovo village near Moscow at 7am when she heard a gunshot, local reports said.
Some reports said a Berkut-2M hunting rifle was found nearby. Other accounts said a pistol was discovered.
His wife summoned a family member and called an ambulance but paramedics could not save Makarov, said reports, and he was pronounced dead.
The dead general’s family were being interrogated by the Russian Investigative Committee, reported Moskovsky Komsomolets, a Moscow-based daily newspaper.
The publication said that firearms were kept inside the house.
Relatives said he ‘did not know what to do’ after Putin axed him.
VChK-OGPU Telegram channel cited a source saying Makarov had been in ‘deep depression’ following his ousting.
He had been deputy head of the Interior Ministry’s Main Directorate for Combating Extremism, which was also responsible for countering terrorism.
Makarov is not the first death of a former high-profile Russian to raise eyebrows, with dozens of Russian businessmen being found dead since the start of 2022 in unexplained circumstances.
