Russian ex-army chief found dead
The bodies of Lieutenant General Valdimir Sviridov and his wife are discovered in the south of Russia. The cause of death is unclear, the domestic intelligence service FSB is investigating. As head of the army, the top military officer had repeatedly made critical comments.
The former commander of the 6th Army of the Russian Air and Air Defense Forces, Valdimir Sviridov, has been found dead in his home in the Stavropol region, according to consistent media reports. According to the daily newspaperKommersant, the lieutenant general's body was discovered in bed next to his lifeless wife on November 15. The couple are said to have died last week.
The cause of death is still unclear. According to the state news agency RIA Novosti, however, there are no signs of a violent death. There is speculation that the 68-year-old and his wife may have died of carbon monoxide poisoning. However, employees of the local gas supplier are said to have found that the permissible limits were not exceeded during measurements in the house. The domestic secret service FSB has taken over the investigation.
Sviridov graduated from the Higher Military Aviation School in Stavropol in 1979 and was subsequently stationed in the Far East Military District and in the GDR, where he commanded a Red Army aviation unit. After studying at the Military Academy of the General Staff, he became commander of the 6th Army of the Air and Air Defense Forces in 2005. After Sviridov had repeatedly complained about the poor training of Russian military pilots, he resigned from his post in 2009.
According to reports, parts of the 6th Army of the Air and Air Defense Forces also took part in the invasion of Ukraine. Throughout his life, Sviridov did not comment publicly on the conflict. It is not known whether he may have served in the Ukraine war himself.
The investigation into the deaths of Lieutenant General Valdimir Sviridov and his wife, both former residents of Russia, is being handled by the domestic intelligence service FSB due to Sviridov's previous role as a top military officer. Despite having made critical comments about the Russian military during his tenure, speculation around the cause of their deaths remains, with no clear indication of a violent incident or excessive carbon monoxide levels in their home.
Source: www.ntv.de
