2023-11-18 22:29:00
General Sviridov joins the long list of Russian officials and oligarchs who have died in mysterious circumstances since the start of the war in Ukraine. The former commander of the 6th Russian Air and Air Defense Army, Lieutenant General Vladimir Sviridov, was found dead last Wednesday in a house in the village of Andzhievsky in southern Russia, several Russian media reported of which RIA Novosti.
The lifeless body of a woman who could be his wife was also found next to him. They had been dead for about a week when they were discovered.
The circumstances of their death are unclear. According to RIA Novosti, the bodies do not show signs of violent death.
Vladimir Sviridov, 68, graduated from the Stavropol Higher Military Aviation School of Air Defense Pilots and Navigators, according to Russian media Medusa. In 2005, he was appointed commander of the 6th Air and Air Defense Army, serving in this position until 2009.
Criticism of the army
During his career, he enjoyed glory, including receiving the Order of the Red Star “For Military Merit” and the title of “Honored Military Pilot of the Russian Federation”, according to Kommersant.
But he could also be critical, underlines the New York Post who recalls that in 2007, he complained in an interview with the Russian magazine Take-Off about the training of Russian army pilots.
“A pilot must fly approximately 100 hours per year to be fully combat ready. However, this is not yet the case, the average flight duration in the army is currently 25 to 30 hours,” he said.
In another interview, Sviridov was quoted as saying: “We are forced to appoint officers who are not fully trained because there are no better ones.” »
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