A highly regarded Russian military general, Lt. Gen. Vladimir Sviridov, known for criticizing President Vladimir Putin’s “third-rate” air force capabilities, was found dead in mysterious circumstances along with his wife.
Russian general found dead with wife at his village home in Stavropol region
The 68-year-old retired general was found deceased in bed at his home in the village of Adzhievsky in the Stavropol region. Sviridov led Russia’s 6th Army of the Air Force and Air Defense from 2005 to 2009, NY Post reported.
The discovery was made a week after the couple had already passed away, as reported by the popular Russian Telegram channel Baza.
“Gas service workers have already taken measurements and no excess of the permissible concentration of harmful substances has been detected,” the news outlet. “What caused the death of Vladimir and Tatiana Sviridov is still unknown,” the report claimed.
There were no apparent signs of violence at the scene, and Sviridov’s 72-year-old wife, Tatiana, was also found deceased beside him.
Local officials suggest couple passed away in sleep due to carbon monoxide poisoning
After closely checking the gas appliances at his home, experts found a valve problem that happened when the village had a power outage a week ago. This suggests that the couple probably passed away in their sleep due to carbon monoxide poisoning. This information comes from local officials, as reported by Kommersant.
“When I found out about his death, my heart was heavy. 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,” Maj. Gen. Vladimir Popov, an acquaintance of the former commander, told the outlet News.ru.
General Sviridov lost his top military position over ten years ago because he frequently criticized the Russian air force. In a 2007 interview with the Russian magazine Take Off, Sviridov strongly expressed dissatisfaction with the pilot training.
