General Alexei Maslov, aged 69, has died suddenly without having any known health complications.
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Maslov was the commander in chief of Russia’s ground forces from 2004 to 2008. After that, he served as Russia’s representative to NATO, The Telegraph reports.
Cancelled meeting
General Maslov was also known as Russia’s tank chief. He was working as an international sales ambassador in the tank factory called Uralvagonzavod.
Maslov was set to meet Vladimir Putin at the factory, but the meeting had been cancelled without reason, according to local reports.
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Just one day later, Maslov was admitted to a military hospital in Moscow where he also died, Daily Mail reports.
Alleged underproduction for the war front
The company came under fire from the Kremlin for failing to produce sufficient tank units for the war in Ukraine.
Putinwas set to visit the plant for Christmas but had allegedly cancelled the meeting just before making the trip.
Maslov’s death follows that of Alexander Buzakov, 65, general director of Admiralty Shipyards in St Petersburg, who was in charge of building new submarines, The Sun reports.
Both Maslov and Buzakov never had any health worries and their deaths share mysterious circumstances.
According to the Telegram channel Redacted number 6, the FSB, Russia’s security service, has opened up an investigation to get to the bottom of these two deaths.
The deaths of Maslov and Buzakov alsofollows the deaths of at least 10 Putin critics and members of the Russian elite this year alone.
Sources used:
-TheTelegraph: ‘Former Russian army chief dies suddenly in Moscow’
-DailyMail: ‘Top former Russian general 'dies suddenly' the day after Vladimir Putin cancelled trip to his tank factory’
-TheSun: ‘WHAT DOES VLAD KNOW? Another mystery death in Russia as tank boss dies ‘suddenly’ a day after Putin abruptly cancels meeting with him’
