Major General Makarov found shot dead near Moscow 

The body of Vladimir Makarov, the former deputy head of the Russian Interior Ministry's Main Department for Combating Extremism, was found on February 13 in the village of Golikovo near Moscow

According to Russian propaganda media, 72-year-old Major General Vladimir Makarov committed suicide by shooting himself with a carbine.

In January 2023, Putin dismissed the former deputy head of the Russian Interior Ministry's Department for Countering Extremism.

“He was in a deep depression after his resignation from the Interior Ministry. According to the source, the body of the former extremism fighter was found by his wife Valentina around 7 am in a private house in Khimki, in the village of Golikovo. A rifle was lying nearby. His family is being questioned by the State Investigative Committee. His relatives explained that he 'did not know what to do' and that is why he had a nervous breakdown,” the media report. 

Major General Makarov is known for being the main organizer of the 'hunt' for oppositionists and 'inconvenient journalists' in Russia.

• Over the course of the year, many well-known, influential, and wealthy people in Russia passed away under various circumstances. In April 2022, the bodies of Vladislav Aveyev, a former vice president of Gazprombank, as well as his wife and daughter, were found in a Moscow apartment. A little later, former Novatek top manager Sergey Protosenya, his wife and daughter were found dead in Spain. In July, Yuri Voronov, a top executive associated with Gazprom, was found dead.

• In mid-September, Ivan Pechorin, director of aviation at the Far East and Arctic Development Corporation (FEDC), died.

• At the end of December, Alexander Buzakov, CEO of the Admiralty Shipyards, died suddenly in Russia. This company produced submarines. Also, the former Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Ground Forces, General Alexei Maslov, died.

• On December 27, it became known that Pavel Antov, a member of the pro-Putin United Russia party, who had criticized the 'special operation' in the summer, died in India. His friend also died with him.

• On January 9, Pavel Kamnev, the developer of the Kalibr missile, died in Russia.

• On February 9, 2023, it became known that the co-founder of the Sela retailer Boris Ostrobrod died in an accident – his car fell into a lake in Latvia, where he had lived in recent years.