Former Russian Minister of the Interior Maj. Gen. Vladimir Makarov was found dead in a suburb near Moscow after an apparent suicide weeks after he was reportedly relieved of his post by President Vladimir Putin, Russian state news agency TASS reported.
Makarov, who previously served as the deputy head of the Main Directorate for Combating Extremism and was known for suppressing dissent, was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, Russian-language news outlet SOTA reported.
After his reported sudden dismissal last month, Makarov had fallen into a “deep depression” and did not know how to proceed with his career after a lifetime of military service, relatives told the VChK-OGPU Telegram channel.
The latest in a string of mysterious suicides
Makarov is now the latest in a string of mysterious suicides tied to Putin and his regime. Russian politician and businessman Pavel Antov was found dead outside a hotel in eastern India in December after falling out of the window. He had previously criticized Russian attacks on Kyiv as "terrorism."
Russian energy executive Ivan Pechorin, 39, was pronounced dead in September after falling overboard while sailing off the coast of Russky Island in the Sea of Japan, Russian media reported. On September 1, Ravil Maganov, 67, vice president of the Russian oil company Lukoil, died in a suspected fall from the window of a Moscow hospital.
Latvian-American businessman and renowned Putin critic Dan K. Rapoport reportedly jumped to his death from his Washington apartment window in August. A renowned Putin critic, he had his phone, car keys, nearly $3,000 in cash and a Florida driver's license in his possession at the time of his fall.
Capital police do not currently suspect foul play, though they are investigating Rapaport’s death. Rapoport’s widow, Alena Rapoport, cast doubts on reports that her husband’s death was self-inflicted.
“There were no suicide notes, no suicide, no trip to London, no breakup,” she said.