Ex-KGB war criminal Putin's on-going purge of enemies and potential rivals continues:
General Alexei Maslov, who was in charge of the Russian ground forces between 2004 and 2008, passed away “suddenly”, the Uralvagonzavod machine building company said.
The tank manufacturer did not elaborate further.
He died on Christmas Day, one day after Putin was reportedly due to visit the tank factory in Nizhny Tagil but cancelled at the last minute.
No official reason was given for the sudden decision to scrap the trip. The sudden death will only fuel speculation surrounding deaths of notable Russians throughout 2022.
So, let's do our part to fuel speculation: could it be that the visit to Gen. Maslov's tank factory was cancelled because of an assassination attempt/ coup plot that Putin got wind of? Was Maslov involved in a conspiracy to remove Putin? Or was it all in Putin's paranoid mind?
We've seen other prominent Russians die suddenly under "suspicious circumstances," including:
Recently, Alexander Buzakov, who was the director of an organisation building new submarines, died aged 65.
And it has emerged that Pavel Antov, a businessman who ran a meat production firm, fell out of a window on the third floor of a luxury hotel in India, where he was staying ahead of his 66th birthday.
He had previously criticised Russian missile attacks on Ukraine as “terrorism” before later claiming his WhatsApp post was sent by someone else, and insisting he supported Putin and the objectives of the war.
Indian police said they believed he may have taken his own life after his friend died in the same hotel, while Russia’s consul-general in Calcutta insisted there was nothing suspicious about the death.
Other businessman said to have been critical of Putin or the war have died in recent months – with some suggesting foul play.
Among them was Mikhail Watford, who was found dead at his home in Surrey, and Ravil Maganov, the chairman of energy giant Lukoil, who apparently fell from a window of a hospital in Moscow.
Wikipedia is keeping a list of Russian businessmen who've met mysterious deaths since the beginning of 2022. It's up to 22 as of today. Ukraine has been highly successful in ridding the world of Russian generals since Putin's genocidal war was launched. That number is up to 8.
Putin's genocidal war in Ukraine is hollowing out both the Russian military and the Russian economy, and people with a major stake in them could objectively be seen as threats to Putin remaining in power. Add to that Putin's paranoia and you have an extremely volatile situation that could make it more likely that someone in his circle may feel they're in Putin's cross-hairs and may decide to preempt him. Perhaps that was Maslov's thinking, but Putin beat him to the punch.
In Putin's case, it's the worst- of- all- worlds- Catch- 22: "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you."
(Photo: paranoid much?/ AP)
