Putin critic passes away

The body of Alexei Devotchenko was discovered in his apartment on Wednesday evening, The Telegraph reported.

The circumstances of his death remain unclear. Some Russian news outlets said he was discovered in a pool of blood in his apartment, while others claimed he was found in his home.

The online tabloid Lifenews reported that Mr Devotchenko hit a glass cabinet with his hands and died of blood loss after sustaining severe cuts in the incident. It said empty bottles of whiskey and packets of phenazepam, a legal Russian drug prescribed to treat epilepsy, were discovered near his body.

Meanwhile, one law enforcement source reportedly told Russian news agencies: “There is reason to suppose that the artist’s death is of a criminal character.”

Devotchenko was a prominent opposition activist and took part in a series of anti-Kremlin protests. The actor renounced two state-awarded acting prizes in 2011, saying he was “ashamed” to have received them “from Putin’s hands”