A relative called the police
The reason for the suicide of Major General of the Foreign Intelligence Service Lev Sotskov was most likely the general state of health and psychological fatigue. Friends and relatives of the deceased came to this preliminary conclusion.
The 90-year-old retired secretary was found dead this morning in his apartment on Novatorov Street. Sotskov’s granddaughter’s husband called the police when it became clear that the SVR resident could no longer be helped. In a note, the major general explained the origin of the military weapon in the apartment – a premium pistol, which was presented to Sotskov during his secret service in Mongolia, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the fighting on the Khalkhin Gol River.
Neighbors spoke extremely respectfully of Sotskov. He lived in a house where most of the apartments are occupied either by diplomats or law enforcement officers. But it was precisely for the late major general that, until recently, a personal black car with a security guard came. In addition to him, only Sotskov’s neighbor, the long-departed legendary Meliton Kantaria, received this honor (he hoisted the Banner of Victory over the Reichstag on May 9, 1945).
Lev Sotskov served in senior positions in the KGB and the Foreign Intelligence Service, but he gained public fame after his retirement. He became one of the main archivists of the Service, published many books on the history of intelligence. In particular, it was Sotskov who convincingly proved that the German attack on the USSR in June 1941 was not at all sudden, as was believed for many years.
In recent years, Lev Filippovich more than once philosophically remarked that he lives too long, but no one thought that this fact burdened him so much.