Russian state news agency TASS reported that Vladimir Makarov, a police general who was fired last month as second-in-command of the Russian Interior Ministry’s anti-extremism department, was found dead in an apparent suicide case outside Moscow. Makarov was described as the main organizer of the crackdown on opposition to the Russian government, and his dismissal is seen as part of a broader crackdown by the regime. Russian authorities use the term “extremist” to describe a variety of opposition groups, including the Anti-Corruption Foundation of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalni and media outlets that have been banned for organizing anti-government protests or disseminating information deemed damaging to the state.
Makarov is the latest in a string of senior Russian security commanders who have been found dead in bizarre circumstances in recent months. Although Russian authorities have described their deaths as suicides, some observers have expressed doubts and speculated that the deaths could be related to the regime’s crackdown on political opposition and civil society.
Moreover, this is not the first time that a senior Russian security commander has been found dead under strange circumstances in recent months. Last summer, the presumed suicide deaths of Federal Security Service (FSB) General Yevgeny Lobachev and Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) General Lev Sotskov were reported.
Human rights organizations have expressed concern over the growing violence and political repression in Russia and have urged Putin’s government to respect human rights and civil liberties. The death of Vladimir Makarov and other senior Russian security officials in suspicious circumstances only adds to concerns about the situation in the country.