What happened to Vladimir Sviridov? The former Russian commander and his wife Tatyana have died a mysterious death with bodies not found for a week after he slammed Putin.
A top Russian general and his wife have been found mysteriously dead after he criticised Vladimir Putin for his “third-rate” military.
Investigators have been unable to work out how highly decorated Lt-General Vladimir Sviridov, 68, and his wife Tatyana, 72, died.
Here’s everything we know about him.
What happened to Vladimir Sviridov and his wife Tatyana?
Former Russian general commander Vladimir Sviridov and his spouse Tatyana Sviridov have been reported dead.
The duo were married for decades and had an age difference of four years. The politician was 4 years his wife’s junior.
Their tragic death comes after he criticised Vladimir Putin for his “third-rate” military.
At the moment, a possible cause of death has not been ruled as the mysterious case is under investigation.
“Gas service workers have already taken measurements and no excess of the permissible concentration of harmful substances has been detected,” said a report into their bizarre deaths.
“What caused the death of Vladimir and Tatyana Sviridov is still unknown.”
The bodies of the general and his wife were found in their home in the village of Adzhievsky in Stavropol region.
However, their corpses were not found for over a week.
What did Vladimir Sviridov say about Putin?
The former commander of Russian air defences had once criticised Vlad for allowing a “third-ranking” air force.
He had publicly denounced the fact that top officers were leaving the armed forces because of dire pay and conditions.
Who was Vladimir Sviridov?
Vladimir Sviridov was a highly decorated Russian general commander.
He commanded the 6th Army of the Russian Air Force and Air Defence from 2005 to 2009 in an appointment personally made by Putin.
He was also a heavily honoured pilot after being awarded the Order of the Red Star and a clutch of medals.
Sviridov left his commander’s role at age 54 after a series of scathing comments about the Russian armed forces.
He warned in one interview: “A pilot must have about 100 hours of flight time per year for full combat readiness.
“However, this is not yet the case.
“The average flight time in the army is currently 25-30 hours.”
In another blast, he complained: “We are forced to appoint not fully trained officers because there are no better ones.
“For the same reason we are sending to military academies third-ranking pilots.
“This did not happen in the past.”
He had fumed over how low salaries and poor housing provisions were forcing experienced officers to leave the military.
“One in two of our officers, unfortunately, has no accommodation,” he said.
“Up to 10 percent of young officers are doing everything possible to retire early.”
He demanded Putin “create normal living conditions for young officers, as well as for all servicemen so that they can properly perform their service duties”.
Russia records dozens of high-profile deaths following conflict with Ukraine
Russia has been hit by a spate of suspicious deaths since the start of Putin’s war against Ukraine, with many linked to the energy sector.
Last month, a top executive at Russia’s second-largest oil company died, marking the latest in a series of high-profile deaths of Russian oil tycoons.
Vladimir Nekrasov, 66, chairman of the Lukoil board of directors, reportedly “suddenly” died in his home in Moscow.
Nekrasov’s death follows that of tycoon Ravil Maganov, 67, who fell from a window of Moscow’s elite Central Clinical Hospital in September last year.
And billionaire Alexander Subbotin, 43, also linked to energy giant Lukoil where he was a top manager, was found dead in May after “taking advice from shamans”.
It comes as Russia is said to have lost a staggering 300,000 soldiers killed and wounded in Ukraine and tens of thousands more have deserted.
As Putin’s bloody war grinds into its 21st month, the fresh estimates from the UK’s Ministry of Defence highlight Russia’s immense failures to break through Ukraine’s frozen eastern frontlines.
And the stats don’t include the thousands more guns-for-hire who were mown down fighting for Kremlin-backed mercenary groups like Wagner.
Russia is said to have suffered its biggest losses of the year in the meat-grinder battle for Avdiivka, where its forces launched a costly and unsuccessful bid to seize the strategic city.
Thousands of Russian tanks, armoured vehicles, and poorly trained and badly equipped troops have been poured into the fields of death that surround Avdiivka.
In under a month, Ukraine claims Russia has suffered 7,000 casualties and lost over 100 tanks and 250 armoured vehicles to advance less than a mile.
What was Vladimir Sviridov’s net worth?
At the time of his death, he had served in high roles in the Russian military.
He had made an estimated fortune of between $1 million and $5 million. Aside from his work as a Lieutenant General, he accrued his net worth from other business endeavors.