ASHES TO ASHES

Russian General Who Lambasted Armed Forces Under Putin Suffers Mystery Death

The former general and his wife were lying in bed for a week before they were found.

A highly decorated Russian general has been found dead in his home alongside his wife with no clear cause of death.

Lieutenant General Vladimir Sviridov, 68—who was outspoken when he commanded the 6th Army of the Air Force and Air Defense of Russia from 2005 to 2009—was found in the bedroom of his home in the Stavropol Krai on Wednesday, local authorities said. His wife, 72-year-old Tatyana, was found next to him, with the two of them lying side by side in bed, according to Kommersant.

Investigators said there were no signs of violence and the pair had apparently been dead already for about a week, having died at the same time. While carbon monoxide poisoning was initially viewed as a possible cause of death, no heightened levels of the gas were detected in the home, Kommersant reported, citing sources close to the investigation. Other conflicting reports said a power outage several days ago, combined with failed generators, had indeed led to a build-up of gas in the home.

The local branch of the FSB is now investigating the strange deaths. Neighbors said the last time the couple had been seen alive was on Nov. 5.

“When I found out about his death, it hurt my heart. It’s a shame that people of such a rank, who are worthy of attention and respect, go out in this way. It seems to me that this was an absurd death,” Major General Vladimir Popov, a friend of the deceased, was quoted telling News.ru.

It wasn’t immediately clear what Popov believed the cause of death to be. The Kremlin has yet to comment on the news.

Sviridov was awarded the Order of the Red Star, “For Military Merit,” and “Honored Military Pilot of Russia” throughout the course of his career. In a 2007 interview with a Russian aviation magazine, he vented openly about the shoddy training of Russian pilots, calling them “third-rate” and admitting, “We are forced to appoint not fully trained officers because there are no better ones.”

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